Our design / strategy business, Methodical, doesn’t have a grand purpose. We don't even have a USP. But we do have some principles that we try to apply consistently, which I think is more beneficial in practice. They've worked well to guide our decision-making, so might provide food for thought:

1. Aim for a win win win
Greater value for your customers, an ROI for you, and a margin for us is our aim. The distribution of benefits may vary, but no party should get a bum deal.

2. Do the right thing and do the thing right
Invest the time to discover the real problem, then solve it as efficiently and effectively as possible. Don’t do anything that would upset you if the shoe was on the other foot.

3. Pay with grace
The unique goodwill that comes from paying our partners ASAP is way more valuable to us than better cashflow. We want people to do their best work without stupid distractions.

4. Practice what you preach
Do we use the grid? Yes. Do we use our CX worksheets? Yes. Do we try to show some thoughtfulness towards our clients? Yes. It greatly improves our credibility.

5. Use the best people you can afford
Top-flight pros estimate more accurately, produce better work in less time, and are typically self-managing. Ultimately this leads to better work and margins!

See this post on LinkedIn