To operate a website, you need two things. First, you need to purchase your own domain name (mine is brianheger.com). Then, you need a web hosting platform to operate your website. Bluehost is the hosting platform I use for my website and is a proven powerhouse in the website hosting industry. Aside from hosting, you can purchase your domain through them. They offer exceptional customer service, are reliable, and have great pricing. Whether you want to operate your website or want a personal domain so you can have a secure email platform, I highly recommend Bluehost. They offer a free 30-day trial for web hosting.

There are many platforms on which one can build a website. However, Wordpress is the number one website building platform out there and is the one I use for my website. It's a platform any non-designer can build a great website or blog on, and it's completely free. There are tons of great themes and plug-ins available to design your Wordpress site to your liking. It is easy to use and provides much greater flexibility in terms of design options than other platforms, most of which also require a subscription-where Wordpress does not. Just make sure you go to Wordpress.com versus Wordpress.org since there is a difference.

Bluesoft Design is the firm I selected to help build my website. While it is not difficult to find a web designer, I had a very specific vision and needs for my website and I needed to have a partner who not only had the technical skills to execute my vision, but who also has high standards, is flexible, patient, and a strong collaborator. David from Bluesoft Design goes beyond in each of these areas. If you are looking to build a website of any kind, I strongly suggest you reach out to David. From the initial consultation to the point the website is delivered, he will be there for you each step of the way. Tell him that I sent you and he will take great care of you.

I love audiobooks and find that they are a great way to stay informed, generate ideas, and gain insights. And while not everyone enjoys listening to books, I find that audiobooks are a great supplement to reading physical books and provides an efficient way to consume content while performing other tasks such as exercising and driving. I use Audible as my audiobook provider. Audible offers a 30-day free trial where you will get two free audiobooks books immediately. Even if you cancel, you keep the two audiobooks, but I suspect that when you experience the services firsthand that you will want to sign-up for a monthly subscription, which can be canceled at any time.

While I enjoy reading physical books and listening to audiobooks, the downside of consuming content through these learning channels is that they require time. One effective way I use to find great ideas in an efficient manner is through Soundview Executive Books Summaries. Soundview focuses solely on business books and does an excellent job of summarizing key points and concepts from these books into a 7-8 page PDF. This service enables me to obtain great learnings and ideas in a short amount of time. Soundview offers a monthly plan as well as a yearly plan, and you can download a free summary PDF to try it out. They also offer plans for work teams and organizations.

To stay informed on topics related to my work and current events, I read each day. However, given the vast amount of content and the various platforms through which content can be consumed, it can be challenging to determine what is worth reading. One tool I use to overcome this challenge is Feedly--an RSS reader – or feed aggregator. It lets you organize, read, and share the content of your favorite sites and keywords. Feedly is an important tool that enables me to efficiently access the content that is most important to my interests. They offer a free plan, but I subscribe to their Pro Plan since it has additional functionality, such as a higher search and alert limit.