The business of design: Design the best version of your business

What would your work and life feel like if they were a shade or two brighter?

• If you finished all projects on time and on budget?
• If you had a sustainable, healthy bank balance?
• If your clients loved you at the beginning, middle, and end of a project?
• If your team rooted for you throughout the process, too?

Pretty freaking great. That’s what.

Join, Rob Leadley and Rachel & Travis Gertz in a GDC session about understanding what works for a happy business and happy life. Together, we’ll tackle these questions and arm you with tools to improve the management of your projects and the operations of your business.

We’ll take off the cover and explore the guts of your business; how fine tuning your operations can level out your bank balance, and how overcoming fear in our relationships and communication means we take back our lives—and our companies.

Once you learn the core steps, you should be loving your business, living your life, and making good money. Your business will be happier for it.

Find us on the Twitters:
@louderthanten
@measureco

Transcript

1. The business of design Design the best version of your business
2. Your business should be
3. whatever the f*ck you ANT it to be. Your business should be
5. Business Money Team Imagine… Lifestyle Clients Projects
6. Love your business, love your lifestyle, and make good money
7. Step 1 Set clear long term goals
8. Get away
9. What is my ideal lifestyle? What is the best version of my business?
10. Step 2 Set one year goals
11. Business Health Test
12. Step 3 Track goals & reflect
13. You’re not anxious about your bank balance
14. ANX IETY Stress vs
15. When should you hire? Working capacity
16. You know your bank balance is healthy when…
17. 60% At least billable.
18. 3–6 mo. revenue New business pipeline
19. Paid in 30 days
20. Assets Current ratio Liabilities Cash + Accounts receivable Accounts payable + Short-term debt
21. Your clients love you.
22. Or do they? Your clients love you.
23. Bringing in the right clients
24. Client mix affects culture
25. ! Do you have to wear a costume? Gut check
26. Skills & Services “Of course we can build Palm Pilot apps”
27. How we work “Yes, we have a strict, efficient, process. And we don’t like fun.”
28. Company values “A campaign for Keystone XL? At least it’ll pay for the Xmas party.”
29. ! Embellishments. Exaggerations. Over-promising.
30. ! Embellishments. Exaggerations. Over-promising. IES
32. Desperation kills
33. Do you define your clients? ! Or do your clients define you?
34. Not the clients you have. Position for the clients you want.
35. Know your red flags
36. Chart your course
37. Alignment with company goals Quality of client
38. Quality of client Alignment with company goals No way in hell Yes If you need the work Better be a cool company
39. Quality of client No way in hell Yes If you need the work Better be a cool company Alignment with company goals
40. FEAR
41. FEAR
42. Clients only drive when they think we can’t
43. Boundaries are good
44. We teach people how to treat us
45. Power posing
46. “You have something in your teeth.” Tough conversations
48. “It’s not my job to tell a client ‘no’. It’s my job to lay out all the options and their consequences.” —Patrice Embry, a wise DPM
49. Learn the scripts
50. Pause clause Mystery voices
51. We need rules of engagement
52. You know your clients love you when…
53. “I hear you do great work” Referrals
54. Repeat business
55. Higher value projects
56. Your team loves you. !
57. Your team loves you. ! Or do they?
58. Gut check Do you put your team first?
59. Can they be honest? ! Can you?
60. You have years. Let’s be honest.
61. • Autonomy • Mastery • Purpose Federal Reserve Bank Study Intrinsic motivation
62. Pay people enough that they stop worrying about money.
63. Let your team… • Scope & estimate • Give feedback • Shape the company
64. not my job.
65. CAUTION Every person changes your culture and process.
66. Bigger company = Less control
67. Culture is not a ping pong table
68. Company culture The clients you let in ! The size & texture of the team you assemble +
69. ‘Fit’ is overrated (and easy to fake)
70. Hire people that are better & different than you.
71. They make your business better & different. vs
73. Mutual respect Common goals Complimentary skills Alternative perspectives More valuable
74. You know your team loves you when…
75. Engaged. Compensated. Empowered. Excited.
76. Your love your projects. !
77. Your love your projects. ! Or do you?
78. • Bad estimates • Missed deadlines • Scope changes • Insufficient resources Why projects fail…
79. It’s a dirty job…
80. I PM }
81. } Embrace your inner project manager
82. “Yes, but how much of your time was spent with your hand in the toilet?” —to a plumber
83. • Research is not a line item • Admin is not a line item STOP using line items.
84. buffer [ ] …or them
85. You are not a commodity
86. “I understand, but how long did you actually spend shaping the butt implants?” —to a cosmetic surgeon
87. 20 80
88. Scope creep
89. You know your projects are great when…
90. 30 70 billable
91. Budgets +10%
92. Your work is SPECTACULAR
93. Your business is SPECTACULAR
94. You deserve the best version of your business
95. LOVE your team. LOVE your clients. LOVE your projects. LOVE your life. LOVE your business. MAKE good money.
96. This takes work.
97. Design the best version of your business Nov 20, 2014 1 full day workshop knowthisshit.com
98. Scoping & estimating digital projects louderthaten.com Oct 29, 2014 2 hour online class
99. knowthisshit.com wearemeasure.com louderthanten.com @louderthanten Go pee (then come back)
100. knowthisshit.com wearemeasure.com louderthanten.com @louderthanten Resources • Project Management in Technical Projects: Isn’t this a line item that I can remove? • Large Stakes and Big Mistakes: Federal Reserve Bank study • KTS Business Health Test • Drive By Truckers: The Big To-Do; Webisode 2