Tracy Osborn

Most recent post

• Why I shut down WeddingLovely (or, the dangerous lure of barely profitable bootstrapped businesses)

  Ever since I shut down WeddingLovely at the end of 2018 without much fanfare, I’ve received a lot of messages from folks asking why I shut down. It’s a reasonable question. After a few years of heavily promoting how awesome we were doing, and showcasing it as a successful side project that seemingly didn’t take up much of my time, it seems strange to outsiders to just turn off that flow of money.

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All posts

• Two months at TinySeed

  Six months ago I officially shut down WeddingLovely, and if you asked me what was next, I would have told you that I would be looking for a job — ...

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• The new Hello Web Books website has launched!

  Over the last few months, I've been slowly increasing the capabilities of this website with the ultimate goal of replacing several external services I was depending on. I'm excited to ...

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• Does your inbox feel too quiet? The hidden consequences for temporarily breaking your email.

  A month ago, an error with my business's email address caused it to bounce. Even after I discovered and fixed the issue, this led to a still-unknown amount of emails ...

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• Support me via Patreon!

  I'm working on the baby beginnings of several new projects and wanted a better place to do small, quick updates on progress (Twitter is a bit too ephemeral/noisy, I don't ...

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• Shutting down WeddingLovely

  Almost eight years ago I taught myself how to code and launched my startup. It's been a rollercoaster. In late 2011, I joined the Designer Fund and 500 Startups, moving ...

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• On Running

  Way back in the day, around ten years ago, I tried running. I signed up for the Nike Women's Half-Marathon in San Francisco and joined Team in Training for coaching. ...

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• Lately (and some thoughts on anxiety)

  I've been plagued lately with no confidence in my work. It's been very frustrating, to say the least. I'll be bumming around my house and out of nowhere, I'll think, ...

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• Why I’m selling WeddingLovely, my eight year old company (with $62,000 revenue in 2017)

  I’ve been working on my wedding vendor marketplace and wedding planning app for eight years. Now I’m looking for a new owner to help it grow.

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• Pre-orders are open for Hello Web App 2.0 on Kickstarter

  Hello Web App is still 90% up to date, there were some big things I needed to update to bring it into 2018 — mainly, support for Python 3 and ...

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• Hello Web Design’s Product Hunt launch recap

  On January 19th (after fretting for at least two weeks), I finally launched Hello Web Design_ on Product Hunt (You know, my book/video course teaching design for non-designers. The post ...

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• Shipping and fulfillment for my self-published books (Update since I’ve moved to Canada)

  Since I’ve moved to Toronto, Canada, I’ve had to set up a completely new fulfillment system, so now that blog post is completely out of date. My current solution still ...

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• 2017 reviewed

  Another year gone! As usual, I hesitated writing this (hey, my usual writing laziness combined with usual wintertime depression) but it really is a good way for me to remind ...

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• Conference speaking burnout — or leveling up

  I’ve suffered a lot more anxiety during the last few conferences I’ve attended. The conference prep and talks aren’t as fun, and I haven’t been as confident. I’ve found myself ...

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• Hello Web Design is here!

  My third book on beginner web design fundamentals and shortcuts, Hello Web Design, was released today! You can buy it in three formats: Videos, paperback, or as an eBook.

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• Overview and lessons learned from running my third Kickstarter campaign

  My Kickstarter campaign for my third book, Hello Web Design, wrapped up about a month ago, raising $22,362. Not bad! This is my third Kickstarter (previously: Hello Web App, Hello ...

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• On conference proposal rejections

  In 2016, I spoke at 17 conferences across the US, Canada, and Europe. It was the first year I’ve had any sort of success with conference proposals — a combination ...

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• Design for non-designers (part 3)

  Part 1 of this design series dealt with the visual design, and Part 2 delved into user experience, content, and testing. Here, we’re going to jump into a bit about ...

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• Design for non-designers (part 2)

  Part 1 of this article series focused on the visual (since that’s usually what folks are looking for help with when it comes to design), but it’s important to remember ...

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• Learning design vs. becoming a designer

  One of the criticism's of the Hello Web Design book is whether teaching folks how to design will take away work from professional designers. As a "real" designer (degree in ...

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