Budgets

After a tiring few days we have successfully moved into our new house. I am sure the stresses of the last few months in the build up to the move will be soon forgotten when I get a chance to stage my first BBQ and sip a glass of Chardonnay on the patio.

I have started to write this blog from a cold but beautiful Scotland after a successful visit to Harper Collins. We are starting to build a great relationship where I think we can really help them to define their digital proposition. I'm tempted to start finding the most obscure locations to share my life experiences through my blog, from my laptop. I'm off to Wigan this afternoon, maybe not the most picturesque location, but it's a start.

My challenge of the last few days has been budgeting for new projects. For agencies it's the age old problem, if you cost every project based on the actual hours that are spent then budgets would be extortionate and we would never win any work. If however, you provide an up front estimate it is then a really struggle to maximise margin. Our preferred method of working is to identify a budget for scoping with a view to presenting a final project cost once the requirements are agreed. This is a more difficult sell as decision makers want budget numbers but I think it's the most realistic route of progression.