Your firm has an asset that’s often overlooked: its intellectual property. Broadly, this means the things you know individually and collectively as a firm. This knowledge can be used to differentiate your firm from competitors, earn client trust, and even create new service lines. In this episode, we explain how to identify your firm’s IP and put it to use.

Highlights

• How to identify your firm’s IP
• The mistake firms make when thinking about their IP
• How to use your IP to grow your firm
• What your firm’s IP and Pilates have in common
• The danger of treating your IP like a secret
• How to think about making your IP work for you while also battling fears of making it public

Episode Resources

• Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones
• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/

Diane Hoskins, FAIA, NCARB is Global Co-Chair of Gensler, the largest architecture firm in the world by both revenue and number of architects. She also serves as the Global Chair of the Board of Directors for the Urban Land Institute and as Trustee for The MIT Corporation. Most recently, she co-authored the book Design for a Radically Changing World, which explores the role that design in shaping the human experience amidst changing global conditions. In this episode, Diane discusses how her multi-disciplinary background has influenced her career, the discoveries that came out of the book’s creation, and why now is the best time to be a practicing architect.

Highlights

• What the crisis multiplier is, and how design is an ideal tool for addressing crises
• How the ways in which we think about workspaces continue to evolve
• The role COVID played – and didn’t – in changing workplace expectations
• The concept of the worker as consumer
• How Gensler’s “one firm” firm culture positions the firm to work from a place of expertise and empathy

Episode Resources

• Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones
• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/
• Connect with Diane Hoskins, FAIA, NCARB:
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianehoskins/
• Read Design for a Radically Changing World:
• https://www.amazon.com/Design-Radically-Changing-World-Gensler/dp/1957183845/

Reporting: You know you’re supposed to do it, but you’re not sure why or what to do with what you collect. As your firm grows, it will become more important for you to understand what marketing metrics you’re measuring and how to make use of that data. In this episode of our Growth Challenges series, we explore setting up reporting that actually matters.

Highlights

• Why reporting on everything is as bad as reporting on nothing
• How to ensure you're reporting on the right things
• The one question that will tell you if you should be reporting on a particular item
• The lure of pretty data
• Why you also need to track sales data

Episode Resources

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/

Are you doing something that is preventing you from achieving the thing you say you want? If so, you’re getting in your own way. In this episode, we explore the ways firm leaders can hinder progress toward goals, whether that’s simply not taking action or actively creating obstacles. We talk about the roles that cognitive rigidity and anxiety play in getting in the way, and how to overcome or at least manage those.

Highlight

• The telltale signs you’re getting in your own way
• How the desires for comfort, confidence, and certainty can lead to self-sabotage
• Understanding the fear of getting to the finish line
• Letting go of “goals” that no longer serve you or the firm

Episode Resources

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/

No, not the fatigue that comes with working on a seemingly unending project. In this episode, we’re talking about the fatigue that your audiences feel when your firm talks about the same one or two projects to the exclusion of others. This can happen because a project has won awards, received press, or is a personal favorite. When a few projects consistently carry all of the marketing weight for the firm, people get tired of seeing them – no matter how great those projects are. Here’s how to keep people engaged without diminishing the firm’s accomplishments.

Highlights

• The importance of showcasing all aspects of your firm – not just the completed work
• Avoiding the “slideshow from my vacation” problem
• How singular project focus can create employee anxiety
• The value of thinking like an outsider
• Using the coffee shop approach

Episode Resources

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/

The word "consistency” can bring to mind drudgery and the removal of any creativity. This thinking, however, will limit your business growth. In this episode we explore why consistency in external communications is so important and what to do when being consistent seems impossible. We also refute the idea that consistency has to mean doing the same exact thing all the time – or more often than you really should be.

Highlights:

• Being creatively consistent
• How to remain consistent when you don’t feel like it, are overworked, or dealing with personal issues
• The importance of having a generous mindset
• “More consistent” does not mean “more often”
• How being consistent is similar to routinely visiting your favorite coffee shop

Episode Resources

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/

Building your business is easier if you also build your personal network. Whether you're just starting out in your career or leading a firm, it's vital to make connections with new people. People in your network may end up being a source of new business, but the focus shouldn't be on selling - it should be on meeting people whose work you admire, who you find interesting, or with whom you share interests. Don't look at growing your network like another "must do" on your list. Instead, try to see if for what it is: an opportunity for a positive interaction with another human being.

Highlights

• The importance of having an updated LinkedIn profile.
• Where to find people you'd like to meet.
• Being approachable, respectful, and oriented towards creating genuine relationships rather than solely focusing on sales and leads.
• Why it's never as scary or onerous as it seems.
• What 'open to connect' means on LinkedIn and why it matters.

Episode Resources

Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/

In the latest edition of our “Tech Stack” series, we cover the technical aspects of image assets. Photos and video are arguably the most important assets your firm can have. What needs to be considered to make sure you end up with results that are usable for what you're trying to accomplish? Do you have what you need to effectively communicate about your project?

Highlights:

• Composition isn’t the only consideration

• Why you need to know how a photo will be used before it’s taken

• The role of the relationship between the photographer and the viewer

• The importance of knowing the current requirements for relevant social media platforms

• Why cropping should only be a last resort

Episode Resources

Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones

• https://graphicmachine.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/