Strategies For Success

05/08/2026

"The Muted-on Zoom Mom-Mogul"
Running a business while raising tiny humans is a unique brand of beautiful, caffeinated chaos. It is a constant, high-speed collision of Quarterly Projections and Potty Training.

The Reality Check:
The Morning Routine: You’ve successfully negotiated a five-figure contract and a toddler’s refusal to wear pants all before 9:00 AM. One of these required significantly more diplomatic skill (hint: it wasn't the contract).

The Wardrobe: Your power suit looks professional on Zoom, but beneath the camera line, you’re wearing pajama pants and a faint smear of mashed avocado. It’s called strategic branding.

The Multitasking: You haven't truly lived until you’ve muted a conference call to whisper-yell, "Please stop licking the dog, Mommy is changing the world right now!"

Why It Matters
Beyond the mom-brain fog and the perpetual search for a matching pair of socks, there is something deeply poignant happening.

Every time you build a brand while building a human, you’re teaching your kids that ambition and nurturing aren't enemies. You’re showing them that Boss and Mom are titles that can live in the same heart.

You aren't just balancing two worlds; you are forging a new one where a woman’s worth is measured by both her ROI and her bedtime stories.

To the women running empires and carpools: Your hustle is unmatched, your heart is full, and your dry shampoo is doing the Lord's work. Happy Mother's Day!

05/08/2026

Pro Tip for the day: When hiring, stop looking for the candidate who has thirty years of experience with every specific brand of archival tape. Start looking for the candidate who has the integrity to admit when a measurement is an eighth of an inch off and the motivation to fix it before it hits the assembly table.

Technical proficiency is great, but a hunger to learn is a long-term asset. A frame is only as strong as its weakest corner, and a business is only as strong as the integrity of its staff. If you find someone who is motivated to master the craft and has a positive outlook, hire them.

You can teach someone how to fit a frame, but you cannot teach them to care about the art inside it.

05/07/2026

Pro tip for hiring: A picture framing shop is a unique environment. It is part woodshop, part art gallery, and part therapy office for customers bringing in their most prized memories.

A positive attitude is the invisible UV-protective glass of your business. It keeps the atmosphere from fading and makes the workflow clear. One team member with a problem-solving mindset can turn a stressful "rush order" into a win, while a bad attitude can ruin a shop's culture faster than a blade ruins a mat board.

When you hire for mindset, you are ensuring that your shop remains a place where creativity thrives and customers feel at home. Frame your team with the right people, and the success will follow.

05/06/2026

My latest article in www.artworldnews.com
Has your business plateaued? Time to recalibrate and increase your profits!

05/06/2026

I see posts on various framer's pages asking for tips on how to find and hire the right staff member. This week I'll give a few tips and things to consider.
Pro tip #1: Attitude is everything. We can teach a new hire how to operate a double-mitre saw. We can show them the secret to a perfectly joined corner or the right way to hinge a delicate watercolor. But we cannot teach a person to have an "eye" for integrity or a natural drive to get the details right when no one is looking.

In the framing world, skills are the tools, but attitude is the craftsmanship. You can have the most expensive equipment in the industry, but if the person putting it all together in the shop doesn’t have the motivation to solve a complex mounting problem, or to fish out that last little piece of lint trapped under the glass, the work suffers.

Hire the person who treats every piece of art like it is their own family heirloom. You can always refine their cutting technique, but you cannot manufacture a passion for excellence.

03/26/2026

Stop Being "Busy" and Start Being Done
I know someone who wears “being busy” as a badge of honor. They are constantly stressed, they drive their employees mad because they are too busy and important to teach them anything or answer questions, then they fly into a rage when things aren’t done properly. Their whole identity is wrapped up in having a full calendar. I’ve offered help, but they are too busy to talk to their friend who is an experienced and gifted consultant who can actually help them eliminate the chaos…but I’ve learned that some people are so used to living in chaos, that they create it where there is none, because that is their normal. It’s exhausting. There is a big difference between being "busy" and being productive. You can spend eight hours rearranging your corner samples, but that doesn't pay the rent. High-value work requires a clear head and zero distractions.
If you want to strengthen your business (and your sanity), here are three ways to prioritize the work that actually pays:
• Eat the Frog: Do your hardest, most annoying projects: the frame with the weird corners or the tricky shadowbox mounting first thing in the morning. It’s yucky, but you won’t spend the rest of the day procrastinating and feeling existential dread.
• Define "High Value": Is closing up a $500 order more important than reorganizing your tape drawer? Obviously. Treat your tasks like a triage unit.
• Protect Your Peak: If you’re a morning person, don't waste those hours on paperwork. Use your best brainpower for the intricate assembly and save the mundane stuff for the afternoon slump. As the owner, consider coming in an hour early to work on the hard “boss stuff” without interruptions; or if you’re more energized in the evening, stay an hour late. I always find I can get more done without anyone in the shop.

03/25/2026

Five things you can do to help manage chaos.
If your daily schedule looks more like a game of Tetris played by a toddler; constant interruptions and putting out fires, it’s time to reclaim your calendar. Unplanned meetings and "got a second?" chats are productivity killers that steal your creativity and peace of mind. As business owners we need to be proactive in order to be effective captains of our ship. Reactive owners are rowing in circles in a lifeboat, paddling like mad, but going nowhere. It’s time to take control.
Effective time management isn't just for people in suits; it’s for people with saws and ATG guns, too. Here are five ways to stop the "Got a Second?" cycle:
1. Appointment-Only Consults: Encourage clients to book design time. It makes them feel like VIPs and keeps your day predictable. Sign up for an APP like Calendly, it is free, or you can pay a nominal fee for the pro version. Link it in your website, attach it to all of your emails, and put a QR code to link the app on your shop door. If you use a visualization software, have your clients send you a photo of the art and wall where it will be hanging. You can dream up some design suggestions before they even walk in the door.
2. The "One-Touch" Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes (like filing an invoice), do it now. If not, schedule it. Don't let it sit on your workbench and stare at you. A good rule of thumb: Nothing is on the design table or workbench when you leave at night. Everything is put away.
3. Audit Your Distractions: For one day, write down every time you get interrupted. You’ll be shocked at how much "non-renewable asset" you're giving away for free. You’ll also find out where the “time-suck” leaks are and you can plug the holes in the boat that are leaking money.
4. Meeting "Hard-Stops": If a rep or a neighbor drops by, tell them upfront: "I have five minutes before my next project starts." It’s polite but firm.
5. Clean Slate Closing: I mentioned the rule of clearing your bench. Have a five-minute huddle at the end of the day with your team. What got done? What didn’t get done? Set priorities for the next day and celebrate the wins you had today. Starting tomorrow with a clean surface and a productive game plan is the ultimate productivity hack.

03/24/2026

This week we're going to focus on The "Quick Question" Trap. I've recently been rewatching some of the Harry Potter movies. Remember the "Dementors?" They flit in and take a piece of the victims soul, one taste at a time. Sometimes I feel like the interruptions during the day are like the Dementors. A few minutes here, and there and all of the sudden you've lost two hours and you're in the weeds...it happens and we don't even realize it.
We’ve all been there: You’re mid-join on a high-end gilded frame, and the "ding" of an email or text lures you away. Suddenly, you’re three folders deep in a thread about matboard backorders and your flow is gone...what was I doing again? Where is my tape measure? Where are my glasses? On my head, nevermind...

Time is a non-renewable asset, and frankly, it’s more expensive than museum glass. If you want to stop the "death by a thousand pings," try these three tips for protecting your workshop flow:

The "Airplane Mode" Hour: Pick two hours a day where the shop phone goes to voicemail and the computer screen is off. That’s for sawing, joining, and finishing only.

The "Batching" Method: Instead of answering every email as it arrives, set two specific times a day to tackle your inbox. If it’s not on fire, it can wait until 4:00 PM.

Signage is Your Friend: If you have a storefront, subscribe to a scheduling app like calendly. Post a QR code directly to your calendar so customers can schedule a time with you. If you use visualization software, you can even request that they email pictures of the artwork and the wall it will be hanging on; that way you can have some designs ready to show them as soon as they walk in the door. You can also post the scheduling link to your website and social media.

03/23/2026

My February Article in ArtWorld News: Why your Business Needs a 3-5 year Plan:
https://artworldnews.com/

02/25/2026

Heading out to the WCAF Expo. I am teaching a class Friday. There are still a few spots left. You can sign up online www.wcafexpo.com

02/20/2026

Will you be able to get a refund for tariffs you paid? Maybe. The recent SCOTUS ruling only covers IEEPA tariffs, it does not cover existing tariffs on wood and aluminum (stuff we framers use a lot of) BUT...If you sell furniture or other imported consumer goods in your shop you may be entitled to a refund. Find those receipts! This is a post from the US Chamber of commerce explaining the Supreme Court Decision on Tariffs. Here are some key points of the ruling:
Lack of Authority: The majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 does not grant the president the power to impose tariffs.
Constitutional Separation of Powers: The Court emphasized that the Constitution explicitly vests the power to "lay and collect Taxes" and regulate foreign commerce in Congress, not the executive branch.
Major Questions Doctrine: The ruling applied this legal principle, which requires Congress to provide clear and direct authorization for any executive action of "vast economic and political significance".
Impact on "Liberation Day" Tariffs: The decision specifically voids the broad "reciprocal" tariffs announced in April 2025 on imports from virtually all U.S. trade partners.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley breaks down the recent Supreme Court tariff decision and what it could mean for your business.