Digital Strategy with Firecat Studio

Transparency and Business

The Core Conversation Julie Gomoll and I are hosting this Saturday at South by Southwest Interactive:

Transparent Business: How Much is Too Much?

Doing coworking and social networking for biz? Let's discuss the line between authenticity and too much information (TMI).

Because Firecat hosts coworking sessions, I've become keenly aware that by inviting other business owners and freelancers into our space -- including other owners of interactive design firms -- I'm letting them see our deliverables, our clients, our talent pool.

I've always enjoyed sharing info, and believe that information wants to be free. I once presented an industry panel on "Design Deliverables - You Show Me Yours and I'll Show You Mine." Very few brave souls brought theirs to share, but the session itself was packed with folks eager to see other people's. I asked a few afterward why they didn't bring theirs. Some said they were prevented from sharing by company policy. One guy owned up that he didn't want to lose any competitive advantage he has.

Here's the thing about that: Anyone who is patterning off my deliverables is already behind me, right? Aren't they in my rear-view mirror?

So, I'm happy to share our ideas, philosophies and deliverables. Our talent is freelance, so offer them more money and more interesting projects; they'll be glad to hear from you. The financials will stay locked away; one of the lines we'll be discussing at Saturday's session is, you shouldn't be transparent with everything, and financial, legal, HR records represent agreements with others that shouldn't be violated.

Even though the prospect scares me a little, I believe I'll be a better businessperson, a better human being, by trying to be as transparent as it feels comfortable - and a little bit more. 

Coworking articles and an Austin Cafe

Couple of articles about the coworking concept (in case you think I'm just lonely):

Coroflot’s “Your Dream Office is Just Over There: Coworking and the Instant Creative Community.”

Business Week's "Where the Coffee Shop Meets the Cubicle."

A very interesting new Austin coworking concept being forwarded by some very dear friends with a little help from me and the Firecat team: LaunchPad Coworking and Cafe.

Creation of Firecat Studio

Today I go to the lawyer's office to sign the papers to bring Firecat Studio into being. After three amazing years growing MediaRich into a successful interactive design agency, I'm ready to spin off and go to the next level professionally.

Things in my life are flowing in a way they rarely do; the right people, the right projects, the right inspirations, just seem to come my way at the right moments. It's my own attitude I suppose, that leads me to look for opportunities. At times like these, I know that opportunities are all around us, the trick is learning to see them and not remain trapped in fear.

Fear, however, has its hooks in me. I've got an amazing group of talented people counting on me to make Firecat a go. They've helped me create the vision, one that sounds too good to be true, but that resists all my efforts to poke holes in its viability.

We can be overcome by our reality, or create our reality. My intentions will set my trajectory, and just like the law of gravity, the law of what you put out there is what you get will operate for me.