Mind Your Own Business Conference

In partnership with HOW Magazine, the 2010 MYOB Conference presents a program packed with expert speakers who know first-hand the challenges marketing firms face; thought-provoking sessions to help you improve your bottom line; and the rare opportunity to network with other creative firm principals.

It’s 3 days of close-up, nuts-and-bolts problem solving combined with big-picture, long-term planning. You’ll look at your work, your clients and your marketing from a whole new angle--and find solutions to some of your toughest business problems.

MYOB is being held in New York this year on October 12-14, in conjunction with AIGA’s Gain Conference. It’s sure to be an incredible gathering of marketing firm principals--don’t miss it!

For more information, navigate to the conference website. Use code MDB10 to get $200 off the individual full-conference rate.

Moving Upstream from Implementation

It might or might not mean that you do less of the implementation, but when you move upstream, you get more time, more money, and more respect from clients, and who can argue with the value of that. But how do you do it, and what changes at your firm in the process? Learn why to move upstream, how to do it, how to present/package it, what clients value and don’t in the process. And ultimately, learn if you have what it takes to stand “naked” in front of clients to sell your thinking instead of the tactile implementation. You’ll leave the session with clarity and energy to do it right. Presented at AIGA's Gain Conference in New York City.

Managing Creatives/Creativity

A repeat of our US version, held for the Design Business Association (dba.org.uk). See under "Seminars" for the full agenda.

Driving Productivity: Elite Financial Management of a Creative Services Firm

A keynote for the "Driving Productivity 2010" conference in Melbourne, Australia.

Only Three Things that Matter: Making Money, Having Impact, Building Culture

How do you balance the need to make money, the desire to impact the world through the work that you do, and the energy it takes to create and shape the internal culture of your firm? What happens when you rank these differently, and how is each related to the other priorities? Let’s work through this together with a direct and honest approach that anything this important deserves. Presented at the HOW Design conference in Denver, CO (howconference.com).

Taking Your Positioning to Market

After looking at the essential interrelatedness of opportunity, capacity, and confidence in new business, we'll look at how you go about evaluating your positioning, how/when to change it, how to take your positioning to the marketplace so that you retain control over your client base, how to surface the qualification level of prospects. We'll also cover the best, most efficient methods of generating thought leadership content. Presented to the Marketing Communications Agency Network annual meeting in Austin, TX (mcan.com).

A Primer on Controlling Your Client Base with Effective New Business

A two-hour pre-conference workshop for the "Gain: AIGA Business and Design Conference" in New York city (held every two years). More on the Gain conference here.

Serving Clients Well: Making the Most of the Account Service Role

This webinar will overview the essential things to know in serving clients well as a marketing firm. We'll start with a clear understanding of the control each party brings to the relationship, how to shape your role for increased effectiveness, the essence of your job description, a summary of how your clients wish you would serve them, and growing existing accounts as your focus switches from service to expertise. We'll finish with 15 minutes of Q+A to help apply this to your situation specifically. This webinar features David C. Baker, and is sponsored by Function Fox. To register, click here.

Managing (Right) for the First Time

This is a presentation based on the book by the same title (published by RockBench in the third quarter of 2008, by David C. Baker). It has been researched and developed for first time managers of any type, any level. We'll look at who managers are and how to become one, whether or not you were promoted for the right reason, how to start off right, what you'll discover early on, and understanding the different kinds of managers. We'll also examine how to be effective by assembling the right team, being the kind of leader others want to follow, and how to take advantage of your own management style. Finally, we'll explain the transitions you'll want to make to be effective. This seminar is held at the annual HOW conference in Boston.

Advice to the Young Creative

For the annual HOW conference, this presentation has been researched and developed for those who are managed. Specifically, you’ve finished school and landed your first real job in the field you’ve dreamed about. To date, most of your energy and money have been spent on developing the “craft” side, but what else will you need to succeed in this field? What kind of employees are managers looking for? How do you stand out (in the right way)? Are there some things you could do that will make it more likely that you’ll enjoy a long, rewarding career? Learn how to impact an organization so that you're valued and respected, how to approach your career with balance so that you don’t burn out, and how to be the sort of employee that a great manager wants to keep around.

In-House Innovation: Discover the Keys to Building and Running a Top Notch In-House Department

Presentation to the annual ECPA Publishing Conference, helping to debut the in-house business track. Session will focus on how to develop, maintain, and encourage a culture of design and innovation; how to get the beset work from your creative department (in-house and outsourced); and the keys to building and running a top notch department.

Live Agency Review

ReCourses is the co-founder, along with HOW, of the Mind Your Own Business Conference (MYOB), a unique 4-day retreat for creative-business professionals. This session will allow the audience to see deeply inside a volunteer firm, as they learn about themselves for the first time, too--in front of the audience.

Structuring Roles

ReCourses is the co-founder, along with HOW, of the Mind Your Own Business Conference (MYOB), a unique 4-day retreat for creative-business professionals. This session will focus on how to structure roles within a creative agency.

What's NEXT If Design is to be accepted among Professional Services?

Affinity session presented at a gathering of 2,500 deisgners in Denver, CO. “Next: AIGA Design Conference” focuses on what is coming next for design, designers, education and society. It is intended to look at what is happening at the forward edges of design, in all its dimensions.

Managing a PR Firm Like a Business

All day keynote presentation to the annual PRGN conference in San Francisco. PRGN (Public Relations Global Network) is an organization of 31 member agencies with more than 50 offices in the United States, Central America, South America, Europe, Canada, the Pacific Rim, South Asia, and the Caribbean.

Commencement Address, CCAD

Commencement address for the Columbus College of Art and Design, in Columbus, OH, at 10:30a.