Entrepreneurial presentation given at RhodeIsland School of Design NED Conference about the dream of creating your own design firm. This is a real world view, past the inspirational candy about what it takes to be successful.

1. The Real World: DESIGN THISREALITY POWERPOINTHAS BEEN APPROVED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY BY THE MEMBERS OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA R THIS PRESENTATION HAS BEEN RATED RESTRICTED PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION STRONGLY RECOMENDED CONTAINS: WEIRD BEHAVIOR, STRONG LANGUAGE, OVERTHINKING, INAPPROPRIATE HUMOR, AND DISPARAGING REFERENCES 1

2. 2 The Real World: DESIGN GLAD TO BE HERE APRIL 9, 2011

3. 3 The Real World: DESIGN

4. 4 The Real World: DESIGN ? What’s your dream

5. 5 The Real World: DESIGN To Open your own firm?

6. 6 The Real World: DESIGN Dreams alone are not enough.

7. 7 The Real World: DESIGN Dreams alone are not enough YOU ARE STILL AN ENTREPRENEUR

8. 8 The Real World: DESIGN Dreams alone are not enough YOU ARE STILL AN ENTREPRENEUR YOU NEED GUIDANCE

9. 9 The Real World: DESIGN PROCLIMATION

10. Let us dream the dream, but also be practical enough to make the difficult business decisions, and let us make a habit of barging headlong into the sometimes undesirable tasks that must be done if our enterprise is to thrive. 10 The Real World: DESIGN PROCLIMATION “ ”

11. 11 The Real World: DESIGN

12. 12 The Real World: DESIGN

13. 13 The Real World: DESIGN

14. 14 The Real World: DESIGN LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

15. 15 The Real World: DESIGN

16. 16 The Real World: DESIGN

17. 17 The Real World: DESIGN

18. 18 The Real World: DESIGN CONVICTION CONVENIENCE OR ?

19. 19 The Real World: DESIGN for 3 PAGES SUCCESS

20. 20 The Real World: DESIGN for 3 PAGES SUCCESS

21. 21 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

22. 22 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

23. 23 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

24. 24 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

25. 25 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

26. 26 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

27. 27 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

28. 28 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

29. 29 The Real World: DESIGN > Will you be OK still doing stuff you hate? > Will you be doing what you love? > Have you defined your guiding principles? > How long can you live on your bank account? > Are you comfortable with the business development process? > Do you have the tools to land clients? > Do you need to control everything? > Do you realize that most of what you do will be for others? 1. TAKE STOCK

30. 30 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

31. 31 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

32. 32 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

33. 33 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

34. 34 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

35. 35 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

36. 36 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

37. 37 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

38. 38 The Real World: DESIGN > Can you lead people or will you push, pull, and shove? > Is it clear to everyone what you do? > Do you think action without thought is dangerous? > Can you speak the language? > How will you be different from the competition? > What value do you bring to clients? > How will you be relevant to business? > What is your Super Power? 2. BE FOCUSED

39. 39 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

40. 40 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

41. 41 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

42. 42 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

43. 43 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

44. 44 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

45. 45 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

46. 46 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

47. 47 The Real World: DESIGN > Is you heart on fire and your brain on ice? * > Will you have a balanced life? > What are your convictions? > Are you an active listener? > How much will you give back to your profession? > Will you treat your team like relatives? > Can you treat your clients like a neighbor? > Be good to your people. Don’t forget that they have careers too. 3. BE GOOD

48. 48 The Real World: DESIGN The Association of Professional Design Firms www.apdf.org *BUSINESS of DESIGN

49. 49 The Real World: DESIGN BE YOURSELF

50. 50 The Real World: DESIGN BE YOURSELF ONLY BETTER

51. 51 The Real World: DESIGN BE YOURSELF ONLY BETTER thank you

52. 52 H H The Real World: DESIGN T T E E E E L L R R A A O O R R D D W W L L http://altimeter-blog.altitudeinc.com .design. 52