Category: Job Updates

Moving On…

Last night was my last day with Denton Bible Church Student Ministries. It was very difficult to make the decision to leave, but once it was made, I realized that it was the best decision.

After almost 2 years of working part time for Denton Bible Church I learned a great deal, but now I want to focus more on Seminary and my own web design business.

Working part time at the church for 29 hours a week unfortunately did not pay the bills and with school and 2 other jobs it meant that I had to work around 60-70 hours a week in order to successfully run my businesses and do well at student ministries. I realized that something had to give. I think ministry should be challenging, but it should not always leave you feeling burnt out and overworked. As Christians and ministers we should be serving joyfully from the overflow that God provides – I was no longer doing that.

What I will miss most is the students and seeing their bright smiles and watching and as they mature and learn to love Jesus. I am thankful to DBC for allowing me to serve in such a large capacity and I learned so much about what it means to work for a church.

So What’s Next…

I plan to start working more on my creative goals. I’d love to get more invested in an art-based ministry in Denton, TX. Maybe I’ll start my own, maybe I’ll join one that already exists, but either way I definitely see my life moving more toward art and design and how that impacts faith, culture and religion.

I also have written two books. One is fiction, the second is autobiographical. I’d like to work on them, fine tune them and then try to get them published.

I run a DJ business that has been booming. I’d like to figure out a way to make myself Denton’s Best Event DJ with a bunch of cool props and lights.

Lastly, I’d like to learn more in the realm of video editing with After Effects and brush up on my InDesign and Illustrator skills to accompany what I already do with Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Design Job Updates

Caney Creek Farm – Grass Fed Beef

Post author By Evan Stark
Post date July 4, 2011
10 Comments on Caney Creek Farm – Grass Fed Beef

I’m currently working on a Grass-Fed Beef website: http://www.caneycreekfarm.com

It is a simple site really with an integrated shopping cart but it has stumped me in terms of design. The client wants a mixture of rugged and organic and that has been a hard blend for me to do. When I think organic I think greens and orange and rolling hills and when I thing rugged or rustic then I think more barns and grunge textures. Either way I’ve come up with something right now that I like, but I still want to make more of the site. If you have any suggestions or some sites that you like that feature organic beef, then I’d love to hear your feedback.

Job Updates

Design is My Life

I’m sure I’m not the first person to utter “Design is My Life”. However, I may be one of the first to come to this realization so late in life.These are all sites that I’ve done this year.

Here are some of my latest works:

http://www.lovenotescolorado.com/

http://www.miguelitosmexicancuisine.com

http://www.ksanalytical.com

http://www.thealternativehotline.com

http://www.firemenlawncare.com

http://thomasgreenwalker.com

Sites that I created that have been up for a while:

http://www.gotothehub.com

http://www.dbcstudents.org

http://www.sportsworldcamp.org

http://www.iheartdenton.com

Job Updates Technology

2009: A Year In Review

Well, this year has been WILD. After getting laid-off in January from Texas Instruments I have been staying afloat by being self-employed as a DJ and IT Entrepreneur. My businesses: eddierenz.com and soundandshow.com didn’t generate a ton of revenue, but hey, I haven’t missed any meals and I’ve learned so much about having my own business. Here are some of the most important.

1. Never count on your clients to pay on time.
2. Operating cash is a necessity so scale back on all unnecessary spending so you have more to invest in your business.
3. Social Networking is good for business, but perhaps not as impactful as you are often led to believe.
4. Competition is a mean bitch.
5. There is never a time that you can coast and there is no such thing as a holiday or a day off when you are self-employed.
6. Word-of-Mouth referrals are still the best way to get new business.
7. Never underestimate the power of a good website, but don’t overestimate it either. Just because you have a brilliant website doesn’t mean customers are going to start flocking to you.
8. In all areas of business you will have to work with people you don’t like.
9. You must always be looking for ways to improve and to gain market share on your competition, but remember, they are doing the same. So improving your services and finding your niche early on is important.
10. There is nothing more rewarding than making it as your own boss, but there is nothing more frightening than having bills due and having no idea where the money is going to come from the next month.

I’ve got lots of great ideas for 2010. I sure hope to see them come to fruition.

Happy New Year!

Job Updates

Bump… Set… Spike It

That’s the way I like it…

Five times a week there is a group of us in Allen, TX that play Wallyball at Lifetime Fitness. It is one of the most fun games I have ever played and one of the most educational.

When it comes to sports, many people play at their peak performance and they are so focused on their own skills that they neglect to pay attention to the skills of their opponents. This is what separates the Average Joes from the Pros. I think instinctively you need to be aware of what your opponent is going to do before they do it. You have to constantly be understanding their strengths and weaknesses and instead of constantly trying to improve your core set of skills – exploit their weaknesses!

This same strategy can be applied in the business world. When you understand your opponent you can better align yourself for success.

Another important part of success is surrounding yourself with people who are skilled and to fully understand their strengths as well. If you have a strong fat guy on your team he would be used for power moves where a more agile person would be used for speed moves. Both are often necessary, but when used inappropriately both can be worthless.

For me, working alone I don’t have a set of team members to help me bump and set – which are crucial when playing a skilled team in Wallyball or Volleyball. Spiking it is great, but hard to do without a perfect set. So I often find myself just spiking it and sometimes it works, sometimes it don’t – but for now I’m still in the self-employment game and I’m hanging in there.