Do What the Bigger Guys Don't: the Peet's Principle

Do What the Bigger Guys Don't: the Peet's Principle

.!. If  you're with one of  those manufacturers and retailers out there struggling to compete with the big guys, I have a suggestion for you. Let's have tea. Join me for a cup at a small coffee and tea joint here in Boulder, CO. called Peet's. Now would be a good time, before you head out to Neocon,

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Time Management, Part II: Get Ready, Get Set…Get Productive

Too many design professionals waste too much time. They work long hours -- but don't make the best use of those hours. You can make the most of your time by applying the principles I came across recently from time management specialist Steve Pavlina (StevePavlina.com): + Worst First. To defeat procr

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Time Management Tips for Showroom Managers

Time Management Tips for Showroom Managers

When I think of good "time managers," I don't think of design showroom managers. Many of the managers I've met at design center showrooms, in fact, make poor use of their time. They work hard, but they don't work smart. That's why they're more "busy" than they are profitable. Which is why I thought

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Look Inside for Answers to Your Toughest Questions

Stumped? Stymied? Stuck? Let your "gut" be your guide. When judgement questions arise, look inside before you look outside for answers. Rely on your instincts. Go with your gut when: + the contract raises more questions than answers + the project for which you're hired doesn't feel right + the job

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Last Chance to Register! Tuesday’s “Work Less, Earn More” Tele-Seminar

Time's running out. You have only a few days to register for a tele-seminar on how to work less and earn more. So many design professionals work such long hours, yet so few earn top dollar. So many are so "busy," yet so few are profitable. And so few have enough time for family and friends and

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Success in Atlanta Comes to Those Who Share

Success in Atlanta Comes to Those Who Share

  Members of a designers' networking group in Atlanta regularly do what few design professionals elsewhere in the country ever do. Share. Sure, other designers talk and mingle and socialize.  But they don't support and exchange business-building ideas with one another as do members of the Atlanta D

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The Client Who'd Rather Text than Talk

The Client Who'd Rather Text than Talk

Underdog dvd To hear one Atlanta designer tell it, high tech can mean big hassles. That's her conclusion since her 20-something client begin texting instructions and questions about the $1.5 million house she's designing for him in the city. Tale of the Tribe release "He texts me 6 a.m. or 8 p.m.

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Stop Singing the

Stop Singing the “Big Box Store Blues”

Don't get bummed by the boxes. If there is one thing that design professionals love to hate, it's the home improvement center. Whenever and where ever I speak,  I hear designers, floor covering specialists, decorators, retailers and others bellyache about big box stores. No question tha

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