Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Drew McManus

How Realistic Are Your Budget Projections?

Tue, Jun 6, 2022
It’s not exactly earth shattering to say that budget projections are a squishy dark art (at best). But some of what I hear from colleagues on the earned income side of budget projections has been fascinating when it comes to the 22/23 season. While some are still embracing what I would consider a prudent approach

Automating Time Consuming Tasks

Mon, Jun 6, 2022
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as automation. Moving time consuming, repetitive tasks off your plate is a real treat but when it comes to anything in the digital word, good automation usually requires time to build and can be expensive. But every now and then, middleware solutions like Zapier can provide reliable automation that is

#TBT Counterfeit Moneyball

Thu, Jun 6, 2022
Since we’re on a roll this week with the idea of Moneyballing the orchestra sector, it’s worth pointing out that there’s no shortage of examples where attempts to apply data driven analysis to conventional wisdom decision making can end in tears. For example: using historic repertoire sales data for future artistic planning. Mahler Meets Moneyball?

Status Quo = Higher Profit?

Wed, Jun 6, 2022
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, Joe Patti made a fascinating connection with something Vu Le recently published at Nonprofit AF where he encourages consultants to resist the payoff that often comes with pushing clients out of status quo comfort zones. At our best, consultants help bring in a new perspective and certain skills and

What’s The Problem?

Tue, Jun 6, 2022
Moneyball is one of those movies that never gets old and one of my favorite parts is the “What’s the problem?” scene where Brad Pitt, who played Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, is frustrated with his scouts when they refuse and/or are incapable of thinking differently about their core problems. Nutshell: it’s the setup
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