If you are involved at all in selling and delivering project based work I recommend checking out Mike Monteiro’s “Design is a Job”. Monteiro is a San Francisco based designer and co-founder of Mule Design. The book is primarily targeted at web designers, but much of it is applicable to any industry that does project work for customers.
The book is based on Monteiro’s experiences running a design studio and contains many great insights. It is a well written, engaging, and quick read.
A few of my favorite excerpts:
On small projects:
Beware of small jobs. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that a small job wouldn’t be too much of a problem. (p44)
Your process is what enables you to do good work. (p65)
On hiring smart people:
There are going to be people smarter than you out there. Where do you want them? Working for you, or for someone else? And surrounding yourself with smart, talented people is only going to make you better. (p138).
On picking clients and projects:
You are responsible for what you put into the world… So before you take on a client, ask yourself whether the problem the client is asking you solve is one you feel good about attaching your name to. (p56)
There is much more good stuff in the book, so check it out.