Last year I studied 163 architecture websites (crazy, I know!). I studied them because I was tired of hearing architects say: “My website doesn’t matter… I get all my projects from referrals or word-of-mouth”. But in today’s Google-driven, economic-uncertain, pandemic-plagued world, nothing could be further from the truth. Architecture practice websites do matter. Your practice website is your key to getting more (and better*) clients through the door. (*And by better clients I mean … [Read more...]
Why Your Architecture Practice Website Matters
Architects as Storytellers
My fellow architects, you may not know it, but you have a rightful claim to the status of storyteller. Your professional roots of designing and constructing buildings are deeply connected to language, communication, and to storytelling in profound ways. Let me ask you a question: The last building project you completed - how many floors did it have? Or asked another way, how many stories did it have? We deal in stories all the time; we design multi-story buildings or single-story homes. This … [Read more...]
Contract Documents
for Small Firm Architects
You may have built your brand, perfected your marketing, developed a strong reputation, executed a flawless sales process, and have received your prospective client’s eager authorization to proceed with a new project. You've done everything right up to this point, but to make this new relationship official, you need to complete one final important step. You need a signed legal document. You need an Owner/Architect Agreement. It may be the most important step in the entire process of … [Read more...]
The Problem with ‘Hope Marketing’ and What to Do Instead
Working with many architecture firms over the past several years our agency, Archmark Architect Branding & Marketing, has been approached by many architects who have struggled to establish a consistent, repeatable, and reliable process to attract new clients and projects. The challenge for many firm owners is that they rely too heavily on passive new business development techniques like networking, referrals, recommendations, and repeat clients. In the marketing world, passive … [Read more...]
The Gift of Crisis
The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought me back to the last time I experienced something seismic like this: the 2008 financial crisis. It was frightening, it tested me, and ultimately it made me and my work better. Fear, uncertainty, and a kind of creative energy all seem to go together in times like these. Crises do not necessarily beget opportunities; they often leave destruction in their wake. But having experienced and learned from at least one crisis, I believe that … [Read more...]
Advantages of Remote Hiring and Onboarding for Architects
Our first experience with remote hiring was March 18, 2020 - the first day the firm started working from home. CO Architects is fortunate that our workload increased throughout 2020, so we had to adapt quickly to recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and integrating new staff virtually. We’ve hired and onboarded 25 new employees since March 2020, representing a staff growth of about 17 percent. Virtual Benefits One advantage of remote interviews is that they feel more intimate and relaxed. … [Read more...]
A Case for the Sole Practitioner Architect Business Model
There has never been a better time for architects to practice independently. Computers, the Internet, and cell phones all foster an easier way of practicing remotely. Yet to many architects, the thought of working alone, doing most (if not all) of the tasks on a project seems daunting, unprofitable, menial. However, the Sole Practice business model can be attainable, profitable, and most fulfilling. As a licensed architect with 25 years of experience, this is the model I … [Read more...]
Is It Ethical to Sell in These Times?
The following is a guest post written by Blair Enns, founder and CEO of Win Without Pitching. The content for this article, published here with permission, was first published on April 6, 2020, on the Win Without Pitching blog here. Learn more about Blair Enns, his fantastic books, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour, and his impactful coaching and training programs here. At the end of a crazy week, David C. Baker and I … [Read more...]
Collecting, Communicating and Closing in a Time of Crisis
The following is a guest post written by Blair Enns, founder and CEO of Win Without Pitching. The content for this article, published here with permission, was first published on March 25, 2020, on the Win Without Pitching blog here. Learn more about Blair Enns, his fantastic books, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour, and his impactful coaching and training programs here. In last week’s post Three Steps to Surviving … [Read more...]
Three Steps to Surviving and Thriving in a Crisis
The following is a guest post written by Blair Enns, founder and CEO of Win Without Pitching. The content for this article, published here with permission, was first published on March 17, 2020, on the Win Without Pitching blog here. Learn more about Blair Enns, his fantastic books, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour, and his impactful coaching and training programs here. “May you live in interesting times,”goes the old … [Read more...]
Facts About the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for Architects
Click here for a PDF version of this post. The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) authorizes up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees during the COVID-19 crisis. All loan terms will be the same for everyone. The loan amounts will be forgiven as long as: The loan proceeds are used to cover payroll costs, and most mortgage interest, rent, and utility costs over the 8 week period after the loan is made; and Employee and compensation … [Read more...]
How the CARES Act Provides Relief for Small Firm Architects
The federal government has approved the $2.2 trillion (that's more than two million millions) Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act which will help millions of people during this critical time. As small firm architecture business owners, many of us may benefit from this historic legislation. Below are a few economic provisions that may apply to you. To read and review the entire CARES Act text click here. You may be eligible for a cash payment. Most … [Read more...]
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