Our Small Business (or Reading with Your Monitor Off)
A recent post over at Itty Biz caught my eye for more reasons than one. The post, What’s Your Small Business, mentioned that many people don’t seem to realize exactly what business people run, despite being avid blog readers or good friends of the owners.
It’s not a silly post – in fact, it’s pretty accurate. Naomi did say, “If you read Men with Pens and you don’t know what they do for a living you’re probably doing so with the monitor off.”
True, true… but readers still ask Harry and I what we do. “I know you do nice banners… can you write?” Hm. “I know you write great blog posts… do you happen to know how WordPress works?” Indeed. It seems some people have their monitor off and their eyes closed.
The truth is that people are lazy (and we mean that in a really nice way. We’re lazy, too.) It doesn’t matter that you have an About Us page or clearly say what you do all you’re your site. People skim and scan. They forget. They glance and move on.
Unless you shove your business under people’s noses, they just don’t notice.
So just in case you missed it, here goes:
Who We Are (Minus the Juicy Details)
Hi, I’m James, and I’m a web content writer. I write website copy, sales copy, articles, ebook content, reports… If it’s words, I can do it. Except Forex trading content. I can’t do that. Nor do I want to.
This is Harry. Harry is a graphic designer. Not one of those amateur ones; he has a degree and everything. Pretty cool, that. He also has 20 years of experience in the print publishing industry. I like to think he’s qualified. So does he.
We’re business partners working on the web. We met… oh, what, six or eight years ago? We set up an Internet business offering web content and design. A real business. The legal type, all registered with the government and the GST and all that. Legit.
What’s Our Game
Writing and designing is what we do. We build websites and blogs from A to Z. (Except coding. Designers design and coders code. There’s a difference, people. And I’ve only met two people who can do both exceptionally well in equal measure.)
We can rip your site apart and tell you what’s wrong with it. We’ll tell you what to do, too. We can build you a brand new site to get you started in the virtual world. We can customize your blog. We can give you an ebook that sells. We can maintain your blog while you’re on vacation or year round. We can do anything.
Except fly. We can’t fly. And James can’t ride a motorcycle. But that’s okay. Harry can’t ride a horse. Much. 
Why Do We Do This?
Neither of us wants to work at McDonalds. We’re also extremely good at what we do and we can apply all sorts of strengths we have to manage an efficient, successful business. (McDonalds doesn’t care about hearing our theories on human resources or operational effectiveness.)
We also love what we do and we love taking something f-ugly or boring and making it look and sound like a jazz music smoothie on ice. Or a shot of Wild Turkey. Whatever tickles your fancy.
Who Buys From Us?
The guy next door. The girl over there. The small business ready to grow. The home worker needing a push. The emom who wants a website makeover. People just like us who need a break. They’re people who need reassurance and handholding and who need to trust that we’re good people who can help. We’ve seen enough of these hopefuls get screwed over and we want to help. We want to make a difference, and this is our way of doing so.
We have corporate clients, too – probably 50% of our clients are mid- to large-sized businesses. We like them just fine. We have online entrepreneurs managing 20 projects and gurus developing projects, too. Hey, we like everyone. Hm.
Did You Find Our USP Yet, James?
Our marketing USP is that we’re high quality providers offering affordable rates, a friendly, reassuring hand and a whallop of good business ethics. We care about you and your happiness, because if you aren’t loving it, we haven’t done our job right. We’re cohorts with a conscience.
And What’s Next?
Our big plans? We’re developing a creative writing role-playing site to help people who love fiction writing to learn, improve, interact, improve and enjoy an escape from reality.
We’d like to break 2,000 subscribers on our blog and are doing fairly well reaching that goal. A new ebook or two, more of the same great content you all enjoy and of course, generally stirring the pot up and having fun making people feel alive.
(James also believes he’s going to usurp the Copyblogger throne, but it seems that Mr. Clark know how to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. Failing that goal, James will just have to settle for blogosphere domination.)
What about you? Ready to tell people who you are?
46 Responses to “Our Small Business (or Reading with Your Monitor Off)”
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Guys, I would *so* hire you if you could fly. That’s the one final thing I need for my business …
/so disappointed …
Seriously – good summary for your business – and highlights all the reasons I *did* hire the Men With Pens for my design work. Huzzah!
Dave Navarro’s last blog post..How To Start Getting Balanced When You?re Too Damned Busy
That is exactly why you Pen Men have made such waves amongst us. Your humor and confidence shows through in every word and if I wasn’t happily married I’d chase you guys all the way to Vegas and Canada.
As for flying, oh well, not everybody can be good at everything.
Looking forward to my next makeover with you guys.
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..Opportunity Cost – A New Beginning
You guys rock. Seriously! Now time for me to get some sleep!
(I tried the morning thing, I PROMISE
…but I’m simply much more productive at night)
Chad’s last blog post..Why Aren’t People Buying Yet?
“Ready to tell people who you are?”
Nope. Still don’t know what I do and still don’t care to try to figure it out.
It’s a sunny afternoon. A group of neighbors have gathered for an informal and impromptu barbecue. Someone who might be me is talking with someone who has recently moved here.
“So what do you do for a living?”, he innocently asks the person who might be me.
“Stuff”, the person who might be me snarls, “Stuff you wouldn’t understand. Go talk to somebody else!”
He moves away, wondering if all his neighbors are such jackasses.
The person who might be me laughs darkly and reaches for another beer.. it will be a long afternoon.
Tony Lawrence’s last blog post..Why won’t companies track Windows downtime? by Anonymous
Wow . . . and I thought you guys were just a couple of guys walking around with a pocket protector full of pens! Who knew? LOL
I think it’s pretty clear you guys write content, but to be honest I didn’t realize you did much more until after about a month or so of reading your blog and digging around your site to learn a little more about you (because I liked your teachings).
Maybe have some sort of quick reference on your sidebar of what you do? It’s big enough over there. I’m working on something similar for my blog. Nothing screams “Getcha web hosting over here!”
What do I do? I enjoy eating a quarter pounder from McDonalds and chasing it down with a little Wild Turkey! Following that I usually believe I can fly.
John Hoff’s last blog post..Fear Can Ruin Your Business From Within
Forex is your Kryptonite, eh? I knew you had to have a weakness.
Mark Dykeman’s last blog post..I went willingly… to Alltop
Tony’s answer cracks me up…
since I’m still working at a nuclear plant full time, I always say, “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you”.
Well, I really wouldn’t have to do that. But if I told you too much, I’d go to prison for a long, long time.
So what am I doing when I’m away from work? Right now, I write a lot. And I have a few things that have been on the back burner, that will be coming out shortly. When they do, I’ll return to answer those questions.
(James, Harry, I’m going to need your help again. Soon.)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..time.
@ John – It’s a case of the shoemaker’s kids going barefoot. We need a MAJOR content overhaul on our site for clarity’s sake. We also need time.
@ Mark – My weaknesses are my strengths
@ Tony – My god! That sounds like me talking to my neighbors, who all have no idea what a blog is! Only I smile. When you growl and smile, it throws people off even more
@ Monika – True, we can’t do it all… but not for lack of trying.
@ Chad – You’re full of shit. You either didn’t try hard enough or long enough, so now you’re convincing yourself about this night productive thing. Nuh-uh bro, I know the brain. It just doesn’t work that way.
I dare you to be a case study guinea pig for Dave Navarro’s program. If it worked for Harry, it can work for you.
@ Dave – Tell Chad he’s full of shit. And I can juggle… does that make up for not being able to fly?
See, I STILL didn’t have this all figured out. I thought you guys just designed the stuff and then said “Here you go” and handed it over with a pretty bow.
I’m looking around for the person who will do whatever it is is each month that wordpress.com is silently doing for me in the background right now that I don’t even know about but once I walk away I am suddenly going to find out I need to do for myself and…I DON’T WANT TO DO THAT. Do you want to do that? Does your company do that?
I want to write my blog, hit click and magic presto..it all works! I just don’t want to have to clean it and polish it. I have enough housework at home.
but I also want commentluv…..and follow-up comments..and the other cool stuff…
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..The Attitude of Staying Put
@ Wendi – Yeeees, we do that
Wendi,
James gave me crap one time because I didn’t ask him for help on something. The Men are sort of like the Koala Brothers, they’re here to help…
Brett Legree’s last blog post..time.
Men,
As always, I love your posts. Being a writer, I always know I have struck gold when I am writing the copy for a pressure cooker…skimpy outfit…or piece of jewelry, and suddenly I have convinced myself that I MUST have said cooker, outfit or jewelry (regardless that I seldom cook, wear layers upon layers of clothes and rely on DH for the jewelry.)
Your post is one of those few pieces of other-written text that convinces me I MUST have your product. So fair warning, at some point, I will be contacting you for any of the many, many services listed above.
Practical question though–your voices are so distinctive, how do you reel them in or modify them to match other client’s voice or USP? I have found I can do this pretty well on my end but I also lack your strong personalities. Do you struggle with “toning it down” or mimicrying others?
@ Nicole – That’s a good question. The answer is no – we don’t have trouble with various styles and tones.
The reason is an interesting one: we’re role-players. Literally. Harry and I met on a creative writing role-playing board. We spent years pretending to be other people and writing from various perspectives. We’ve learned how to adopt different voices easily, and we can write from just about any personality style.
(And you can learn too when we launch our rpg in a week or two.)
@Nicole
I’ve found myself wondering that myself…
I mean I’m sure they can…LOL….but sometimes I imagine what Life’s Little Inspirations might look Like with Dave Navarro’s Big Black Rockin’ Theme or Six Weeks Fighting format.. or Tei’s sword….when I am thinking Oceans…Peacefulness…meditation… Fun…Beach colors…
I start to giggle at the thought of it…. I can just see the theme….”We’ll kick you’re a$$ all the way to the beach….”
(ok guys…now I’m just teasing you…)
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..The Attitude of Staying Put
@Wendi: â€We’ll kick you’re a$$ all the way to the beach….†Hehe, nice tag line – now get the f*%$#k outta my shop. (lol, just kidding, don’t go, we like you)
oh darn..it looks like I have to go hide under the bed again…
two days in a row..
anyone seen the tape?
I need to put some over my big mouth….
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..The Attitude of Staying Put
“We’re cohorts with a conscience.”
Best words. : )
I too was wondering about Pen Men… I mean who wouldn’t want Men with Pens, but how could they be anything but MEN WITH PENS….then James wrote this article over on copyblogger…about wardrobe…did it for me…that and the horse thing…So here I am making maps, working toward our concept and further, seriously looking at RPG’s which are apparently not Rocket Propelled Grenades…Hey, I spend a lot of time with a brush… totally unplugged…..But my point is this… I am so close to my own work that I need fresh perspective and the right wardrobe not only for me , but for meeting my ideal client… lethal accuracy and crossover creativity…yep, haul out the tailor with a glock, and a designer with fluency … because I don’t want ordinary…I want adventure with results.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..First Rule- Don’t Panic
@James – if your weaknesses are your strengths, then how about some FOREX advice, then? I’m dying over here!
Mark Dykeman’s last blog post..I went willingly… to Alltop
Well, your article on “Reading with your Monitor Off” is right on. I subscribe to MEN WITH PENS and did not know all that you did! I’m almost embarrassed. Not totally, but almost. I do exactly what you said – selectively pay attention. I have never clicked on any of your Ad boxes to find anything else you might offer other than the daily writing (which is great, by the way. Irreverant, and normally pretty humorous, but I like it a lot). As soon as I recover from all the information you just gave me, I’ll ask you to look at my website. I promise.
Ooh, I had a cameo in this and I’m all excited. Did you see me? Did you see me? I was right there, in the ‘who buys from us?’ section
“The girl over there.”
It was amazing. I’m deeply touched.
James, you forgot the part you told me the other day:
“We know our shit, woman.”
That should be in here somewhere.
Tei – Rogue Ink’s last blog post..Versatility, Hats, and the Happy Man
@ Mark – Ha, never tell a writer, “I promise.” We know exactly what that means… yeah yeah, sure sure…
@ Tei – We even have a page (um, very neglected) where we put up links and pics to our clients. One day, when we get our act together, we’ll put your coolness Katana there, too.
And yes. We know our shit. But I only swear in my comment section and not in posts.
Oh, I long for site that’s like a jazz music smoothie on ice. You’re on my list of people to hire…I just don’t have a name for the project yet.
@ Sandi – I love that mental image. If I had a blog like that, I’d call it “Suave.”
@ James – Well…I woke up at 5:00 for two weeks and found I was extremely productive from 5-7am, but after that there was a significant drop.
Throughout college and beyond I’ve always had trouble focusing in the mornings and an easy time pulling all nighters. While I know it isn’t the most sustainable lifestyle long-term (once I’m married – next summer), I find it works better for me right now. It allows me to catch an evening movie with my friends and still work a few hours afterwards. It allows me to watch playoff games until the end without worrying about it cutting into my sleep. And it also allows me to get work done in the quiet of the night.
If I was going to wake up at 5am every day I’d need to be in bed at 9pm to get a good enough sleep. That just doesn’t work for me.
Perhaps this article will explain things a bit for you: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2996364.stm
Just because something works for some doesn’t mean it can be used by everybody. (I promise I tried
)
Chad’s last blog post..Why Aren’t People Buying Yet?
It’s good that you did this. Even though I knew you do websites, and I knew you are super duper writers, if I needed an eBook I wouldn’t have thought to hire you! It helps to see a big old description of what you do in one in-my-face place, since I’m not looking to hire anyone for anything right now, but if I ever do, now I’ll know!
Okay. At the risk of sounding incredibly stupid, I need to ask you something… what exactly IS copy/copywriting? I see it all over the place… you, and Naomi, and Tei all say you do it, but I haven’t the clue what makes it writing *copy* rather than writing an article or anything else.
Oh and if you guys ever need a coder… I’m available.
Shoot! I forgot to email you about the role-playing site! Ahem. Off to do that!
Allison’s last blog post..Cinco de Mayo Roll
Allison – copywriting is writing for promotion or marketing. The main purpose of copywriting is to cause the reader (or listener) to act in some way – to buy a product, leave their email address, or something else.
Online copywriting has grown due to the growth of the internet (and online business).
Okay – that’s the book definition. Now mine: copywriting is a hell of a lot of fun!
Chad’s last blog post..Why Aren’t People Buying Yet?
“People are lazy, but in a good way” – this is too funny and unfortunately true. I tell my friends and peers who are not tech savvy this and they look at me like I’m cruel. It’s refreshing to see like-minded people who understand this.
Great post. I guess my question or thought is: when do you know if the people who visit your site are the “I don’t want to read (lazy) types” or whether your site is simply not clear enough about what you do?
- Vicky
Internet Mogal’s last blog post..Email Auto-Responder ?How-to? Video
Ahhhh, now I know exactly what you do. Had been wondering in the dark for the past couple months
Anyways, my turn to talk since you asked who I am.
My name is Ritu. I am a freelance blogger/writer helping commentators like you. I write posts for you , you pay me so you can comment on cool blogs like MenwithPens.
Besides, blogging and writing I also manage blogs and help promote them. One of the recent one’s that I have been promoting and writing for is MarketingHackz, which went upto 200 plus subscribers in less than two weeks since it was launched.
I work as an editor/advisor for the hackz network, the next “hackz” site will be live sometimes next week.
I started out as a blogger/writer but have transformed into internet marketer and someone who is known by most social media power users which definitely puts me at a right spot at a right time. And this helps me put my clients in a perfect spot as well.
So that’s what I do and that’s what i can do for you. By the way, I have a strong feeling that in couple years you will be seeing my name in quite a few places on the web. The name is ” Ritu ”
Chad – Ooooooo. Thanks! I get it now.
The world makes so much more sense now!
Allison’s last blog post..Cinco de Mayo Roll
James…I think one of my earlier posts was put into spam because it had a link in it.
Basically – some people are morning people and others are night people. It’s genetics!
(take out spaces for link) http://news.bb c.co.uk/2/ hi/health/2 996364.stm
I’m not full of shit and I’m certainly not trying to convince myself that nights are better. They simply are (for me)!
I agree that being a morning person has tons of advantages! Heck, I wish I was a morning person – it would certainly help me live a more sustainable lifestyle than I currently do. I wish I was so much that I’ve tried on numerous times to wake up at 5:00. The earliest time I could sustain for more than 2 weeks was 5:45, but even then I struggled at times.
Anyways, it would be an interesting subject to explore further…
Chad’s last blog post..Why Aren’t People Buying Yet?
@ Chad –
Yes, you get up earlier and you go to bed at 9pm. I do. You blaze through the morning and relax in the afternoon and evening. You sleep better, rest better, think better and have higher creativity. All proven stuff, too. You may get *more* done by burning the midnight oil, but you get *better* done in the morning – and you won’t have to go back over it
Genes or not, sleep is a behavioral pattern and it can be changed. My two cents. Cool that you tried, though – most people don’t even bother, so I hear you.
But I’m curious. Why’d you pick five am? How did you go about changing your pattern? Harry tried that – he picked a time and struggled. After two weeks, he was saying like you – It’s not working.
Then he thought, “Doh. Change my time.” So he aimed for another time. Later than he wanted but still early.
Smooth as butter.
Get Dave’s program. It’s worth a read just for the quality of the work, but he’s got good stuff going on. I read much of my psych and physiology training in it, so I know it has value.
@ Vicky – You watch your analytics of your site and see where people are traveling. You split test. You try different things. Your first tip-off is that if you’re not getting work or business, something’s broken.
@ Ritu – You can be famous, but not more than me, k?
@ James: are you telling me or asking me? If you are asking, no it’s not ok
@ Ritu – Come now, lad. When have you known me to ask politely about my domination schemes? I’m Canadian, but I know better when to cap my politeness
“Ready to tell people who you are?â€
I’ve been working on that one for years…
It would be hard to do a better job than you’ve done here, James.
And it’s not only what you say about your business, it’s how you say it – because your USP includes the sense of humour that makes you approachable. Totally on point. Incredibly important. A brilliant designer and a brilliant writer will get almost nowhere if they scare the pants off potential clients, and (obviously) you guys don’t do that. Quite the opposite. So, good stuff.
Me, I’m a freelance writer and book editor and beekeeper and fantasy faux-finisher and dog trainer and blogger. Not exactly a 10-word ‘elevator pitch’ – but I’l keep working on it.
@ RJ – Benefits, woman! What are the benefits of working with you?
Oh, wait, you’re Canadian. Enough said
Hey James,
Not sure why I chose 5…just seemed like the time to try. Perhaps I should give 6:00 a shot. The only difficulty for me right now is that I’m in an “in between” stage in life where I’m engaged and getting married next year, but living with my brother right now. Not that it’s an excuse or anything, but staying up later fits well with both our schedules.
I’ve had Dave’s auto-responder series sent to me. It looks fantastic. You’re probably right, if I could change the habit I agree that it would be a better lifestyle. I should definitely look into it.
Chad’s last blog post..Why Aren’t People Buying Yet?
@Chad: definitely choose a wake up time that works for you. As James said, I got a little too ambitious and jumped on the 5 AM bandwagon. It didn’t work and I felt miserable because I couldn’t do it. The moment I realized that 7 (now 6) was the magic number, the rest was easy.
I still have days where I need to grab an extra hour from time to time, but it’s okay because that doesn’t usually last for too long.
You can read my review and experiences with Dave’s program here,
Good luck with the program and your upcoming marriage. Keep us posted on how it all goes for you.
@James, c’mon, benefits? What if a swarm of honeybees drifts idly in your front door just as you’re dashing out to a manuscript session with your editor, and you flail around in an unwise panic (as some people do) until you’ve totally destroyed your interior decor and traumatized the dog… who ya gonna call?
@RJL: Ghost Busters?
@Harry, maybe – but they are better with supernatural slime than with substantive editing, I’d wager. Not that there aren’t parallels.
It is good to see that you guys have defined roles – as for myself, sometimes I really don’t know what I do here… lol
I do have a question though: do you have problems explaining to your non-Internet friends what you do? Sometimes I find that a real challenge as once you explain what you do, sometimes it has to be simplified to the point where your job/business is too vague or they just nod their heads and don’t understand at all.
Marc Norris’s last blog post..Outsourcing to an On-Demand Workforce
@ Marc – All the time, every day. I’ve been doing this for years now and I’ve given up hope. My family *tries* to understand. They really do, I can see it in that, “Did I get it right this time? Is *this* what you do?” look on their faces. Most of my friends gave up trying to figure it out.
I often (OFTEN) say to Harry and Naomi that I’m grateful that I have two people I can talk to who know exactly what the hell I’m talking about.
I’m not sure I would trust any business person who can’t ride a motorcycle
but this is a great explanation and a good reminder to the rest of us to make sure people know what we do.
Tom at CRM Reviews last blog post..CRM Software
@ Tom – Ah, but you see… I can’t right a bike *yet*. Watch me go. A year, two at the most, and I’ll be out there in the breeze with the best of them.