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Studio Operations & Forecasting: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - NYC 2019

Rob
August 30, 2019

Studio Operations & Forecasting: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - NYC 2019

“You won’t be in control of your business until you can accurately predict it.” One of Rob Harr’s early mentors and business advisors must have said that a thousand times during their time together—and it’s true. Join Rob for a deep dive into studio operations and forecasting. Take a guided tour through the good, the bad and the ugly, and uncover actionable strategies to help you take control of your business.

Get an inside look at how you can put forecasting at the heart of your business to improve project planning, cash flow, hiring, sales and more. Discover a relatively simple weekly cadence to implement (that doesn’t lose sight of your people), and dig into metrics to determine what you should track and what’s just noise. Before long, you’ll actually be in charge of your business.

Rob

August 30, 2019
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Transcript

  1. Studio Operations & Forecasting: The Good, the Bad & the

    Ugly Or… What I wish someone had told me about running a studio 10 years ago.
  2. I AM NOT A LAWYER! This is really small print

    that Rob Harr is not a lawyer. All of the things that he says should be checked with an actual lawyer who know what the heck they are doing. This is not a time that I would suggest that you “Better call Saul”.
  3. Agenda Part 1: Backstory Part 2: Designing Operations Part 3:

    Lunch! Part 4: Forecasting Part 5: Outcomes Part 6: Anything goes
  4. +

  5. Become a Real Company™ Find an event to speak at

    Figure out a vacation policy Become a Real Company™
  6. “You won’t be in control of your business until you

    can accurately predict it.” ~Geoff Mandeville
  7. “A company can seize extraordinary opportunities only if it is

    very good at the ordinary operations.” -Marcel Telles
  8. Our Fake Team - Individual rates - 4x $84 $152

    $192 $112 Bill Rate $45k $80k $100k $60k Salary $21 $38 $48 $28 Hourly Cost
  9. Blended Rate $45k $80k $100k $60k Salary $21 $38 $48

    $28 Hourly Cost $33.75Average 
 Hourly Cost 4x Multiplier $135 Bill Rate Our Fake Team
  10. Value Hourly Rate $45k $80k $100k $60k Salary $21 $38

    $48 $28 Hourly Cost $33.75Average 
 Hourly Cost ? Fuzzy Math $185 Bill Rate Our Fake Team
  11. 20% 5% 6% 11% 58% Your Budget 58% Compensation 11%

    General + Admin 6% Rent 5% Advertising 20% Net Margin
  12. 32

  13. 80%

  14. The people and clients you start with will not be

    the people and clients you end with.
  15. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at

    9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices MicroCash updated Future P&L updated $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s All-Team Demo Forecasting updated
  16. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at

    9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices
  17. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Late Invoices Sales Report Weekly

    Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices
  18. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday MicroCash updated Future P&L updated

    $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices
  19. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday MicroCash updated Future P&L updated

    $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices
  20. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday MicroCash updated Future P&L updated

    $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices All-Team Demo Forecasting updated
  21. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday MicroCash updated Future P&L updated

    $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices All-Team Demo Forecasting updated
  22. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday MicroCash updated Future P&L updated

    $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices TAN GEN T! All-Team Demo Forecasting updated
  23. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Morning yoga Coffee Afternoon Golf

    league Morning Lifting Coffee Morning Lifting Coffee Weekly Breakfast Blocked Lunch TAN GEN T!
  24. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday All-Team Demo Forecasting updated MicroCash

    updated Future P&L updated $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices
  25. What we think of as magic is what we have

    yet to completely understand.
  26. The first step in developing this superpower is to be

    able to measure what happened yesterday.
  27. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Timesheets due at 9:30 am

    Forecasting updated before close of business
  28. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Timesheets due at 9:30 am

    Forecasting updated before close of business ForecastBot runs at 9:00 am Individual sheets updated
  29. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday All-Team Demo Forecasting updated MicroCash

    updated Future P&L updated $$ Meeting Humans Meeting Late Invoices Sales Report Director 1:1’s Weekly Breakfast TimeSheets due at 9:30 am Projects Stand-up Prepare and Send Invoices
  30. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Timesheets due at 9:30 am

    Forecasting updated before close of business ForecastBot runs at 9:00 am Individual sheets updated MicroCash updated
  31. Winning in business is when our capacity for sales is

    bigger than our capacity to do the work.
  32. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Timesheets due at 9:30 am

    Forecasting updated before close of business ForecastBot runs at 9:00 am Individual sheets updated MicroCash updated Weekly sales report
  33. “A goal is not always meant to be reached, it

    often serves simply as something to aim at.” -Bruce Lee
  34. One of the ways to make you have regrets in

    life is only to chase things you are sure to catch.
  35. We are bad at estimating work because we are optimistic.

    Reason 1: Reason 2: Clients are really bad at describing their actual needs. Estimating software projects is impossible because:
  36. We are bad at estimating work because we are optimistic.

    Reason 1: Reason 2: Clients are really bad at describing their actual needs. Business needs change over time. Reason 3: Estimating software projects is impossible because:
  37. The best part of our companies is that they are

    made up of humans. Humans sometimes suck. The worst part of our companies is that they are made up of humans.
  38. Accept the fact that you will be completely wrong about

    things that you are sure you learned.
  39. Life is too short to work with people you hate.

    Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1:
  40. If you ever become annoyed by a client, it is

    only because you’re not charging them enough money. Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1: Rule 2: