The art of asking questions
One of the things that I’ve always seen as a differentiator between good and great teams is their willingness and courage to ask questions that go beyond the usual surface level stuff. The first part of this is the willingness …
Brand thyself with these personal branding resources
People exude a brand just like companies do. Everything about you contributes to how you’ll be perceived by others, from how you dress, to how you speak, to the people and companies you associate with. Creating brands for companies seems …
A company name change success story: Ryan & Denise Photography
To change the name or not to change the name? Lots of companies find themselves in a conundrum where they’ve been in business for a few years and established a strong brand, but something has made them wonder whether they …
Annual Report 2011: The Forty Book of Lists
The typical corporate annual report is a snoozefest, brimming with overinflated earnings, lofty goals for the next year, and psuedo-inspirational fluff. In typical Forty fashion, our team stuck our tongues out to all those lackluster reports and annual books of …
Forty gets lucky: an interview about planned serendipity
We recently sat down to chat with Lane Becker and Thor Muller, authors of “Get Lucky: How to Put Planned Serendipity to Work for You and Your Business.” Forty previously worked with Lane on the branding and website for Freestyle …
Why you shouldn’t hire random college kids to manage your social media
Most business owners understand the power of social media, but not all of them understand the knowledge, strategy, and effort it takes to make it work for their company. I often hear, “I’ll just hire an college kid to do …
Why are logos getting simpler?
When designing a logo, it’s easy to go overboard. There are so many great elements you can work with (colors, textures, patterns, shapes, borders, typography, gradients, icons, etc.) that it’s tempting to include a little bit of everything to get …
Speak your customers’ language
Jargon has become a staple in our business conversations. We use it for all sorts of reasons – to make us sound smarter, to relate to others in our tribe, to supposedly explain things in a more succinct or creative …
12 business books to read this year
If you listen to Dave Ramsey, you’ll know he often quotes Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, who once said, “You’re the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things—the books you read and the people you meet.” The …
Client relationships are an improv scene
“There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t. My ex-wife loves him.” – Bob Wiley, What About Bob? (1991) The cornerstone of all improvised theater is the almighty two-person scene. In …