Not long ago, I left a parking garage after a one-night hotel stay. They charged $30 for the twelve hours I was parked there, because they knew I had virtually no other choice. As great as my hotel stay may have been, I left with an awful taste in my mouth about that experience, and about that company.

Yesterday I looked at my merchant account statement and found a $20 "customer service fee". Why am I charged for customer service when all they do is bill me every month and we never talk?

I call fees like this a "gotcha" fee. Big companies think they are so smart selling you something at a fixed price, then tacking on additional fees after you have no other choice. Yet they forget how angry it makes the customer.

How about mobile phone companies? Have you ever gone 10 minutes over your plan for the month? Or used data service by accident while out of the country? Instead of upgrading your plan for the given month at the normal rate, they charge an outrageous fee just because they can.

Airlines are the worst about gotcha fees, and it is one of the main reasons no one likes companies in the airline business. $2 for headphones, $5 for a coke, $10 to watch a movie, and $15 per bag to check luggage. Southwest is the only airline smart enough to focus their marketing on AVOIDING gotchas. And for that reason, I will be flying Southwest twice in the next month.

If a company needs to charge more, then charge more. Just don't make the customer feel like they have been tricked. Offer a fixed price, and stick to it.

One instance of a gotcha on the web is inflated shipping costs, which quickly result in more abandoned shopping carts. Customers are too smart for gotchas! In a time when everyone is watching their budget, don’t make the mistake of losing a sale or losing a customer all together for the sake of a few extra dollars. 

We live in a world that is more intrusive and distracting than ever. It takes more coordination and concentrated effort to complete a list of tasks in a productive fashion than ever. Getting a project done without at least one interruption of some sort is seldom at best.

I'm even being interrupted as I write this article ... excuse me while I take this call.

Okay, I'm back, sorry about that!

In order to be happy with your personal productivity, you have to control distractions. The first step is to minimize noise. Incoming emails, instant messages, twitter updates and text messages ALL make noise by default, and it is literally killing your productivity.

None of these communication methods are ways to inform someone of anything urgent, so why do we feel the need to stop what we're doing and go check something every time we are summoned by the noise? Here's a thought ... turn them off!

That is my challenge to you: turn noises for email, instant messaging, twitter and text messages OFF for a week. Check them on your own time, not when it causes you to be less productive. I am willing to bet you will like the change of pace, and get more done in the process.

The only noise I am willing to stick with is the phone. Everything else can wait until you are finished with what you are doing. If it's urgent, believe me, they will call.

I can't help but be excited about this time of year. It's a lot of fun. However, if you end up wasting (all) your time being lazy and getting fat over the break, you will indeed regret it. So I present 4 ways to make the very most of your thanksgiving, while still enjoying plenty of downtime.

1. Get Organized

Find one big room or project that you can clean out and organize from top to bottom. Throw stuff away, donate to Goodwill and bask in the unique feeling of accomplishment that comes only from a clean slate. For me, the project will be my office. I can't wait!

2. Read a Non-fiction Book

Find something you are interested in and get better at it. This does not have to be related to your work, but the book does have to be non-fiction. Learn how to build something, or learn about new technology, or better yet how to become a better person. It does not matter, just learn something of value and look to apply that knowledge in the near future.

Over the holidays, How to Win Friends and Influence People is always a great book to read again or for the first time. I will be reading Mobile Web Design by Cameron Moll and listening to Tribes by Seth Godin.

3. Reflect, then Take Action

Make it a point to spend time alone, without any distractions, reflecting on the past several months. Both personally and professionally, how could you have done better? What can you be thankful for? And most importantly, what decisions can you make or goals can you set that will have a positive impact on your next several months?

Aside from personal reflection, I love to spend time thinking about work with a "big picture" mindset. I focus on how we can do better creative work, how I want to spend my time and how I can interact with our team and clients better. For me this is a great way to visualize the next several months and how they will play out, then get fired up about it.

And by the way, if you are NOT fired up when you visualize the next several months in your life, make sure you write down the steps necessary to change it.

4. Have a good attitude

Hanging with extended family for long periods of time is not always the easiest or most comfortable thing to do. However, being a team player and having a great attitude is a difference maker. Try to be active in conversation and help out with food, decorations or shopping even though lying lifeless on the couch is much more appealing.

For many of you this may be easy, but being an introvert myself, they are things I can struggle with. The first 3 things are easier for me, but the fourth thing is the most important.

Do these 4 things and you are guaranteed to feel better about this week when you get back to the daily routine on Monday. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Slow economic times are good for business.

Feel free to re-read that sentence and let it sink in, then I will explain why.

A (temporarily) struggling economy is capitalism's way of "balancing the scales" so to speak; ridding this country of greedy executives, companies that have made far too many poor decisions, and those that forgot profits are not necessarily what brings about long-term success.

The beauty of capitalism is that customers are the boss. They choose who wins. Companies that trade in their loyalty to customers for stockholder value end up paying the price eventually. For many companies, this is their time, and rightfully so.

I don't care what business you are in — failure is a choice companies make when they stop putting customers' best interests first. And I can prove it. Take 2 industries that are struggling a great deal in 2008, the mortgage industry and the airline industry. Housing and energy are sure to be of grave concern in the upcoming election.

The housing industry slump is quite simply the result of subprime lending (see in Wikipedia). Big banks began selling mortgages to people that quite frankly could not afford them. They knowingly approved loans for people that would not be able to pay, and attached a much higher interest rate to the mortgage because of the risk involved. Banks screwed their customers, but most importantly found a way to increase profits. It was a winning plan until people could no longer afford to pay their mortgages.

Companies like Countrywide were so highly leveraged in subprime mortgages that they simply ran out of money. Screwing their customers practically crushed their business, or at least forced them to be bailed out by another big bank.

Subprime lending is a choice, and not all mortgage companies thought it was the right thing to do. Take Hudson City Bancorp, for example. This 140-year-old New Jersey company chose not to write subprime mortgages and their shares have gone up 50% in the last year. Or how about ING Direct? They made the same call, only lent money to those that could afford to re-pay it, and in approving over 100,000 mortgages have only had 15 foreclosures to date. (more in this article)

These two companies made decisions that were best for their customers, and have thrived during a tough time in their industry.

We are all aware that the country's biggest airlines have lost their focus over the last several years. Company executives have been so busy bloating their capacity (more carriers, more planes, more routes) that they forgot about customers. When fuel prices rose, the big 6 airlines lost roughly $6 billion in the 2nd quarter of 2008.

Is fuel really the problem? Or has it simply magnified everything else that is broken about these companies? Again this is why slow economic times are good for business. It is time to weed out companies that have forgotten about their customers in exchange for companies with better values.

Despite rising fuel costs, leaving customers in the cold was a choice made by most airlines. Southwest Airlines did not make that choice, and consequently earned their 69th consecutive profitable quarter this year (to the tune of $121 million). While other airlines got fat, Southwest started hedging fuel in preparation for a storm. They are committed to customers with policies like free baggage checks, and are now rewarded by carrying more passengers than any US airline.

By no means are economic times like this enjoyable. However, they are necessary to keep our capitalistic society in check. Love your customers and you too can win BIG in a slow economy.

In late June I moved to New York with my wife and two dogs for the summer. In a previous article I laid out reasons for taking this leap of faith, and what I was hoping to accomplish. Now that we are safely back in Nashville, I wanted to write a follow-up and talk about how the experience went.

Overall I could not have asked for a better experience. I learned a lot, met some really great people and found ways to continue building our small companies. After all, New York is full of people that are the best in the world at what they do, so it was incredible to be in the middle of it. The energy everywhere you look was enough to get me up and to the office right next to Wall Street each morning.

Here is how I stacked up on my 4 objectives:

1. Take Advantage of Proximity (B-)

Meeting new people and trying to earn new business cold turkey gets me out of my comfort zone very quickly. So I will admit, I did not make the most of potential work available in the city. However, I did make the most of existing relationships, and find ways to build our business as a result.

Along with getting a couple of new projects/clients we will be revealing in the near future, I got to start new projects with existing partners like Whiteboard Media in Philadelphia, Voxel Dot Net (our hosting partner), Merchant Plus (our merchant partner), Ubersmith and Twistage. These are all great companies that make sense for us to partner with. Just being there was enough to generate new and exciting projects for the next six months.

2. Enjoy the Commute (A)

It was a transition to travel to work every day, as opposed to working from home. Overall I REALLY enjoyed it, so much that I came back inspired to seek out an office space for our team. As long as you minimize distractions and find ways to get in a productive "zone" (I recommend headphones), being in an office with others is a huge plus. I got more done, and was able to relax much easier at home.

The problem in returning from the New York office commute is that the newly-acquired habits did not stick. I'm back to working more, working later and struggling to make the most of my time for an entire day. Once we find the right office space maybe I can look forward to enjoying the commute again.

3. Blog More (A+)

I am proud to say that I DID make blogging a higher priority while in New York, and I think it will continue that way. This is my 9th post since the initial article about this trip, which is a really great pace for me. At least one article every 10 days is my goal, and I love doing it.

The thing with blogging is MAKING time for it, because you will never HAVE time. I really love it, and come up with a new idea for a post it seems almost every day. This was a great goal that I am pleased to have accomplished.

4. Launch a new Application (A+)

This is a really funny goal to look back on. I actually moved to New York with plans that we would launch an application we have been using and working on slowly for about a year. However, that never happened. Over brunch a couple weeks after moving, a lightbulb went off and I pitched the guys on Feed My Inbox.

Less than a month and only about 3 days of development later we launched, and are now tracking over 3,000 feeds for people through email. The future is very bright as we continue working on new features for Feed My Inbox.

So YES, we launched a new application. It was just not the application I was talking about in the original article. It's a good thing we don't plan more than a week in advance for hardly anything, or else Feed My Inbox would not have happened.

In Closing

If you find yourself contemplating a LEAP of faith today, whether it be leaving the 9-5, taking your business in a new direction or simply moving somewhere to see what happens, ask yourself one question: "other than fear, what is keeping me from taking a leap today?" Chances are, the answer is nothing, and the rewards on the other end of a successful leap are great. Make it happen!

On Monday, we celebrated Project83's 3rd Birthday! As with most any birthday, we had the opportunity to reflect on how the company has grown, talk about the cool stuff we have achieved and dream a bit for the future. Although the photo below may be slightly confusing, these are green, blue and grey (sort of) cupcakes my lovely wife made to celebrate.

I've been lucky to partner with fantastic guys from the beginning that make our work something to be very proud of. A huge thanks goes out to Denny and Jared, also my partners in our little software startup. I also owe a great deal of thanks to the newest member of our team, Jack Behar. I am continually challenged by these guys every day, and they make what we do a lot of fun.

In order to create value with this post, I wanted to talk about a few things learned over the last 3 years. So here goes ...

1. Get Serious About Customer Service

People in our business are not always very good at customer service. Usually it's a mixture of pride, procrastination and bad communication skills that give geeks in our business a bad name. I continually struggle with the first of these things, but luckily I have been taught the importance of customer service.

I don't really care how smart you are or how good your work is. Success is still measured by your ability to help people and deliver on what you promised. We've never spent a dime to market this business, and have always had plenty of work solely because I take it upon myself to make sure the customer is happy.

We have clients that would probably be happy to point out that I am not perfect, but I believe they could all agree that I give everything I have to helping them succeed on the web.

2. Learn from Mistakes

I have never worked for a web company other than my own. Some might consider it a rather daunting task to start something with no real understanding of how the industry works. I saw it as an extraordinary opportunity to make a lot of mistakes, and learn quickly from them.

Everything I know about managing projects, doing proposals, writing contracts, designing comps and building websites is the result of trying different things and making mistakes. In order to properly learn from a mistake and take action, keep in mind you have to recognize it as a mistake and not make excuses or blame the client.

We have learned something new in every project, and after 3 years of making mistakes, I think we are really starting to do fantastic work. What we have learned by doing in 3 years could never happen by reading textbooks or working at some big agency with silly rules. Just get out there, and savour every single opportunity to learn from a mistake.

3. Promote Yourself!

I see companies all the time that are so mixed up in client work and other priorities that they have no time to spend on their own brand and long-term vision for the company. Why is it that marketing companies always have the worst websites? Why don't they practice what they preach in marketing their own business? I for one would never hire a web company that did not have a website I really liked.

Fact is, your website, your logo, your copy and your other stuff is the best opportunity to gain new business and make a great first impression. Don't get so mixed up in the here and now with client work that you forget to always be making your own stuff better.

We are actually working on a re-design of this site right now. It's hard because it takes a ton of time and does not bring in immediate income, but seeing the big picture means knowing how important the new site will be in attracting our ideal clients down the road. It is a great long-term investment and gives us the opportunity to work on a project where WE are the boss.

Here's to many more years of helping people, making mistakes and trying to improve all that we do to promote our services.

It seems that major professional sports in America get to play by a different set of rules than other, less-publicized industries from a business perspective. I would not normally bring it up in this blog, but these issues effect anyone living in a city with a professional sports team. Plus, I find it to be an interesting debate.

As a sports fan myself, 2 issues in particular have provoked many questions for me ...

1. How Teams Pay for New Venues

The business of building new sports venues in America is big. More than 50 have been built since 1990, with more under construction. What I don't get is how in the world these venues are financed and paid for mostly by taxpayers, yet owners make all the profits.

Cities sell the public on these stadiums, citing all the long-term economic benefits. However, no new jobs are created from new stadiums, and per capita income does not increase. So how do the taxpayers benefit again? The City of Pittsburgh paid for nearly ALL of their baseball team's (the Pirates) new stadium just a few years ago, a $262 million "bargain". And this is standard procedure all across the country, which goes without mentioning all the other things local governments SHOULD be spending the money on.

Leave it to the New York Yankees to knock this one out of the park. This New York Times article from 2004 is the laughable proposal for the NEW Yankees stadium scheduled to open next season. The Yankees originally told the city they would pay for most of what they said would be a $700 million stadium. The city and state was originally asked to only put up around a total of $100 million, including parks, garages and so forth around the stadium.

So how have things shaped up since then? The new Yankees stadium will be the most expensive ballpark in American history, costing more than $1.3 billion (and still counting). But the city/state is only in it for $100 million, right? WRONG. Taxpayers are now responsible for $204 million of the park, then another $300 million for parking garages and parkland.

The local community had no input on the decision to move forward with the stadium. No vote, no public hearings. Mmmmm, democracy. All in all, the Yankees ownership will end up paying $650 million, while taxpayers will pay over $500 million. Yet somehow, and this is the kicker, the city makes NOTHING from this "investment" other than sales tax. The Yankees will make all the profits (tickets, advertising, souvenirs, etc.), have no rent to pay (like they do currently), and will continue to thrive as baseball's biggest spenders in the game.

Not only are taxpayers stuck with the bill, but they may not be able to afford season tickets next year. Not only does a ticket priced at $12 in 1990 cost $250 in 2008, but the same ticket is expected to cost $500 or more next year. These numbers are based on the top ticket price for a box seat.

Thankfully, because I have to end this on a less depressing note, some organizations choose to be responsible about new stadiums. For instance, the San Francisco Giants (baseball team) built the first privately-owned stadium since 1962, requiring almost nothing from taxpayers.

How many of you out there would be willing to fund Project83, and our software company Brightwurks? We will happily take your money, however you won't make any of the profits and will still have to pay the regular price to use our software or have access to our services. Any takers? I didn't think so.

For more on this issue, check out Field of Schemes by Neil deMause and Joanna Cagan.

2. Re-negotiating Player Contracts

Why is it that players in all major sports are not only able to demand unbelievable sums of money for performing on the field, but if they actually do their job and live up to expectations, they want to re-negotiate their contract for more money before it is up? Yet if they get a big contract, then don't play up to their pay grade, management has no right to re-negotiate a contract in the other direction.

Since the football season is upon us, there is always a group clamoring for more money because they want to be paid like the other guys are. This year's crowd includes Devin Hester, Anquan Boldin, Kellen Winslow and Steven Jackson. Those players all had great years last year, and all but one have ended their holdout in favor of a big fat contract. But how about the guys making a ton of money that did not deliver last season? Where are those contract re-negotiations?

Maybe I'm old school, but if you sign a contract, you play for the money you agreed to until the contract is up. Period. If you want to re-negotiate in the middle, then general managers should be able to do the same upon a lack-luster performance.

I wonder how that philosophy would work in the real world. Major executives just stay home and decide not to come to work because the guy in the same position at their competitor now makes more money. I am pretty sure in most cases that executive can forget about having a job at all.

The best thing for pro sports would be to simply make player salaries PRIVATE. That way there is no basis for comparison. This exact same thing happened when Corporate CEO salaries were made public (Predictably Irrational has a great study about this). When the rule was instituted, regulators thought that it would force companies to keep salaries low and prevent public outcry. That never happened, only the opposite. CEOs began demanding more based on what "the other guy" was getting. And off to the races we go ...

As a sports fan, entrepreneur and taxpayer, I think these issues are very important to come out against. I would encourage others to speak up and end ridiculous practices within this industry, which have a profound effect on our lives OUTSIDE of sports too.

All great companies strive for something more than profit. They have a mission; a higher purpose, called values. A company's value system guides their every decision, and defines internal culture. Most importantly, it separates them from their competitors and enables them to achieve great success.

Semco values empowering and trusting their people. Zappos values their customers. Southwest Airlines values a bargain. While Project83 will never be as big or influential as any of these companies, it is still important to define what we value most. We don't want to be big, but we do want to be great.

5 values have helped guide this business from the very beginning, and continue to influence our every decision today:

1. Be Honest and Upfront

Scope and budget are 2 things that can easily get out of hand in a web project without the proper management and foresight. When they do, the project ceases to be fun for anyone.

Before making any financial commitments with us, you will know exactly how long and how much. Period. Even when the answer is not what you want to hear, you will get the truth. And we will stick with it until the project is finished, unless something on your end changes.

Many individuals and firms out there will tell you what you want to hear upfront in order to get the contract, then not deliver. I see this all the time, and we have lost jobs because other companies over-promised. Project83 may not be the cheapest price or shortest timeframe upfront, but you can bet that what you see in the beginning is what you get in the end.

2. Give 110% to the Process

Our process of building websites works, and we dedicate 110% effort to each step along the way. No matter what the size, scope or budget of the project, we stand behind the process and don't take shortcuts.

3. Do Great Work

Our number one goal when starting a project is to do great work. Not only do we strive for perfection aesthetically, but also in the structure and overall "user friendliness" of the site. Make the design more WOWing, make the code a bit lighter, or add one small touch that makes things easy for users. Whatever it is, we strive with each project to do better work than the one before.

It doesn't matter if no one seems to notice the subtle gradient or intelligent use of typography. If it enabled you to do great work for the client and get better at the same time, it is a win-win.

4. Partner with Quality People

Like any other business, the web business comes down to people and relationships. Our goal is to create positive, long-lasting relationships with people founded on mutual respect. We interview our potential customers, and that's been a huge benefit for both sides starting out.

One thing I will be clear about is that we don't take orders. We go into every project with an open mind, willing to learn from what the client has to offer, and we expect the same from the people we work with. If you can't come to us willing to listen to ideas and suggestions that will help the project succeed, then please don't come to us at all. Since value #3 requires us to do great work, that means your users' best interest is always the top priority. Notice I did not say your best interest. The customer or user is the #1 priority.

5. CANI (Constant and Never-Ending Improvement)

A great friend and mentor taught me the concept of CANI, constant and never-ending improvement. Everything we do is constantly under a microscope, and we are looking for ways to do better. We spend significant time CANI'ing everything we do..

Thanks to advanced analytics and tracking data on the web, you can always find ways to CANI your project. So we always look to make measurable improvements in building sites, or optimizing them.

We think these 5 things make Project83 rather unique in our space. What makes your business unique? What is your higher calling past money? Consciously be thinking about what your company values, and how it can be used as the foundation to build a better business.

"Summer Reading List" — those 3 words struck fear into my heart throughout grade school. However, now they take on a whole new meaning because I get to read what I want to read! As an entrepreneur and self-proclaimed geek (others tend to proclaim it for me as well), continuing education is the most important part of my work.

Here are some AMAZING reads that get my highest recommendation for your summer reading list ...

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question

QBQ is a message that so dearly needs to be heard in our culture. Everyone you know can benefit from this book. In less than 100 pages (about 2 hours beginning to end), Author John G. Miller will change the way you look at personal accountability. Learning from the principles in this book has had a profound impact on my personal AND professional life. I just finished reading it for the second time.

The Innovator's Dilemma

This is a "research" book from one of the world's foremost thinkers on innovation. I will warn you, I found myself re-reading about every other sentence. However, the principles and lessons learned in this book are beyond priceless.

Clayton M. Christensen studies various industries, and the disruptive innovations that eventually led to the demise of otherwise great companies (good management, good culture, etc.). The takeaways from this book completely changed my perspective about innovation, and how great companies sustain their edge.

Defensive Design for the Web

This "oldie but goodie" (published in 2004) from 37signals is one of the best books about web development available. They examine "best practices" in how to handle errors and things that go wrong on a website, something that deserves much more thought and consideration in our industry. Their definitive research walks through stuff like error pages, site help, form validation and search. Fantastic book, and for more from these guys, see Getting Real.

Mavericks at Work

I have only read about 25 pages of this book so far, but I know already that it has great wisdom for entrepreneurs. The title could not be more fitting, as it profiles companies that break the rules, and are winning BIG as a result. My biggest takeaway so far, which was first iterated in Built to Last, is that profits and competition don't drive great companies. Core ideology always rules, and the rest follows. It's a shame these kinds of companies are considered "mavericks" and are not more common.

This past Thursday my wife and I completed a move from Nashville to New York City for the summer. It's always been a dream of mine to be here, and we are very excited about finally taking the leap, even if it is only a temporary leap for now. The primary reason for being here is to continue growing Project83 as a company, working with new and existing clients on some exciting projects. Our friends and hosting/merchant partners at Voxel Dot Net and MerchantPlus have provided a space for me in their beautiful offices at 29 Broadway (next to Wall Street), so luckily I get to grow the company in style. My hope with this post is to establish some overall objectives for the summer, and follow-up on them in a subsequent post after we come back to Nashville in September. I fully expect it to be an unpredictable, busy and educational summer.

1. Take Advantage of Proximity

They say proximity is power, and I want to take full advantage of what's happening within a few square miles of the office. For the first time, I am actively seeking out new clients and partners that can benefit from the services we provide. Of course, our clients come from literally all over the place, and that's not going to change. However, my goal is to make a concentrated effort at creating relationships here that can help us grow the company while providing a great benefit to the client. I believe Project83 and our team of guys does incredible work, and provides stellar expertise about the web without the "know-it-all" attitude. Lots of small and medium-sized businesses need people like that, and my goal is to seek them out.

2. Enjoy the Commute

This marks the first time I have had to get out of my pajamas in order to go to work unless I have a meeting. All of our guys work remotely from home, and it works really well. Now that the office is a separate place, it forces me to make the very most of my time there. Staying focused and being as productive as possible in a new work environment is really important. Also, figuring out what hours work best productivity-wise is definitely crucial. The greatest benefit of the 29 Broadway office is the fact that I can separate work from all other stuff much easier. I am enjoying time at home, taking longer walks with the wife and dogs, and overall learning to relax much more as a result of this shift. My hope is that enjoying life a bit more away from the office will make my time in the office much more productive.

3. Blog More

Fact is, this blog is our #1 marketing tool, and a great way to contribute to what is going on in our industry. Blogging is a quality investment of time, so with that and my new personal twitter feed (I know, I'm waaaay late to the twitter party), I am poised to make it a much larger priority. Putting this objective in writing adds just the pressure I need!

4. Launch a new Application

A while back, we had a fantastic idea for a simple web application. We built the basics in about a weekend. I have been using it for over a year, and it has been incredibly useful. SO useful in fact, that we wanted to create it as a service other web developers could use. After getting a little off track for a while, we're back to actively working on it and won't stop until it is finished. The goal is to finish this application up and launch it in September. So I hope to shed more light on it then. Hopefully these lofty objectives are encouragement to anyone else out there that needs to make a "leap" in their life of some sort. Whether it relates to business or personal life, I STRONGLY recommend making that leap and never turning back. Take some calculated risks, do what it takes to grow your business and enjoy yourself in the process!