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Voice Notes: Paul Jarvis

by Abby Kerr

in Uncategorized

About this column

Voice Notes is (now) an occasional Friday feature. We take you inside the online brand presence of a business owner we think you should know — through a dozen evocative sentence-starters.

Abby (Chief Voice Bureau Officer) says:

For the longest time, I’ve wished there were a simple, inexpensive ‘handbook’ for putting a would-be successful online business together from the foundations up. When Paul Jarvis mentioned to me late last year that he was getting ready to release just such a guide, I told him I’d be happy to endorse it and sing its praises. I’ve been fond of Paul’s thoughtful, no-nonsense-with-a-side-of-humor writing style for a while — not to mention his clean, cool digital designs — and his new book Be Awesome at Online Business: A Handbook for Succeeding on the Web, also takes the cake (a vegan cake, in Paul’s case). It’s the exact primer I’m going to encourage all of my new-to-selling-goods-and-services-online clients to read — because it’s needed. His advice is straight to the point, never cloudy, and BS-free, and his perspectives on building a viable online brand and sales platform are tried and true. If you’re looking for a refresher in the basics, or bringing your brand to the web for the first time, this book is for you.

(The link above is our affiliate link, which means if you click it and buy Be Awesome at Online Business, we’ll receive some thank-you monies from Paul for helping to get this in front of your eyeballs.)

Paul Jarvis, Digital Storyteller, Web Designer & Developer

Paul Jarvis is the genius designer and developer behind some of your favorite online brands, including Danielle LaPorte, Justine Musk, bestselling authors, Silicon Valley startups, and Fortune 500 companies.

Twitter: @pjrvs

Personality typing? Why, yes:

My Myers-Briggs type is INTJ (“The Scientist” or “The Conceptualizer Director”), which shouldn’t come as a shocker to anyone that even slightly Paul Jarvis, Digital Storytellerknows me, being the introverted, logical, constant tinkerer that I am.

An unlikely source of creative inspiration for me is:

Walks in the forest. Call me Thoreau, but I’m happiest and most inspired when I’m alone in the woods.

My brand is all about:

Helping people succeed online.

If I couldn’t do the work I’m doing now, I’d be a:

Vegan chef. With all the tattoos, it’d be either that or a cat-burglar (which I’m too clumsy for).

The iPhone/Android app I wouldn’t want to live without is:

Instagram. I never realized how much I like taking photos (of food and rats) until I started using it. I have no problem admitting I’m a sucker for their hipsteresque filters, either.

The truest branding advice I’ve ever heard is:

Be authentic. (Danielle LaPorte.)

I can never get enough:

Cuddles from my wife and rats. [Abby’s note: He’s not kidding about the second one. Follow him on InstaGram and see!]

Three online voices who really inspire me are:

My lifestyle, in 3 words:

Quiet, LOUD, quiet.

My favorite question to ask people is:

Why do you need a website?

The song/track/album that feels the most like my brand is:

My actual band, Mojave — because the music I compose sounds like how I design and write (at least I think it does). [Abby’s note: Listen to this! Found myself some great new tracks to write by.]

If my clients only hold onto one piece of advice from me, I hope it’s:

Don’t try to emulate successful people. The reason they’re so successful is because they’re not trying to emulate anyone else.

In the comments, we’d love to know:

What does being awesome at online business mean to you? (Or feel free to say ‘hey’ to Paul. I’m sure he’d dig that, too.)

{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }

Leslie January 18, 2013 at 1:56 pm

Yes! I really enjoyed Paul’s book. All the questions gave me so much to think about, and I liked the style and format. Thanks Abby for this interview.

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abby January 18, 2013 at 2:10 pm

Thanks for letting us know, Leslie!

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Leah January 18, 2013 at 2:00 pm

Paul is one of the coolest people on the internet.

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paul January 18, 2013 at 4:46 pm

and i didn’t even have to pay you to say that, huzzah!

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abby January 19, 2013 at 12:48 pm

I’d have to agree!

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Catherine Just January 18, 2013 at 2:13 pm

Loved this interview and I’m reading his book today and meeting him Tuesday for a consult. I admire his work and mission and how he does it. Thank you for sharing this.
xo

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abby January 19, 2013 at 12:55 pm

Hi, Catherine! Hope your consult goes well. Would love to see the site Paul could do for you.

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Susana Frioni January 18, 2013 at 5:57 pm

Great to see Paul featured here! I’m definitely a fan of his no BS-no hype-humourous insights and schmicko designs. XX

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abby January 19, 2013 at 12:53 pm

Confession: had to Google the definition of ‘schmicko.’ :)

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paul January 18, 2013 at 6:36 pm

i’ma just hang out here for a while and beam. thank you all :)

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abby January 19, 2013 at 12:54 pm

Do it!

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Maryna January 18, 2013 at 8:20 pm

This was very nice. Concise and informative. I like this format Abby. Looking forward to you picking the left and right brains of other creatives.

Thanks for playing Paul.

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abby January 19, 2013 at 12:56 pm

Glad you enjoyed this Q&A format, Maryna! Voice Notes is an occasional Friday feature. We’ve got another great creative gent coming up next week.

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Gwendolyn Grace January 18, 2013 at 9:55 pm

Being awesome at online business means that I can potentially reach millions of people instead of taking care of 1- four clients at a time as a wellness nurse. I can use my skills to write and rock the boat of traditional health care that is actually undermining our wellness and share what I learn in my recovery from fatigue and overwhelm. It means clients can find me and give up on pills and therapies that may never allow them to heal and write inspiring hope filled blogs to them twice a week instead of filling journals with notes that no one ever got to see before. Thanks Abby for this interview and helping me with my copy! I am going to get Paul’s book!

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abby January 19, 2013 at 12:57 pm

Hi, Gwen! —

Thanks for being here and for your enthusiasm. I think you’ll love Paul’s book — lots of great guidance in there from one of the best!

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