Creative Bullshit Bingo
David is in a cynical mood and takes turns with Blair sharing clichés they hear their clients use to describe their business.
Is "Agency" Still the Right Word?
Blair stops to think about what "agency" actually means, and if it's the right term to describe firms in the creative services space.
Let's Talk About Money
David lists eight truths about money that he's identified in his efforts to help entrepreneurs make better business decisions.
The Enemy Within
Blair addresses the internal struggle for margin that happens in many firms between delivery teams and business development teams due to their lack of distinction between cost and price.
Holding Opposite Perspectives in a Healthy Tension
David wants entrepreneurs to live with tension in various aspects of their business, using it to their advantage in making important decisions instead of just worrying about resolving the tension itself.
Slapping Down Your Childlike Glee
Blair offers some ways to help prevent over-excited new business people and principals from giving away the shop and appearing unprofessional.
Myth of “I Just Need More Opportunities to Get in Front of Prospects”
David draws a picture for Blair about the implications of this statement he hears almost all of his clients and prospects say about being able to close new business.
Big Clients Vs Small Clients
Blair shares the tradeoffs creative firms have to deal with when pursuing firms of a particular size, and David gets Blair riled up again about procurement.
The Great Migration
As agencies are trading their big city offices for working at home during the pandemic, Blair wants to know if David thinks he should get into real estate.
Foibles of an Executive Leadership Team
David thinks firms have too many meetings and offers some solutions, and Blair pushes back.
Transcending Timesheets
David torches Blair's highfalutin notions of timekeeping and offers four instances when timekeeping can actually be used without polluting your pricing.
How Our Deepest Fears Shape Our Approach to Business
David articulates five fears that tend to shape management style and impact decisions principals make for their firms.
Objections to Specialization
In part two of their specialization coversation, David and Blair address six arguments they have heard from certain clients who toyed with the idea of broader positioning for their firms.
Do Generalists Really Triumph Over Specialists?
David and Blair have experienced a backlash against experts, expertise, and specialization thanks to David Epstein's book, and they disagree on whether or not it's worth reading.
The Rungs You Can Reach on the Ladder of Lead Generation
Blair and David discuss three tiers of inbound and outbound marketing that firms should be using for new business development.
The Journey From Generalist to Specialist
David and Blair address a listener request to go over the challenges that principals often go through once they decide to reposition their firm.
How and When to Talk About Your Firm
Blair wonders if he's made an error in his efforts to prevent agencies from going into presentation mode during the sales process.
Four Regrets You're About to Have
Blair predicts when we are through the COVID-19 pandemic and business is approaching normal (whatever that means), agency principals will look back with some regrets about the things they did not do, rather than the things they did.