A Productivity System for Architects Finding clients you seek to serve, who have projects with appropriate budgets and realistic schedules is very important. Understanding business fundamentals and building systems that will lead to a healthy profitable firm is critical. Developing an effective marketing strategy that provides appropriate leads and a sales system that converts those […]
4 Steps to Higher Productivity as a Small Firm Architect
Finding The Time To Be An Architect A little past 6AM, tunes from the local radio station wake me from a very deep slumber. (I set the alarm to 6:14, so I hear music rather than the daily ‘bad news” report. I am very serious about my “full media blackout“.) After making the family breakfast […]
Getting It All Done
As an Entrepreneur Architect I wear many hats. I’m a designer, a draftsman, a project manager, a construction manager, a book keeper, a marketing director, a salesman, a customer service representative, an IT manager, a boss, a partner, a CEO, a COO, a CFO… the list goes on and on. And those are only the […]
Confessions Of A Recovering Procrastinator
I think it’s genetic… the DNA of every architect includes the sequencing chemistry for our procrastination. We start too late, we prefer the alternative and we push our limits up against every deadline, hoping to squeeze out every last bit of creative energy. Do you procrastinate? I know you do… you’re an architect. I too am a […]
Using Strategic Deadlines for Higher Productivity
Goals are Dreams With Deadlines The deadline is a critical tool, used by the most successful people in the world to make things happen. When teaching about business planning, author/speaker Dave Ramsey says, “Goals are dreams with deadlines.” It’s the deadline that will take our intentions and turn them into reality. Without them, life flows […]
5 Steps to Unleash the Significant Power of Sleep
5 Steps to Unleash the Significant Power of Sleep I love to sleep, but the truth is that of all my many skills, sleep may be one of my weakest. I know it’s important and I know it has a direct effect on my health and wellbeing. It even has a direct effect on my […]
The second step will build upon the first… Just Start!
This article was originally published here at EntreArchitect back in May of 2013. It’s one of my favorites. -Mark What’s holding you back from the success of your dreams? Last summer my son Henry built a rowboat; an eleven foot poorboy skiff built from mahogany lumber and plywood. I shared Henry’s story here on the […]
How To Automate Your Small Firm Architecture Studio
As small firm architects, we are responsible for so many different roles and responsibilities. We are pulled in so many different directions and our schedules are full every day, from morning to evening. We need to meet with clients, develop and distribute marketing, respond to important email, manage our social media accounts, send invoices, collect […]
5 Fundamentals To Learn Before Launching Your Own Architecture Firm
When Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio, we were “young and dumb”. We were optimistic and enthusiastic, but we didn’t know what we didn’t know. We were 29 years old, had a dream of starting our own firm and jumped. I always knew I would own my own firm. I’m a born entrepreneur. What I […]
How To Manage Your Architecture Projects Using Evernote
Every morning, as I prepare for my day, I sit down at my iMac and launch my most critical apps. I use the native Mac Mail for email. Nozbe for managing my tasks. Fantastical 2.0 is my current calendar of choice and all my AutoCAD drawing files are safely backed up and accessible on Dropbox. […]
Learn to Use Deadlines with Skill
The deadline is a critical tool, used by the most successful people in the world to make things happen. When teaching about business planning, author/speaker Dave Ramsey says, “Goals are dreams with deadlines.” It’s the deadline that will take our intentions and turn them into reality. Without them, life flows into the void and our […]
Three Lists to Freedom
The EntreArchitect blog now hosts more than 26,000 views per month. The podcast is downloaded more than 7,000 times every 30 days. The Entrepreneur Architect Report, my free weekly newsletter, is delivered to more than 3,500 Entrepreneur Architects each week. Big things are happening here at Entrepreneur Architect. We are rapidly achieving our mission of […]