Wilson Pollock, FAIA, founder of the growing (and profitable) 200-person ADD Inc., Cambridge, Mass., was selected as a successful entrepreneur to pen an article for the EntreWorld Web site. EntreWorld is an online resource devoted to providing business management information for small-business owners, and Pollock designed his article to provide guidance for managing cash flow in today's tough business environment.

In "Managing Creativity for Love—and Money," Pollock uses ADD Inc. as a case study to explain how the firm learned to balance the contributions of creative people (whom we know work more for love than for money) and the demands of the bottom line. The CEO "organized creativity" not only by making cash flow a priority but also by making the CFO an equal member of the team and tying compensation to cash-flow productivity.

Pollock explains four steps his firm found particularly helpful in organizing creativity:
1. Making cash flow a priority
2. Managing the business to the budget
3. Training and involving the troops
4. Tying compensation to cash-flow productivity.

The article is available online.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.