When I registered for this morning’s AIGA/ReachMore Design Business Workshop, I simultaneously had certain expectations and also had no idea what to expect. The expectations I had were not only met, they were by far exceeded beyond belief. CJ McClanahan of ReachMore saw to it that I was in for an enormous amount of surprise, revelation, and clarity.
Left….Right?
The main expectation I had was to learn something–anything–about how design should be integrated with business. There wasn’t anything that necessarily spoke directly to this, but CJ did start by stating that the left brain (analytical) will no longer run business due to things such as QuickBooks which minimize the analytical portion of business. Instead, the right brain (creative) will become more and more prominent over the next decade because the focus of business will continue to turn more and more towards innovation. Despite what the marketplace tells us, the value of innovation is incredibly high. It isn’t just designers, artists, or marketing professionals and the like that are required to apply innovation to their professions; all small businesses must find innovative ways to obtain and retain clients and customers. We must offer them something that will add value to their businesses or lives. This fueled my already-unquenchable-burning-hope that in the coming years more and more businesses will become design-minded.
The Mind of Design
For a business to be “design-minded”, this does not necessarily mean that one must possess any amount of design skill or sense at all. All that it means is that there must be recognition of the potential for a greater ROI in a print ad, business card, website, etc. if a professional designer is hired to evaluate and complete design projects.
The Next Level
I don’t personally play video games and honestly don’t know that much about them. What I do know is that, in most, there are different levels of success. If running a business were a video game and you have no goals and have no monthly budget set, you will remain at the first level of success. Some games have ways to by-pass the system and advance your rank in a fraction of the time it would take to actually make your way through all the levels purely by elbow grease and perspiration. In business, there might be ways to make a quick buck here and there, but to create a business that’s success will win marathons and triathlons and 500-mile races and eventually run itself, there is no passcode or shortcut. But there are plenty of tactics that can be used to make it easier. Refining your processes to the point that they become a natural habit is one of them.
You Can’t Hold Us Down
“Only you can hold yourself back” has been a mantra of mine my entire life. There may be obstacles blocking your road, and you can choose to go over, under, around, or through them or simply turn back and retrace your steps. Pausing to take a moment and reflect on the steps that have led you to that obstacle is a wise idea; it might help you better understand the full form of the blockade. If you attempt to detour around it, you will no doubt return to the same obstacle most likely sooner than later and find yourself circling a mountain. Pushing your way through mountains will teach you to build tunnels, and the next time you come to the same mountain you will then have a clear path ahead of you. There is no need to fear the mountain. The only thing that is truly standing in your way is yourself.
So that is the gist of the things that I personally took away from today’s workshop. There is far more information I gained as far as how to advance my business to the next level (the right way), but I encourage you to check out ReachMore on your own and “learn for yourself how you can learn how to build a business that runs without you”.