The Timber Framers Guild is a national membership association dedicated to educating the rest of us about the craft, beauty and capacities of timber framing. They’ve just launched a new program they call the Craft of Business Summit. I am honored that they turned to me to offer a bespoke version of my DIY Brand Camp as their first Summit offering.

In mid November 25 members from Alaska to North Carolina, gathered in the Ace Hotel in downtown Portland, OR. Over two days we did a first dive into the art and practice of brand promises.

Eric Morley, of Carolina Tfimberworks, was one of those students. Lucky for us he brought his Leica. Thank you, Eric. You captured the eager, attentive and connected quality of the group so beautifully. The Framers are an unusually eager, attentive and connected group.

Case in point: this week I offered the same program to 30 more group members, this time in Brattleboro, VT. An early report confirms what Eric caught in these photos: “Mitch’s facilitation was skillful, and it revealed that the value of the workshop is derived largely from the contributions of the participants, who were open, engaged and working hard.”

Jeff Arvin, the Guild’s ED, put it this way: “You know, Mitch, I think I might have had as much fun as you did. It was very gratifying to see the group engage with the material in such a deep and meaningful way. Much of that is to your credit, but it also validates our commitment to business education within our craft-based organization. This is progress.”

Full disclosure: Brattleboro was even better than Portland. We got farther. Portland gave me a chance to sense the learning edges of the industry, so I was able to go beyond those edges in Vermont.

I’m predicting that our third cohort in Asheville, NC, in February, is going to go even farther.

Damn, I love learning.

All rights reserved by Eric K. Morley, www.carolinatimberworks.com.