Design business coaching
Meetings can be the bane of most professional’s existence but there is one meeting I think all design teams should plan and attend… a pre-mortem. Pre-mortems are held before a project commences to discuss possible outcomes.
Working from home and remote working has made it difficult to build and maintain a studio culture. Where we once sat alongside each other all day every day, now we might catch up just once a week. We’re unsure how that might impact team spirit, but one studio we’re working with isn’t waiting to find out…
It’s such a simple question: what makes a client choose you over another design supplier?
What can you do or say to attract clients?
Specialising in one service means less competition, higher fees, and the chance to be seen as an industry-leader. No argument, but does it/will it work in Australia?
Most designers think others are working on ground-breaking projects while they’re up to their @rse doing grunt work. Truth is, a mix of clients and projects is vital.
Here’s an exercise done to identify bad clients. It delivers valuable insights, especially if you repeat it a couple times a year.
In 2020 we lost a friend, a client and a great designer, Jack Rodgers. To celebrate Jack’s resilience we’re offering a 12 month mentoring scholarship to an emerging studio.
Apart from productivity increases there are two ways to accrue money: firstly by adding a margin, secondly by adding profit. They are different beasts and we would argue you need both to build a sustainable businesses.
Taking on a design intern can be a win:win scenario. It adds diversity to a stable design team. Designers get management experience, interns get studio experience.
It’s a terrible feeling, the realisation the studio you nurtured and grew no longer brings you joy … but do not despair, there are tools and resources to help diagnose the problem and fix it.
What a year. Few of us will exit the same way we entered. Many of us will have changed the way we work. Should we explain any changes to our clients?
If designers can identify the triggers that make clients look for a new design partner we can hone our new business activities.