A Resource Library

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Stepping out of the noise:

Solutions to ease the pain points of a business owner and modern professional do exist. Apps, bots, software, courses, lectures, video series, articles, and more. Abundance has its curses, though, and a segment of people are too busy to scour the internet as well as too curious to let someone else take care of it. They want and need a concise, straightforward, tailored, reliable and actionable set of resources from credible experts. There are books, of course, thousands of books in the world, but what this group wants is answers, solutions, and systems they can build off of now.

An over-abundance of resources isn't the only challenge. Finding an ebook or course online is easy,  but because of the (successful and good) strategies, most of the content, positioned as a resource, is marketing and funnels to sell a more expensive product. We see a hole in the marketplace for informed, straightforward, and concise solutions -- without an upsell looming in the future.

One person writes most ebooks, courses, and articles out there. We treat our resources differently, with careful editing, strategic refining, and challenging of assumptions. Instead of one expert writing a book and sending it off to a copyeditor who has no say in the content, our authors talk at length with our strategists, editor, and designer, to fully expand (or reign in) the resource and add multidimensional opinions. We believe that many brains are better than one.

The guiding beacon for our resources is this trio: thought, action, change. Anchor & Orbit has built its reputation on the fact that there can’t be one of the three without the other. Through this commitment, A&O’s reputation has stayed free from BS, steeped in vision, planning, and making sh*t happen. This resource library will feel the same way.

Meet our first resource:

It’s natural that since Sarah started this project by answering her desire to deeply process her work that her resource is the first we publish. Her Guide, Achieving Your Goals: Understand, Create, & Maintain, takes the reader through goal uncovering, analysis, and thoughtful questions, to organizing a path to better work. Expect meticulous research, author reflections, and assignments designed to jumpstart the reader into action by setting up their long-term systems.

Another resource is about how to build (and maintain) a writing habit as a business owner. In this one you’ll learn how to take consistent, small action and identify yourself as a writer (or not!) You’ll also discover ways to ask for help in your writing process and begin building your writing community.

A third resource is advice and strategies for designers whose integrity is being challenged by clients who might want them to copy something off Pinterest. The author dives into her experiences communicating with clients and shares widely applicable lessons. Remember this resource when you’re feeling stagnant because it includes design and creativity warm-ups to help get you unstuck.

With all of our resources, the reader joins our community forum for three months so they can ask questions and interact with the authors and other readers.

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Feature: Have Company Podcast

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I have admired Have Company from afar for years. The content, drive, dedication and focused business owner kept me following along and engaged. The content — clear, concise and opinionated. The drive — felt like that of a business owner with decades of experience. The dedication — to the community at large and creatives. The focus — was the result of all of the above plus a little magic. 

When I first met Marlee, in real life, it was through her workshop: How to Not Always Be Working. I sat with 7 other professional women to listen, contribute and analyze what was and wasn't working in all of our lives. I loved it. As a participant it proved the the value of setting aside time to understand my own life and find solutions to make my work/life balance a choice. 

Marlee & I stayed in touch and lucky for me, she ended up moving to my city. Over the last six months, we've become real friend and love to bond over professional and personal growth. Marlee invited me to record our conversation so the world could hear our slightly ADD but deep conversations about how to be a creative business owner. 

An overview from Marlee:

[We] talk through the fears of being a sellout, choosing between making money off of artwork or having another job and making artwork outside of work. This episode goes on longer than others, because they have a BIG important conversation about strategies for working for yourself- from bucketing time, to structuring your week, the guilt that comes with success, forgiving yourself when you get off track, and drawing boundaries.

Some quotes from our conversation: 

“If you can understand everything you need, truly… Be real with yourself about what you need. I think there is a lot of creative freedom that happens when you get really clear about your vision and your finances.”

“There is beauty in owning your own business, because you can make enough money to get by, you can then make enough money to put aside money, or you can make enough money to really create a future for yourself… And then the other beauty of business is that you have control over the situation- you are not stuck in your office, answering to a boss.”

Check out this episode and more.

Transformative Campaigns for Social Justice

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Social justice and community engagement. 

Is it a faux pax to connect the efforts of a social movement campaign to use to our benefit in the product & sales sphere? I believe in brands that have depth.

A past of hard work, education ... depth. You can come across a number of brands and people who have the right logo or the right photographer, but are they able to deliver? Does their brand have a depth to withstand growth and sustain itself? 

Read my inspiration here. 

Quoting this beautiful article: 

1) Start with Values and Vision
2) Intentionally Sequence, and Plan to Implement, Structural Reforms
3) Engage, Constantly, in the Battle of Ideas
4) Commit to Scale: Embrace Culture Work, Civic Engagement, Field-Building, & the Technologies and Partnerships to Achieve Them
5) Trust in Leaderful Networks Taking Direct Action
6) Shift Individualism to Interdependence
7) Create Solutions for All of Us Through an Inclusive, Specific and Targeted Approach
8) Move Into a “Forward Stance” and Expand the Realm of What Is Possible