It’s that time of year; get your shit together!

So yeah, New Years has come and gone but you are still the same procrastinator you were last year; some things never change. Your procrastination is actually slightly annoying to me believe it or not; so I thought I’d share some reminders for you all. I am not really a dick, just seemed like a funny way to start off this post.

Business Cards!
For the love of god, update and order your damn business card! There are dozens of events we’ll all be going to and SXSW is just a few months away. Nothing is more annoying than getting handed a piece of paper with some scribble on it. Oh yeah, the whole moo card thing isn’t really cool anymore; so don’t use it as your last minute effort to put together a card and think it will pass off as “creative” or “unique”. Think of moo as the Kinkos of online printing. If you want quality and are willing to pay for it, I highly recommend 4by6.com – they even now print on recycled paper for your environmentally conscious people out there. If you are on a budget or in a rush, try print100.com or overnightprints.com – both are very reliable. I am just a sucker for the satin finish 4by6 offers. And while I am all for innovation and the power of technology; the business card is not yet dead, so don’t try and convince me to download some stupid app or connect with your iPhone to get your info. Nothing is easier than pulling a card out of your pocket, handing it to me and me putting it in my pocket – simple, quick, easy and efficient!

It is 2009, so why does your website still say 2008?
Almost as annoying as not having a favicon! Do me a favor, go to your website and head to the footer. Odds are you followed the rest of us and have a cool footer with validators, navigation and even a copyright followed by a year – oh wait, and there it is, followed by the wrong year! Mind updating that for me? It is more of a pet peeve than an annoyance; but for now, call it a friendly reminder. Don’t feel bad, even the cool kids like Gmail, CSS Beauty (seriously Alex?), Twitter, Mashable, Viget, and even 37signals haven’t updated yet. Not that it really matters, just an annoyance of mine. And for those of you that immediately went to my footer to check if I updated, this says something about your personality – not sure what, but keep that in mind.

2009 is the year of the Freelancer! Freelancers need portfolios.
Economy sconomy; there has never been a better time to be a freelancer in this industry. I didn’t say contractor, I said freelancer. 2008 was really the year of the freelancer, but 2009 is going to blow that out of the water. From local talent such as Thanny Young, Nick Whitmoyer and Rachel Janke to industry elite like Cindy Li, Matt Brett and Jason Santa Maria – freelancing full-time is the new black! So, if you are thinking about joining the revolution, there is no better time than right now to begin creating or updating that portfolio! I mean, you’ve got that brand new satin finish business card, it better go to a damn nice website right? This is more a reminder than anything, time flies! You’re going to realize quickly how little time you have to prepare for things like SXSW. In an industry where we all want to look our best and our best is usually online, staying fresh is never a bad thing.

Taxes get complicated and complicated taxes demand a Tax Accountant
If you are going to need a tax accountant, you should probably start your search right now. I mean literally stop reading my blog (but come back and finish later) and open up those YellowPages (who does that anymore?). Tax accounts get booked starting at the end of January; so handling new accounts isn’t really a norm. If you’ve got complicated shit but want a big refund, find yourself a good small business accountant; someone independent or at a small firm. If you’ve got the basics then stop bitching and go to TurboTax online. And if you are right in the middle where it is too complicated to do it solo but not complicated enough to pay much; then hit your local H&R Block. I used them once when working a full-time job but had substantial freelance income; they handled it well. Best thing you can do to prepare is get your last pay stub from 2008, a record of all payments received from clients you submitted a W9, and a good documentation of any and all expenses related to your work.

That is it! Your 2009 starter guide.

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