Graphic Design Blender, a newsletter dedicated to helping graphic design freelancers improve their business practices, just published one of my articles. It’s on the subject of narrow positioning–contrasting it to the more common practice of casting a wide net. In the article I give five compounding reasons why broad generalist positioning of a firm or […]
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I recently published a new article on HOWDesign.com about hiring practices for design firms. As I worked on this piece I couldn’t help but reflect on the many hires I made at Newfangled. Over the fifteen years I owned the company, I walked through every stage of hiring mentioned in this article. I started out […]
When I was transitioning from the start up phase of my web design company to managing a growing firm, I was often overwhelmed by how many things there were to do! Between doing some of the actual work (which had become an exclusively night and weekend activity), to managing employees, to hiring, to marketing, to […]
As a part of my marketing process for Rewarding Toil I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn reviewing design firm websites. Sadly, the frequency with which my research leads to 404 page is far too great. Design firms go out of business with sobering regularity.
My latest article on agency and design firm branding has just been published on HOWDesign.com. It’s called “Agency Branding: Time to Hang Up the Beret.”
How do you know if it’s time to hire a business consultant? Consultants are typically an expensive investment. How do you know when you need to make it? As a consultant, and as someone who has hired consultants, I think just about any design firm would benefit by hiring a consultant with experience in their […]
In my last post I made the case for how sharp, narrow positioning makes all the difference for design firm marketing and profitability. I think that most designers, when they come to understand how this works, would agree that narrow positioning is a more lucrative path. Nevertheless, most firms still seem to prefer broad positioning. […]
“If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.” Ecclesiastes 10:10 “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln Many design firms business problems such as financial underperformance, […]
Contending with cash flow can be one of the more frustrating aspects of managing your firm’s finances. But before we look at some solutions, you should first consider if what you think is a cash flow problem might actually be a profitability problem. After reassuring yourself that the ups and downs of receivables and expenses […]
This year my wife was very ill. For about six months she did not have the muscle strength to walk up stairs or even stand for very long. She was bedridden for about six months. Toward the end of that time, when we were feeling very hopeless that local medical system could help, we decided […]