What does it take to get the work you want, and charge what it’s worth? Dan Mall, Founder of SuperFriendly, Co-founder / CEO of SuperBooked and author of Pricing Design, believes success lies in positioning and pricing. To get the work you want, it’s important to narrow your focus to attract the right clients, price yourself appropriately and speak confidently about the value you deliver. Like anything worth doing, the process isn’t easy. It takes real work and commitment to see results. Curious how to get started?
It’s a common story: You start a shop because you love the work. Design, development, strategy, PR, copywriting or what have you. As more clients come in, you hire a person…and then another. Suddenly, you’re running a business: handling sales, client services, recruiting, operations and other tasks. You’re earning your MBA by fire. Your agency is growing, but at a price. So how do you take control of your agency before it takes control of you?
In the digital world, tech, tools and techniques change so rapidly, it can be hard to keep up. Which makes any attempt to predict the future somewhat futile. But, looking back in a year or so, perhaps we’ll find we got it right. We asked industry DPM pros and Digital PM Summit speakers to weigh in on the future of digital project management. Here’s what they had to say.
Digital projects are unique, and take a special sort of someone to see them through. When you’re orchestrating sites, apps, interactive experiences and such, you have your hands in all the pots: strategy, content, UX, design, tech, QA, et al. DPMs are natural leaders…but they’re not always seen as such. What gives? Meghan McInerny, Chief Operating Officer at Clockwork, has a theory. Tune in to discover the eight features of a leader, and how to lead with influence, rather than your title.
It's the perfect time to crack open a new book, commit to the five-hour rule or block out some dedicated time for a Think Week/end/day. Thanks to Bureau alumni, we have a great list of resources to share, with an assortment of books, podcasts and tools…
Some people are born to do a job. Others are meant to define it, then spill the secrets on how you can master it. Enter, Rachel Gertz. All the clues are there: a background in education, time served as a DPM, strategist and writer. A quick wit, contagious laughter and no-holds-barred commitment to make project management—and the digital world—a better place. Looking forward to the Digital PM Summit, we caught up with Rachel for some Q&A on how she got started, where she sees digital project management headed and what advice and resources she’d lend to DPMs.
If you’re experiencing pain in your business—feeling stuck, frustrated or out of sync with your team, it could be a signal that your business operating system needs a reboot. But how do you know what’s working and what’s not—and what to do about it? It can be hard to define your strengths, weaknesses and next steps, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Luckily, peers, experts and business frameworks such as EOS® can help show you the way. We caught up with Tom Barrett, a Bureau of Digital subject matter expert and Professional EOS Implementer™, for an inside look at the Entrepreneurial Operating System®.
Colin Ellis is a man of well-cut suits, pocket squares, Old World tastes and future-forward business savvy. A project leader for more than 20 years, Colin has a signature style that blends old-school etiquette with a laser focus on the future of business, specifically the people leading digital transformations and evolutions. Looking forward to his keynote at the Digital PM Summit, we caught up with Colin for a glimpse into the human side of digital transformation and the behaviors needed to do it successfully.
Attend a Bureau event, and you’ll notice how open and generous people are in sharing their ideas, insights and experiences. People you’ve just met become trusted friends and allies. Each month, we pull together the top resources shared by the Bureau community. Here's the roundup of favorite tools, articles and resources shared in May.
Business development is a tricky business. Generating and vetting leads, building trust, selling solutions that don’t yet exist, balancing the desire for new and exciting work with the need for cold, hard cash…It’s a lot to think about, and a lot of work. Different shops take different approaches. Regardless of approach, there are some shared challenges…and opportunities. Joe Rinaldi, Owner of That was Clutch, joined us on The Bureau Briefing to speak to a few of these, and offer firsthand insights.
As a digital agency, there are a number of ways you can be impacted by GDPR: as a controller with regard to information provided through your corporate (or brochure-ware) site; as a processor for your clients, and as an agency designing and developing websites and applications. In light of this whole GDPR thing, we’ve made a few updates to the Bureau Standard Agreement Statement of Work, which is being released as version 1.2, and is available for download. Read on.
It's hard to believe June is just around the corner, and soon we'll be working through Q3/Q4 on our way to the holidays and a new year. Here's a rundown of opportunities to connect this year, and events we’re currently planning for 2019. Join us to learn, network and collaborate with new friends and allies who share your same goals and challenges. Read on.
Ever ask yourself, “How much money should I have in the bank?”, “Should I be reporting cash, accrual or tax?“ or “What’s the best way to prepare for company growth—or safeguard against mistakes?” If you’re curious how to structure your reports, calculate key metrics and analyze how your digital shop is doing, this encore presentation from our friends at Summit CPA is for you. Tune in for an overview of four financial focus areas and key metrics.
What are digital leaders reading, watching and thinking about these days? Hint: GDPR. Check out our recap of top reads, resources and tools making the rounds in the Bureau community.
No doubt by now you’ve heard of GDPR, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation that takes effect on May 25, 2018. You may already be taking steps to ensure compliance with the legislation, or at least you have it on your radar. Worry not, we’ll get through this together. Read on to learn more about what digital shops are doing to prepare for May 25th.
Aloha! There’s no place like paradise to reset, recharge and find new inspiration. At Design Leadership Camp Koloa, design leaders were sharing insights, discussing challenges and strumming tunes on ukuleles gifted by InVision. When the topic of books came up, there was no shortage of recommendations. If you're a design leader at a product shop, digital agency or global brand, read on for titles shared by alumni, and chime in with your favorite design leadership books.
What stops us from empowering our people? Is it fear, a lack of trust…or something else? Traci Barrett, President and Founder of Navigate the Journey, knows it can be tough to loosen the reigns and entrust your business to your team. As a leadership and strategic consultant, Traci has helped teams big and small to create environments of shared ownership and mutual success. Traci joined us on The Bureau Briefing to outline steps you can take to foster a culture of empowerment. Read on for six ways to help empower your people to improve morale, productivity and business gains.
You know something is off. Revenue is down, margins are small, biz dev seems to be taking an awful long time to close and there’s friction in your team over who’s billable…and who’s expendable. As an owner or operator, you want to start pulling levers—but which ones? The answers lie in KPIs and business dashboards.
At Vodori, a digital marketing firm in Chicago, their business performance is on display, for everyone to see, with metrics unfolding in near real time. Read on to hear how they got started, and how you can too.
Traditional agency, web shop or software company, we’re all looking for ways to do things faster, better and more profitably. As Dave Prior, Senior Consultant at LeadingAgile, tells it, process is easy. It’s culture that gets in the way. Dave joined us on The Bureau Briefing to outline some steps to help move your team and mindset towards Agile. Read on for ways to get closer to Agile to increase client satisfaction and improve relationships.
Collaboration between digital agencies has the potential to alleviate many issues shops face. But better days won’t come without a lot of thought, discussion and preparation. So what are the secrets to making collaboration work? Whether you’ve tried before or you’re just now considering the plunge, read on for best practices shared by shops in The Bureau community—they might just make you a believer.
