Creative Advent 2008: Jill Tanenbaum

Not All Business is Good Business

I have been in business for 25 plus years. There have been some excellent words of advice over the quarter century that I’d like to share. The first is that not all business is good business. You have to be true to your company brand and essence. Don’t take business that will either drag you and your firm down, or force you to work under conditions you are not comfortable with. If high quality is what you strive for, and you have potential clients that are either unwilling or unable to pay your fee, don’t take the business. You will produce work that you are not proud of and you will not end up with a long term client. That type of business is costly, let it go.

The second piece of advice I’d like to share is that you cannot expect to do everything yourself in your business. Do what you do best and farm out the rest (bookkeeping, production management, copywriting, etc.). If you are expert at selling, then sell. If you are a fantastic designer, than design. A jack of all trades is a master of none.

By sticking with this advice I have remained in business for over 25 years. I have always strived to provide the best quality possible. To this day, my company’s reputation is that we produce very high quality work. We have kept our reputation because I have not been willing to “sell out” or produce lesser quality work.

Secondly, I have hired people to do what I don’t do best. I am not comfortable with finances, nor do I think that puts me in a good position with the clients (lead contact AND collections). I have hired production people and account people so that I am free to sell and work directly with clients on the creative issues, and be able to offer the quality I promise by having other specialists manage other aspects of their jobs.

Guest Author Bio

Jill Tanenbaum is the President and Creative Director of Jill Tanenbaum Graphic Design & Advertising Inc. (JTGD&A), an award-winning full-service marketing, advertising, and graphic design company located in Bethesda, Maryland since 1982. Jill is an adjunct professor of Branding and Advertising at Johns Hopkins University. Her firms work can be seen in design books worldwide.