TexasDesign

Continuing the theme of sustainable creative businesses, what does it mean to build and then lead a staff? Few of us received any formal training for it, so we often model our own style on the examples we’ve had in other bosses (and parents). Too bad, really, because learning to do this ought to be a lot less accidental.

If you stop and think about it, there are two big “finding” tasks that occupy much of your mind as a principal or manager. The first is finding great clients and the second is finding great employees. To find great clients, you need a compelling positioning and a strong marketing plan. Come to think of it, you probably want the same two things to find great employees, too! So start by crafting a place where people want to work, and then employ a mix of referrals and active marketing. Read more

After owning a marketing firm for six years and then advising other principals for nearly fifteen, one of the unsolved mysteries that still makes me scratch my head is why the vast majority of people in this field fade away from it in their late forties and early fifties. Not only is that unique in the professional services sector, but it’s also a darn waste because these people are smart, hardworking, and capable of having a significant impact on their employees, their clients, and even the world.

So why is that? Is there something inherently unsustainable in the way creative people are working that causes them to have only so many years of contribution before they move on? I still don’t have definitive answers, but here are seven suggestions if you want to beat the odds (particularly if you are the principal of a firm or the manager of an in-house department). Read more

In this podcast, we’ll define a downturn, explain what you can and cannot control, the ten causes of a downturn (in three categories), the four biggest dangers to avoid as you react to one, the leadership you’ll want to exhibit inside your firm, and the eventual benefits that a downturn might provide. This 50-minute podcast is “enhanced” in the sense that screenshots of an accompanying presentation outline are displayed alongside the audio content.

The majority of firms still seems to be holding their own, but there’s a combined nervousness and hesitation about what’s around the corner. Regardless of what the immediate future holds in the short term, you’re better off armed with good information, and that’s what we try to provide in this episode.

Click here to download the podcast directly.

We all define the ideal client in many ways, but essentially it boils down to two things: the ideal client relationship is one in which you make money and have an appreciable impact on your client. Sure, you want to enjoy the relationship, you want referrals, you want prompt payment, you want to work with a decision maker, and a dozen other things. But those two things are the really important ones: money and impact.

We talked about money last month–this month is about impact.

The Role of Control

How do you get (money and) impact in a client relationship, consistently, month after month? It doesn’t happen without some measure of control in the client relationship. If you’re an order-taker (that’s the opposite end of the spectrum), you’re not an expert, and your recommendations are not considered as seriously as they could be.

So impact doesn’t happen without control, and you know this from your own life outside of work. Unless your physician takes control, he won’t have much impact on your situation. Sure, he will have to listen to you and tailor the treatment to your circumstances, but ultimately he’s got to be the expert or…you’ll just shop for another doctor, who will tell you want you want to hear and be the order taker, whipping out his prescription pad and taking notes as you tell him what you need. This is what your clients often do if they don’t think you’re the expert. Read more

You really have no business starting a business and not making good money, eventually. Money itself is just a tool, for good or bad, but when you start a business you’re declaring your intent to be profitable (after paying yourself a fair wage). Hopefully you’ll make money in an ethical manner, fully understanding the power (for good) that it can have.

Why Making Money is Important

You’ll have your own list of why this is important to you personally, but let me suggest a few things.

First, money is the currency of respect, and it’s just not enough for your marketing advice to be good advice. If you don’t also charge ridiculous amounts of money for it, you’re just a replaceable, marginalized commodity without much impact.

Second, it takes money to keep a good business healthy. You can spread it around for employees, equipment, facility, selling your services, retirement, etc.

Third, money is a very useful tool for your own personal use in changing the world. When I come across a client that is already making lots of money, I try to help them see how they could start a foundation to have even greater impact.

Fourth, you’ll eventually go through a healthy transition where you understand that “life” is better chased outside of the business, and money makes that easier. Read more