From the Creator: Shift Happens
Can, “just because,” be an acceptable explanation?
Have you ever gotten swept away in something? Like, truly and uncontrollably swept away? The kind of swept away where you can recall seeing [whatever the metaphoric shoreline was] coasting farther and farther away into the horizon; only to lose sight of it completely? I feel like love and passion are the only two things that do this to us: They come into our lives, unannounced / unexpected / (sometimes unwelcomed!), and the next thing you know we’re a victim to their ebb and flow.
And, when they meet? A perfect storm.
That was the case, for me, two years ago when I walked out of my in-house role and took my nearly decade long freelance career and turned it into a new age creative agency. I used the connections I had built over the past eight years or so and built a remote team of creative professionals; working together towards a common goal. (To keep thriving.) Collectively, we took aim at building and perpetuating the success of brands within the entertainment, fashion, and luxury lifestyle industries. It’s that “new age” approach that I accredit to our tremendous success; it has served us all very well.
Long story short: Most of the tasks that fell on my plate in the early days were hyper-focused on public relations, and I was happy to make those my priority, in the beginning. True, I had eventually been swept away in “the pink cloud” of a new endeavor and — with very little time to plan and strtaegize for myself, in the traditional sense — I developed a level of comfort (about a year in) in the fact that the tide may never change and PR may very well come to be my sole focus.
A lapse in judgement I’d say.
The truth is, Public Relations makes up only about an eighth of what my team and I actually do. And, it’s only been a billable service of mine for the last five years or so. My portfolio of services range from brand development to strategic communications, social media content and advertising management, and yes, traditional PR – media placement, event planning, and community engagement, among a bunch of other “stuff” in-between.
My point is: Over time I have come to realize it makes very little sense to have “Public Relations” hold such valuable real estate in the business title; it’s confusing and slightly detouring. That said, as of this past weekend, the formal title of the organization is now Eric Michael Creative Studio. Yet, my mission, focus, commitment to service, and my core values all remain the same.
After all, a rose by any other name still smells as sweet.
I look forward to serving under this new identifier in an even more transparent way; with the same signature “freelance approach” we’ve all come to appreciate, so much. Please note though that this new identity has impacted the website, mail servers, and social media channels. Professional activity is now streamlined through EricMichaelCreative.com and the appropriate email address for professional correspondence is eric {at} ericmichaelcreative.com {dot} com or @EricMichaelCS across social. (Data, email, calendars, etc. have all been transferred; there is no need to re-copy me on past notes/invites.)
Thanks for your patience and understanding as both my practice and I continue to evolve.
Why Us? 5 {Great} Reasons to Consider Outside Help from a Creative Agency
The Marketing Industry, with special emphasis on the digital marketing sect — which only continues to develop momentum, is an ever-changing field; playing an increasingly intricate role in the success and longevity of a brand. And, in today’s market, there are two things that weigh heavily on a brand’s marketing efforts over time: In the best case scenario, (1) the business grows too fast that that the administrative team simply cannot keep up with the day-to-day efforts. Or, (2) the business falls so far behind the curve that there is no understanding what the process and procedure for attracting today’s audience should be.
No matter what way you slice it, businesses today need help; lots of it.
There are a variety of ways in which an organization can deal with either of the above scenarios. You can hire in-house talent, either full- or part-time, or you can opt for outside assistance by way of freelancer or agency. It’s the business owner’s choice to decide which is best. Though, navigating that decision can be time consuming and, without proper leadership, the end result could do more harm than good.
Here are five reasons you might want to look into help from an agency to grow your marketing efforts…
Outsourcing undeniably saves you money in the long-run: Typical monthly marketing and communication spends (for agency work) start at $3K to $5K per-month, depending on the scope of work. Those numbers over the twelve month calendar year come to a “total spend” of $36K to $60K, annually. Now, let’s compare them to the cost of in-house talent: Marketing Manager roles, in the United States, average $73K in annual salary earnings (before benefits) according to Glassdoor, and they usually don’t come with the design skills. Graphic Designers and Web Developers, in the United States, command an average salary of $53K per-year (again, before benefits). So, the question becomes $120K+ for two people, or $60K for a whole team?
Agency partnerships require a little more structure: If you feel your organization is lacking necessary structural elements (process, business development documents, etc.), an agency can get that ball rolling – because their success is reliant on it. Meeting transcripts with listed deliverables, annual/semi-annual marketing and communications strategy, social media content schedules, and the like are all just some of the documents that’ll establish your new bank of information, tracking business growth.
Outside help equates to an outside perspective: Marketing operations are incredibly reliant on a creative approach to thinking. The phrase, “we’ve always done it that way,” is a Yellow Brick Road to stagnation and gradual decay; whether evolving social media strategy or just generating new web / blog content, it can prove best to not have someone so ingrained in the day-to-day.
Larger teams mean more experience; for better strategy, content, and implementation: The age-old saying, “two heads are better than one,” echos a little louder when considering whether or not to welcome in outside help; especially from an agency. Where the average Marketing Manager has 3-to-5 years of experience, the agency team spearheading your efforts likely has (collectively) anywhere from 20 (on the smaller end) to upwards of 50 years experience. (Ours? I typically serve the average client with two or three additional associates, for an collective average of 25-35 years of experience.)
Distance makes the heart grow fonder: Take it with a grain of salt when we say third-party help tends to have a better mood than the average in-house employee. That’s because they’re not so ingrained in the day-to-day operations of the business. (Again, grain of salt.) Agency team members serve as more of a “partner” role than a traditional employee; valuing and respecting that one-on-one time with their client even more deeply. And you, theirs.
Now, for three {of the many} reasons why you should hire me to carry your message…
This is not your typical freelance relationship, I’m running a new-age agency. Fueled by a decade-long history in freelancing for small- to large-size organizations, my processes and implementation tactics are scalable and “made-to-order” for a unique and unprecedented approach. “My Team” is made up of 5-to-10 creative professionals across the United States and activated “as needed” on a case-by-case basis; this not only gives us a bi-coastal footprint but also, and probably most importantly, reduces client overhead.
I’m your lead point of contact on all operations, always. You’re never pawned off on an intern or other associate. Ever. I handle all inquiries, issue all proposals, accept all responsibilities — and the consequences that come along with them. (And, P.S.: I haven’t taken a formal vacation in over 10 years!) It’s me and you, in this together.
The “no bullsh*t” law that governs all of my relationships. From my clients to strategic partners, the team behind me, and all those that collaborate with us — I don’t bullshit. There’s value in the lost art of honesty; radical candor and total transparency are what enrich my relationships, and ultimately amplify the end results. I have no room for ego.
THE TIME I SPEND consulting with clients is the most rewarding and deeply personal commitment I could ever make to someone. There is nothing I love more than establishing that partnership, building and perpetuating the success of these brands and businesses.
Need more info? Check out our services menu here.
3 Ways to Revolutionize Your Pinterest Strategy
There’s a classic situation happening in the marketing industry, and your awareness to it could (maybe) shape the future of your company. While more and more attention and financial resources are being dedicated to the popular Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter platforms — people are overlooking the redheaded stepchild, Pinterest. Yeah, remember her? She’s still thriving.
The site many of us take for granted — keeping it installed in our phones only to score inspo for haircuts and kitchen recipes, is actually used by more than 70 million users each month. The network is known to more than double exposure and website traffic in as soon as a month; making it one of the easier proven methods in digital advertising. And, the strategy is just as easy to implement as it is to use — literally.
Here are three (super) simple things you can do to increase your exposure and maximise results in the Pinterest community:
Master your profile. Think of it as the first impression, because it is. Craft your account to cater to your target market or Hubspot persona. (Not familiar? More here.) Think: Less about you, more about them. You’re curating content to appeal to an end user, not necessarily yourself.
Keep your bio content brief and give the new user (stumbling across your profile) a reason to follow you; on-brand, friendly photos are always helpful. Oh, and make sure you’ve got buzzwords — related to your content — in your profile name.
Implement Pinterest SEO into your website’s framework. Contrary to popular belief, Pinterest is a different kind of beast and lumping it in with other social media networks isn’t just unfair — it’s not right. Instead, Pinterest is technically considered a search engine site, like Google, and therefore acts differently. Yoast SEO is our product of choice for clients of The Studio, and I think you’ll find equal success as you move forward in your strategy. (They take the guess work out!)
Furthermore, you should be marking up your individual pins appropriately. This starts with creating and organizing your boards to cater to your target market, not yourself. Next, make sure you’re adding keywords to your board and pin descriptions. This is what the search engine calls on to show your content in its results. Pins should be light in text and strategic in description.
Make Pinning a conscious effort. Once content hits your personal website – or a level of consciousness within you, via third-party content – add it quickly to your feed. These posts shouldn’t just be pinned once. No, there should be Boards for your domestic content (via your personal channels) and the Boards for third-party channels by content or subject matter. Remember, people can choose to follow individual boards — and will. We don’t want them to miss anything!
Google Chrome has an awesome extension that helps streamline the process; you can download it here. And, BoardBooster and TailWind are also great automation tools. (Look into them!) BoardBooster, allows you to pin your scheduled content to a “secret” board and then BoardBooster automatically publishes it to your Pinterest account based on a timeframe you create.
Other fun facts that you probably didn’t know about the network?
The entire network is made up of more than 175 million active users (70 million are domestic, USA) with more than 75 billion pins made. 85% of the users are female and of that 42% are considered ‘adult’ or over the age of eighteen. 67% of the networks database is considered to be millennial, and they account for more than 1.5 billion searches each month. Oh, and 55% of online shoppers in the US choose Pinterest as their favorite social media platform. Boom!
5 Truths (and Biggest Mistakes) in Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has fast become one of the most effective strategies for marketing professionals to expand the reach of their thriving brands. Statistics – from a recent article in AdWeek, stake the claim that more than 90% of marketers who rely on the strategy would confirm it to be effective.
Further studies have shown that audiences prefer influencer-hosted features over traditional advertising and otherwise “mainstream” celebrity endorsements. The practice, at its core, relies on the age old fact that people act more decisively from word-of-mouth recommendations; influencers are just locally, nationally, and globally dominating “trusted sources.” Diving even further into the research, this study, says audiences of YouTube find their popular personalities to be 17 times more engaging than other celebrity figures.
With all of that research in mind, it’s no wonder that marketers are turning their focus to the new-age approach. Unfortunately, yet commonly seen throughout the marketing industry, the gold rush to master the craft has left some people fighting an even harder battle towards implementation. The fun thing about mistakes though? If you know better, you do better. (Classic situation.)
Thankfully, I’m here with the Top 5 mistakes most commonly made in the implementation process — and yes, how to avoid them:
Failing to understand the audience.
Like everything else in the marketing industry, if you don’t truly know your audience you’re just setting yourself up for failure. The long-term influencer-lead marketing strategy starts with the traditional marketing persona. Know who your customer is; only then can you truly engage. If you’re not familiar, Hubspot has excellent tutorials and information on how to build and implement personas into your efforts.
Understand and select the appropriate channels.
It’s important that your channel selection talk to the appropriate audience; bearing in mind that B2B and B2C audiences direct their attention to different channels, for sure. For example, and most obviously, a campaign aimed at the Generation Z consumer would be far less effective via Facebook and Twitter; rather — lean on Instagram. That’s because Gen Z prefers the Instagram platform over all others, overwhelmingly. Looking to target Gen X? Facebook and LinkedIn are your vessels. This knowledge truly is power, allowing you to home your focus more pointedly – as opposed to micro-managing a handful of platforms via trial-and-error.
Dropping the ball on the call-to-action.
The question is: What should the audience do to engage with the influencer campaign? Is it as easy as liking the photo? Should they drop a comment? Share? Follow the profile? All of the above? If the goal is to forward traffic to your website, make sure there’s a dedicated page already in place to service the prospect. Google says that more than 40% of shoppers will automatically choose a competitor if the originally marketed brand doesn’t offer a fully-optimized website. That same study found that 57% of shoppers will not recommend a company that doesn’t offer a mobile-friendly site. Yikes!
Misunderstanding or misleading the influencer campaigns.
It’s crucial that whomever is at the helm of your influencer campaigns have a clear understanding. Consulting with a mastercraftsman in the field can save you hours of time and thousands (and thousands!) of dollars in the trial-and-error process. One great way to get the education you need is to attend an event that focuses on influencer marketing for a crash course understanding.
On the flip side, as influencer marketing becomes so prevalent — before it eventually burns out and we’re onto the next thing — marketing agencies are scrambling to offer the service to clients. Sadly, many large scale agencies don’t have the real world experience in implementing these campaigns. Or, they’ve ignored the practice for so long that they’re entirely out of the game. This ignorance proves to only underserved the client as contemporary campaign efforts need to have an integrated approach, on one level or another. If you’re in the market for an agency’s assistance, make sure you select one that has the experience working with influencer marketing strategy or is lead by an influencer itself. (Hello!)
Finally, don’t expect results overnight.
Sure, some cases — the best of them — can yield measurable results from a singular collaboration. Though, this is usually not the case and especially if your brand is not in the ecommerce arena. Influencer marketing can really take time because one of the root objectives is to amplify brand awareness; even after that awareness is achieved, the prospective client still needs to trickle down the marketing funnel to consideration and decision making stages before making that purchase.
3 Boundaries Worth Setting in a Freelance Practice
Last week, one of my Instagram followers (from the pool of three) wrote me a note asking me for advice as she transitions from her in-house role to that of a freelancer, in search of balance. She wrote: “I just have my two weeks [notice] to my day job and I’m looking forward to chasing my dreams of freelancing. I am not sure where that will take me but I do know that I need to strategize as much as possible before hitting the streets. I’d love your feedback. What’re your thoughts on boundaries? How do you set them?”
My thoughts on boundaries? They’re muy importanté — and worth every butterfly notion at start-up with a client. I use the words “butterfly notion” because it’s exactly how it feels. Signing a new client is a such an exciting process and you’re bound to be overcome with excitement that you’ve got a check new focus and ideas to play with. It’s my favorite feeling, ever. But, you cannot allow those puffy pink clouds of excitement to skew your judgement.
Boundaries are daunting to say the very least. As humans, we inherently love to push them; defy them; and test them even when they’re broken. I am as guilty as anyone else. But, by failing to set expectation and implement “the B word” into your working relationships you’re really only setting yourself up for failure.
Here are my three top boundaries for the blossoming freelance pro — and how/why you should implement them:
Get as specific and pointed as possible when it comes to time management. Time is very sacred and yours is very (very!) precious. Remember, every minute you spend doing something is another minute you could be billing a client. (And, let that lead you. Along with gratitude.) Anyway – things like hours of operation and commitments to clients should be clearly documented and honored accordingly.
Client commitments – aka labor hours, design time, tasks, and deliverables – should be clearly outlined in your official contract agreement. (Every client should sign a contract!) These commitments and deadlines need to be met on your end and billed for immediately, regardless of whether the client’s deliverables have been received. This might look like aggression, to the both of you, but it’s the good kind of aggressive behavior — that keeps everyone in check. Trust me.
Outline your Terms & Conditions in a separate document or – even better – a web page, like this, and make sure every client receives a copy in their welcome kit. Digital copies can be bookmarked and consulted later (hah!). But, just because you say it, doesn’t mean they’ll listen; you’re going to need to stand firm on things — like rogue appointment times and 9PM texts and phone calls on a Saturday, “just to chat.” Shut it down.
Require a singular channel for communication. There are so many great tools out there, now more than ever, to help organizations streamline their communication. Choose one, or simply rely on email, and preface the importance of keeping the communication segmented. If things get lost or misplaced in the digisphere… it’s your head that will role. Plus, if everything is in one channel, you can easily turn on and off the notifications and your overall availability.
In the early stages, you’re going to have a lot of “do I really need all of this?” thoughts. But, listen to me, invest in the necessary softwares and make them an intricate part of daily life. Transitioning from the old school email-only approach to a more intuitive platform like Slack or the support threads in Freshbooks can be very difficult. Or impossible altogether.
Organizing your billing terms and outline them, clearly and honestly. Our achilles heel, as freelance creative professionals, is our passion. It’s the reason we’re hired and often times the reason why we’re not. Never, ever give anything away for free. (Oh, and a cup of coffee — or lunch on a park bench is not an appropriate form of payment to “pick your brain.”) Your thoughts, time, and efforts are all valuable — so valuable, in fact, that they’ve got a price tag. Each of them.
Consultation fees are a must — but it’s up to you on how you handle them. The research and proposal development process takes a tremendous amount of time and at the end of the day there’s nothing stopping the potential client from stealing the idea(s) and walking away. My rule of thumb is to enforce them for everyone, established clients or new relationships alike (remember, a new idea / product / business is a new “project”). Then, you can waive them if they choose you to execute on the project.
Protocol for The Studio is a $150-300 consultation fee, which only fluctuates based on our availability and the turnaround time in which the deliverables are needed, and that fee is waived / “applied to the account” if we are hired for the gig.
Labor hours need to be tracked and billed immediately – as used. If you’re anything like me and have an issue talking about money, you’re going to need to get over that right-the-f*ck-now. Time commitments to clients can go rogue at the drop of a hat, and trust me, they want you to get swept away in the tide of passion. It’s how you lose focus and ultimately forget to bill – and if you wait long enough or don’t speak up on past due invoices, a dispute and delay in production is imminent.
Remember, as you leave your role in [presumably] corporate America, the boundaries are no longer set for you and there’s really no freelancer handbook to govern your relationships. Your work hours, paydays, emails, and availability are all your responsibility. And, so are the consequences that come with mishandling any of them. It’s hard to lose focus of the importance of boundaries, especially as you establish this new name for yourself, but in the long run – they’re worth it.
Privacy Policy
As much as Eric Michael and his team of associates care about building and empowering your entrepreneurial pursuit, Eric Michael and his associates also care about your privacy online and we take our part in protecting customers, clients, and everyday users the best we can. This page will help to define policy and practices as it relates to your profile, data, assets and our systems, services, and strategic partners.
It’s true that Privacy Policies can be quite boring to read. However, by continuing to use or buy from this website, employ its systems or software, or to engage with Eric Michael for service of any kind means you agree to let us collect and use your information in the ways set out in this privacy policy (the “Policy”). This is why we request and require you read the whole thing. That said, we believe know our privacy practices to be quite great. So, welcome.
SERVICES THIS POLICY COVERS
This Privacy Policy is a Master Privacy Policy and covers all digital platforms, websites, systems, networks, and services for Eric Michael and his collection of endeavors—including the various social media accounts. This Policy does not outline or support the privacy policies or practices of companies that are not explicitly owned by Eric Michael or any of his associated endeavors.
That means, when when you leave a digital property owned by Eric Michael a site or platform of one of our partners—say Mailchimp or MightyNetworks—this Policy no longer applies and the other takes over. Once you’re over the fence, it’s recommended you read theirs immediately.
WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Personal Information (“PI”) is any information that may allow for an individual to be personally identified, on- or offline. This can include your name, email address, social security number, phone number, mailing or billing address, or credit card information. Other data points, such as interests and economic status, customer number or usernames, IP address, geolocation tags, education, and even job title could also be considered personal information if that information (when combined with other information) is used to reveal your identity.
PERSONAL INFORMATION ERIC MICHAEL COLLECTS
Eric Michael only collects personal information from you (virtually) when you say that it is fine for us to use it. There are several moments when you may voluntarily consent for us to collect, use, and store your personal information:
Registering for an account: In order to collaborate with Eric Michael or purchase any of his on-demand, recurring, or point-of-sale offerings a customer or client must create an online account through one of his associated websites. This account allows you to manage your account, make purchases, and access support content as needed. To register for an online account, clients are required to share their email addresses and created a password as well as provide name, phone number, mailing, and billing address information. Each and every password is encrypted, however, we will have access to the other personal info you provide in your customer profile.
Direct provision: Sometimes we may ask for specific information from you so that we can effectively provide service and support as needed. Or, sometimes, you may choose to give us information on your own accord, during various support sessions. Both of these are good examples of when and how personal information may be shared and stored. You consent for us to use the information you have provided when you reach out to us by email or social media accounts, post on our Facebook community groups, use the “contact us” or other forms on our website, make an e-commerce purchase of any kind, fill out any client intake forms, interact with our support or customer service teams, or comment on our social media accounts. If you are posting on any of our affiliated social media groups—including Facebook or MightyNetworks—you should always be aware that these platforms and all information stored are accessible to the public.
Interacting with online services: Personal Information is also permissibly collected (such as IP address, device and browser type, geolocation, network connection, and frequency of visits) every time you engage with any of our online systems, software, and services. Third-party services, such as Mailchimp and Google Analytics, are employed in the management of each of our sites to support data collection and reporting for the purpose of enriching our practice and offerings in the future. This information is pseudonymized and aggregated for our internal processing. This means we will never (or would never want to) be able to pinpoint that it was you who visited our website or services 62x in one day—just that someone, somewhere had. You (and every visitor) is made aware that we are collecting this information by the friendly-yet-annoying General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) pop-up that appears when you visit the site.
MMM. COOKIES:
It’s time we share our cookie recipe, but don’t worry: they’re totally kosher, all-natural with limited preservatives, and completely fat-free. These cookies are special cookies, small files that are transferred to your device through your browser to enrich your experience.
Cookie Favors Types: Session cookies, those that are erased after your browser leaves the site, and persistent cookies (those that stay on your device for a limited period of time or until you delete them) are both in use.
Why do we use cookies? Sure, all media networks like to know who is visiting and where they’re coming from and what they’re enjoying (this helps us prioritize specific content and retail offerings). However, the intention behind our cookie usage is only ever to maximize your user experience. In addition to helping us identify users, cookies also help to prioritize some content throughout the network: like previously viewed products and coursework, as well as advertising (“paid”) media and the like. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook and Google support our website as well, by broadcasting some of our content across their social media networks—helping us to reach and remind new and recurring visitors of the various offerings.
What if I don’t want Eric Michael’s cookies? Most browsers have the option to stop a device from receiving specific cookies from being activated. If you choose to do so, bear in mind that our website may not operate properly for you and/or some services may be rendered unavailable.
What if I just don’t want targeted ads? You’re in luck! Facebook (and Instagram), Google, and the Digital Advertising Alliance make it easy to update settings and “do what you can” to opt out of data sharing and into richer privacy protection. There are also more readings available about cookies at All About Cookies [dot] org.
ABOUT CREDIT CARD INFORMATION:
Accepting credit and debit card payments online makes for a more accessible, convenient, and streamlined approach to collaboration. However, we understand that (now more than ever) giving out credit card information online can leave a person feeling a little exposed. That said, we only ever use PCI-compliant third parties to support the capture and processing of credit card transactions and we never (ever) see your credit card information.
REASONS FOR COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Eric Michael is not your Big Brother. We never collect personal information explicitly for the purposes of sharing, selling, or trading it. We only use your information for the following reasons:
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- → To personalize your browsing experience
- → To compose, fulfill, or enforce contractual obligations (clients, students, coaches)
- → To assist in user identification and account management
- → To monitor, improve, and test-drive new services and features
- → To prevent any/all misuse of our services
- → To better understand our audience of prospects and customers
- → To better understand how our audience is using the network
- → To allow you to contact us for personal follow-up
- → To allow you to pay for our services, packages, and other offerings
- → To allow you to participate in social sharing
- → To respond to personal inquiries
- → To fulfill orders and requests
- → To comply with law enforcement and other regulatory agencies
- → To communicate with you about new services and features
WHEN WE HAVE TO SHARE INFORMATION:
Sometimes we have to share personal information across various networks of people and technological platforms. Here is what that looks like and how it feels:
Agents and Representatives: We’re a proud, close-knit team of creatives that work together to drive creativity, innovation, and progress. However, sometimes, we need to back up and use other trusted providers (corporate and individual) to support our initiatives (“partners”). Whenever one of these partners is working for us, they are acting as our agents. Sometimes our agents need to access personal information to accomplish a particular task but nothing more.
Third-Party Software and Applications: Third-party software and other applications—like Gmail, MailChimp, Google Search Console & Analytics suite, Dropbox, Stripe, Jotform, Leadfeeder, MightyNetworks, and their integrated partners—help to make our user experience richer and jobs a whole lot easier. Some personal information may be shared, stored, and used in partnership with these applications.
New Ownership: In the very unlikely event (although it has to be said) that Eric Michael is involved in an acquisition, merger, reorganization, sale of major assets, or—god forbid—bankruptcy your information may be sold/transferred as a part of the transaction. We will give ample notice before there is a substantial change in ownership or any transfer of information occurs.
Law Enforcement: Personal information may be disclosed to law enforcement but only when we believe, in good faith, that the sharing of information is necessary to protect our business and community of customers and clients.
THE EMAIL POLICY:
Opt-in Emails: Eric Michael enjoys keeping customers, clients, and community members updated on the exciting things he’s working on. He does this through his blog, articles, social media channels, and opt-in emails. If you are receiving these types of emails, it means that you have consented to receive these emails either by clicking the opt-in box or by default in the new account creation process (remember how personal information is synchronized throughout the network). You’re free to unsubscribe, of course, simply by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any of the emails.
Mandatory Emails: Sometimes you won’t have the option to not hear from us. This only happens if an email contains important information for you such as new order or account status information, tech support replies, appointment confirmations, and the like.
PERSONAL INFORMATION RETENTION & YOUR RIGHTS
It’s important (if not critical) to let go every once in a while, purge and free yourself from the obsolete and outdated. That’s why we don’t hold onto your personal information too tightly. We conduct regular system rests and scrubbing (of inactive accounts and expired data). Don’t worry, we’ll always give you a heads up if information/accounts are expiring and you may always ask us:
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- → To share any/all personal information we may have on you
- → To correct any personal information that may have been collected
- → To remove your personal information from our servers and systems
- → To transfer your personal information to another service, if available
- → To stop using your personal information at any time
Requests may be made to us directly and we will always do our best to comply, within reason.
WHERE YOUR INFORMATION IS PROCESSED & STORED
Eric Michael is an American entrepreneur and is based in the United States, however, with his strong sense of adventure, might be caught working abroad. Respectfully, data is stored and processed in the United States but (at times) some of that information may be stored and processed overseas for accessibility purposes. We use third-party cloud storage systems to ensure internal accessibility and better security, decentralizing from a singular server. These third parties (like Dropbox and Google Drive) may store, process, or transfer data abroad.
THIRD-PARTY LIABILITY FOR SOFTWARE & APPS
We always do our homework and use the best research, practices, and efforts in employing the support of third-party applications, systems, and software. Security is our foremost priority (always), however, we are not liable for any breach of privacy or data security that occurs due to the fault of these third parties. You may consult earlier portions of this agreement for links to the specific third-party systems we rely on and their individual privacy practices.
KEEPING YOUR INFORMATION SAFE
Eric Michael has electronic, managerial, physical, and systemic procedures in place to help keep personal information safe and secure. Unfortunately in today’s world, no online system can guarantee the complete security of your personal information. Malware, viruses, and annoying system failures lurk around every corner—if personal information is compromised. You can support Eric Michael’s efforts in protecting your personal information by employing various identity and security cloaking software, limiting computer use, and using richer harder-to-guess passwords. In the unlikely event that your personal information is compromised to a security breach, on our end, we will be sure to notify you as soon as reasonably possible.
CHILDREN'S ONLINE PRIVACY AND PROTECTION:
None of Eric Michael’s content, coursework, or services are made or intended for audiences under the age of thirteen (13). As much as we admire the entrepreneurial tenacity of all the 0-12 year-olds out there, seeking a career in creative collaboration, we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under this age limit and delete this information as soon as we become aware of it. Users between the age of thirteen (13) and sixteen (16) must have parental permission before accessing or using our online services. Please note, if you live outside of the United States, even if you are older than thirteen (13), you may not be legally allowed to access our online services. Purchases must be made by someone eighteen (18) years of age or older.
POLICY CHANGES:
Change occurs every now and then and we must ride the ebbs and flows. That said, we may modify this Policy as our practices and procedures (and laws) develop and require us to do so. Take note of the date at the top of this page, it lets you know when this Policy was last revised. If we believe that a change we are making with have a deeper impact on the way we use your information (or the way you entrust or use our services) we will send you an email to alert you of such changes. All other minor changes to this Policy will be automatic and effective immediately, it is your responsibility as the user of the site to remain aware of the site and network’s practices.
By continuing to use our website and services, you allow us to use your information in the ways we have outlined and described in this policy.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
All disputes concerning our privacy policy and practices are to be resolved in a “no blinking” competition - the last one to blink wins! If that does not suffice or is found to be unagreeable to both parties, by using our services, you agree to use independent mediation or arbitration services to attempt to settle the dispute before taking the matter to a formal court. All mediation and arbitration costs will be shared between us, except for attorney fees, which will be paid by the respective parties, individually.
CONTACTING ERIC MICHAEL
Wow. You did it! You made it to the end. In all seriousness, if there is ever anything that warrants clarification or if you have any questions or just wish to say hello drop us an email.
Payment Policies
THE BILLABLE RATES:
Projects are billed based on one of three hourly rates, determined solely by the expectations of the individual client: Standard or “long-lead” projects, those with a reasonably expected delivery date (usually within ten business days or more), are billed at the rate of $150 USD per-hour; On-Demand assignments, projects or tasks with a need for more immediate delivery (usually within five to ten business days), are billed at the rate of $225 USD per-hour; and ‘Rushed’ projects, or those with a delivery date of less than five business days, are billed at the rate of $300 USD per-hour.
Meeting, Communication, and Project Management time is billed at the discounted rate of $100 USD per-hour, unless otherwise stipulated with formal agreement.
THE BILLABLE PROCESS:
Clarity and continuity are the bedrock to a mutually beneficial professional relationship, this we know for sure. Eric Michael and his team of associates work diligently to ensure every request for work is met with the most accurate, fair, and transparent value assessment and collection practices possible.
Formal proposals and requests for work are served “flat-rate” value assessments. Eric Michael personally evaluates the needs of the organizations and expectations of the client to render a full, flat-rate scope of work with detailed turnaround times and value assessment. If accepted (“as-is”), flat-rate assessments do not change with respect to the delivery of the requested service.
One-off projects for existing clients are billed by-the-hour. Quotations are served to known clients whose expectations are clear but may not require a detailed scope. ‘Quoted’ projects are given a detailed description of task, time, and investment for review and acceptance by the client; billable hours are tracked and invoiced at the end of each month or the completion of work (whichever comes first).
BILLING SCHEDULES:
New clients, or existing clients requesting work valued at or above $5,000 USD, may expect an invoice immediately upon their acceptance of any/all scopes of work.
Hourly commitments (projects billed on-demand by-the-hour) plus any/all additional costs (including overtime) that have been added to a client account throughout the course of a calendar month are invoiced on/around the 1st of the following month. (For example, all of November’s hours arrive on December 1st.)
Clients who engage the studio for recurring service agreements and/or employ Eric Michael to maintain specific third-party licensing and services on their behalf are subject to automatic billing. No exceptions. More on that under ‘AutoPay’ below.
TERMS OF PAYMENT:
All sales are final.
Payment Requests and Invoices are due in-full upon request. No exceptions.
All New Client proposals (“Invitations to Collaborate”) and medium- to large-scale quotations and scopes of work (or those exceeding $5,000 in total assessed value) (for new or existing clients) are due in full, in advance of work. No exceptions.
Payment Requests and Invoices to existing clients who have accepted the Terms of AutoPay (during the new account registration process) are automatically processed via the payment method on file five (5) business days after receipt. Please consult any client-specific or Master Service Agreements for terms and conditions.
Late Fees:
Any Invoices or Requests for payment that do not qualify for AutoPay and are ignored or unsettled by the client for more than ten business days are subject to Late Fees at the rate of 2% of the invoice total. Late Fees are reapplied every five days, concurrently, until the total past-due amount is paid in full.
TERMS OF AUTOPAY:
If you engage Eric Michael & Associates to support you or your organization through regular and recurring services (such as through ‘Managed Digital’ services) and/or in the facilitation of third-party service licensing, or software procurement, you will need to agree to the AutoPay terms. These terms are served “as needed”, per-client account.
Automatic Payments (AutoPay) is how we circumvent risk and ensure a more effective and streamlined approach to collaboration. Simply put, accepting the terms of AutoPay grants Eric Michael the authority necessary to charge a client account for any/all cost of service covered via the payment method the client has on file.
AutoPay is about more than payment processing. It’s an all-encompassing system that relies on paperless billing, sensitive response times, and more. It’s highly encouraged that clients review these terms in advance of final acceptance.
PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS:
Eric Michael is committed to strengthening the faith and trust throughout his creative partnerships and nothing erodes those two values like sensing a lack of cooperation, this we know for sure. That’s why, from time to time (and solely at his discretion), clients may be welcomed to capitalize on the support of payment arrangements.
Payment Arrangements are considered to be any payment structure that allows for a significant balance (those that exceed the minimum threshold) to be divided up amongst more than one installment. Typical arrangements include an initial payment valued at 50% the total cost of service, as show of good faith, with remaining balances dispersed over the following weeks.
Payment Arrangements are subject to individual terms and conditions at the time of acceptance and the terms and conditions of AutoPay as it relates to payment processing. Please note, in an effort to mitigate risk, overall productivity will never anchor the schedule or overall arrangement towards the collection of payment.
VALUE-BASED PRICING:
Eric Michael uses value as a singular guidepost in measuring and assessing the financial return of his professional, strategic, and creative contributions to the entrepreneurial pursuits of his clients. This shows up and impacts client investment in a variety of ways:
New Client discovery and proposal is deeply-rooted in education and connection while we work ensure core value alignment before we begin any work together. You’ll take note of strategic messaging—’Total Value of Work’ instead of ‘Total Cost of Work’ on itemized scopes—and feel the impact of open-channel communication and negotiation.*
Existing Clients (with good standing): Propriartay self-valuation payment gateways support assessment and payment processing based on the self-perceived value of work. That’s right: clients pay what they wish.
Read more about the process here »
*This will get even richer once we implement the lessons and proven methodology of our earlier mentioned ‘pay what you wish’ gateway functionality into the new client and project acceptance workflow, later this year. In the meantime, rest assured that everything is open for discussion.
NOTE: Payment Requests using the ‘pay what you wish’ functionality are respected and treated the same as traditional Invoices. They are the result of client-requested quotation and client-approved commitments (time and suggested value). The time out on the same schedule and are automatically processed in the same fashion as outlined above.
This page outlines the expectations, processes, terms, and conditions as it relates to paying Eric Michael and his team of associates for work across the creative studio.
A WORD FROM ERIC MICHAEL:
There’s nothing I value more than the relationship I share with my clients (and it won’t take you long to understand why). I have come to consider trust and transparency to be the keystone of meaningful creative collaboration and the team and I ‘bring our all’ in this department, the best we can.
My steps are always mindful when billing clients and I believe our rates, processes, and terms to be both fair and equitable to all parties, given the nature of the work and its intention and impact across organizations and teams.
Please know that my door is always open. You’ll just as quickly find I’m committed to maintaining a conscious state of open and effective communication with clients at all times. If any number of my terms, conditions or individual efforts warrant reasoning or clarification, I encourage a steadfast address and dialogue.
