is *coaching* a dirty word?
Out of context: Reply #8
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- boobs0
I have to say that coaches and mentors have been enormously helpful to us in our business. We've really started to get a nice stream of quality clients now that we've made strong contacts in the business community. Bankers, venture capital people, start-up CEOs, and others entrepreneurs at the top of the business community have really helped us a lot. Now we know and meet the people who run the companies, instead of the underlings. This pays enormous dividends in getting work.
Our days of sub-contracting to other designers, or trying to get work through the marketing departments, or other mid-level people, of companies are over.
Make friends with the top people, instead of the mid-level people.
We met top university business school professors, some bankers, and took some VC people to lunch,and to play golf, and things really started to roll for us. Many of these people are now advisors and coaches to us, and happy to help. When something comes up, or we want an introduction, we call them.
As I've said many times, the challenge of being a designer is not doing the work--some art school background, curiosity, and some native intelligence will take care of most of that.
Getting the work is the challenge. Learn to do that, and the rest is easy.