Business of Architecture Podcast

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: today's parable is - Little Whiteboard. When I work out in the morning, I use a small whiteboard to track how exercises I've done. Recently, I did a workout that included a set of complex movements repeated 10 times. I'm not sure, but I think that somewhere along the line I lost track of the number of rounds I'd done. :( Everyone else finished at least 1 round ahead of me. This got me to thinking about the power and importance of tracking and knowing the numbers in your architecture firm as an ArchitectCEO. There are a lot of important numbers to track, from complex key performance indicators like utilization and break-even rates, to simple metrics like the work in progress or pipeline backlog. In today's episode, you'll discover why tracking your numbers is essential to running a DREAM Practice, and the metrics I recommend you start with if you don't know where to start. Let me know what you think.

ArchitectCEO Update: the parable of Lollipops at the Carwash. The other day I was driving around with my two oldest daughters (14 yrs and 12yrs old) and decided to drop by the car wash. My oldest daughter asked excitedly, "Ooh, can I get a lollipop?" "Don't you think you're a little old to be getting lollipops from the car wash?" I joked with a smile. She asked her sister if SHE wanted a lollipop. "Nope," responded my 12 year old daughter. After thinking for a few seconds, my oldest daughter changed her mind. "I don't want one after all," she said. This experience got me to thinking ... where in my life am I changing what I want because of what other people around me are doing? Am I showing up as my true and authentic self each and every day? I realize I'm not, but I'm committed to do better. Discover more by listening to today's ArchitectCEO update, and let me know what you think. Enoch

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: today's parable is - Milk on the Back Wall. As my wife and I were driving home today from the gym at 6 am I realized that we're out of bananas at home for my daily smoothie. Oh no! Red light emergency! ;) So we dropped by our local grocery store to pick up bananas - and some milk. There I was - armed with my mission: get milk and bananas. Simple enough right? The bananas were easy to find. I asked an associate where I could find the milk. He pointed to the far back corner of the store. I confirmed, "The far back corner?" "Yep," he responded. I went there and found myself in the meat section. "Hmm ... I think I'll pick up some pork chops." Finally, after running back to the front of the store and asking another associate where to find the milk, I found that creamy white goodness in the middle of the back wall of the store. I got back to my car and told my waiting wife about my trouble finding the milk. She replied: "On the back wall right? That's where it usually is." She reminded me that grocery stores usually have the milk at the back so they have a better chance of you buying something else on your way to get the milk. Well it worked. The grocery store strategically designed my experience as a customer. What I'd have you consider today is this: where in your architecture are you lacking a carefully designed experience for your clients? Do you have a systematic process for reaching out to and engaging new clients? Do you know what you'll say on the first interaction? What will you do or say on the third or fourth interaction? Is this information captured somewhere so that other people can be trained on this process ... so you're not continually reinventing the wheel? If you realize you need a more carefully scripted process and don't have the time or know where to start, send me a private message. Perhaps I can help you.

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: parable of the Giant Sequoia. Recently I visit Sequoia National Park, which is a 45 minute drive from my home. This national sanctuary in the Sierra Nevada mountains is home to the largest living things on the planet - the magnificent Sequoiadendron Giganteum trees, otherwise known as Giant Redwoods. The oldest of these trees are over 2000 years old. Wow. As I was walking through a grove of these trees with my family, I noticed one Sequoia tree that was leaning to one side. Because the tree is off kilter, it's at risk of falling due to wind or unstable soil. Who knows why this tree has grown this way, it began it's life hundreds of years ago. But sometime in the past, something happened that locked it into it's current trajectory. This is an example of the importance of 'initial conditions.' Initial conditions are the variables that act on something when it is started. In today's video you'll discover why the lesson on initial conditions is critical to running your architecture firm if you want big results. If you want small results, don't worry about it. :) If you're ready to get big results, get your free invite to my next firm online training on 4 Pillars to Building the Dream Practice. Register here: http://architectresources.org/initial-conditions

Today's ArchitectCEO Update: Stretch Yourself Old Man! Understanding the difference between symptom and cause is key to adopting the CEO mindset. Recently while working out I pulled my lower back. This injury stopped me from working out for over a week because I had to take time off to recover. I realized that this recurring injury is a symptom of another problem with my body. Watch or listen to today's ArchitectCEO update to discover the important lesson I was reminded of by one of my favorite business thinkers. If you're ready to get your firm to the next level, get more profit and work on more fulfilling projects, you must attend my next FREE Dream Practice Executive Briefing. Register to save your spot here: http://architectresources.org/hks8a

The topic of today's ArchitectCEO Daily Update is: my firm is in chaos. This morning when I came home from the gym I was greeted by an amazing sight. More on that later, first let me tell you about a call I had with an architecture firm owner who lamented, "my firm is in chaos!" Remember that clip from Jurassic Park where Ian Malcolm explains Chaos Theory? He tells Dr. Ellie Sattler (played by Laura Dern), "it deals with predicatability in a complex system. The shorthand is the Butterfly effect - a butterfly flaps its wings in Peking and in Central Park you get rain instead of sunshine." There are a lot of butterflys flapping in an architecture firm. You have: client meetings, designing with a thousand variables, creating and coordinating construction drawings, verifying or denying change orders, managing finances, and on and on. Now back to what I saw this morning - my daughter making breakfast for the family with the table already set as she does every day. I have six kids - there's serious potential for chaos. So how do we get my twelve year old daughter make breakfast? It's because we have systems that manage the chaos - the only way my wife and I maintain sanity. If you don't have systems working FOR you, you have systems running AGAINST you (remember the butterfly effect). To discover how to go from a 'firm in chaos' to a 'smooth-running firm' register to attend my next FREE Architect Executive Briefing on the 4 pillars to building your DREAM Architecture Practice: http://architectresources.org/chaos  

The topic of today's ArchitectCEO Daily Update is: is your bar crooked? Yesterday I was exercising at my local Crossfit gym doing a barbell exercise. The barbell is the long horizontal steel bar with weights on each end. I was working with an adjustable rack that allows me to adjust the height of the bar. Each column support on the rack has holes in it for attaching the "L" bracket that supports the barbell. Because there's no visual reference for attaching the "L" brackets to the column supports, one bracket was a notch lower than the other. As a result, my bar was crooked. It's not a good idea to lift weights when the bar is crooked to start :) The key is noticing the bar is crooked and then correcting it (which is easy). Just like a crooked bar will mess up your workout and potentially injure you, a 'crooked bar' in your firm causes chronic under-performance. To go from under-performance to hyper-performance, discover the 4 pillars of building your DREAM Practice by visiting http://architectresources.org/crooked-bar

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: Today's parable is 'everything is connected.' I haven't been sleeping well recently. Perhaps this also happens to you. I go to bed at a decent hour, and then I toss and turn all night long and wake up feeling groggy and sleepy. Because I'm tired, my energy is low throughout the day and I don't show up as my best self for my wife, kids, my team members and clients. As the saying goes, unhappy wife, unhappy life. In today's ArchitectCEO update, you'll discover the parable of 'everything is connected' - how parts of our life and business that we think are separate are actually interwoven into one connected tapestry. Throw one thing off balance and the entire game goes off-kilter. To discover how to build your DREAM architecture practice so you can have balance in your work and your life, go to http://architectresources.org/everything-connected.

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: Recently, while walking with my wife, we were talking about an upcoming trip with the Boy Scouts (my son is part of the group). I and two other leaders took a group of boys ages 11 - 16 to Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California. We were talking about the meals we'd be eating and I made a joke about dining on a juicy hamburger while the boys would be eating Cup-o-Noodle soup. My wife took this opportunity to give me some unwanted feedback. Even though it was painful to hear, it was important. This made me think about the feedback we are getting all the time - in our business and our results. Are we listening to what our business is telling us? Watch today's ArchitectCEO update to discover the parable of the unwanted feedback. To build your DREAM architecture practice and decipher what your firm is telling you, register for my next DREAM Practice Executive Briefing here: http://architectresources.org/unwanted-feedback

Today, we welcome Architect Francisco Gonzalez-Pulido to the Business of Architecture show. Francisco was the former President of JAHN and founder international architecture firm, FGP Atelier. In this episode, you'll hear about Francisco's journey from joining competitions, working for with a firm and running his own practice. He'll share the tools he acquired and the strategies he used to keep his name top-of-mind, build credibility and develop relationships that helped him grow his award-winning, successful international firm. ► 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/BusinessofArchitecture-podcast ******* Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video here: http://freearchitectgift.com Download the FREE Architecture Firm Marketing Process Flowchart video here: http://freearchitectgift.com Come to my next live, in-person event: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/live Carpe Diem!

Are you an architecture firm owner? In today's ArchitectCEO update, you'll discover the parable of the pulled back muscle. Recently I sprained my back while lifting weights. In the past, I've thought the culprit was a weak lower back muscle, but now I know this isn't the case. In today's video you'll discover the true cause of the pulled back muscle, and how the princple I share in today's ArchitectCEO update relates to your success as a small architecture firm owner. If you're a small firm owner and you want to get clients more consistently, you want to free yourself up or transition by creating a self-managed firm, then you may be a good fit for my DREAM Practice Accelerator program. Click here to discover more: http://architectresources.org/jy8b

The topic of today's ArchitectCEO Update is: herding kids. Every year my kids swim on the swim team. This year, two of my kids qualified for the time trials. The kids who get the best times at the time trials get to participate in the regional finals here in Central California. Running one of these meets is a huge logistical challenge. Not to mention … on this particular Saturday the temperature was 104 F degrees (40 degrees Celsius). Imagine trying to herd a bunch of 6 year-olds and get them to go to the right place at the right time to keep the meet running smoothly. Yes … a logistical nightmare. I helped the organizers run the meet. My job was simple: lead the kids from the staging area to the appropriate swim lanes at the appropriate times. Simple right? It is, if you're dealing with adults who know how to get to the right swim lanes. I was dealing with a bunch of kids and teenagers more interested in Pokemon Go and talking to their friends than paying attention to when and where they were supposed to be swimming. Plus my meager brain is wired to focus on one thing at one time; my mental capacity was overrun. I was sweating bullets, not only from the heat, but also with the worry that some kid would be in the wrong lane and his or her time wouldn't be counted. It would be my fault. Fortunately, the organizers had a good system in place to make sure that this didn't happen. Here's how it worked: The kids would line up in the staging area and wait for their names to be called. When their names were called, they would sit down in a chair that had a number on it, one through eight. These numbers corresponded to the swim lanes one through eight. Once the kids were lined up in order in their seats, my job was to lead them to the pool and make sure they didn't get out of order. Without a system in place, mass confusion and chaos would have ensued. Twenty minutes into the swim meet we discovered our system needed to be tweaked to be more effective and reduce the likelihood of a kid missing a heat. And this is our parable for today. Where in your architecture firm are you dealing with chaos because you either don't have a system in place, or people don't follow the system? Systems ensure consistent results, but sometimes the results don't appear for months or years later. A business system consists of three parts: a trigger, a process, and a result. For example, let's say that you have a system in your firm of making one business development or networking call every day. The system is simple. The trigger is the arrival of a new day. The action is to pick up the telephone and dial a networking contact. The result is that a voicemail was left or a conversation was had. The results of this effort won't bring instant results, but over the course of months and years this small system means the difference between a steady flow of high-quality, profitable projects, and a firm that struggles with an anemic pipeline. The “D” in DREAM Practice Accelerator stands for “Dependable.” Having dependability in your practice means that your firm gives you consistent results day in and day out. Instead of worrying about where the next project will come from, your ideal projects show up on your doorstep. Instead of worrying about payroll, your firm is highly profitable, allowing you to reward staff members and reinvest in the business. If you'd like to have a practice that is dependable and consistent, I invite you to attend my next free DREAM Practice online training. There is no charge to attend this 60 minute presentation, all you need to do is click here and register with your best email address. Carpe diem. Enoch Bartlett Sears

Today we welcome Scott Valentine to the Business of Architecture show. Scott is the founder of Valé Architects, based in Brisbane, Australia. I brought Scott on the show because of the way that he's doing content marketing in his practice. His practice is a blend of traditional architectural services and online content and courses focused on the Hospitality niche. In this episode, you'll discover how Scott has modeled the strategies of the marketing and branding world in his architecture firm to create a new innovative model of the architectural practice. ► 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/BusinessofArchitecture-podcast ******* Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video here: http://freearchitectgift.com Download the FREE Architecture Firm Marketing Process Flowchart video here: http://freearchitectgift.com Come to my next live, in-person event: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/live Carpe Diem!

How to get your architecture firm to run independent of you: the ArchitectCEO Daily Update. As a small architecture firm owner, you're a bottleneck in your firm. How do you unchain yourself from the day-to-day operations of the firm so you can focus on the things that are the best use of your time and focus, instead of the administrative minutiae that sap your energy and leave you drained at the end of the day? Watch today's ArchitectCEO Daily update to discover one key for getting your firm to run independent of you. To discover how to structure your firm so you aren't the bottleneck, click here to register for my next free online training on building your Dream Practice: http://architectresources.org/n8hw Carpe diem. Enoch

Today I welcome Kevin Collins back to the show. Kevin Collins is the Underwriting Manager for the Professional Liability program at Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, one of the largest providers of professional liability insurance for architects and engineers. We discuss 3 things to consider from an insurance perspective when a firm is going through an ownership transition. ► 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/BusinessofArchitecture-podcast ******* Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video here: http://freearchitectgift.com Download the FREE Architecture Firm Marketing Process Flowchart video here: http://freearchitectgift.com Come to my next live, in-person event: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/live Carpe Diem!