Find the Lost Dollars Blog

Turning Processes to Profits

Turning Processes to Profits

As a design and construction professional you know that a building is only as strong as its foundation. Without a strong foundation, a building will move and settle over time and have lots of problems.   The same principles apply to your business. Processes and...

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10 New Truths to Win Employees’ Hearts

10 New Truths to Win Employees’ Hearts

Turnover sucks. It can ruin projects, destroy client relationships and infect employees with uncertainty.   As we are all exposed to more information, it can be confusing to figure out what employees want and need. What will make them happy? What do you need to do to...

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How to Review Your Decade

How to Review Your Decade

Happy New Year! Congratulations on another year and decade of growth and expansion! A lot has happened in the world, in the country, in the industry, and I’m sure, for you personally.  Most A&E firms are much better off than they were ten years ago. But that...

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{Guest Post} 4 KPIS to Track Business Development Success

{Guest Post} 4 KPIS to Track Business Development Success

Is your business development (BD) program successful? Whether you answered yes or no, here’s a question to ponder: how do you know? Two challenges facing professional services firms today are both having an understanding of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as well as...

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Building an AEC Firm: It’s a Business, Not a Hobby

Building an AEC Firm: It’s a Business, Not a Hobby

After 30 years as a Principal in the firm KCCT Architects in Washington, DC, Tom Twohey recently retired at the age of 79. Tom was one of the founding partners in the firm, and my client for the last 22 years. Unlike most architects, Tom had a business mind, and...

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Are Your Clients Taking Advantage of You?

Are Your Clients Taking Advantage of You?

In today’s post we're sharing a podcast of an interview of June Jewell by STEVE GORDON on The Unstoppable CEO. >> Click HERE to listen If you have a professional service firm… you can’t miss this one. Have you ever done a project and ended up making less than...

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Hot Topics at the 2015 Zweig Awards Conference

Hot Topics at the 2015 Zweig Awards Conference

For the 7th straight year I attended the Zweig Industry Awards Conference held at the beautiful Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. This event, previously held as three separate conferences, recognizes the Hottest Firms, the Best Firms to Work For, and Marketing Excellence...

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How Accountable Learning Can Improve Financial Results

How Accountable Learning Can Improve Financial Results

    In looking where to invest limited dollars these days, it is critical that every penny spent provides a return on investment (ROI) above what other investments could deliver. Every dollar spent on one part of the business takes away investment in...

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{Guest Post} 6 Steps to Holding Employees Accountable

{Guest Post} 6 Steps to Holding Employees Accountable

  Ineffective communication is the root of all evil. Recent research has shown that the average employee in a professional services firm wastes 40-minutes per day due to ineffective communication alone. In the average company with an average payroll this equates...

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Guest Post: Find the Lost Dollars™ Book Review

Guest Post: Find the Lost Dollars™ Book Review

Today's post is by our guest author Scott D. Butcher, FSMPS, CPSM. Scott is Vice President of JDB Engineering, Inc. and President-elect of the SMPS Foundation. He has more than two decades of A/E/C marketing experience and is a Fellow of the Society for Marketing...

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8 Ways to Make More Money in 2015

8 Ways to Make More Money in 2015

I can’t believe it is already 2015. The beginning of a new year is a great opportunity to gain a different perspective and a more effective business management strategy. While we are all in business to make money, it is amazing that we persist with business practices...

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Why I Wrote Find the Lost Dollars

Why I Wrote Find the Lost Dollars

I was accidentally “thrown” into the architecture and engineering (A&E) industry in 1989 when I worked for a CPA firm in charge of growing their management information systems (MIS) practice. My job was to help our clients determine their requirements and find the...

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SMPS Build Business 2013 – Dream Big!

SMPS Build Business 2013 – Dream Big!

As in past years, the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) provided the perfect stage for marketers of all levels and from all over the US and Canada to learn, share and connect at their Build Business 2013 annual conference from July 31st to August 2nd...

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The 5 Top Risks to Project Profitability

The 5 Top Risks to Project Profitability

These days projects are hard to get and project profit margins are declining. With more competition nationally and from overseas firms, it is critical to manage projects with precision, and utilizing best practices for financial management. With some focus on those...

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Do You Have a Strong Project Management Culture?

Do You Have a Strong Project Management Culture?

There were many trends discussed for engineering firms at the 2013 national American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) national conference last month in Washington, DC. I always pay close attention to these discussions in order to make sure I am on top of the latest...

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Find the Lost Dollars Book Successfully Launched

Find the Lost Dollars Book Successfully Launched

May 2, 2013 was a very exciting day for me as my new book, Find the Lost Dollars: 6 Steps to Increase Profits in Architecture, Engineering, and Environmental Firms was launched at a party at the Tower Club in Vienna, VA. I was able to celebrate the evening with my...

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Q&A with Author June R. Jewell, CPA

Q&A with Author June R. Jewell, CPA

Why did you write this book? In working with hundreds of A&E firms over the last 23 years, I have seen patterns in the way that they approach their business management practices. I have developed many best practices that when applied, can save a firm tens of...

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Find the Lost Dollars Launch Team

Find the Lost Dollars Launch Team

We wanted to extend our gratitude to the phenomenal group of individuals who are helping to make Find the Lost Dollars: 6 Steps to Increase Profits in Architecture, Engineering and Environmental Firms an Amazon best selling book!   The following people graciously...

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5 Ways to Love Your Business Again

5 Ways to Love Your Business Again

Do you remember when you first started your business? The excitement was overwhelming, and the adrenalin was flowing. The main thoughts that occupied your mind were around getting new business, and how to make ends meet. But as your business grew, you realized that...

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Ten Culture Traps that Steal Your Profits

Ten Culture Traps that Steal Your Profits

The culture of your firm directly impacts your profitability. How you look at money, deal with your financial management, and manage your staff directly translates into policies, processes and behaviors that cause projects to go over budget. Without a healthy focus on...

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Is Your Professional Services Firm Surviving or Thriving?

Is Your Professional Services Firm Surviving or Thriving?

Three Growth Strategies for Professional Services Firms Times have changed and making money in a professional services business is harder than it used to be. It requires a more defined strategy, a focus on better client relationships, highly motivated and skilled...

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Athlete, Artist, Author

Athlete, Artist, Author

In our world of singing competitions, high paid celebrities and athletes, and reality shows, many of us evaluate our own talent as if we are on the stage, and being judged. We label ourselves based on our perceptions of how capable we are, and compare ourselves to...

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Welcome to Find the Lost Dollars!

Welcome to Find the Lost Dollars!

Hello and welcome!  As we get ready for the launch of my new book, Find the Lost Dollars: 6 Steps to Increase Profits in Architectural  Engineering and Environmental Firms, my hope is that here you can find valuable resources and information to help you build and grow...

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