In this long lost episode, Tevi Hirschhorn shares with us ways in which you can build a real relationship with your users. How UX can be designed to show love for them - and get them to love you back.

Love Your Users

While we have a lot of support, the core Bureau team is myself and Lori Averitt. When more membership money started coming in I thought maybe we should grow the team so we can do more. But once we had the results from the Better Bureau Survey I realized I was looking at it wrong. We need to focus our time on what gives Bureau members the most value vs. figuring out how to keep doing all the things at a bigger scale. So here is some of what we’re rethinking.

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We’ve got some tough choices to make

The web is a funny place, and I don’t just mean cat memes (but yes, I do also mean cat memes). It’s weird to buy a couch online and then get nothing but couch ads for weeks like you needed a second one. Or say something online and suddenly have a mob of people show up to tell you you're wrong when you were just talking about cats on a couch memes.

I'm new to taking Web 3.0 seriously so I truly welcome others to help educate me. But here's how I understand it.

Web 1.0 was the democratization of information
Web 2.0 was the democratization of content creation and community
Web 3.0 is the democratization of the internet itself

Could Web3 be the salvation of the web? And what's our role in making that happen? Read on and let's see!

What Does Web 3.0 Mean For Us?

Thanks to everyone who sent in their "you need to know" and "I wish I'd known" replies to our last newsletter. Your experiences and insights helped us put together this approach to finding an effective broker.

Listen to the show, but also check out more in the newsletter: https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=3c7b14630509cce52d23ffec0&id=5381963ac4

How to find a good broker to sell your shop

I was talking with David C. Baker the other day about the high amount of webshops that are for sale right now. I’ve been in the digital services space for over 20 years and there has never been anything like this in our industry. He’s seeing the same surge and we dug into some of the challenges owners are facing. Should they sell? How do they determine their value? What are the first steps in the process? This level of interest with a lack of experience in selling a business means many of us have to be careful.

More on this topic in the email newsletter: https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=3c7b14630509cce52d23ffec0&id=78e991f706

Beware of the Broker Feeding Frenzy

The Bureau is 10 years old! Of course we've learned a thing or two over the past decade. So here are 2nd half of the 10-ish of those.

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10 + 1 things that are take aways from 10 years of the Bureau - Part 2

The Bureau is 10 years old! Of course we've learned a thing or two over the past decade. So here are 10-ish of those.

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10 + 1 things that are take aways from 10 years of the Bureau - Part 1

We're talking with Warren Wilansky about his company Plank's approach to designing ethically driven websites. Which is where he and his team developed and released for us all to dig into; Plank's Ethical Web Design Framework. 

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The Ethical Web Design Framework

We’ve all been trying to figure out what’s going on with compensation and benefits since the great resignation started. Over 3.8 million people quit their jobs in April of 2021 looking for better pay, conditions and work/life balance. For those with a career in digital, it sure looks like they found it. But is it sustainable? Read on to learn more. Oh, and if you’re a member, check the #announcements channel in Slack. You’ll find the complete 2022 Salary Guide waiting for you. 😉

It's all in the email newsletter: https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=3c7b14630509cce52d23ffec0&id=50ec3a0211

Everybody is getting paid! Well almost.

There are things I believe in very strongly when it comes to managing clients: We have to establish and maintain trust. We have to actively listen and confirm what we heard. We need to make sure bad news travels at the same speed as good news. But should we focus on client happiness? I think it can lead to some big problems, honestly. But happy clients bring huge benefits. And since International Happiness Day is just around the corner, let's dig into this!

It's all in the email newsletter too: https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=3c7b14630509cce52d23ffec0&id=e29a8d7ff9

Happiness is great, but is it a goal? 👊

Most shop owners keep a mental tally of clients and finances, even if you’re not the one making sales calls and running spreadsheets every day. And the last thing you want is a pissed-off client ripping you a new one for a situation that’s been brewing for a while, especially when the whole thing could have been solved by a simple chat earlier.

It's all in the newsletter too: https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=3c7b14630509cce52d23ffec0&id=a589f259f4

How to handle bumps in the road with clients

This is probably gonna sound obvious, but if it was more of us would do it. Before we can be effective and motivated we have to know what we want to achieve. Not what needs to get done, there’s a big difference. And there should be alignment in your personal and professional life in what you're doing. If I do X then I can do Y. Here are some things I’m trying to regain my sense of perspective and progress.

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Let's take back control of our day 💪

Michael Scott was clearly the best part of The Office (don’t @ me, Dwight stans). Because while he was not great at the business part of his job, he was even worse at the intangibles. And some of us were probably laughing because of our own insecurities. I feel confident in saying that if you’re reading this, you’re already a better leader than he was. 

But since that’s a pretty low bar to clear, we probably all still have some room for improvement as leaders. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the numbers without remembering that we’re all people with wants and needs, and placing a little more emphasis on that side of the business can help with culture, retention and the bottom line, as well. Let’s discuss!

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Why Are Soft Skills So Damn Hard? 🤷‍

Nobody likes having limits placed on them. After all, this is the land of all-you-can-eat breadsticks, right? And if more is better, unlimited vacation time might be the sweetest treat of all. But can you really let your team take as much time off as they want? What are the rules? And what's the impact if you do?

Check it out in the email newsletter: https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=3c7b14630509cce52d23ffec0&id=52a3053556

Are you offering "unlimited" time off?

Sometimes doing something yourself is the best way to get it done, like brushing your teeth. Other times, not so much. If you struggle with being a -- what’s a nicer term for “control freak”? -- you’re not alone. It pretty much goes with the territory of being an entrepreneur. And guess what? When you're keeping control over the small stuff you aren't allowing yourself to focus where you really are the only person for the job. Planning the future of your company!

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Are you a control freak? Be careful, it can cost ya!

There's a lot to consider as you raise your rates or grow your company or whatever as it's all related. Let's review some of these from the most recent Summit.

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Raising your rates in 2022?!

Well, well, well. If it isn’t our old friend Covid. And just as we were getting back to in-person events. But wait one darned minute! There’s a big difference this time. We’re ready. Not to say that it doesn’t suck, or that it’s just like it used to be. But that we have a plan. 

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Covid vs. The Bureau | Round 2

I spent a few hours reviewing all of the new year's resolutions for businesses and found 34 that had merit. But most of them were more about doing a specific thing versus making changes that impact everything. With that in mind, I categorized them and came up with five actions I think we can all take to make ourselves and our companies better in the new year and beyond. Of course, I could be a cotton-headed ninny muggins. So let me know what you think!

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Let's focus on real change this year.

We're all creative leaders. And as leaders, we struggle when the need to lead takes a break. So our brains fill that space with other things we should be doing. And we often feel lazy or afraid an opportunity is slipping away from us if we don't "take advantage of the downtime." Let's collectively say to hell with that. Join us with the 12 steps to relaxing over the holidays.

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For once, let's surrender to the holidays.

After two years Bureau Events are happening in-person with Owner Camp. The energy was great and there is more in store for 2022.

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