from Architecture to PROFITecture

If you're anything like me, it's really easy to get caught up in learning "all the things" about how to market your design firm, listening to podcasts and audiobooks and trainings and Facebook groups, and feeling the need to be omnipresent across the internet and social media to have a shot at as many great clients as possible (all the while juggling life and the work itself!). But let me ask you: When's the last time you pressed pause on all that? Stopped to "take a breath"? (I mean, don't stop feeding your children or showering or anything like that...) :) If you only take time to evaluate your marketing once a year (usually in the few days of the year, am I right?), I invite you to listen in to today's episode, as we discuss the "power of the pause".

I've just spent an afternoon auditing my time spent in my business this week... OOF. Based on the Clockwork principles brought to life by Mike Michalowicz and Adrienne Dorson, this week I want to share how you can categorize EVERYTHING you do in a given week into just 6 categories... Some of those categories are money-makers... and some are REAL time-suckers... Let's talk about how to amp up those money-makers!

Beautiful photography and graphics aside, the copy we include on our websites, blog posts, emails and social media posts is CRITICAL to bringing potential clients into our world, and bringing the RIGHT ones into working relationships. More specifically, the HEADLINE of your content makes all the difference in whether or not those clients stay on your website or click 'see more...' on your latest Instagram post.

Today I'm talking about productization, and how we can better reach & connecting with our potential clients through selling our design process and services as PRODUCTS.

The marketing content for our design firms needs to: 1. be strictly defined to match our brand for as long as possible; 2. appeal to as many people as possible; 3. be produced as precisely and perfectly as our construction documents, and; 4. teach potential clients about what we do and how we do it, 100% of the time. ...right? Well, this week I'm speaking with messaging wiz and founder of The Video 4X Effect, Brandon Lucero, where we'll BUST those myths and discuss how we can create effective, POWERFUL online content for our design firms that speaks DIRECTLY to our ideal clients.

The vast majority of architecture and landscape architecture firms are making fundamental mistakes with their online content... and they don't even realize it, because everyone else in their market is doing the SAME thing! In this episode, I'm breaking down the 3 common things that lead to content with little to no engagement, AND what to do about them so that you can get out of the 'Underpaid Architect' trap and become today's 'PROFITect'. If your online content is not getting the results you want, I can almost guarantee you're making at least one of these mistakes, and this episode will help you start creating content that is unique, powerful, meaningful, AND creates demand for your expertise!

There are multiple paths to success in the AEC industry, above and beyond the direct-to-client design services model. This week's podcast is all about taking CONTROL of your firm's direction and revenue, creating autonomy AND opportunity. Alex Gore & Lance Cayko of F9 Productions have incorporated a WIDE range of activities throughout their firm's relatively short history, including authoring books, teaching at university, offering online courses, AND funding, designing and building their own projects. (There's even a feature on HGTV in the mix...)

You probably wouldn't repeat a design project to project, but when it comes to your firm's social media and marketing, repetition is a GOOD thing... ...so long as the intent of your message is crystal clear and your audience specifically-defined. Let's talk about how being a broken record can help to BUILD your business!

Running a successful design firm requires BALANCE. If you nod to every client whim and request, you probably won't get the projects that you'd be proud to showcase in your portfolio... Hold a death grip on your aesthetic, and you'll probably have a hard time getting clients in the door as a startup. If you micromanage every line in CAD, every minute of billed time, you'll have an unhappy, if not unprofitable, staff... Give too much freedom, and projects can easily go off the rails. Likewise... If you have your "head in the clouds", speaking existentially in jargon only your professors would understand, and potential clients will struggle to understand how (or if!) you can help them... If your marketing focuses solely on your concrete skills and experience, potential clients will struggle to make a connection with you and will evaluate your firm primarily on price... Somewhere between "the clouds and the dirt", lies the most powerful marketing you can implement in your business: EMOTION.

As business owners and design firm leaders, we are more often than not juggling multiple balls, wearing multiple hats, putting out multiple fires... it's the nature of running a business. As our minds are constantly tasked with "doing all the things", can you think of a time when you weren't 100% present with a client? Weren't 100% focused on the design work you needed to complete that day? Allowed your health & eating routines to slide a bit? Being PRESENT in everything we do isn't always easy, but there are strategies to help strengthen our mental and physical presence, which ultimately strengthens our ability to run a successful, profitable firm.

Stepping out to build your personal brand can be one of the most empowering and fulfilling endeavors, but also one of the hardest things to achieve. This week, let's talk about 5 tips to keep in mind!

It's a brand new year, and if you haven't started planning out your annual goals, then you've no doubt been flooded with ads for planners on social media... Goal setting is great, but planning an entire year can often feel like "eating the elephant"... (you do that one bite at a time, btw...) In this episode, I share how I plan out my life & business instead in 90-day blocks.

The events of 2020 FORCED so much change in the world, in our lives, and in the way we practice as design professionals. (No, this is not another 'goal setting' session for the new year...) On the eve of the year 2021, we have the opportunity and ability to CHOOSE to change even more, to make 2021 even better (though I would argue 2020 was pretty damn good, just maybe not for the surface-level reasons you might think...) What have been the GOOD changes in your life and business this year? And what changes are YOU going to make moving onward and upward?

2020 forced ALL of us out of our comfort zones, in some shape or form. To continue to build our businesses, further our impact and become leaders in design & construction, we'll need to get even MORE uncomfortable. "You must be willing to do the things today others won't do, in order to have the things tomorrow others won't have." Les Brown Let's talk about how to win in 2021...…

We've all had them... the time-sucking client. Whether it's a phone call that went an hour and a half too long, or a ridiculous amount of revisions on a fixed fee contract, the implications of not protecting our time as professionals and business owners can be devastating to our firms' bottom lines. Let's talk about ways to protect our valuable hours (and our profits!)

If you've got the entrepreneurial spirit to venture out with your own design firm, there's probably a (big) part of you that doesn't want to be tied down to a schedule and workflow; wants to do what you want, when you want; wants to choose projects and clients as you see fit... But you also might start your days asking: What should I do first? Or get to the end of the day and wonder: What did I get done today? Did I truly move the project and my business forward? Systems and processes actually ALLOW us to be the creative souls we are, allow us to do what we're meant to do: create amazing spaces for people. Let's talk about them...

Referrals are often the easiest leads for our design firms, but at some points, that well runs dry... So what are firm owners to do?

Today we're talking about the notion of BEing committed, and how that one word can make all the difference in building the career or design firm you've dreamed about.

There's just ONE thing that scares all design firm owners... and we'll be talking about it today on this special HALLOWEEN edition of "from Architecture to PROFITecture"!

Comparing, competition, "sizing up", benchmarking...even at their most subtle level, it's just human nature. But it can be crippling to your progress as a professional, certainly as a firm owner. Let's talk about it!

Beliefs and behavior come before success. If you're not confidently spreading the word about your expertise, your work, and your client success stories, you'll never be able to create the profitable firm you want. Got fear of promoting yourself? Let's shift that mindset!

What is your LEGACY? What impact are you making in your industry? In your community? In your time here in this life? And how can your legacy drive your strongest marketing messages? (Rip. In. Peace... Eddie Van Halen!!!)

Today we're talking about everyone's favorite topic: MONEY! Or... IS it your favorite? Maybe you see money as a "necessary evil", or a byproduct of your expertise, or something you deserve, or a mental burden, or a tool for helping more clients... Whatever IT is - it's just that: a view or belief that only you hold, one that is often tied intrinsically to our value as design professionals and as modern human beings. We'll discuss the external and internal approaches to setting your fees, handling expenses, and of course: PROFIT.

This week I'm speaking with Mandy Freeland, AIA, Principal at Mandy Freeland, Architect Inc., and Young Architect Regional Director for AIA Southern California. We'll discuss her journey and lessons learned in starting her own firm, the daily juggle of parenting and professional practice, and her continuing peer outreach through AIA and the 'Parents in Architecture' Facebook group she co-founded at the end of 2019 (talk about timing!).

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word 'no'? Rejection? Failure? Let's flip that script. Hearing 'NO' is probably trying to teach you something, and if your business hasn't had the traction or success you've worked for, you probably aren't hearing it ENOUGH...

My YouTube channel has helped me to secure design contracts AFTER clients have vetted and met with me. On this week's show, my guest is using YouTube to actually have clients FIND him, and he's booking six-figure design & construction projects across the country. In fact, 2020 is shaping up to be his best business year yet!

If your firm's or brand's online content isn't resonating with potential clients, there are some fundamental changes you might consider, especially here in 2020, where clients are almost solely vetting us ONLINE. This week's show is a segment of the workshop I'm hosting called "Invisible to Invaluable", a content design workshop where we're uncovering the mistakes many design firms are making in their online content, and digging into new frameworks of content creation. You can still join the workshop by visiting: https://profitecturebydesign.com/workshop

Jumping into online video for your design firm or personal brand can be exciting & effective... but there are some big pitfalls to watch out for. This week, we're talking about the 5 biggest mistakes you can make when adopting online video into your brand's marketing strategy.

Venturing into a new social media platform, and certainly into online video, can seem like a daunting task at first. After all, it's forcing you to put YOURSELF out there (not just your professional services)... Let's talk about how studying and researching and consulting (and and and..) about HOW to market your firm online is actually keeping your business stuck, and WHY you should just hit 'Publish'.

As you're starting or growing your design firm, the inclination might be to bring in an outside video production- or social media management company to take over your content. But that might be the worst thing you could do...

Being known for something takes more than credentials, or a portfolio, or accolades... Infusing your PASSION into your work, company culture and yes, marketing messages is key.

Your failure is inevitable... Wait... WHAT?! Yes, today we're talking about the perception of the word "failure", and how the most resilient businesses actually EMBRACE it as a path to success and profit.

What's the best lead magnet for your architecture or design firm? PDF e-book? Checklist? Video training? Livestream? All of them! But really, none of them... Well actually, it's not a WHAT or HOW...but a WHO and WHY.

As design professionals with lengthy training and certifications, it's easy to fall into a pattern of industry jargon, buzzwords and existential conversation. Marketing your firm ONLINE, however, leaves no room (or time!) for that... In trying to "hook" new design clients as an architect or landscape architect, we've got to keep it short and sweet! In this episode, we'll talk about how to say what you do (and who you help) in the brief few seconds you have to capture your potential clients' attention online...

This week, I want to introduce a new look at our clients' journeys, and how there are 4 stages that encompass them on EVERY project. But we're not talking about the phases of design development here - we're talking about the emotional and psychological journeys that our clients go on in working with a design professional.

Giving away free schematic plans as a lead magnet, building custom furniture, and adopting the developer-architect model to build, then rent out his own projects has allowed Earl Parson to grow Clever Moderns into a thriving practice. What's more, he has done this within the "micro niche" of the Quonset hut.

Whether or not you've been forced to cut back hours, release staff, leave your office space, or have had projects go on hold or be cancelled altogether in recent months, there are always ways to trim expenses and make your business more lean. In today's episode, we'll discuss the best FREE online apps & tools for keeping you organized and maintaining your visibility as a design firm.

In this week's episode, I'm interviewing Tim Brown of Tim Brown Architecture and Perch Plans, an Austin TX-based architect who has successfully combined custom residential design and pre-fab plans into his practice.

The ideas of 'productizing' and 'shopping' and 'customer' might sound strange to us design professionals, maybe even off-putting. BUT... PACKAGING and BRANDING the ways and means by which you deliver and market your design services can create so much more clarity in the eyes of your potential ideal clients.

Promoting & selling your #design expertise as an #architect or #landscape architect through a structured course or coaching program is easier than ever... In this video, we'll talk about the 5 main points to consider to expand your reach and diversify your income streams!

The clarity and consistency of your firm's marketing message will be one of, if not the most important, factors for success as we move through 2020. Let's talk about how to clarify yours!

Thinking about starting a YouTube channel for your design firm? The power of online #video can't be overstated in #marketing your services, and this video will give you 5 "big picture" tips to get you on track and in front of the camera!

Here at the start of Q2 2020, one of the most prevalent (and sensitive) topics on our minds is MONEY. In times like this, your mindset about money can make all the difference for your firm, and your well-being...

In this episode (EP 011), we'll discuss the key elements your firm's website should have to keep potential clients engaged, and have them book a call, share their email address or refer you for your next project...

We've come to the end of Q1 2020 (did you miss it?). In Episode 10, we'll talk about why checking back in with your annual or quarterly goals is so important (ESPECIALLY in times like this). We'll also talk about how to make progress PROACTIVELY (not REACTIVELY) through Q2, as we navigate a changing economy and social "norm"...

In Part 1 of this website SEO series, I'll go through 5 strategies you should consider to improve the search ranking of your firm's website.

In this week's broadcast, I'm speaking with Mark R LePage of EntreArchitect & Gabl Technologies about adding podcasting, online courses, memberships etc to a traditional design practice.

We're almost through Q1 of 2020, and both the social media and economic landscapes are rapidly changing. In this episode [007], we'll talk about your aversion to (or love of) risk, and how that plays into your marketing strategy...

Bringing in an outside eye to create content that profiles your firm, documents a project, or boosts your social media presence can be a worthwhile (but possibly unfamiliar) investment. In this week's episode of "from Architecture to PROFITecture" (006), I'm speaking with Brodie Kerst, architecture graduate turned full-time videographer FOR architecture and landscape firms.

The best way to build awareness for your design firm just might be to NOT talk about design... How can more personal, relatable, varied content attract your ideal clients? Let's talk about it in Episode #5 of "from Architecture to PROFITecture"!

There's no substitute for eye contact and a handshake in building relationships and running a design firm. But in 2020, online video can actually be the key to making those warm introductions FOR you...