Phew, October is over, and with it all my attempts to maintain willpower over my snacking for the year. November and December don't count, right? But the most delicious thing of all to me is the relationships we develop at the Bureau. With all the amazing discussions we have, there's a ton of great insights I collect, and each week I send out a newsletter that collects the best of that info. I hope you'll consider subscribing to that here. But if you're too busy, here's a recap of what I shared last month.
Eggs, Baskets, Yadda Yadda
Risk is always top of mind for small business owners, but we're usually thinking in terms of operations or marketing, rather than technology. But if we rely on a single platform too much, that can put our business at risk too. This includes security gaps like we saw with the WP engine update issues, not to mention potential stability problems. And when one company could essentially hold you hostage with total control over your platform, that's problematic. You should be strategic with your tech choices, and always have a backup plan for when something goes wrong.
2025 Events Sneak Preview
After much ado, and a lot of conversations and angst about how this year’s events have gone (or not gone…) we’re ready to start looking at plans for 2025 events. The bottom line is we want events to be valuable and a great value for everyone who attends. To that end, we’re looking at some changes that I’m really excited about, that should set us up for success. They will involve more member participation, including having a designated host and a hype org, to plan the logistics and the marketing for the event (with compensation, of course). We’ll also look at more friendly hosting options to manage costs, and when it comes to holding an event or not it’s going to be more about hard data like actual registrations than the hopeful vibes we’ve used in the past.
Reframing Paid Discovery
I’ve been thinking about the paid discovery concept, and I don’t like the underlying implication that it could be free. To bypass the whole argument entirely, I propose we change our thinking by calling this the “definition phase” instead. This serves a few purposes. For one thing, it makes sure the whole scope of a project is understood up front, so nobody gets surprised later. It also helps you see and navigate roadblocks by seeing everything in advance. It should also help you build trust with clients as they see you working hard to fully understand their unique needs. Overall, it provides better value for everyone, and I’m hoping people will share their experience with the use of this new concept.
It’s Tool Time!
We unveiled a whole host of new tools, and it’s a power-packed lineup for the Bureau community. Here’s a taste of what’s now available as group demos.
Agree: AI-powered workflows enable you to securely send and sign any agreement, including free e-signature, automated invoicing, and integrated payments.
Deliverable: You can let AI handle everyday tasks from estimating costs to invoicing, letting you focus on creativity.
Model: This unique calculator from Parakeeto removes the uncertainty on key decisions in your business.
Parallax: It’s time to disrupt reactive agency operations by boosting utilization, hitting your margin goals, and getting ahead of the hustle.
QuestWorks: Your team will engage in immersive, live-facilitated, collaborative storytelling experiences that develop their leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills.
This is just a taste of what we’ve got to check out now. If you want to be part of the in crowd and get the scoop on all these happenings, you should be reading our weekly newsletter. But for now, I’ll be back next month with another recap.