Sloan Creative

I’m privileged to take a lot of pictures of the lovely school our childred attend, the Madrona School on Bainbridge Island, WA.

Here are slide shows of some recent events:

August 2008
Madrona Work Party

July 2008
Yurt Raising Party

June 2008
Madrona Peter’s Last Day of School
Madrona Anna’s Last Day of School
Peter’s School Birthday Party

May 2008
Madrona Grades Assembly
Madrona 8th Grade Play
Madrona 5th Grade Dissecting Flowers
Madrona 1st Grade
Madrona 8th Grade Dress Rehearsal
Madrona 5th Grade
Madrona May Festival

April 2008
Madrona Mordue Work Party
Madrona 5th Grade Play
Madrona Parent Tot Friday
Madrona All School Photo Shoot 1
Madrona All School Photo Shoot 2

February 2008
Madrona Hearts and Crafts Fair

January 2008
Madrona 100 Mile Dinner

November 2007
Madrona Lantern Walk

October 2007
Madrona Teachers

September 2007
First Day of School

June 2007
Pete’s Last Day of School
Anna’s Last Day of School

May 2007
Madrona May Day Festival

April 2007
Madrona Strings Concert
Nancy’s Deck Work Party

March 2007
Madrona Work Party
Madrona Work Party- Kids
Madrona Work Party- Gate
Madrona Work Party- Fort
Madrona 4th Grade Drums

January 2007
Sleighride1
Sleighride2
Sleighride3

November 2006
Rockets

September 2006
Michaelmas
Anna’s First Day

May 2006
May Day Festival

I’m Stephen Sloan, an experienced business leader available on an hourly basis for advisory and project work.

My CV is available here

Read blog entries on small business leadership here

Why I do this work

Read my latest insert into the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce newsletter

While every organization is unique, basic principles and constraints apply to them all. I focus on finding what’s common and what’s unique quickly and then create a mutually agreed-upon plan of action.

I offer:

Web Marketing Consulting for Fresh, Modern Web sites that are free and easy.

Take control and get a lot more bang for a lot fewer bucks.

You can use free tools to create a web presence that is powerfully full of life and that is both affordable and a celebration of all that makes you unique. That’s what I did with this site!

See more at my blog about blog-based web sites or see posts on web strategy

The free tools are:

• WordPress excellent free blog software that’s easily customizable
• Picassa - Google’s great free photo editing and management tool
• SimpleViewer - A simple, easy flash slide show tool
• YouTube - Google’s free video hosting service that leads the world

I simply help get you headed in the right direction. You and your organization build it as you find time and inspiration. Contact me for a free 30 minute discussion of how this might work for you.

Financial Statements: Clarifying or confusing?

Move from mystery to mastery. I can help you, even if you are a “not-a-numbers” person, quickly and easily pull invaluable insights from your financial statements.

I can teach you techniques and provide tools that give creative, visual people easy access to the meaning behind the numbers.

Learn more about my consulting services or contact me for a free 30-minute discussion of how your numbers might give you both more clarity and more motivation.

Photography - A picture is worth a thousand words, but which ones?

Quality images for your business make all the difference in your promotions and branding. I can help you present what makes you, your staff, and your products uniquely valuable. I also capture the heart of events and people with candid, environmental portraits.

Learn more about my photography services or contact me to discuss the images that will make the most difference for your organization.

Help for Leaders of small businesses and non-profit organizations

What could you do with an experienced, intelligent, creative leader at your beck and call?

I’m happy to consider interesting assignments that last from 2 days to 6 months (or more). I’m experienced with moments of high stress - big changes, moves, mergers, or really tough, complicated decisions that reach far off a spreadsheet and into people’s hearts and lives.

If you are facing something big, we should chat. The path forward might be a lot smoother than it appears at the moment. Read posts on leadership issues, learn more about my consulting services, or contact me to discuss your situation and how I might be able to help.

Organizing and Optimizing Operations

To move ahead, your organization needs to handle it’s current work smoothly and efficiently. I am one who prefers peace and quiet. I like organizations that work to make the simple work simple so that more energy can be poured into the fun of creating what’s next. I have many years of experience bringing clean, quiet order to complex organizations - my former business:

• sold over 100,000 unique items to corporate customers across the country
• handled several hundred transactions a day
• employed a staff of 35

I can help you create greater clarity and order as well as the increased peace and profitability that come with them.

For a free consultation and get acquainted session please contact us

We’d love to keep in touch. To receive periodic, as in every couple of weeks, newsletters from Sloan Creative Group, please complete the form below.

Thank you!

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Privacy Policy: We will never sell, rent, or otherwise make your email address available to anyone! It’s you and me, that’s it!

What others say:

“Stephen provided the pragmatic optimism we needed to move our entrepreneurial concept from vision to reality.

He addressed the strategic concerns from a big picture perspective (e.g. target market, competition, barriers to entry) while remaining clear sighted on the tactics and details.

Moreover, Stephen has a strong network connection (if he does not know the answer, he knows someone who does!).

We thoroughly enjoyed working with Stephen.”

— Colette and Ann, leaders of a consumer product start up

“Stephen knows the nitty gritty of business like no one else I’ve ever met.

He can see through to the heart of an issue in minutes. Turn him loose with financial reports, and he can tell you exactly where the business is headed and how to avert disaster or embrace opportunities.

It is rare for someone with Stephen’s know-how to also possess a strong moral compass and an appreciation for the arts, literature, and philosophy. He also happens to be a terrific Dad.

I think of Stephen as a business guardian - both angel and warrior.

A good man to have on your team.”

— Molly Gordon, MollyGordon.com

Even good students occasionally need support and inspiration.

I help good students get better results with:

• Specific techniques to enhance reading, writing, and test performance
• A broad framework to make learning easier, recall better, and turn facts and dates into meaningful, useful stories
• Motivation and mentoring to become life-long learners

I successfully passed the AP history and English tests (4 and 5).

I graduated from UCLA with departmental honors in history, US economic and architectural, winning the Carey McWilliams prize for outstanding honors thesis.

Specialties:

• US history
• European history
• Historical research
• Research paper planning, writing, and editing
• English and American literature

I continue to study history, literature, and philosophy as a life-long student. Read blog entries on my on-going studies here.

“I really disliked history until I talked with Stephen about it. Now that I see how it’s all connected stories, I love it!”

- Student formerly known as History Hater

Rates:

10 hour package $500 ($50/hour)

Contact me for a free 30 minute consultation.

Serving:

Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap with live face-to-face tutoring and the rest of the country (and locals who prefer it) by phone and email.

See my writing-related blog entries

Or, read some of my business-related articles below.

Articles

Et Tu, Brutes? Is your web site your friend or is it stabbing you in the back? 5 Ways to Use the Web to Increase Your Sales Simple, and yet, they work Are You Using the Web as a Selling Tool? Not just a brochure, but a tool that sales people use daily to win new customers Creative Marketing x 10 10 creative ways small businesses can compete against massive marketing dollars Make Business Fun Again A proven technique to bring the joy back!

Stories matter.

Yes, it’s fun to hear old family stories, but in amongst the fun you’ll also find values and life perspectives that can help you find peaceful, productive paths through life.

Or, by taking the time to tell (or capture) a story, you reinforce the value that family really does matter.

I help capture stories (yours, your parent’s or grandparent’s) via comfortable conversation.

Starting points:

• Old photographs
• Childhood memories
• Memories of important people and events in life and in history

We capture stories by:

• Interviewing in-person or over the phone. Audio or video recordings available
• Weekly interviews over time to capture more stories, more deeply (especially good for the elderly)
• Transcription
• Editing
• Writing: to turn a conversation into a story or book that really engages readers
• Adding context with historical and cultural setting
• Adding detail with period, genealogical, and cultural research
• Portraits of your family members in their own setting, at their hobby, work, or with friends
• Traveling back to home towns (anywhere) and old stomping grounds to capture memories on-site.

Publication in:

• Hard cover or trade paperback books
• e-book- PDF files
• Multimedia web site with text, images, audio, and video
• Audio files on CD or web
• DVD

Hourly rate: $50

For a simple 1 hour interview by phone burned to a CD, roughly 2 hours or $100

I will always provide you with an estimate of the time required to capture and deliver what you desire. As we work together to capture your family’s stories, we will discuss, in advance, any changes to the estimate.

Clear, on-going communication keeps everyone working toward the same goal: capturing your family’s stories for the benefit of future generations.

Who I am:

After studying history at UCLA, I entered the business world. Now that I’ve left my business career behind (phew!), I can spend more time on what I love; helping people capture their family’s stories.

I am lucky, my grandfather wrote me a 60 page story of his amazing life. His uncles wrote another 180 pages of family history that dates back to the 1300’s. We have a family crest given by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund in 1421, cavalry charges, sword fights, African explorers, royalty, and revolutions.

I’ve been working on capturing my family’s history for years now and I realize that my business experience, historical background, and commitment to family history might be of help to others. So here I am!

Luckily, my work over the years gave me great experience with putting folks at ease in conversation, photography, web and print design, writing, and editing as well as video production.

Where we work:

Western Washington, Bainbridge Island.

If you have a budget for travel, I enjoy traveling to help bring your story to life.

Click here to see my recent thoughts on family history

Thank you for your interest.

I would love to chat with you.

Reach Stephen Sloan at:

p. 206.793.4020

email: stephen@scg411.com

August 2008
Madrona Work Party
Marja’s Birthday
Evi’s first bites (egg yolk)

July 2008
Shed Progress
Yurt Raising Party
4th of July

June 2008
Marc’s Birthday
Evi’s Bath
Madrona Peter’s Last Day of School
Madrona Anna’s Last Day of School
Peter’s Spy Birthday Party
Peter’s School Birthday Party

May 2008
Madrona Grades Assembly
Madrona 8th Grade Play
Madrona 5th Grade Dissecting Flowers
Madrona 1st Grade
Madrona 8th Grade Dress Rehearsal
Madrona 5th Grade
Madrona May Festival

April 2008
Evi 8 weeks
Storyhill Barn Concert
Madrona Mordue Work Party
Within Reach Farm Chicken Harvest
Madrona 5th Grade Play
Madrona Parent Tot Friday
Madrona All School Photo Shoot 1
Madrona All School Photo Shoot 2
Fiona
Peter’s (6 years old) Pictures
Kids

March 2008
Evi’s First Bath

February 2008
Evi Cristina by Jonathan Cooper
Bellies and Birth
Madrona Hearts and Crafts Fair

January 2008
Madrona 100 Mile Dinner
Garden and Tree
Abigail et Anna
Funny Faces
Baby Chain

December 2007
Christmas
Christmas Eve Luminaria
The Tree
Moriah and Dylan

November 2007
Madrona Lantern Walk
Katie’s Birthday

October 2007
Halloween
Madrona Teachers
Goss Family
Kids
Grape Harvest
Pumpkin Patch

September 2007
Box Sledding
First Day of School
Wheat Harvest
Firewood

August 2007
Lake Crescent

July 2007
BI Downtown Assoc. Street Dance

June 2007
Pete’s Last Day of School
Anna’s Last Day of School
Pete’s 6th Birthday

May 2007
Mother’s Day
Madrona May Day Festival

April 2007
Madrona Strings Concert
Nancy’s Deck Work Party
ReHouse

March 2007
Madrona Work Party
Madrona Work Party- Kids
Madrona Work Party- Gate
Madrona Work Party- Fort
Madrona 4th Grade Drums
Blodel Reserve

January 2007
Lake Louise
Play Structure
Snow Day
Curran’s Birthday
Sunset
Sleighride1
Sleighride2
Sleighride3

December 2006
First Day Skiing
Christmas
Christmas Portraits
Heather’s
Tree Hunt
Anna’s Birthday - 3 years old

November 2006
Thanksgiving
Rockets
Montana by Train

October 2006
Pumpkin Patch

September 2006
Michaelmas
Soccer
Anna’s First Day

August 2006
Max and Mia
Oregon

July 2006
John’s farm
Camping at Salt Creek
4^th of July

June 2006
MidSommars Eve
Camping at Westport
Tekiu
Pete’s Fifth Birthday

May 2006
Walk in the park
May Day Festival

April 2006
Szentendre

March 2006
Walk at Fort Ward

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Every business owner could use a few extra hours to pursue opportunities or address challenges.

Small business leadership support

I’m Stephen Sloan, an experienced business leader available on an hourly basis for advisory and project work.

My CV is available here

Read blog entries on small business leadership here

Why I do this work

While every organization is unique, basic principles and constraints apply to them all. I focus on finding what’s common and what’s unique quickly and then create a mutually agreed-upon plan of action.

Current clients include:

• Non-profits working on community building
• Internationally renowned designers
• Building contractors
• Consumer products entrepreneurs in start up mode
• Realtors and property managers
• Mental heath professionals with a rapidly growing set of products and services

Projects have included:

• Business and personal planning
  • Does your business own you or do you own it?
  • Is it supporting the life YOU want?
  • Are you running a successful, but not personally sustainable business?
• Financial analysis and crisis management
  • Do you understand what your financial statements are telling you?
  • Do your financial statements drive your allocation of time and resources?
  • Have you gotten into trouble and need to get back in control and turn around quickly?
• Strategic and tactical decision making
  • Evaluating opportunities for growth- are they authentic, realistic, and executable?
  • Do you need to make decisions regarding equipment, computers or software? Are you relying on sales people to help you ?
• Marketing and web strategy
  • Are you hiding your light under a basket?
  • Are letting technology work for you? Are you letting it work against you?
  • Could you used someone with decades of face-to-face, tele-sales, and web selling experience to help refine your approach?
  • Are you sending a lot messages? To the right people? Speaking to what they are listening for?
• Location and real estate decisions
  • Facing a move/stay or lease/buy decision?
• Personnel issues and crises
  • Do you have key personnel capable of helping your goals?
  • Are you paying too much for the work you really need?
  • Are you leading your employees or are they leading you?
• Change planning and management
  • Are you faced with big complicated changes (moves, layoffs, large shifts of operational or marketing focus)?
  • Does the work of properly planning the changes while running daily operations seem overwhelming?
• Family, key employee and partnership issues
  • Do you have tough decisions to make about long-time employees or even family members in your business?

Contact me for a 30 minute no-cost, no-obligation sample consultation

Terms:

$150 per 1 hour block, invoiced weekly, net 10 days.

Buy in bulk and save. Reserve the hours you need and receive priority in scheduling when you buy a pre-paid 20 hour block for $2,000, that’s a discount to $100 per hour.

With these rates I strive to find a balance between being affordable to those who need help, but too expensive for day-to-day responsibilities.

Over the years, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for leaders of small organizations, their joys, sorrows, and anxieties. While I find great satisfaction and meaning in helping leaders, I’ve learned that I am most effective and most fulfilled when I remain free to pursue what’s next after a project’s completed.

For products and services I resell: 50% mark up.