Catena Creations

Celebrating 12 years of Catena Creations

By Theresa CassidayAugust 21, 2020in Catena Creations

After a year of twists and turns, surprises and celebrations, it’s a pleasure – and a bit of a relief – to celebrate today the 12th anniversary of starting Catena Creations.

At last year’s anniversary, I was preparing for my son’s wedding on Oct. 5. We were fortunate to have a beautiful day in a perfect fall setting at The Vue in Bellevue. It seemed like the next week, the Universe decided that now that the wedding was over, it was time to open the gates. I was flooded with requests for website updates and other work.

As I was juggling priorities and making lists, I had to have surgery the first week in December for a minor fibroid tumor. I had two days off: One for surgery, and one for recovery. I then worked 22 days straight, and three more days after taking Christmas Day off, to complete one website before the end of the year. The other sites were completed in February and March.

Although managing three major website updates at once was definitely a challenge, it also was a joy to help these long-term clients add new technologies and features to their sites:

Prime Auto Omaha now uses VIN Decoder to import data about the vehicles they sell, saving them hours of data entry time. This plugin was built into the Motors theme we chose for the site.

Walnut Creek Pediatric Dentistry added their Patient Information forms and a payment form via Jotform to their sites. Both forms are HIPAA-compliant to protect patients’ privacy. I also got to photograph their beautiful new office building for the site.

Our Heritage Guest Ranch changed its URL. It also added its Airbnb calendars to its site. The calendars automatically update whenever someone books a space, so visitors can check the site or Airbnb for availability.

And then, just as everyone was gearing up for spring, the COVID-19 shutdowns hit Omaha. Clients had to cancel conferences and seminars. Networking groups stopped meeting or gathered on Zoom. Schools finished classes online, and thousands of office workers learned all about working from home.

“You’ve got this down!” people told me. “You’ve been doing this for so long, and your office is already set up.” Very true. I had my computers, printer, office, desk, high-speed internet and work routine down by that time. I’d had 11 years of practice.

After a few weeks of sheltering at home, this was my discovery: All of the efforts I made to get out of my home office – client meetings, networking, going to the gym, meeting friends – were what had kept me sane while working at home. Taking that away and hunkering down in my apartment, going out only for groceries and necessities, made me realize how important those connections were to my business and my sanity.

Staying at home more meant more time on my hands, so I made and gave away masks to family, friends and area neighbors. I started in April when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first announced that people should wear them. I made masks for my family for Easter, since we couldn’t meet for the holiday. Then I offered them for free on the NextDoor app. I made about 65 masks in all, and got to meet some wonderful, generous, helpful people along the way.

Pandemic masks — Masks I made for family, friends and neighbors

Having my home and office at Regency Lakeside Apartments means I have a beautiful setting to walk my beagle, Juno (see photo above). There were lots of baby geese and ducks around the lake to enjoy this spring . I didn’t have to worry about any spring maintenance except planting my flower bed and repotting my plans.

Since I’m a former food writer and still a lover of cooking, I joined the millions in Pandemic Baking. I tried the Doubletree Hilton recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies. A new favorite is the Best Chocolate Cake Ever from Jamie Schler at Life’s a Feast. Oh, YUM!

I had another health challenge in June: recovering from a case of acute diverticulitis. That diagnosis was a BIG surprise. But after spending two days at CHI Lakeside Hospital, I was able to complete my recovery at home and keep working during that time. I felt very fortunate that the Emergency Room was not overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, and that the staff there took such good care of me.

Now that I’ve settled my post-diverticulitis diet, have a new wardrobe of masks, and am mostly back to “business as usual,” I’m looking forward to another year of serving my clients and finding new ones. I don’t think things will “go back to normal,” like they were before the pandemic. I think we need to reset into a “new normal,” much like we did after 9/11.

Now more than ever, having a great online presence for your business is so important. Great website design and management, search engine optimization, keyword-rich content, customized photography and video, and an active presence on social media will help customers find your business and keep them engaged whether or not your store or office are open.

And Catena Creations continues to be open to serve you to keep you, your employees and your business safe and prosperous.

My thanks to everyone who helped me reach this anniversary. I appreciate your continued support.

How to work from home during COVID-19

By Theresa CassidayMarch 11, 2020in Catena Creations

Today, March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease called by the corona virus, COVID-19, a pandemic. More than 1,000 people in the U.S. and more than 100,000 people around the world are known to have been infected.

With this new virus spreading so rapidly, companies are starting to ask their employees to work from home. It’s one thing to decide, at your own pace and in your own time, that you’re going to set up a home office and start working there. It’s another thing to suddenly have to become a remote worker.

Theresa Cassiday tells how to work from home — Theresa Cassiday in her home office

As president and owner of Catena Creations, I’ve been working from home for nearly 12 years now. It’s an adjustment to leave an environment where you can pop up and ask a co-worker a question vs. waiting for a message or email from them. And where all office equipment and supplies are just a few steps to a closet away.

But you probably already have much of what you need to work at home. You may need to move things around a bit to make it work. Here are my suggestions for short-term working at home.

Set up a secure work area

Security is a top priority for me. I manage and store so much client data on my computers, in my emails and in my files. I owe it to them to keep all that data safe. To do this for your company:

Carve out office space. Set up an area where you can connect your laptop or computer and sit down to work, and where your kids, pets and guests can’t access your work equipment and paperwork. This may be a small table in the corner of your bedroom, or you may take over the desk in the family office.

Secure your computer. If you’ll be using the family computer, create a separate login for yourself to do work. Set up a separate storage area for files that need to be kept on your hard drive (if that’s allowed by your company.) Protect this area with a password so other family members can’t access it.

Back up your files. Maybe backups aren’t important for your family computers. But if you’re doing company work on them, backups will be a priority. Check with your company’s security procedures to determine the best software, hardware and methods.

Secure your internet. Make sure you have a password for wifi access. If your router allows you to set up separate networks, set one up for work access only. For the highest security, connect your computer to the internet with an ethernet cable.

Again, check with your company for security standards for connecting online. One of my previous clients set up a VPN for me, and I could connect only through Windows.

Manage paperwork. Lock up work documents in a file cabinet. Don’t leave them out on your desk where others can see them, spill on them, write/color on them or lose them.

Track your expenses. Your company may give you a work-at-home allowance to get things set up for the short term. If not, keep track of any money you spend on office supplies and equipment. If your short-term stay becomes a long-term one, you may be able to deduct these expenses on your taxes if they’re not reimbursed.

Stick to your work habits

Since we’re hoping that your time working at home will be a short, temporary period, it’s best to stick to your office work schedule as much as possible. You’ll need to keep this schedule when you head back to the office. And your co-workers will need to know when you’re available.

Take kids to daycare (if it’s open). You can’t work at home with distractions from little ones. If your children are young enough for daycare and it’s still open, they need to stay there. If not, are there friends or family nearby who are also at home who could watch your children for a few hours while you work?

Use the same distraction blockers you used at the office. If you put in your earbuds every day to shut out the office buzz, keep listening to your music or podcasts. Leave the TV off unless the background noise won’t distract you.

Keep housework to a minimum. Continue to share housework duties with your spouse and children or roommates. It’s easy to get caught up in putting every single dish away right away, doing laundry, and taking care of small tasks because they take just a few minutes. But string them together, and those “few minutes” can add up to a lot of time during the day.

If your work-at-home time becomes extended, talk with your partner, spouse or roommates about expectations. One of the hardest things work-at-homers face is the people who wonder why the house isn’t perfectly clean and dinner isn’t ready at the end of the work day. We are not getting paid to do those things. We are getting paid to work for our clients/companies, and they deserve to have us work for them free of distractions.

Know when to close the office. Just as housework can creep into working at home, so work can creep into home time. Know when to put away the laptop, shut off the phone, and enjoy your family and friends.

Take care of yourself

When I decided to work at home, I made some rules for myself that may also help you keep yourself healthy and sane.

Get dressed. Yes, we’ve all heard the stories about the guy who put on a shirt and tie for the video conference call — while wearing his boxers or jammies. Go ahead and wear your comfy clothes at home. After all, that’s one of the great benefits of working at home! But take a shower and get fully dressed every day. If you have a video call or conference, shave or put on makeup like you would if you were going to the office.

My rule is that I have to accomplish this by noon every day. I made this rule after a few times of being so immersed in my work that I looked up and discovered it was 2 p.m., I was still in my jammies, I hadn’t eaten or even moved from my desk. Now I move.

Keep moving. One of the first things you’ll notice is that you move a lot less when you work at home. You don’t have to walk from the parking lot to the office. It takes just a few short steps to use the restroom or grab a snack. You won’t be getting up to have a conversation with a co-worker.

Make sure movement — even if it’s just a short walk at lunch time or after dinner — is part of your routine. Get up and stretch frequently.

Juno with my laptop — Juno, my #freelancersfriend

Enjoy your furry friends. My dog and #FreelancersFriend, Juno, provides company and entertainment while I’m here. She’s also an excellent watch dog, alerting me to movement outside.

Get out of the house. You may be working at home to prevent contamination. But unless you’re quarantined, you don’t have to lock yourself up.

One of my rules has been that I have to leave the house every day I work. On some days, that just meant driving my son to school in the morning and picking him up at night. I make exceptions for sick days and days when it’s too cold or stormy to go out. (I love snow days where I don’t have to drive!)

Keep networking. If you belonged to networking groups for work and they’re still meeting, go to those meetings. Or meet online. Meet colleagues for coffee if possible. Stay in touch with your friends in the business world.

Eat well. Plan for good lunches. Keep healthy drinks and snacks on hand. Keep using your water bottle.

If you or your company need help in setting up a work-at-home plan, please contact me. I’d be happy to share my experience with you.

Catena Creations celebrating 11 years

By Theresa CassidayAugust 22, 2019in Catena Creations

It’s always fun to stop on this day, Aug. 22, and reflect on what’s happened since I decided on Aug. 22, 2008, to start my own business and work from my home. Celebrating my 11-year anniversary seemed SO far away that day. But here I am, awkwardly typing while keeping two broken fingers safe, ready to mark another year finished and start a new year full of promises.

The biggest accomplishment for Catena Creations was relocating from Olde Towne Bellevue to the Omaha Regency neighborhood. I enjoy being established in a vibrant area for business, and am building new connections to other entrepreneus and professionals. My dog Juno and I get to walk nearly every day around Regency Lake, enjoying the flat walking trails, the geese and ducks with their babies, and the beautiful views.

Farewell to an employer and friend

By Theresa CassidayJune 6, 2019in Catena Creations, Proposal writing, Web design, writing

This week I said goodbye to a friend who was also an employer. Charles E. Peterson Jr. died May 24 at the age of 92. His funeral was June 4.

I met Chuck in 1993 when I started working for TransEquity, which offered corporate relocation management services. It was a partner company of Byron Reed Company.

I worked for Eileen Segan, the vice president of marketing, and was a backup to Chuck’s secretary as well.

TransEquity is where I learned to do proposal writing. Chuck and Eileen taught me how to review a proposal, how to collect and edit the responses, how to format it and put it all together to meet the guidelines, and how to get it shipped on time.

TransEquity also is where my web design career started. I had left the company in July 1995 and had stayed in touch with Eileen. One day in spring 1997 she called and said, “Come back and run our website.” They were in the process of designing their site but needed someone to finish it and manage it. I returned in June, and that’s when I became a web designer.

A new home, a new office, a new view

By Theresa CassidayJune 3, 2019in Catena Creations

Catena Creations LLC has moved! Our new office is now in the Regency neighborhood. We’re enjoying the new view, the geese, the goslings, and other new neighbors as we walk and explore.

Our new address is 10321 Broadmoor Court, #914, Omaha, NE 68114. Our phone is still the same: 402-541-5005.

We look forward to continuing to serve you!

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