All Innovation Is Not Created Equal

All around today’s business world, there’s a lot of talk about “innovation.” Supply chains, service delivery, formulation, marketing, and countless other areas of business are undergoing rapid change from a variety of angles. Innovation is the new go-to for both entering a market and maintaining a competitive lead. Where “differentiation” may have been the buzzword […]

When “Fixing” A Problem Only Makes It Worse

Most mornings, my young kids hop out of bed and turn on the TV while I’m still asleep. The TV is connected to a small computer with a wireless keyboard and mouse, and the kids select a show from Netflix and sit on the couch, snacking and sharing a blanket as they watch. Today, when […]

Purpose-driven or Founder-driven?

Purpose-driven organizations are often founded by passionate, purposeful individuals who believe strongly in their particular cause. But once an organization gets going, that’s where things can get tricky; moving from individual passion to concerted group effort can either strengthen or weaken the overall sense of purpose. Designing products, services and programs; making hires; developing policies; […]

How Catching Sand-Crabs Taught Me To Cast The Right Net

One of my favorite memories from childhood is going to the beach with my family. We usually went to a pretty mild bay beach in Brooklyn where the waves were gentle and frothy and the sand was warm and clean. I loved combing through it to find little creatures, and sand-crabs were the most fun. A memory […]

My Developers Think I’m Brain-Damaged.

Recently, my wife, late in her pregnancy, was suffering some serious health issues. That’s a story for another day, but suffice to say it was very scary. I am extremely fortunate that I have an amazing team who supported me while I took family leave to attend to my wife and newborn’s health. Before I […]

Are You Un-friending Your Customers?

Friendship is important to purpose-driven people. It’s important for everyone, but for a purpose-driven professional, friendship is about aligning with a shared cause. At Do Good Design Co., we know a lot about this kind of purpose. Our purpose is to help others accomplish theirs, so naturally we work with lots of different clients who […]

The Value of Not Setting Goals

Every Monday, I open up my worn, dark-blue Moleskine notebook and write my plan for the week. It roughly follows Steven Covey’s recommendations from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, listing goals for 3 categories: work, family and self. It then plots these goals onto the days of the upcoming week. It’s a great way […]

Safely or Not at All

The train from my home in New Jersey to NYC runs through many different neighborhoods and landscapes. Some provide beautiful natural vistas, while others can be best described as an industrial wasteland. At one point on the route, the train passes by a huge metal scrapyard. Each pile of metal is organized by some vaguely […]

The Details Hiding Behind Your Curtains

Sitting in my favorite coffee shop the other day, I was gazing out the window over the bar seating, watching the busy people hurrying through the cold drizzle, collars pulled high. As I enjoyed a delicious cup of dark fresh coffee, as all reliably are at this particular shop, a customer walked out the door […]

Purpose-Driven Business is not All-or-Nothing

When my wife and I had our first child, our diets and purchasing behavior were like many Americans. We didn’t eat particularly badly, but we also didn’t put much thought into where our food came from, how it was produced, or what exactly was in it. We had a similar lack of concern around the […]