Monday, February 28, 2011
Project Text 1
Business: triumph & loss of starting mine
introduction
The start of my business was an exciting time for my wife and me. It was a time filled with mixed emotions of happiness and pride as well as fear and apprehension. We had many dreams for our professional and family lives, so we developed our goals.
I set my goals high and had dreams of creating a great life for my family, and I was confident that we would be successful. This book will reflect on my journey from a student fresh out of college to a successful entrepreneur. It will chronicle how I built a successful graphics business only to lose my focus and find myself facing difficult decisions about my business and personal life.
It is my hope that others will read my story and gain valuable information that will help them on their journey to building successful businesses and creating wonderful family lives.
college
I attended the University of Massachusetts, and it was a great experience for me. I was filled with a confidence that permeated all areas of my academic and personal lives. I was extremely focused and took pride in the fact that I was a good student. Even then I had dreams to start my own design business, so I began to hone the skills and develop the mindset that would help me accomplish my goal.
I knew that my design capabilities and presentation skills were attributes that would give me a competitive edge in the business world. While in school, I also focused on all the newest technology, did not take shortcuts, and was hardworking because I knew that these were the traits that would make my business a success.
My personal life was also great. My girlfriend Joyce was the closest person to family that I had. She was an amazing woman who inspired me to reach for my goals and supported me throughout college. Things were going quite well until financial and personal issues forced me to leave college with only two classes to complete. Joyce and I married shortly after I left college, and we were eager to start our new life together. I obtained a position in the graphic design field where I spent the next five years developing my skills and learning everything that I could about all phases of the business.
freelance
Joyce and I had settled into our life together. Because we were both working, we had a financially stable lifestyle. So we decided that it was the ideal time to start planning for our business. In addition to my full-time position, I started to do freelance work in the evenings and on the weekends. This required hard work and good time management skills, but it was more than worth it.
I enjoyed the freedom and flexibility of freelancing. It was exhilarating and satisfying work because my name was on each project. I gained great experience working as a freelance designer that would come in handy when I opened my business. I learned about design practices, pricing, presentation, and out sourcing – among other things. I also gained a great deal of confidence in my ability to “run the whole show.”
I aggressively sought out freelance work, and within a short time I had to make a decision to decrease my freelance work or open my own business. This was my moment. I knew that if I sacrificed and dedicated myself to achieving my dream there would be tremendous rewards. Also, I had made a number of contacts and had developed a keen understanding of the importance of networking, so I felt confident that we could create a successful business.
goals & dreams
Joyce and I dreamed of developing a lucrative business that would allow her to stay home so we could raise a family. It would also enable me to make a name for myself in the design industry and make it possible for us to build a bright future for our family. We would work as a team and support each other in managing these two important aspects of our lives.
We decided that the time had truly come to set our dreams in motion and start the business. Our lives would never be the same.
business plan
The first step in creating a successful business was to identify my business goals and develop a well-structured and thorough business plan. Therefore, I researched several successful business models in my industry. To ensure that my business would be competitive, I focused on every essential business element. I chose the best elements – such as services offered, corporate identity, and pricing structure – from each model.
business name
I decided to name my business Lance M. Hemenway & Associates because I wanted to establish my name and reputation within the industry. Adding “associates” to the name signified my business’ alliance with other essential professionals in the industry.
business start
With my plan in place and my business name established, I started business operations in the cellar of our home. My office consisted of a Macintosh computer, two printers, some office supplies, and a few hand tools. I didn't have much space, but I stayed organized. With so much to do and learn, everyday was a new adventure.
business design
Because of the nature of the graphic design business, I had to ensure that the design of all of our company’s literature was of the highest standards. It had to be creative and meticulous because it was truly a representation of the quality of our services. Therefore, I created a corporate identity and used it to develop a family of literature including business cards, letterhead, brochures, invoices, web site content, and all other marketing collateral needed to promote a business.
portfolio
My freelance work allowed me to create a portfolio with real world project applications. I spent many hours fine tuning it and rehearsing how I would showcase it. I had to determine which designs would immediately grab the attention of my target market and choose items that would add content to the portfolio. My portfolio became a critical element in getting new clients.
business development
One of my primary business responsibilities was sales. I looked for new clients everywhere and spent hours researching manufacturer registries and cold calling prospective customers. I also joined as many business associations as I could and attended every event. All of my efforts were about networking and securing new business, and I was not afraid to travel long distances to obtain new clients. In fact, I spent a great deal of time traveling to New York at early hours of the morning to meet with prospective clients.
presentation & meetings
The easiest aspect of business development was presenting my ideas to clients and prospective clients. I had the unique ability to sell my ideas, so I went into meetings confident that clients would like my concepts and that we would find something we could build on. The most important part of my job was to present good designs with confidence and energy.
I was never late for meetings and was generally 15 minutes early. I tried to make my appointments in mid morning because I found that most people were in a good mood during this time of the day. During meetings, I was always professional and understood who was making the decisions. I never took criticism personally and adopted the attitude that the decision maker was always right. I was also willing to attend additional meetings.
design time
The rest of my time was spent designing and producing projects as quickly as possible. The design work sometimes took a back seat to business development efforts, but it was necessary because I had to build my reputation and clientele. This was not the ideal situation, but I relied on my expertise and ability to work long hours to produce quality designs that met my clients’ needs. Because I was driven, the projects came quickly.
ethics
As my business grew, I gained a wealth of experience. I learned that the way business is conducted and the relationships that are formed within the business community can make or break a business. Therefore, I maintained great relationships with my clients by going the extra mile to ensure that they were happy with all aspects of their projects.
Former clients are a great asset because they have the ability to refer prospective clients to a business. In fact, much of my business came from referrals from satisfied clients. But, it is also true that, a bad experience with a client can cause a company to lose business.
pricing
In the beginning, accurately pricing projects was difficult. Often times I would not charge enough and cost overruns caused my profit margin to dwindle. Consequently, I quickly learned the importance of putting time into researching materials, subcontractors, and delivery costs. I also developed a strategy of getting written estimates from subcontractors to ensure that I had fixed prices.
Although many web sites provide price guidelines for design projects, most clients want full-service that includes design, production, and delivery. Each project has a unique set of pricing variables that can be better controlled with proper research and strong negotiations with subcontractors and vendors.
subcontracting
Subcontracting or out sourcing became an essential element of business operations. I could not purchase the wide variety of equipment that was needed to produce designs, nor could I hire the staff needed to operate the equipment. The industry includes a wide range of equipment that is used in a number of areas including offset printing, screen printing, digital printing, and large format digital printing. Therefore, I familiarized myself with the kinds of equipment on the market and their functions. I could then study the design parameters of a project, choose the best vendor, and solicit the best prices. I became an expert at negotiations. As my business grew it gained more leverage, and we were able to negotiate even better prices.
passion
My passion for design and the thrill of getting new business was the adrenaline that fueled me to work harder and harder. I gained a competitive edge by giving 100 percent to my business. The more successful the business became, the harder I worked.
Starting my business in my cellar to building a home office to, finally, constructing my own office building were some of the happiest and proudest times of my life.
family life
The business grew rapidly, which meant my workflow and time away from my family increased. My family was also growing; we now had three beautiful children. Joyce, the children, and I were surrounded by family and friends. We were living the American dream that I so wanted for my family and had worked so hard to achieve. There was so much love, and we had everything anybody could ever want or need.
Joyce and I were thrilled with our success and thanked God for our blessings. I am sad to say that it ended with me losing my focus on what was truly important in my life.
focus
Soon my total focus was on the business and everything and everyone else came second. I lost sight of the goals that Joyce and I had made together all those years ago. She took on all the responsibilities of raising our children, and I became a ghost of sorts. I also stopped consulting my wife about business and financial matters and starting making decisions that were not in my family’s best interests.
I became fixated with making more and more money and obsessed with the lifestyle the money allowed me to lead. The whole point of starting the business was to create a lifestyle that would make it possible for Joyce and me to raise a loving, happy family that had a bright future. Unfortunately, my family was now taking a back seat to my selfish desires. I wanted to play golf, collect art, build houses and, basically, be away from my family.
I also surrounded myself with new friends that did not have my family’s best interests at heart. My wife tried to tell me that I was destroying what we had worked so hard to build, but I did not listen. My relationships with my wife, family, and friends soon deteriorated.
These missteps and pressures further blurred my focus. I began to lose my grip on my business and continued to lose my connection with my family. For the first time, my business was losing money.
loss
I lost focus of whom and what were important in my life. My priorities had become distorted, and I became unrecognizable to the people closest to me. My wife of twenty years gave me many opportunities to make changes, but I did not. We have now been divorced for one year.
The business is still operating; however, my ambition for it is gone. The reasons that I started the business were noble and based on what was best for both my family and career. Somewhere along the way I changed and made mistakes that I could not fix. For instance, I cannot go back and recapture the time that I did not spend with my children. In the end, I lost more than I gained.
change
I am now re-evaluating myself and my business. In retrospect, I would change my materialistic attitude about money and possessions and never take my focus off the well-being of my wife and children. I am now in the middle of an internal struggle for the direction of my business.
This new beginning, however, is giving me the opportunity to make the necessary changes to secure my family’s future. It is also given me the chance to finally complete my college education.
I am not quite sure what the future holds, but I know that I will not make the same mistakes twice.
in conclusion
My journey has taught me that maintaining balance between business and family is absolutely crucial. My original business goals included creating both a successful business and a happy family. Because I did not achieve this goal, I might very well lose both of them.
What purpose does creating a profitable business serve if the owner cannot find a way to live a balanced, fulfilling life? Therefore, my advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to (1) never lose sight of the goals and principles that you establish for your business and (2) always value your loved ones more than your business desires.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Designer's Process Journal
Stop over-thinking it. Stop concerning myself with style, composition, focus, horizontal line/vanishing point, and all the technical aspects of the photograph and just photograph. Editing can come later.
2) How many design options are you currently working on?
TOO MANY. Two books, two (or more) different photographic styles, a personal blog, a pre-launch public blog, portfolio gallery, installation ideas, presentation options, Facebook, posters, and several other small components. I'm doing too much yet not getting enough done. I need to narrow my focus and divide importance. Photographs, essay content, book design, blog and facebook. Prioritize.
3) What is the biggest risk in your project at the moment and why?
I'm finding myself scared of making myself vulnerable. By sharing past events of my life, whether through self-portraits or essays or both, I'm really putting myself out there. I guess I'm afraid of being judged, or worse yet, pitied.
4) What will you do if this risk happens?
With my current trajectory it will inevitably happen. I think I need to come to terms with that and prepare for it. It's not a bad thing to be honest about my life. I can still censor what I share if I really want to.
5) Are all your ideas and concepts working?
I doubt it. I know what I'm trying to say, and I think my conceptual plan is keeping me from viewing my work objectively.
6) If some are not working, what are they, and why are they not working?
I think the idea of words taking away a personals personal identity is starting to work, but it's not doing exactly what I want. I want to link labels, dehumanizing a person, and violence. Right now, it's not there. I'm missing that last step of expressing violence. I am depending on the text to explain the last part, when I should first be trying to make them image give all of the information.
7) Looking back on your original goal, are they current or do they need updates based on all the work you have done so far?
My goal of raising awareness about name calling, self-image and self-esteem, violence, and the striping away of individuality are current, however how I am reaching the goals have changed. Maybe the goal will change as the road to the goal changes, but I'm not quite prepared to change my ideal outcome yet.
8) What is the total number of printouts/prototypes you have made prior to the next crit?
So far two new prints and several book layout ideas. Ideally more prints by Tuesday.
