1) Design great architecture. 2) Get noticed. 3) Thrive! Isn’t that how it is supposed to work. Well… it doesn’t. The trick is step 2. Getting noticed. How do you get noticed? The answer in a word, is Marketing. Even uber-successful “starchitects” have a marketing team working to get their “great architecture” noticed. Whether you […]
Things I Didn’t Learn at Architecture School (But Need to Know): How do I start and keep a business alive?
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 […]
Are You “Locally Famous”?
What are you doing to become “locally famous”? Do you have a facebook account with which you post regularly and interact with your fans? Do you follow Twitter feeds for people who have influence in your local communities… and respond to their tweets? Do you blog… consistently, and have a website which reflects the expectations […]
4 Ways to Build an Irreplaceable Business
From inc.com: Last year Howard Stern earned more than any other radio personality. U2 topped the list of highest-paid musicians. Leonardo DiCaprio made $77 million, more than any other actor. Tiger Woods, in spite of all his, um, problems, still made $62 million to head the list of highest-paid athletes. Read more.
How Do You Organize Your Week?
So today is Monday. I typically reserve Mondays for administrative work and prepping for the rest of the week. I work on business systems and schedule project interviews on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Friday is a day to wrap up loose ends and make sure clients are happy. Obviously, in order to be successful my […]
David Hovey, FAIA, Entrepreneur Architect
From OptimaWeb.com: Faced with the natural constraints of client-based business, architects often dream of the freedom that could arise from developing their own building projects. A look at some AIA Chicago chapter members who have taken the leap to become architect/ developers can act as an inspiration and provide insights to success in this risky, […]
Success List
The following is a list of words and phrases that I have assembled over the past few years. I use it to remind myself what is most important in terms of success. They are in no particular order; simply a random, continuous brainstorm. What have I missed? Post your thoughts in the comments. Courage Execution […]
How do you measure your success?
There’s a saying in business, “What gets measured, gets managed.” Winning companies track several metrics to gauge their performance and measure business success. ROI (return on investment), EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization), average sales, website traffic, employee churn and average inventory are all key business indicators. Large retailers track same store sales, […]
Do you use AIA Contract Documents? Let’s talk agreements…
Several years ago, we constructed a new Proposal document that doubles as our Owner / Architect Agreement. It’s 5 pages long and, together with a separate 2 page “Standard Terms and Conditions” document, it includes all the protections of the AIA document… but looks and reads much friendlier. Fivecat Studio specializes in large residential additions […]
How do your clients find YOU?
At the end of an interview with a prospective client, I ask them to complete a short questionnaire. Most of the questions are names, address and telephone numbers, but near the bottom of the page is this question, “How did you learn about Fivecat Studio?” The question is followed by a few choices, “Magazine or […]
How important is your firm’s name?
Our firm’s name is Fivecat Studio. It took quite a long time to settle on the name when we launched the firm back in 1999. Our intent, then and now, is to build a great and enduring firm that will long outlive its founders. We did not want to build the firm around any single […]
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 […]
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