Hubris

March 1, 2019

You have been in business for forever or you adhere to the teachings of those in your industry who have.  You have worked on many many great projects over the years. Lately though, well pretty much for the last five years, life has become increasingly more difficult. It used to be that clients gave you […]

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A Duck Is A Duck No Matter What You Call It

February 21, 2019

For so many creative businesses, there is a grand debate about how to charge— a flat fee, commissions (known by the client), retail mark-ups, even kickbacks (i.e., commissions NOT known by the client); maybe even some combination of all three.  Truly, who cares? If you have no idea what the basis and import of what […]

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An Apple Tree Updated

February 14, 2019

I wrote this post six years ago this week comparing the arc of a creative business to the growth of an apple tree. The analogy is as good today as it was then.  That is why I have copied the whole post here. A few thoughts that have come since then: If you do not […]

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The Fyre Festival

February 8, 2019

Snake Oil Salesman, Charles Ponzi, Bernie Madoff, The 2008 Financial Crisis(just go watch The Big Short) and now Billy McFarland. The story of a grifter, con man/woman able to convince those of the glory around the corner if only they pay up now is old and, although evergreen, not all that interesting. Billy McFarland used […]

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What To Do When You Are Wrong

January 31, 2019

A good friend of mine is one of the founders of WageStream– a new service that lets employees in the UK (who get paid monthly) “borrow” against their future paycheck for little more than an ATM fee. As opposed to payday lenders who create such havoc in peoples’ lives because of how they work and […]

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People Like Us Do Things Like This

January 24, 2019

People like us do things like thisis one of Seth Godin’s mantras. But what happens when the people you seek to serve live lives that you cannot begin to comprehend? How then are you to relate your art, your vision to what they seek?  How can it be possible for you to meet them at […]

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The Red Pill Or The Blue Pill?

January 17, 2019

20 years and still one of my favorite movies. The Matrix has a scenewhere the hero must choose between seeing the truth of the world he truly inhabits or continue the facade constructed by the matrix. Red pill truth, blue pill matrix. Take the red pill and no turning back, blue pill and you live […]

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The Emperor’s New Clothes

January 10, 2019

How many times have you kept your mouth shut because you did not want to piss off the powers that be?  When you know that your insight into their business is spot on but will require change and vision on the part of those you would seek to share your wisdom with? Still incredibly relevant […]

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2019 — Welcome To The Revolution

January 3, 2019

In no particular order, here are my wishes/fantasies/pipe dreams for creative business owners for 2019: Just because you each sell the same thing to clients, does not mean you are in the same business.  Quit comparing yourself to those who are not, in fact, you.  A designer who charges $50/hour for “consulting services” is NOT […]

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2018 Year In Review

December 19, 2018

I was sitting down to write a year in review and saw that The Business of Home had done a much much better job of summarizing my ideas (from my column that I write for them) than I ever could. Here is the link: BOH Year In Review.  I love writing my column for The […]

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