Thank you, Doug. I'll be bookmarking this article for future reference and looking forward to the next installment.

Outstanding advice that builds from the foundation up with the long-view in mind (mission, vision, values, USP). As a designer, I appreciate the advice about not doing it all yourself - we need others to help us be objective about the image and message we are shaping. We're just too close to our own work at times. I've bookmarked this article as a permanent reference.

As Tim Sanders, author of "Love is The Killer App," exhorts: "Live on the right side of the Law of Reciprocity." (Give and it will be given to you.)

In business, we can and should speak kindly of our colleagues. It only portrays a more secure sense of ourselves to our prospects. And when we know deep down that an industry friend is a better fit, we should make the referral. In this, we are serving others' true needs in deed, not just mere marketing words.

We'll accomplish two things in so doing:

1. Weed out poor "fits" for our business, populating our list with IDEAL clients.

2. Setting ourselves up for GOOD RECIPROCITY.

It takes faith, but we'll be happier within ourselves for doing so, and in the long-term our reputation and business will grow.

Fantastic, Practical Article!

Having been an in-house Creative Director in charge of developing exposition assets, I know that strategy and planning often play second-fiddle to mere activity - the frenzied rush to get to the show on time.

The biggest challenges a lot of organizations face are starting too late, and working with executives with murky marketing vision. Your advice is sage and wise.

Thanks for sharing this story. This go-for-broke story of courage and commitment pulled from real life is inspirational. If you don't believe in yourself, and it shows, who will?

Excellent. Thank you. The technique of posing a question on social sites is a great way to gage interest - to know if you're pressing the right buttons. The imaginary dialogue is helpful- similar to the way some of us practice an important conversation we need to have with the boss, etc. But I think your point is to find that "conversational vibe" you wish to bring across, so you can connect with real people on the other side.

Great articles about issues that we tend to deal with "in the back of our minds" and not with direct thought. It's another automatic thing, an unconcious expectation that drives us to create these corporate bland images. I have two sites. One, I admit, is framed as "we" and looks kinda corporate, but this is more for the purpose of anonymity - an issue you didn't mention. Sometimes you want to make the ownership vague, you certainly want to use a PO Box address, for the purpose of privacy. Of course, we should question whether we're just being paranoid, if we should be brave and step out from behind the curtain. But, still, privacy and anonymity can be important factors. My other site is to promote my design services, podcast, and writing, and I'm not anonymous in this endeavor. I also don't add "and associates" to make myself look bigger. I want to attract clients that want to work with who they (hopefully) perceive to be a talented individual that will be attuned to their needs. Thanks for this great article - it addresses such a pervasive issue that, astoundingly, no one to my knowledge has written about as you have.