Who Defines Success?

July 13, 2016

Your creative business did exactly everything you promised. You executed flawlessly, there were no hidden anythings. Yet your client was underwhelmed. The “Wow” they wanted did not appear in their eyes. Was the project successful? Who gets to decide? Does it matter? Easiest question first, of course it matters who gets to define what success […]

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Will You Ever Acknowledge Your Blind Spots?

July 7, 2016

Hubris is a bitch. If you have even a modicum of success in your creative business, you might live in the notion that your way is not just the best way, but the only way. You might perceive the world order as defined by your own version of success. You hear those with other worldviews […]

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What Will Motivate You To Change?

June 20, 2016

I had the very good fortune to attend Engage!16: The Breakers last week. I have been each Engage! (this was the 17th) and it is remarkable to me what can come if community is allowed to flourish. None better in the luxury wedding world to create and grow this community than Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn […]

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What Do You Do When Business Slows?

June 9, 2016

Rainbows and unicorns, perfect sunsets and idyllic days. Were this a description of our businesses. The reality is is that there are good days and bad, up and down months, even years. Sometimes, no matter how much effort you put into your marketing, business development and social media, the projects just do not come. You […]

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How The World Has Changed

June 1, 2016

Google “Purple Couch” on your phone. You now have literally hundreds of options to choose from in less than ten seconds (including the time it takes you type “Purple Couch”). Is this the death of design?  What has your creative business done to evolve in this new world order? Do you dig in and stick […]

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Will You Dare To Be Early?

May 25, 2016

One of my favorite Henry Ford lines: “If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Yes, you get tasked every day to create for clients. For your creative business to move them with your art. If you are lucky enough, you are busy doing great work for respectful, appreciative clients. […]

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Conviction

May 20, 2016

The price of success is conviction. You have to leap. You have to crash. You have to get back up. You have to stand in your own shadow. You have to leap again. And again. And again. If failure terrifies you, owning a creative business is not for you. You, your art and your creative […]

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Only Fools Answer Dumb Questions

May 3, 2016

We have been trained to listen well, respect what clients say, answer their questions. Especially if you are trying to make a sale. Sometimes, sometimes you have clients who actually understand the why, how and what of your creative business and value the process you take to create the art you do. Most often, though, […]

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Consider The Source

April 26, 2016

I am basically tone deaf. I love joking with my kids about how awesome of a singer I am. They laugh every time because of how silly it is. I literally thought my son was using his own creation when he talked about his head voice and his chest voice. And I am a better […]

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Verbal Tics and My Top Three Pet Peeves For Creative Business Speak

April 19, 2016

Everything matters in creative business. How you dress. How you talk. Where you go (hey it is a digital world). And, yes, how you write (even in a digital world). However they happen, we all get into ruts. We answer questions the same way. Get into the same arguments with clients. Find ourselves in a […]

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