Explore My Blog Posts

  One of the first things you are taught when studying bookkeeping or accounting is the accounting equation which is Assets = Liabilities + Equity.  I had such a hard time getting this straight in my head because most people don’t ask what is the value of my assets?  They ask how much is my […]

  Creative Accounting.  Sounds suspicious doesn’t it.  In many contexts it is a phrase to be weary of, but it can also refer to the creative side of accounting.  Most people think of accounting as cut and dry, boring, and unimaginative.  Well, it can be if you want it to be, but how you setup […]

  Pre-9/11, taking a flight, especially a domestic flight, was a fairly enjoyable experience. There were some security measures in place but generally it was an open and casual experience for those traveling and those meeting travelers at the gate.  (Yes, you used to be able to meet someone at the gate as they came […]

  Board governance is a tricky subject, but it is worth taking on this topic.  Getting your Board’s purpose and function setup correctly is critical to ensuring that your organization can thrive.    Governing boards, advisory boards, and fundraising boards come in all shapes and sizes.  Some boards are awesome at what they do, some […]

  Wrong.  YOUR customer is not everyone.  YOUR customer is passionate about what you are offering.  If you haven’t already come to this realization, I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, some people just don’t care about your passion.   Have you heard the saying that when you talk to everyone […]

  I don’t believe that money is the stuff of dreams, but for better or worse, dreams become reality through money.  Dreaming of more money is fool’s folly.  Dreams come from your purpose and vision.  Make sure your expenses are aligned with your vision to ensure that your dreams can become reality.

  According to Michael Kaiser, “the central problem facing the arts today is not a lack of flute players, choreographers, actors or painters. The main challenge the arts world must address is the lack of a large, trained corps of managers who know how to find resources, attract audiences and other constituents and provide support […]

  I know that Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit has been a big success and resonated with many of you.  So, I thought I might share this article from INC.com written by Jason Aten about the 30-year process it took to make the mini-series a reality.  It is a great study in perseverance and believing in […]

  The short answer is yes.  Now is the time to put a plan into place and communicate that plan to your stakeholders. However, arts organizations should develop flexible plans that will accommodate a lot of different expectations and needs as we move forward. 

  You may think now is the time to hunker down, conserve resources, and just get through this.  I say you are right, mostly.  However, you should approach this forced opportunity to pause as a chance to evaluate where you are and where you need to go. 

  In a business development course, I was tasked with coming up with a company name.  I’m a big believer in beginning with the end in mind and that visuals as well as brand matter. The advice in the course was to develop a “working” name just to get your business off the ground and […]