Bob Borson from Life of an Architect blog published a great post today about Architectural Interns. It includes tips, suggestions and requirements from some of Bob's friends, including me. If you know an architectural intern or a recent grad looking for work, this is a must read. … [Read more...]
Life of an Architect Blog Reaches 3 Million Readers
As a follow up to yesterday's post... if you aren't already a fan of Entrepreneur Architect Bob Borson and his Life of an Architect blog, meander on over and take a read. His hard work and dedication online has resulted in much earned success. He posts almost everyday with interesting and thought provoking ideas. He made his blog his job. He shows up every day and does what it takes to succeed. Last night, Life of an Architect passed 3 million readers. Yes, thats million with an … [Read more...]
My Time Online: Presenting Portfolio, Creating Context and a Top Google Rank
This week, we've been exchanging website URLs over at the Entrepreneur Architect Linkedin Group. It is very interesting to learn some background on the people we're interacting with on that forum. I shared our website URL (which is in the midst of an upgrade from our original site to a new one). Then, I posted links to all my other work online. Here is my original post: In addition to our website at http://www.fivecat.com, below are the other places I spend my time online (and with my spare … [Read more...]
Dream Big: Develop Your Business Plan Using a Narrative
ArchDaily.com picked up my friend and Entrepreneur Architect Linkedin Group member Bob Borson's blog post today. If you haven't read Bob's writings, I recommend that you visit him at LifeofanArchitect.com. Leave him a comment and tell him we said "hi". Bob describes how he uses a narrative during the programming phase to learn what his clients want, both functionally as well as emotionally. At Fivecat Studio, we use a similar process using a questionnaire and other fun programming exercises to … [Read more...]
My 5 Rules
I am sharing my latest post over at the Living Well in Westchester blog, My 5 Rules to a Successful Architecture Project. What are your rules to a successful project? http://fivecat.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/5-rules-to-a-successful-architecture-project/ … [Read more...]
The Entrepreneurial X-Factor
What is it that separates us entrepreneurs from other business people? From e-myth.com: "MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOUR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS." According to legend, this is the ad placed in a London newspaper in August 1914 by Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. While it's not exactly the kind of ad we suggest you use to recruit employees (see our article … [Read more...]
BUILD LLC
I been following the BUILD blog for about a year. BUILD LLC is a small design/build firm located in Seattle, specializing in modern residential and small commercial projects. They maintain a very nice website and post to their blog on a regular basis. Their most recent post, Thank You Sir May I Have Another, is a nice reminder of the things we should all be focusing on as we wallow through this mess of an economy. The subtitle of the post reads, A ten-point plan for keeping a smile on your face … [Read more...]
Survival: How’d YOU do it?
The year 2009 was a very tough time for business. As we move our way past first quarter 2010, we're starting to see a bit of improvement; a few rays of sunshine among the clouds. We are not yet seeing 2007 numbers, but things are certainly moving in the right direction. I have discussed how WE made it through the storm over at our LinkedIn Group. Today, I'm wondering how YOU did it. Did you make any specific changes to your firm? Any innovative solutions for survival? The guys over at BUILD … [Read more...]
Clients…by Michael Bierut of Pentagram
A blogging friend, Katie Hutchison, sent me a link to a recent talk by Michael Bierut, a partner at Pentagram. Part of the CreativeMornings lecture series organized by Tina Roth Eisenberg a.k.a @swissmiss, Michael discusses his take on clients; the good, the bad and the ugly. Just under an hour long, it's well worth a watch. Thanks again Katie. … [Read more...]
Are You Remarkable?
Becky Shankle (@ecomod) is thinking out of the box... the IKEA box to be more specific. Becky is the founder and lead designer at eco-modernism. In addition to designing and installing custom kitchens and baths in the Raleigh, NC region, she has launched an innovative IKEA kitchen services. By promoting her firm as IKEA specialists, she differentiates eco-mod from the dozens of other kitchen designers in her region. She's a Purple Cow. She's remarkable. She has found a way to inspire people to … [Read more...]
The New Networking
From ResidentialArchitect.com: Marketing is a chore for most residential architects, who would rather draw than dream up ways to attract new business. It's easier to rely on word-of-mouth advertising and the casual connections formed at kids' soccer games, dinner parties, and board meetings. Conventional wisdom says that personal networking is, in fact, the most powerful marketing tool there is. Consumers place far more trust in people they know than they do in advertising messages, and that … [Read more...]
How To Start Your Own Design Firm
Here's an excellent post from one of my favorite blogs: A buddy of ours recently asked for our advice on how to go out on your own as an architect. It’s an interesting question primarily because of the timing and the current economy (or lack thereof). But despite the slow industry, we think its the right time to establish your own firm. While the market will remain slow for a while (probably over another year), when it does pickup, the architects left standing will be flush with … [Read more...]