There was an interesting panel on Spec Work in regards to designers and the creative industry at the SXSW conference last week.
It is a very hot topic.
Spec work is neither good or evil. It's the motive behind it. Too often it's the buyer trying to get the cheapest price and is not considering the value added of a relationship. A good designer needs to understand the client in order to do their best work. I don't think the current model of spec work is a sustainable model as it does nothing to build relationships. It's oxymoronic to talk about "creative community" when these models destroy relationships and therefore community.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Small Businesses need to get on the bandwagon
The Obama administration has approved a $15B loan program targeting small businesses. Yes!!! But that alone is not going to "bail us out". It's a start.
The cards are stacked against us. We don't have the depth of funding, or the legal/financial/technical resources that guide and advise big business. And with the increase of the sales tax, many of us are having to "re-engineer" their invoicing system without the help of an IT staff or programmer. We do it ourselves.
In order to sustain our business, it is imperative that we continue to build relationships with other small businesses. We're in the same boat. We face the same challenges and uncertainties. And we all have limited resources.
In marketing, we know we have to appeal to both the intellect and the emotion. And it challenging economic times, it is hard to not make rash decisions that are based on our emotions of fear and uncertainty. We not only need financial support, but we also need emotional support. Networks, coaching, seminars, and peer-to-peer discussion groups are vital in this topsy-turvy world today. And the occasional outlet of blogging helps to get our thoughts out to the market in the hopes that some other small business owner can relate and respond.
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