Now viewing articles in the category Tips & Advice.
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Strategic planning: Better late than never
February 21st, 2023
Business owners shoulder a ton of responsibilities, however, doing the work always takes priority. While a certain degree of success can be achieved by applying the “fly by the seat of your pants” model, it’s important to take the reins and intentionally drive your firm in the direction you choose to head. And Lindsey knew she couldn’t go it alone.
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Why InDesign Should Be Your New Best Friend
June 21st, 2018
At Golden Egg, we see a multitude of client attempts at laying out flyers, presentations, brochures, proposals, and Statements of Qualification utilizing a variety of software platforms. We've witnessed fonts getting unknowingly replaced and resized, text getting inexplicably relocated, and images getting skewed and disproportionate. Despite good intentions, projects that were so painstakingly created barely resemble the original concept. Who wants to leave that impression with a potential client? -
Does Your Website Make the Grade?
March 13th, 2018
Let's talk about your website. How are UX, UI, SEO and Mobile Optimization working for you and your firm? I wrote this little ditty breaking down some of the confounding lingo of website design into layman’s terms. -
Keep Your Head in the Clouds, but Your Feet on the Ground
December 29th, 2017
Lindsey Mathieu and partner Arik Brooks of SoSimple Interactive recently co-authored an article published in Marketer - a bimonthly journal published by the Society for Marketing Professional Services, reporting on current business development and marketing practices, issues and trends for the AEC industry. In this piece, Lindsey and Arik stress the importance of practicality during efforts to define (or redefine) your firm's identity. -
Let's Play a Game
November 15th, 2017
From DIY to professionally created options, the creation of your company's logo should begin with a solid positioning statement and an anticipated business model. Consider your various print and digital brand applications. From business cards and email signatures to websites and vehicle graphics, your logo should be prepared to put its best face forward in a variety of formats. Changing or even fully redesigning an existing logo is OK - as long as you're prepared! -
The Consequences of Color
October 11th, 2017
I find the importance of color selection, specifically, as it pertains to brand identity, to be one of the most interesting and complex facets of graphic design. Like me, you may have assumed it to be a choice as simple as declaring “I like blue”. But there’s more than meets the eye. -
Trial by Fire: Surviving A Squall of RFPs
August 23rd, 2017
In my brief time on the job, I have seen RFPs range from 3 paragraphs to 70 pages in length (and I’ve been warned they can be considerably longer). The range of information requested and how it is to be formatted can vary from excruciatingly detailed or very vague. One thing I know for certain: if you don’t prepare your response comprehensively and accurately, your time and effort will be for naught. -
Seven Years In: Reflections
August 1st, 2017
Seven years ago, I made one of the most intimidating decisions of my life. During the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, I voluntarily left the security of my business development position with a construction management firm to start Golden Egg Concepts, a marketing communications firm focused on clients in the built environment. I traded the comforts of a steady paycheck and a ‘9 to 5’ schedule for something completely unfamiliar.Posted in: Tips & Advice, Featured -
A Delicious Go/No-Go Recipe for Lower Proposal Costs!
June 5th, 2017
The old ‘cost of doing business’ rages on the brain when it comes to responding to RFPs. Have you ever calculated the actual investment associated with your average RFP response? Measured primarily in precious time, travel to and from the project site, production and shipping costs, and sometimes consultant fees to support the preparation of your submittal, your firm pays big bucks to chase after projects… and the costs can be extraordinarily high (and recurring) for those of us in the AEC industry. -
Network Your Way Above the Fray.
April 25th, 2017
Have you ever lost a big job to a competitor even though your firm was a much better fit? If your qualifications and experience were rock solid, why did you lose out? Maybe it’s because the competitor had a better relationship with the prospect. Construction is a people business, after all.
