How to expense Design Better Premium and Workshops

If you’re interested in joining Design Better Premium, or participating in one of our workshops, you can often have your company pay for your education (even if you don’t have a formal training budget).¹

Just follow these 3 steps:

1. Notify your manager
   Let your manager know in advance to express interest and set the stage, via an in-person conversation or over chat:

   Hi [Boss’s Name], I came across a [Design Thinking and AI workshop -or- Design Education Platform called Design Better] that looks highly relevant to our work. Would it be okay if I sent you the details?

2. Email your manager
   Short, personal emails are best. Copy the appropriate template below and tweak it for your context:

   For Design Better Premium:
   Subject: Design education platform expense
   
   Hi [Boss’s Name],
   

   I came across a new Design Better Premium subscription that looks like a great resource for continuous learning and growth.
   

   This subscription provides weekly ad-free podcast episodes with inspiring insights from industry experts, monthly AMA sessions where we can engage directly with thought leaders, and early access to workshops. It’s an all-in-one educational platform designed to enhance our skills in design, creativity, and collaboration. It’s around $150/year, and the content includes advice from leaders across top companies like Pixar, Apple, Google and Microsoft.
   

   With this, we’d get to learn from legends like Paula Scher on typography, Ed Catmull on creative collaboration, and David Kelley on design thinking—just to name a few. Plus, the subscription offers practical takeaways in areas like AI and creativity, prototyping, design leadership, and storytelling, which would be super valuable to apply in our projects.
   

   Here’s the link: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/design-better-for-teams

   
   Is it OK to expense this?
   

   P.S. Should we consider offering it to the whole team? It could be a great asset for team engagement and skill-building, and group discounts are available.

   ---

   For the AI + Design Thinking workshop:
   Subject: AI + Design Workshop expense

   
   Hi [Boss’s Name],
   

   There’s a Generative AI workshop coming up that I think would be really valuable for our team.
   

   The workshop is interactive and runs for 4 hours, which can be split over two days. It focuses on hands-on experience with GenAI tools, helping us identify where and when to leverage AI in our design work. The cost is around $250, and it’s led by Bobby Hughes (IDEO alum and lecturer at Stanford) and Eli Woolery (co-host of the Design Better Podcast and lecturer at Stanford).
   

   The workshop is packed with practical strategies and examples on using GenAI effectively in real-world design processes, which could help us expand our skills and confidence in this evolving area. It covers ideas for integrating GenAI into the design workflow and offers insights into areas where these tools are particularly useful—and where they may fall short.
   

   There’s also a strong networking component, so I’d get to connect with other designers, exchange best practices, and build a broader perspective on AI's role in design.
   

   Here’s the link: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/ai-design-thinking-workshops
   

   Is it OK to expense this?
   

   P.S. Should we consider it for the whole team? They offer group discounts.
   

   
   Managers often ask how a course aligns with your role and goals. Here are some example responses to help you get started:
   —Workshop FAQ
   —Design Better Premium FAQ
   

3. Follow-up after 3 days
   Is your manager busy? Use this follow-up message if you haven’t received a response:

   Hi [Boss’s Name], have you had time to look at the learning & development opportunity I sent you?
   

   I really believe it’d help us improve our products.
   

   Here’s the link: [workshop or Design Better premium]
   

   P.S. registrations start on [insert date].

After you complete the workshop, we can send over a certificate of completion like this (we can also send over a similar certification after you complete a year of Design Better Premium):

Hundreds of people from these and other Fortune 500 organizations have joined our workshops and subscribed to our premium content:

1. This “expense it” post was inspired by the folks over at growth.design.