Expensive decisions.

A little distance can be good. Not always, but in this case, absolutely.

After a minor, self-imposed sabbatical from the socials this summer, something sparked: I’ve spent a good deal of my professional life helping clients make expensive decisions.

And every expensive decision has a tell: It’s not the price…but the consequence.

A $12,000 sofa gets agonized over for months. A floorplan—the thing that will actually shape twenty years of a life—gets a nod in an afternoon. Nobody notices they’ve got it backwards…until it’s the only thing they notice. Is there a right answer? No…but there’s definitely a wrong one.

And the categories change, but the tell doesn’t…

How about the founder who’s brilliant at creating the thing, but they’re too close to it all to see the next step? They keep pushing…momentum stalls…frustration grows. Truth? It’s almost never about the noise, but knowing which sounds to turn up…and which ones to mute.

Those decisions–or the gap between decision and outcome–are a tell….and I make my living working inside that gap.

A sofa that lasts two years or twenty? Got it.
A floorplan that lacks a tall closet for, say, coats? Got it.
Lurking in like-counts as a way to measure success? Oof.
Ignoring financials because they’re boring? Double oof.
Not minding the gap? Expensive.

A few months back, I needed a little space to see my own gaps.

My early summer break gave me that space to slow down and get out of my own way. And the gaps I discovered weren’t about the money, but the time, energy, and effort that no longer deserved my attention.

So, a few changes…

• A hotel booking, done for less, so I could spend more on the version of the trip I actually wanted.

• Orangetheory, gone. But not for a better routine, just moving on from a version of myself that no longer fit.

• New ways of marketing and messaging. Because when that starts to feel like an anchor instead of a float, it’s time to pivot.

• Services reworked. Some quietly disappeared, while others finally got a name.

None of it was easy. All of it was expensive. It cost a little certainty, a little ego, and a little “this is how we’ve always done it.”...but I’m betting on what’s next.

Just like design, it’s so easy to see clearly for someone else, but I’m definitely my own worst client. The hardest part was knowing which decisions were load-bearing and which felt like they were…well, taking up unearned space.

These days, you’ll find me focused on less managing, more creating.
Less reacting, more choosing.
Less carrying, more curating.
Less obligation, more intention.

The final tell? Not avoiding the expensive decisions, but knowing the ones that are worth making.

p.s. Are you a creative founder? Sometimes the most valuable thing isn't another thing. It's someone who can help you see what's load-bearing. That's the work I do in Creative Advisory. Reply, and we’ll chat.