When I first started The A Group, we were mostly a marketing agency focused on design, print, and some web work. Today, we are two strong divisions: a marketing agency and a technology company. Throughout our 10 years in business I got a lot of advice from friends and mentors, but one tip has paid off more than any of the others, and it has helped grow my company even in times where a lot of similar businesses have struggled. I remember telling my friend Mike Miller that I used my organizational and leadership knowledge skills as a valued added for my clients who were buying marketing services from us. His reaction was unexpected: “you’re doing this upside down! The strategy is what matters the most. Anyone can come up with design. Your consulting is what you should be charging for.” He was right. And that day I began to…

“If you deliver on what you’re asked to do, even if you’re not passionate about it, you will earn the right to do thing you love.” That was part of my answer to the young man who asked me, “What advice would you give someone wanting to go into the church communication field?” As I reflect on that answer, I believe it applies to anyone starting out a new career. I remember talking with someone who confessed not being very good at his job because it wasn’t challenging and not at the level he wanted it to be. He did the minimum required because he felt under-utilized, doing work well below his skill and intelligence capacity. His boss had a different take, “he’s lazy,” said the man to me. “I had a lot of faith in him and wanted to give the kid more important work, but at the end…

I have been thinking about some of the business advice I have given lately to clients and friends. One in particular sounds out of place. It doesn’t fit neatly in the “business” category but in my experience it has more to do with business than most any other nugget of help I have both given or received from someone. Perhaps the greatest impact in my business career has been whom I chose to marry. I cannot tell you how fortunately I am to have married well–“Way out of your league” as a friend once reminded me. This personal decision has had a greater impact in my business career than any other single choice. Being married to Gwen has allowed me to pursue my dreams to a degree I would never had done alone, and much less if I had married a lesser person. Marrying well will: Provide encouragement to to…

Casual Friday is now a staple of the American workforce. It started decades ago with business men not wearing a tie on Fridays and it has taken a life of its own. With more and more businesses now embracing casual attire as the norm, one would surmise that Casual Friday would cease to exist. But  I’ve noticed men who already work in a casual environment pushing the envelope and creating, what I call, “Casualty Friday.”   So for this edition of the Fashion Friday post, let us consider what men should  not wear to work next Friday: First of all, no shorts. That goes for manpris as well (capri pants for men–a sad but current trend) No Flip flops, sorry. If you’d wear it to the gym, don’t wear it at work. Sweat pants are never, never OK. No meshes of any kind (as in see through shirts). No ball…