JEFF: So how successful have you been at this? Beyond the valuable resource of your columns, has Creative Good scored many contracts for this kind of work specifically?
MARK: Keep in mind that my start-up capital in January was $500 to open the Creative Good bank account. Creative Good has received no other funding.
Now, to answer the first question, I consider Creative Good to be very successful so far. Back in January, I wrote a business plan which stated the goal: To consult for companies on Internet ease-of-use while helping consumers. Eight months later, I'm still paying the rent with exactly the same focus. To me, that's a success ... an Internet start-up that retains its original focus for more than six months and is profitable!
As for the second question, no, the company hasn't scored many contracts - numerically. I count five different clients I've billed so far. Much more important to me than the raw number of clients, however, is the quality of relationships I'm developing with the clients. Getting paid is a pleasant (and necessary!) side effect of the relationship - but the point of the client relationship is to learn and grow and help the client learn and grow.
For example, I feel wonderful about working with Agency.com. Here's one of the world's top interactive agencies, with a slew of awesome and happy clients, and what do you find inside Agency's walls? A team of people honestly grappling with how to get better at what they do. They could make plenty of money by resting on their laurels, but they don't. They work their asses off trying to get better. See how that's an ideal client? They want to grow, and they can help me grow. Success is about relationships and personal growth, NOT about making money. Making money is (as I said above) a pleasant and necessary side effect. I love being profitable, but that's not what I'm here for.
JEFF: Your idealism is contagious.
MARK: All of us working in the Internet industry have the opportunity to make an incredible difference in the world. We can improve democracy, build communities, invent new media, and, yes, even make a ton of money. But ultimately, in every last one of those goals, we will fall short of our potential if we don't address a fundamental question: Are our users able to use what we've made?
It's so magnificently simple. If the users can use it, they will use it. If the users can't use it, they won't use it. Without users, all our Internet dreams vanish. If we don't focus more on ease-of-use, we will fail.
The mission of Creative Good is to help the Internet reach its full potential, by helping companies make products and services that are easier to use. If Creative Good succeeds, then our clients will make more money, netizens will be less frustrated, and hopefully we'll all continue to have the privilege of making history online.
