Chief Creative Podcast

Dustin Pead
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Host Dustin Pead helps creative businesses know themselves, their process, & their teams more so they can unleash their best work.

  1. 21h ago

    Stop Saying Yes on Feeling: Introducing the Capacity Cadence | Ep. 163

    Capacity decisions get made on feeling instead of fact, and it's costing creative business owners their margin. In Chapter 8 of Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs, Dustin unveils the Capacity Cadence, a simple weekly question that replaces gut instinct with real numbers. Learn the four capacity buckets, the weekly math that tells you if you're healthy, on the warning track, or in a deficit, and exactly what to do next. chiefcreativepartners.com | dustinpead.com/free

    Stop Saying Yes on Feeling: Introducing the Capacity Cadence | Ep. 163

  2. Jul 30

    Client Retention Strategy: Speak Their Appreciation Language | Ep. 162

    Not every client feels appreciated the same way. In this front porch edition, Dustin Pead breaks down the five business appreciation languages, adapted from Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages and John Ruhlin's Giftology. He also shares the simple survey that revealed how his own partners really want to be valued. If you run a creative business, this one's worth the 13 minutes. Connect with Dustin: chiefcretivepartners.com | dustinpead.com | @dustinpead Free resources for creative business owners: dustinpead.com/free

    Client Retention Strategy: Speak Their Appreciation Language | Ep. 162

  3. Jul 16

    Replacing Yourself with AI (with Christian Brim) | Ep. 161

    Is AI coming for your job, or changing what your job actually is? This week Dustin sits down with Christian Brim, founder of Core Group, to talk about a chatbot Christian's been testing, Andy Stanley's idea of replacing yourself, and why the age of the knowledge worker might be ending. The knowledge economy made information free. The next economy runs on judgment, experience, and knowing what to do with what you know. Christian and Dustin dig into where AI actually adds value, where it falls flat, and why "good enough" might not be good enough for your business. ⚡️ What you'll hear: Why technology doesn't eliminate jobs, it just moves the valueWhy judgment and experience are becoming the real differentiatorsWhy AI drives to the average, and what that means for creative workWhy permission to play might be your best creative strategy right nowWhy protecting client data matters more than everChristian Brim is the founder and owner of Core Group, the finance and accounting firm Chief Creative Partners trusts with our own books. Learn more at coregroupus.com. Connect with Dustin: chiefcreativepartners.com | dustinpead.com | @dustinpead Free resources for creative business owners: dustinpead.com/free You create. We operate.

    Replacing Yourself with AI (with Christian Brim) | Ep. 161

  4. Jul 2

    Behind The Rebrand with PJ Towle | Ep 160

    Two years into business, Dustin Pead realized the name "Chief Creative Consultants" no longer matched how he actually worked with clients. In this episode, Dustin sits down with designer PJ Towle of Forty:Three Creative — the person behind the full rebrand — to unpack how "Consultants" became "Partners," where the tagline "You create. We operate." actually came from, and the story built into every piece of the new visual identity, from the fox icon to the triangle mark. Key Takeaways: Why "consultant" language stopped matching the way Chief Creative Partners actually serves clientsHow a single conversation and a text message led to a full rebrandThe story and symbolism built into the fox icon, the triangle mark, and the color paletteTimestamps: 00:00 — The pitch that started it all: "You create. We operate." 00:29 — Welcome back + episode setup with PJ Towle 02:41 — Why "Consultants" never felt true 07:11 — Asking Sarah first: why outside design help made sense 09:05 — Concepting the fox: adaptive intelligence and Robin Hood 14:23 — The moment the fox ears sealed the direction 16:12 — Color story: near-black, signature orange, and OD green 23:10 — The accidental origin of "You create. We operate." 27:33 — Breaking down the triangle mark section by section 33:07 — Intentionality as a learnable skill Connect With Chief Creative Partners: chiefcreativepartners.com dustinpead.com @dustinpead Connect With PJ Towle: Forty:Three Creative — fortythreecreative.com Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, drop a comment with your own rebrand story, and let us know — what's one word in your business that no longer feels true? Hashtags: #CreativeBusiness #BrandingStrategy #RebrandStory #SmallBusinessBranding #CreativeAgency #LogoDesign #BusinessOperations #ChiefCreativePartners

    Behind The Rebrand with PJ Towle | Ep 160

  5. Jun 18

    Team One-on-Ones: How to Build Trust, Unblock Work, and Develop Your Creative Team | Ep 159

    Building a creative team? Your one-on-ones might be the most underused system in your business. In Episode 159, Dustin Pead walks through the full one-on-one framework from Chapter 7 of his live book, Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs. This is Part Three of the book — Team and Scale — and it starts with the meeting that makes all the other systems actually work. You'll learn who needs a one-on-one with you (and how often), the five-part 30-minute structure Dustin uses with his clients, how to ask the right questions and actually listen, and the five most common mistakes creative leaders make that quietly destroy team trust. Whether you have one person on your team or ten, this episode will change how you lead them. Episode Resource: ⁠Transformative 1on1s⁠ chiefcreativepartners.com | dustinpead.com/free #CreativeBusiness #CreativeLeadership #TeamManagement #CreativePodcast #ChiefCreativePodcast #OneOnOneMeetings #ScaleYourBusiness #CreativeAgency

    Team One-on-Ones: How to Build Trust, Unblock Work, and Develop Your Creative Team | Ep 159

  6. Jun 4

    Client Onboarding for Creative Businesses | Ep 158

    Most client onboarding is really just project prep in disguise. But effective onboarding is about the relationship, not the deliverables. In this episode, Dustin Pead draws a clear line between project kickoffs (what are we building and how?) and client onboarding (how do we work together?) — and introduces the Client Intelligence File: a living document that helps you and your team truly know every client you serve. Dustin also digs into the five languages of client appreciation, mapping Gary Chapman's love languages into a practical B2B framework — including an often-overlooked fifth language: advocacy. Plus, two immediate steps you can take this week to build a real onboarding system in your creative business. This episode is part of the live book series for Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs. For free resources and tools: dustinpead.com/freeWork with Chief Creative Partners: chiefcreativepartners.com #ClientOnboarding #CreativeBusiness #ChiefCreativePodcast #CreativeAgency #BusinessSystems #ClientRetention #SmallBusinessOperations

    Client Onboarding for Creative Businesses | Ep 158

  7. May 28

    Project Kickoff Process for Creative Businesses | Ep 157

    You landed the client — now what? Dustin Pead breaks down the project kickoff system: a focused, 45-minute process that prevents scope creep, aligns your team, and produces a complete project brief before any work begins. Learn the standard questions every creative should ask, why recording the meeting changes everything, and how to use Claude to draft a brief that looks the same every single time. Part of the live book-writing series, Creative Work: 10 Systems Every Creative Business Needs. #ProjectKickoff #CreativeAgency #ProjectManagement #CreativeBusiness #ChiefCreativePodcast

    Project Kickoff Process for Creative Businesses | Ep 157

  8. May 14

    Summer Momentum Prep: How to Keep Your Creative Business on Track All Summer Long | EP 156

    Is your creative business ready for summer? In this episode, Dustin Pead takes a break from the live book writing series to share something super timely: the 5-block summer momentum prep session he runs with clients every spring. From momentum checks and DO vs DUE planning to priority protection and Q3 roadmaps, this framework helps creative businesses enter summer with intention and exit with their annual goals still intact. Unleashing creative businesses to do their best work starts with a plan. This episode is yours. What you'll learn: How to run a momentum check on your annual goals before distractions set inHow the DO vs DUE Framework builds the margin you need all summerHow to identify your non-negotiables and protect your prioritiesHow to build a one-page summer strategy action plan for Q3Connect with Dustin and Chief Creative Partners: chiefcreativepartners.com | dustinpead.com | @dustinpead #CreativeBusiness #SummerPlanning #CreativeAgency #Productivity #ChiefCreativePodcast #SmallBusiness #Q3Planning

    Summer Momentum Prep: How to Keep Your Creative Business on Track All Summer Long | EP 156
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About

Host Dustin Pead helps creative businesses know themselves, their process, & their teams more so they can unleash their best work.

Information

  • Creator
    Dustin Pead
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    164
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dustin Pead
  • Show Website
    Chief Creative Podcast