It’s been a busy few weeks, but I’m glad to be sneaking in under the wire with my once a month blog post! I’ve had such a great range of projects
Here’s a riddle for you on this August morning. What do these two people have in common? Jill is the CEO of a small but growing company that makes buckets.
Winter is almost over! Q1 is usually slow for me, but not this year! Here are a few of the things I’ve been working on: A consumer survey about New Year’s
Last year, I went on a mission to do more qualitative work. I went to RIVA training, pitched myself as a moderator, and connected with tons of other “quallies” at
I love the holiday season. For the past few years my dear friend Nicole of Sloe Gin Fizz has been designing research-themed holiday cards that I send to all my
I saw this picture in a store window recently and it reminded me of a conversation I had last spring with a new prospect. They were planning to use a
I don’t tell this story often (because it kind of makes me look like an idiot), but I’m going to share it here, if only to show how far I’ve
It’s that time again…q3 is over and I’m reporting on my progress towards my annual goals. Make more money than last year– and make money every month. Yes! This year
Last week I went to moderator training at RIVA. It’s one of the best known training centers for qualitative researchers, and I’d been wanting to go for several years (and
I give a lot to my clients, and I never like to say no. An old boyfriend once told me, “I think if I caught on fire when you were
After a fun summer of teaching Questionnaire Design at the University of Michigan, I’m on an education high and excited to get the word out about doing great research. I’ll be
As a survey methodologist who spends a lot of time working in the “real world,” my philosophy is always: Respondents first. Respondents’ comfort and satisfaction with the survey experience should
I’ve been teaching Questionnaire Design at the University of Michigan’s Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques, and I’m finding it hugely fun for a few reasons: 1. My students are
This piece about putting a toddler to bed in 100 easy steps has been making the rounds lately, and it makes me think about the process I’ve been going through with a
As Q2 wraps up and the year is half over (!!), I wanted to check in on my 2014 goals. Make more money than last year—and make money every
A few weeks ago, I was pondering (ok, complaining about) how hard it is to be a one-person show, and how, as a solopreneur, I do e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g from offering high level
Like many people, I was saddened by the passing of author Maya Angelou last week. After her death, I learned that she had once been a market research interviewer. In A
Summer is my favorite season, and I’m always happy when Memorial Day kicks it off. To start my summer off even better, this year my Red Cross client got some great media
Recently, an acquaintance learned that I had my own business and asked me, “Are you a doer or a seller?” I had to explain that as a solopreneur, I’m both,
My parents came to New Orleans to visit this weekend. (That’s them in 1966!) My dad, himself an entrepreneur, and my mom, a logistics and problem-solving whiz, have been two
David Letterman is on his way out, but in his honor, here’s a top 10 list. 1. Getting locked in a strange Indian family’s bathroom after an in-home interview. The respondent
“How do you get your clients?” This is one of the most common questions I hear. I don’t advertise or have booths at trade shows or send out direct mail.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: everybody needs research. I love the diversity of companies and topics I get to work on. Lately I’ve done research for professional associations
I found a journal I kept while working on an evaluation of two residential drug treatment facilities. Some excerpts: March 2002: Just finished my first week! The director of the facility said there
A few weeks ago I wrote about one of my early jobs, interviewing men incarcerated in maximum security prisons. I loved interviewing, but it was only part of what I did
I’m on my way back from Portland, where I spent two days at a fantastic conference of independent workers: freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other intrepid souls like myself. Like most conferences, there were
I set 14 work goals for 2014. Here’s how I’m doing: Make more money than last year—and make money every month. So far, so good. Work for at least 5 existing
I moved to New Orleans last year, and I’ve just survived my first Mardi Gras! (That’s me on Mardi Gras day.) If you’ve never experienced it, Mardi Gras is a
One of my very first jobs was interviewing incarcerated people in maximum-security prisons in New York State. It was part of an evaluation of a parenting class for incarcerated men,
Last week I gave an overview of one of my favorite projects from last year, a global qualitative study on beverages. I thought you might like to see what a few days
One of my favorite projects in 2013 was a global study on beverages. The client wanted to know about the kinds of beverages people were making at home, as well as what
I may have gone a little overboard by coming up with 14 work-related goals for 2014. The 7 I covered last week are all about the kinds of clients and projects I
