Toluu

The Boss of You

For women who run businesses.

Moving to Macs for Productivity (and Prettiness)November 26

Something very exciting happened last week: I got my new iMac set up at work. And the heavens opened, the angels sang, the earth shook a little (gently)… then I got straight back to work, because let’s face it, things are busy.

This wouldn’t be such a big deal, I guess, except that until recently Raised Eyebrow has been a PC shop. Why? Well, back in ye olden days of the web, we felt it would be best to use PCs as our primary testing grounds because it’s what 95% of end users were using. Mac testing was part of our process but the majority of our everyday needs were better met by Windows machines.

Then for years, we felt trapped by the software investments we had made for our PCs. Moving to Macs (oh shiny, pretty, elegant Macs!) would entail purchasing a bunch of new software, and the specialized software we use (hi, Creative Suite, we’re talking about you, you pricy thing!) is expensive enough that it tends to add up to more than the hardware costs of a new machine. The whole enterprise was daunting enough that every time it came time to buy a new computer we defaulted back to PCs, though each time that time came we would torture ourselves at Apple.com, checking out the new models and all the

CRAVE Vancouver Book Launch PartyNovember 20

Lauren and I are going to be stopping by the CRAVE Vancouver book launch party next Wednesday night to cheer on the lovely Melody. If you’re in the Vancouver ‘hood and are available, you can RSVP here. It should be a very fun event.

What Women WantNovember 7

Lauren and I are featured in a current article in BC Business Magazine, entitled “What Women Want”. The article touches on many subjects near and dear to our hearts like the growth of female entrepreneurs in the business sector (Canadian women are starting 4 out of every 5 new business in the country) and defining success on your own terms. We’re featured in the article as owners of Raised Eyebrow Web Studio Inc. as well as for the book. I hope I don’t come off as too ego-driven if I say it’s well worth a read.

(And a special shout out to the article’s author Dorothy Bartoszewski, thanks darlin!)

Big DayNovember 4

E-day is here in the U.S., and I feel compelled to leave a brief note of encouragement to any U.S. citizen who happens to pause and read it today. Today is a huge opportunity. Your right to vote is precious. Please, please use it.

We have friends who are fighting the good fight today, who have been traveling from state to state, county to county registering voters for months, and who are at polling stations today doing important work like reporting on broken voting machines, advocating for disenfranchised voters, and the like. My heart is full of love and pride for each of these powerful, energetic, and devoted souls.

I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about an American election. My allegiance will not surprise anyone who knows the slightest bit about my politics, or my personality for that matter: I’m behind Obama all the way. I want him to be the next president. I want to see what happens when you infuse a nation with the power of hope and belief in themselves, when a community organizer becomes the country’s leader.

I also want to see the Obama Hustle become the victory dance:

I’m sending love, patience (for long lineups), faith and courage to everyone in the U.S. today. Your big day is here - time to bring

Seattle Urban Craft Uprising December 6 & 7October 30

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be doing a book signing at the Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle on December 6th (the show is both the 6th & 7th). I spent some time last night reviewing (and getting totally lost in) the simply awesome list of vendors for the show and I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing most of my holiday shopping while we’re there.

We really love taking trips down to Seattle, and I’ve often thought about coming down to check out this show after seeing photos and reports of it from Megan. If you’re going to be there too let us know, we’d love to meet you! And remember, The Boss of You makes the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list ;)