A Simple Business Plan for Architects
No one told me that I needed to know how to run a business. I’m an architect. I just need to tack up my shingle, design great buildings and clients will come knocking. Right?
Maybe… but whether clients come knocking or not, its not so simple to keep them knocking.
The solution? Write a business plan.
I know, I know; “I don’t need a business plan,” you say. “It takes too much time and effort.”
The knowledge you gain by the process of developing a business plan may be more valuable to you than the actual plan itself.
Wait! Before you discount my suggestion, think about it from a different perspective. A simple, stripped down perspective. Your first business plan doesn’t need to be a 100 page document, with financial projections and fully developed marketing strategies. In fact, I recommend that it not be.
Start with just one page.
Jim Horan, author of The One Page Business Plan series of books says, “The greatest value in creating a business plan is not the final document. It’s the communication, prioritization, focus, clarity and learning that make the process worthwhile.”
The knowledge you gain by the process of developing a business plan may be more valuable to you than the actual plan itself.
A 5 Step Process for a Simple Business Plan for Architects
Here is a simple 5 step process to develop a completed business plan for architects in 60 minutes or less.
- Get started by taking a single sheet of paper and writing a single paragraph describing your vision. What will your business someday look like?
- Then scribe your mission. Why are you starting this business?
- List a few simple strategies. How do you get there?
- Then a few specific goals; benchmarks that will lead you to executing your strategies.
- With goals set, commit to paper an action plan. What specific tasks will you accomplish to reach your goals? When will you accomplish them? Who will accomplish them?
That’s it… a business plan. Done. It really is that simple.
Revisit your Business Plan Often
I revisit and revise my business plan at least twice a year. As our firm grows and evolves, priorities change, markets shift, economies collapse. My business plan needs to evolve too.
It’s also a great source of inspiration and motivation. A periodic reminder of my big ideas and reasons-for-being, keeps me focused and wanting to push my architecture firm to the next level.
So, go do it. Reach over and grab a sheet of paper. Do it now… Don’t wait. It will take less than 60 minutes.
What’s your vision?
Question: Do you have a written business plan for your architecture firm?
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Jan Faukner
yes i want to make business plan
I want to make plan
I want to prepare a business plan for a very high ended Architectural firm. I want to target elite projects in uk.
I like the idea that “a business plan is less complex than your anxiety is telling you, so just into it and you’ll suddenly be done!” So this is very appealing. I’d been envisioning this more as a living document. Something like an employee handbook or BIM Execution Plan, it’d contain steps, resources, standards, etc. I’d imagine this also as a tool for investor relations, something that can be shared with insiders to show that it’s worth putting money into. Writing one page over the course of 60 minutes – I get this as a get-started exercise, but couldn’t it be doing much more for you once you get it to a certain point?
Yes. 100%. The intent is to prepare a document that you can call “done”, then use as the basis for a more detailed guiding business plan.