Residential Systems Magazine Story Features Firefly Design Group:

Will You Design or Build? by Ira Friedman

Often the best way to appreciate an industry is to compare it to others. Finding best practices in like industries helps develop strategy.

Alas, as we all know, the AV business is unlike anything else, which is why there are so many inherent strategic problems. The AV business attempts to accomplish two things: “design” and “build.” Compare this to architecture, interior design, or any of the building trades, and you quickly see the problem. Architects and designers design. They don’t build. And most trades–electrical, plumbing, flooring– build. They don’t design. I’m hard pressed to find any other established industry that successfully accomplishes both. Which leads me to believe it can’t be done successfully over time. To read this full article, click here.