Starting Your Architecture Studio? Here’s A Reality Check.

Sit in on a creative business consultation as I work through Page’s ideas for her new architecture practice and watch as we turn her aspirational concepts into reality. I walk her through the basic calculations every new business owner must know, we talk options and opportunities, clients, fees, and how to position her business in the middle of the value exchange.

This is a typical conversation I have with design professionals of every skill level each Friday. These are students enrolled in my Architect + Entrepreneur Course and range from new graduates and young professionals just starting out, to established architects all seeking to design a business for the new economy and feed their creative intellect. Our conversation brought up many of the issues we face as design professionals in daily practice; topics they don’t teach in school.

If you’re interested in learning more about the strategies + tactics we discussed and for the worksheets and access to the entire conversation with Page, please check out the Architect + Entrepreneur Course.

JOIN The Architect + Entrepreneur Course:
**https://thirtybyforty.com/a-e-course

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Meet Page
00:46 (My Front Yard)
01:49 The initial plan
02:19 I’m an investor, pitch me.
02:49 Precedent 1: Mass Design Group
04:30 Why non-profits are tricky
05:55 Precedent 2: Epicenter
06:43 You’re actually the investor, so…
07:36 Plan B
08:45 Alone vs. partners? Pros/cons
12:10 Plan C – safer, but not ideal
13:30 Who’s serving your ideal client now?
13:47 Leveraging free
14:10 Running the numbers (take 1)
16:33 A Reality Check
17:06 Treat your business like a design problem
17:38 “Speaking from experience”
18:22 Other possible solutions
20:51 My “Day 1” Activity
22:33 Where do your potential clients see value?
24:22 Walmart + scale issues
25:09 How about a Plan Book?
26:00 Running the numbers (take 2)
26:30 Licensing your plans
27:50 B to B vs. B to C
28:48 Equity exchange?
30:31 How to own the room
31:26 Sharing my formulas
34:09 Does that excite you?
35:26 Thinking holistically
37:03 Capturing margin during construction
39:22 Remodel projects?
42:50 Your Day 0 vs. My Year 7
44:00 The value of a story
45:40 Clients base decisions on this

ARCHITECT’S TOOLKIT:
Architect + Entrepreneur Startup Toolkit (* *UPDATED for 2021 ** ): http://thirtybyforty.com/spl

DIGITAL DRAWING TEMPLATES:
* AutoCAD: http://thirtybyforty.com/autocad-template
* REVIT: http://thirtybyforty.com/revit-template

MUSIC I USE (free 30-day trial):
http://thirtybyforty.com/epidemic

ALL MY GEAR:
*http://thirtybyforty.com/kit

#architectentrepreneur #architectbusiness #architectcourse