We're excited to announce the newest lineup for our extremely popular ongoing business series. You'll remember past BusinessMatters sessions which covered subjects like new business development and designing effective marketing and sales techniques. This season, we’re covering a topic critical to firms of any size: How to turn your design business into a cash cow. Errol Gerson, who has been advising designers on financial matters for over 30 years, will be leading all three BusinessMatters.

Whether you’re a freelancer, studio owner or creative director, your creative efforts won’t amount to much if you're not financially solvent. Managing your financial resources is a critical component of managing your business. Even in-house design staff are expected to manage a budget.

We will be offering three sessions on financial literacy, each tailored to a specific experience level and knowledge base. Be sure to read the session summaries below and register for the ones that meet your needs. Follow the link of each summary for pricing and registration details and call 818.558.3968 to reserve your seat. We look forward to a lively discussion!

Hear what past participants said about BusinessMatters.

Financial Management for Beginners and Freelancers
Tuesday, January 23, 2007

So you’ve hung out your shingle and your invoices are (mostly) getting paid. How do you evaluate your financial health? Financial guru Errol Gerson will explore the basics of building a viable business structure. During the 60 minute presentation, Errol will provide invaluable insight on the basics of entity structure, legal liability, accounting systems, banking and credit, income tax, financial planning, wealth management and creation, investment and retirement strategies.

Since this is the equivalent of a Finance 101 course, we encourage young professionals to attend, keeping in mind there will be discussion about bookkeeping and interpreting financial statements.

Financial Stability for Small Businesses
Tuesday, February 20, 2007

If your small design business is thriving, it's the perfect time to plan ahead to ensure steady growth. In this session, Errol Gerson will focus on managing cash flow: raising and managing capital, effective reinvestment strategies, choosing competent financial counselors, coping with sluggish creditors and outstanding invoices.

This presentation is for leaders from design studios that have been in business for 5-10 years. Attendees should have some exposure to financial management, stemming from day-to-day business.

Evaluating Your Business Plan
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Remember the Slash & Burn financial plans of the ‘90s? While the Scorched Earth policy of streamlining talent to manage overhead is still hotly debated, managing costs in face of unpredictable and erratic revenue is a must for any healthy company. Errol Gerson will share his thoughts on issues facing established design firms including: managing labor overhead, evaluating the relevance and effectiveness of business plans, envisioning and setting goals with your financial advisors, creative ways to raise capital, effective investment strategies.

For this session, Errol anticipates an audience of seasoned design professionals, currently managing medium to large-sized firms, who are prepared to actively discuss their experience.

About Errol Gerson
Errol Gerson began teaching at the Art Center College of Design in 1971, and has taught Business Management and Entrepreneurship for 108 semesters continuously—teaching well over 6,000 students in every major. He is the recipient of multiple teaching awards, including the first-ever Legacy Teaching Award from Art Center in 2005. Errol has been at the forefront of impacting the tax and political visibility of photographers, illustrators and designers by testifying in Sacramento and before Congressional committees in Washington DC. He has taught hundreds of seminars across the country and internationally on sales and marketing, planning, negotiation, and entrepreneurship. He has given keynote addresses at major universities and business schools, and is a sought-after speaker.

By day, Errol Gerson is a (mild mannered) senior executive currently running a large women’s apparel company in Los Angeles. Prior to this Errol was the COO of the National Lampoon Television Network, in charge of all television and motion picture productions, as well as running a network of over 5 million viewers. Errol Gerson was the Director of New Media and Consulting at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) before being recruited to National Lampoon. He was in charge of all new media planning and development for CAA, and was responsible for assisting a number of large companies going public under CAA retained management. In 1991 Errol and four Art Center graduates formed cow, one of the first interactive design consultancies in the US. From 1978 until 1992 Errol was the managing partner of a successful business management and accounting company serving photographers, illustrators, design firms, architects, and a large and successful number of bands and musicians.

Errol Gerson was educated as an accountant in South Africa prior to immigrating to the US in 1966. He later received a BS in Accounting and an MBA in Finance and Management from the University of Southern California in 1970 and 1972 respectively. He also completed an executive MBA at USC in 1984, and studied at the Harvard Negotiation Project in 1988.

About BusinessMatters
One of our greatest challenges as designers is convincing clients that we make valid contributions to their bottom line. If we’re going to be legitimate partners, designers need to provide creative solutions that are relevant to the clients’ business. In other words, our clients must see us as an integral part of the problem-solving process, and not a passive recipient of instructions.

The purpose of BusinessMatters is to furnish AIGA members with tools that will give them confidence and affirm their role as an invaluable member of their client’s team.

BusinessMatters hosts presentations led by professionals in business management and marketing who are sensitive to the creative mind. We use a discussion group format and limit audience size to allow for intimacy and easy access to the speaker. We focus on issues that matter to AIGA members, namely:

. Developing new business
. Managing careers and businesses
. Communicating effectively with the client

Ultimately, our goal is to highlight the value of design.

About Zelda Harrison
BusinessMatters is coordinated by Zelda Harrison, who transitioned from a career in marketing consumer products to graphic design. Zelda's client list includes Universal and 20th Century Fox Studios, Cedar-Sinai, CRESA Partners and The Aquarium of the Pacific; her current focus is communication for non-profits and government agencies.

If there are any topics or speakers you think could inspire an engaging conversation about the value of design, please post a comment below.