Straight From the Horse's Mouth with Chris Fahey
Spread Your Wings, Embody Your Brand
by Christina Wodtke and Bill Wetherell on 2007/07/10 | [7 Comments]
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Christina Wodtke traveled with microphone to the IA Summit in Las Vegas this year and sat down with some of the most interesting and accomplished information archictects and designers in all the land. Bill Wetherell recorded those five conversations, and now B&A is proud to bring them to you. Thanks to AOL for sponsoring these podcasts.
In this fantastic finale, consulting powerhouse Chris Fahey of Behavior Design talks with Christina (herself a former consultant-turned-entrepreneur) about the conditions that led to the founding of the firm. He speaks with great nuance and honesty about how the practice developed, what it means to lead the consultancy, and how the partners’ work has changed because of its success.
For those who have ever considered striking out with a few colleagues or are just curious about the path, do yourself a huge favor and listen to this podcast before you jump off that cliff.
We discuss…
Your future…
Chris discusses the reality of the business world today when it comes to careers. How we start to think less about how we can do well for our clients and more about how we can get involved in larger projects.
Virtual detox
Chris talks about how he and his four business partners created his company Behavior Design and the challenges of moving into an office after working virtually for years.
To hire or not to hire
Chris discusses the hiring process at Behavior Design and their good fortune in hiring staff. His biggest challenge remains whether to out source work to trusted consultants or hire staff full time. Pros and Cons to both are talked about.
In through the out door
Although one of the partners left the organization to take on a dream job at the NY Times as the lead designer, the culture that was developed allowed for a smooth transition for the organization and its’ people.
Shameless Self-Promotion
Christina describes the importance of shameless self-promotion in order to continue to advance your company. Chris describes other important aspects including knowing when to say “No!” and when to be hungry for sales.
Come together
Christina and Chris talk about the challenges and advantages of working with several partners when building a company.
Summing Up
Part of the natural growth of the company is for people to walk away to take on new challenges. As Christina points out, we’re human beings, we grow, and ultimately we’re bigger than what we do.
Readers' Comments (7)
Thomas Sola
2 Reputation points
Posted 2007/07/10 @ 15:04PM with
I’ve not found a place to submit general issues with the site to the staff so I’ll post one here as it came to mind from being on this page.
I’ve noticed that when I click the “Download the podcast” link on this site the m4a file downloads directly to my desktop (Mac). Most sites the podcast links deliver the content directly into iTunes. Perhaps it was a conscious choice but if not you may want to look into using itpc: instead of http: for podcasts.
Regards
Steve Agalloco
2 Reputation points
Posted 2007/07/11 @ 07:42AM with
Hi Thomas,
I’d imagine they’re still working to support podcasting here. I noticed the same thing so last week I put together an RSS feed for myself to use to load them into iTunes. If you’d like to use the feed I created, it’s here:
http://beforeitwasround.com/banda_podcasts_index.xml
Steve
Chris Baum
416 Reputation points
Posted 2007/07/12 @ 10:48AM with
Hi Steve,
That’s EXACTLY it. We’re going to do the iTunes thing very shortly, as these podcasts are only the beginning!
Thanks for helping bridge the gap.
Cheers,
Chris
Steve Agalloco
2 Reputation points
Posted 2007/07/12 @ 12:52PM with
Chris,
Happy to help. I really must say that all of these podcasts were fantastic and I’m excited to hear more.
Steve
Adam Polansky
55 Reputation points
Posted 2007/07/12 @ 13:28PM with
Great interview! Chris Fahey and I were counterparts at Rare Medium and were affected by the some of the same events. That was such a great collection of talent at the time and I’m gratified that Chris & Co. salvaged some of that dynamic and thrived after the dust settled.
I also admire their willingness to take that a risk at a time when we were all feeling pretty tired and beat-up. I took my act internal and even now would have some trepedation about going back to a start-up. Behavior design’s success is a great testimony for the value of our efforts.
BTW Chris F.: Saw the Sirius Radio micro-sites…*evil snicker *.
Thomas Sola
2 Reputation points
Posted 2007/07/24 @ 12:52PM with
Thanks, Steve for the efforts and Chris for the update.
Nick Gassman
0 Reputation points
Posted 2007/10/21 @ 13:05PM with
Bit of a late addition, but I don’t understand why m4a is being used as a format, when mp3 has the widest applicability. And not everyone uses itunes. I have no issue at all with providing appropriate links and formats, but it it’s the only format available, then I don’t get it.