Business Of Architecture Podcast

Karen Compton is Principal of A3K Consulting, a consortium of business management consultants specializing in the AEC environment. In this capacity, Ms. Compton oversees a team of professionals focused on the development of transformative business strategies and solutions that reflect an organization’s long- and short-term goals.   Ms. Compton has more than 20 years of experience in business management including business development (sales), marketing and strategic planning; and more than five years in the public sector, where she served as the director of the small business program for a major water utility.  A nationally featured speaker for several organizations including the AIA Knowledge Practice Community, American Institute of Architects, the Society of Design Administration, the American Society of Landscape Architects and PSMJ Resources, Ms. Compton is regularly featured on the subjects of business development and business planning.  Additionally, she is the Executive Producer and co-host of Breaking

Today's episode is a replay from our Business of Architecture UK podcast. It was so great, we wanted to share it here as well. Acrylicize, a multidisciplinary design studio in Hackney, has cornered a niche market which occupies a number of different territories, from fine art and interior design, to architecture. They are masterful at creating brand experience and awareness in corporate and commercial environments. Rion spoke with Global Managing Director, Paul Arad. They discussed the firm's early days, how they found clients, negotiated contracts, and nurtured relationships to grow the business to an international firm with offices in London, New York, and Seattle. They've done this by following principles of developing client relationships, attracting talent, and nurturing a team so talent sticks around for a long time. Enjoy this fascinating conversation and let us know your thoughts.   THIS WEEK'S RESOURCES: Access your free training at: http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ If you want to speak directly to ou

Kenneth Lewis is a Managing Partner in SOM's New York studio office. Kenneth knows New York's development world like the back of his hand, having managed some of the most complex building projects in the city's recent history. In his 35 plus years in building in New York City and beyond. Ken's work includes One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and its neighbor Seven World Trade Center; both built under extraordinary circumstances. Ken led SOM's work at 35 Hudson Yards, an undulating residential tower and home to the first Equinox Hotel. More recently, Ken led construction and development of Manhattan West, a 7 million square foot, mixed-use, master plan development built above active railroad tracks, encompassing four new towers and reuse of an existing loft building. Today, Ken is leading the most significant renovation and reuse project in New York's history, the complete transformation and ground up renovation of the landmark Waldorf Astoria. Ken is also the president of

As we’ve researched and worked with firm after firm, a common thread stands out from those firms who have more success than others - the caliber and experience of people working at the firm. This is why the People Playbook is one of the four pillars of the SMART Practice Method. On today’s episode you’ll hear from Lance Cayko, co-founder of F9 Productions, an architectural and design-build practice based in Colorado. Lance and his business partner, Alex Gore, have built their practice from just themselves to over 10 employees in the past seven years. So I asked, "Lance - what has been the hardest part about growing a firm from no employees to 10 employees?" In today’s episode, you’ll discover Lance’s answer, and sage advice. To learn more about Lance Cayko, visit: https://www.f9productions.com/ Lance's podcast: https://www.insidethefirmpodcast.com/   ► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our

What is the key to having a successful architecture practice? There are many ways to answer this question, and everyone defines success differently. What does success mean to you? Consider this question for a moment. What does success mean to you? I’ll guess that your definition of success isn’t being financially stretched, burned out or unfulfilled. Recently, I heard an interview with Oprah Winfrey where she said, “no one succeeds alone.” And she repeated it twice. “No one succeeds alone.” So however you define success, consider that you can’t have success alone - as an island. What is the key to building a team of people around you - of team members, clients and associates? That’s one of the things we touch on in this interview. Alex Gore, co-host of the “Inside the Firm” podcast interviewed me for the Inside the Firm podcast, and I thought you’d want to hear it also, so I’m reposting it here. If you’re a podcast listener, you’ll definitely want to check out the “Inside the Firm” podcast with Lance Cayko an

Drew Lang, founding principal of LANG Studio in New York, shares the challenges of being an architect developer and how many of those challenges were solved with a unique approach to the award-winning development in the Catskills, Hudson Woods. Drew is an active advocate for positive collaboration in community and getting more readily to a place of joy in our work within the industry. With this philosophy in mind, Drew launched the newly reimagined social-media platform Brick & Wonder in 2020, to provide an online community where real estate and design professionals can go to connect, support, and network. As an architect, Drew has been tapped to bring his design sensibility to even more new homes in the works in upstate New York. He can speak to trends in the housing market, as well as to the power of design and community-building in this new pandemic-shaped era. To see more about Drew, visit his website at: https://langarchitecture.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-lang-0655b16 Instagram:

Pamela Durkin, ASID, LEED AP, has quite the trifecta of expertise as an Interior Designer, Business Coach, and Marketing Consultant. With 30 years of experience running her own Florida based practice, she has earned her some very hard-won business lessons, some of which she shares with us on this episode. She knows how to be magnetic in attracting ideal clients, not simply waiting around for them to show up. Her program "In Demand DESIGNER" fuels her mission to empower other designers do the same: create businesses they love and magnetize their dream clients. Check out her book Elevate on Amazon, where she goes into much more depth around today's topics.   THIS WEEK'S RESOURCES: Pamela's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamdurkin/ Pamela's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pameladurkin Pamela's Website: https://pamela-durkin.com/ Pamela's book Elevate: https://www.amazon.com/Elevate-design-business-basement-Penthouse/dp/1080736301/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3514Q456LIPUD&keywords=elevate+pamela+durkin&qi

Today we welcome Matthias Hollwich, principal and founder of New York architecture firm HWKN. Learn about the inception of HWKN and it's growth, how Architizer led to a deep understanding of how media and publishing relate to the world of running an architectural practice, and so much more. Matthias gives us insights on how he approaches working with developer clients in order to deliver innovative solutions in a competitive commercial environment, what it's like to balance having a Research & Development arm in the company, along with other entrepreneurial activities. Matthias Hollwich is not just a great architect, but an entrepreneur, published author, and co-founder of Architizer.com. He has worked for a number of internationally acclaimed architectural firms and urban design studios, including design of the McCormick Tribune Campus Center at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, and Casa da Musica in Porto. Enjoy this inspiring episode and let us know what you think.   TH

Why is it so common to give away free work in the architecture industry? Doctors don't work for free. Attorneys don’t work for free. Yet it has become so common in the architecture industry to give away work for free, that many clients now expect it. Today I speak with Bryon McCartney of Archmark. As a graphic designer by training, Bryon runs a branding and communications agency for architectural practices. In this episode you’ll discover Archmark's 3 “Rs” of getting better Recognition, increasing your practice’s Reputation, and building significant Relationships. We also discuss the root causes of why we feel pressured to give away free work, and strategies to overcome this trend. To see more of what Archmark can do for you, visit https://www.archmark.co/. ► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call ► Subscribe to my YouTube

Have you ever been in a place you felt you weren't supposed to be within your career or business? Or like you're not doing what you feel like you're supposed to be doing? I certainly have. It's easy to get caught in this, to keep doing what you're doing, ignoring that voice inside, fearing the risk. Yet listening to our fear keeps us small, it keeps the world from getting the gift we could be giving. Architect Ibrahim Greenidge came to this place in his career, where he decided he needed to make a shift. In today's episode, you'll discover how Greenidge started his practice and grew it to a team of five. Greenidge shares his number one challenge running an architectural practice today and the three top principles that have been his guiding stars for success. Greenidge is the co-founder of BOLT Architecture, a Brooklyn-based architectural practice. In 2017, he was appointed to serve as President of the New York Coalition of Black Architects. He won the 2015 Jumaane Stewart Recognition Award, his designs have b

With the right strategy and context, your approach to social media presence can do much more than show off your design. Enoch Sears and Bryan Toepfer discuss timeless principles for using social media in a business context for your architectural firm. Bryan is the Principal Architect for TOEPFER Architecture, an Architecture firm specializing in Residential Architecture and Virtual Reality. He has authored two books, “Contractors CANNOT Build Your House,” and “Six Months Now, ARCHITECT for Life.” He is an Assistant Professor at Alfred State College and has served as the Director of Education for the AIA Rochester Board of Directors. His passion is to help anyone understand the world of Architecture. He can be reached at btoepfer@toepferarchitecture. Social Media for Architects by Enoch Sears is available at https://bit.ly/3ypnFBl. ► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a cal

Classical design leader James Smiros joins us in discussing how his firm survived repeated crises, how diversifying can work in your favor, and the importance of keeping strong relationships with industry partners. He offers great business tips on growth, resilience, and remaining fluid, all while staying true to your design. Smiros graduated from the School of Architecture and Design at New York Tech. He has now served as a member of the FRIENDS Executive Committee for 10 years. He began Smiros & Smiros almost 30 years ago, with a focus on timeless, luxury, residential design concepts, serving clients worldwide. They were recently awarded the Addison Mizner for Master Planning Mixed Program and have been published in many renowned venues such as Architectural Digest, Robb Report, Luxury Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. Their classical site is an true representation of their classical design. Check it out at www.smiros.com.   ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMet

Philip Kafka, President of Prince Concepts in Detroit, is known for the award-winning ground-up development project True North. Kafka also serves on the board of MoCAD in Detroit, and has frequently been a guest critic and lecturer in university architecture departments worldwide. Architect and designer Ishtiaq Rafiuddin is Principal of design studio UNDECORATED. He also co-founded New York City's co-working space Based In, and Istanbul's visualization studio Mimaj. In addition to co-creating design-led developments like Caterpillar, these brilliant minds have excelled at leveraging constraints that would typically be seen as limitations, to improve and restore Detroit.   ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call ► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates: https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture ******* For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactfu

The most common aspect of owning an Architecture Firm is wondering where the next project will come from. This pressure can kill the joy of running your practice. One of the most powerful ways to avoid this is to picking the right niche. In a recent episode on how to earn 6 figures or more as an architect - choosing the right niche was one of the 7 tips I gave. From the vault today, we have John Sofio, founder of Built Inc., who started out in residential design build almost 30 years ago. Today, his firm has niched into designing and building some of the most iconic nightclubs around the United States.   ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call ► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates: https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture ******* For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on: Facebook: https://www

"Wow, that's a lot of money … I had no idea it was going to be that much!" If you've heard this before, you've probably presented a proposal to a client. Clients base their idea of 'too much' off false assumptions. Fortunately, there's an effective way to win without lowering prices. ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call ► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates: https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture/ ******* For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessofarchitecture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/ Website: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusinessofArch Podcast: http://www.businessofarchitecture.com/podcast iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/business-architecture-podcast/id5889879

What does it take to earn 6 figures as an architect? In this episode of the Business of Architecture podcast, you'll not only discover that it's possible to earn 6 figures as an architect, but we will give you 7 ways to do so.   ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.co... ► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates: https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofA... ******* For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/busin... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/ Website: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusinessofArch Podcast: http://www.businessofarchitecture.com... iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/b... Android Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Businesso... ******* Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video

Architect Jared Della Valle is the CEO Alloy Development. In this episode you'll discover how Jared has built a design-focused development company. Visit http://smartpracticemethod.com for a free architecture firm owner Masterclass on how to structure your architecture practice for freedom, fulfillment and financial reward.

Today's interview is with Brett Andersen, partner at the architectural lighting design firm Focus Lighting. Based in New York City, Focus Lighting has done many notable projects. Here's today's episode with Brett Andersen. ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call ► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates: https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture ******* For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessofarchitecture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/ Website: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusinessofArch Podcast: http://www.businessofarchitecture.com/podcast/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/business-architecture-podcast/id588987926 Android Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Business

Hello, and welcome to the Business of Architecture, with your host, Rion Willard. Today's interview is with Michael Poris AIA, Principal of McIntosh Poris Associates, an architecture firm with offices in Birmingham and Detroit, Michigan. Poris and his firm are passionate about the revitalization of his hometown of Detroit. His leadership has evolved the firm into a full-service practice offering a range of disciplines in architecture, interior design, and urban planning within diverse project types.   ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/ ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call ► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates: https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture ******* For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessofarchitecture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/ Website: ht

Hello, and welcome to the Business of Architecture. I'm your host, Rion Willard. And this week, I’m speaking with Joseph Spierer, owner of California-based architecture firm, Joseph Spierer Architects, Inc. Growing up in Los Angeles County, Joseph attended and received his Architecture degree from The University of Arizona School of Architecture, and got his architecture license in the State of California.  After interning with, then working for, several leading Southern California Architects of note, Joseph opened his own Architecture practice in the South Bay, specializing in custom residential and small commercial projects.  In addition to practicing architecture, Joseph is a managing member of several real estate holding companies and is one of the owners and partners of JAM Properties, which identifies and assembles real estate investment and development opportunities throughout Southern California.   In this episode, Joseph gives a little glimpse of how the firm operates, how they win work, how they mit