Small Business Saturday

Here in the US we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. I've always viewed it as a great time to come together as family and friends, sit down over a great meal, and have no further expectations or actions associated with it.

In short, it's my favorite holiday of the year. Simple, warm, and full of friends.

The day after (or, more increasingly, the day of) Thanksgiving is the most commercial of the year - Black Friday. This is the day of the "big box stores" who deeply discount a handful of items (typically televisions) in order draw in the shopping crowds. In recent years there have been efforts to remind people of the small businesses out there that serve their communities in various ways. Businesses that rely on the custom of families and friends to stay open. Small Business Saturday.

Well, this year I thought Small Business Saturday would be the ideal time this for this small business to start planning out work for the following year. So, I urge anyone who needs some work in the tabletop wargaming and miniatures world to contact me to book some of my time. I'm taking bookings from March 2018 onwards, so if there's something that needs doing, let's talk about it.

Dave Taylor Miniatures provides a wide array of services:

Marketing and Promotions 
From planning to execution, I've worked with quite a few companies to build there presence in the marketplace, and target those customers who are most likely to be interested in their offering. Marketing and promotional planning offer an opportunity for me to flex my knowledge of the industry, the community, and the avenues to bring them both together.

Design and Layout
Over the last four years I've worked on various rulebook layout projects including: This Is Not A Test for World's End Publishing, Disposable Heroes II for Sinister Laboratories, Exiles for Mindworm Games, and Heroic for Winged Hussar Publishing. I have also put together a lot of articles and adverts for Wargames Illustrated and other magazines and online sources to help promote various games and miniatures ranges.

Photography
I've really enjoyed doing photography for rulebooks and other promotional needs, so I am always ready to do some more. My miniatures photography is featured in This Is Not A Test for World's End Publishing, Disposable Heroes II for Sinister Laboratories, and numerous Wargames Illustrated event coverage articles.

Hobby Content and Painting Commissions
I have built terrain and painted miniatures for both companies and private collectors. Where appropriate, I have also turned those projects into hobby content for websites. The prime examples of this are the work I have done for Ninja Division's Relic Knights, and the painting guides I created for Bolt Action from Warlord Games.

And a lot more...
In addition to all these things, I have also co-ordinated events, run retail booths at conventions, initiated licensing conversations, developed Kickstarter plans and supporting graphics, and created exciting touchstone items to excite communities.

When it comes down to it, my small business is all about helping other companies bring new product to market, or helping them sell more of their existing product. If you think your business could use my help, I'm happy to chat about the possibilities! Contact me here (in the comments below), via my Facebook page, or via email - tanithtaylor@gmail.com

Let's make 2018 a great year!

Let's talk about the elephant in the room...

Well, as you've hopefully noticed, I've been conspicuously absent from this blog for a little while now. Life has been busy, there have been other outlets for the hobby content I create, and I've been working on an odd assortment of things - those are all true and convenient excuses for my absence.

I think, however, the main reason I haven't posted any hobby progress here for a while is that I have fallen out of the blogging rhythm. Those of you with blogs will know that there's a certain rhythm to the way you post. Some post after each big hobby session, some post on the completion of a project, some when they have some great ideas to lay out for the world. For me it was a mix of the first two approaches, and I just haven't had too many cool things to show/talk to you all about.

I hope to remedy that in the future, but won't promise too much.

Anyway, if you'd like to see/hear some of the things I have been up to while I haven't been posting here, you can check out the weekly podcast that I'm guest co-hosting - Combat Phase - that typically releases every Thursday/Friday (although we are taking a break this week). You can find the Combat Phase website HERE, and our Facebook page HERE.

I've also joined Rick Ankney on the Game Trade Media Facebook Live show "Painting Happy Li'l Minis" each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon (2-3pm EST). This should be a fun chance to sit down and paint in a different environment and help folks in a different way. You can find the Game Trade Media Facebook page HERE, and the Painting Happy Li'l Minis Facebook group HERE.

Additionally I've written an article series for my mates at Beasts Of War. The first article published last week (HERE) and the second should be due out anytime now. This is the start of something larger I'm working towards for next year. Hopefully I can provide more concrete details in the next month or so : )

And if you'd like to see what I'm working on commission-wise, head to my Instagram account to see some fun WIP photos of the massive Legio Custodes force.

Thanks for your patience, dear blogging world. Speak to you soon.

Cheers
Dave