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From AIA National:
Full Spectrum Practice: AIA CRAN Symposium
October 19–21, 2007
Hotel Allegro
Chicago
Conference Information
Online Registration
Registration Form (PDF)The AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN) is hosting a national one-day symposium, titled Full Spectrum Practice, at the Hotel Allegro in Chicago. The symposium will focus on the essential techniques of business planning and marketing for custom residential design firms. To better illustrate the principles at hand, presenters will focus on business growth opportunities in sustainable design and digital home technology. Please click here for complete information.
Ben points us to an upcoming study that says tall ceilings encourage big thinking. Interesting from both an architectural point of view as well as a business point of view.
Being a dad of two young boys, Sunday mornings are never available for watching TV. Pre-kids, one of my favorite programs was Small Business School on PBS. It currently airs in the New York City region on NJN, Sunday mornings at 7.
Lucky for me though, I can still get my weekly fix online at www.smallbusinessschool.org. They have thousands of videos available for download, all free of charge. Each one is a great story about a successful small business.
Looking for some motivation to help push your business past The Dip? Go to back to school.
Thinking about a move to the Charlotte area?
Both my brothers moved from New Jersey to the Lake Norman area about 10 years ago. Scott is deeply entrenched in the NASCAR world and Craig is a successful residential real estate broker.
Coincidentally, Annmarie’s brothers dropped everything here to make the same move just a few years earlier than my brothers. Charlotte is growing quickly and the real estate market is hot… lots of opportunities for Entrepreneur Architects.
All four brothers have been trying to lure Annmarie and me down south for years, but we’re happy here in Westchester for now.
If you’re thinking of making the move, you might be interested in Craig’s new blog, Living at Lake Norman. He says its going to be “an inside look at the real estate activity, land development and what’s new at the lake.”
Let him know I sent you…
One more juicy The Dip tidbit from Seth Godin.
ChangeThis Manifesto: Pushing Past the Dip: How to Become the Best in the World
Tonight I met with my Academy group. We were discussing how pushing though the tough stuff of business will ultimately lead to success.
Every business reaches a tipping point when things start to click. The systems are in place. The people are in place. Your market know who you are and what you do. And it all starts to work.
But before that point, its pure hell!
That’s why most businesses don’t make it past their fifth birthday.
Seth Godin has a new book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Here are a few goodies about the Dip from Seth:
When to Fold ‘Em: An interview with Seth at Entrepreneur Online.
Starbucks and Their First Dip: Why did Starbuck’s become “Starbucks”. Howard Schultz pushed through The Dip.
The Hub Magazine: An Interview with Tim Manners.
Besides creating wonderful residential architecture, marketing our firm well and encouraging our clients to spread the word about Fivecat Studio, I believe a major part of our success is “likeability”.
Clients expect architects to design well. They expect us to provide a quality service at a reasonable cost. It is actually rather difficult to distinguish your firm from others.
One thing that sets our firm apart is that people like us. We’re nice. I just had a client tell me the other day that she felt that we were “real” and “down to earth”. I tell my employees often…”be nice!”
Apparently “likeability” is a skill set, not a gift. I credit my mom and dad for raising me well, but according to an article in this week’s AIArchitect, “likeability” can be learned at any age… and if you’re interested in succeeding, it’s well worth the lessons.
From AIArchitect:
Here’s what we know about likeable people:
- They are more successful in business and in life.
- They get elected, promoted, and rewarded more often than those less likable.
- They close more sales and make more money.
- They get better service from all types of service providers, including doctors and other health care providers (which means they may live longer as well!).
Looking for some press coverage? Writing a good press release and including quality photography will help get you published. Here are a few ideas for your next press release:
- Announce a new commission.
- Announce new employees.
- Announce your firm’s work with local charities.
- Announce your firm’s awards.
- Announce an event or seminar.
Editors avoid self promotional pieces, so make sure your release is considered news.
Read more articles about publicity and public relations at Entrepreneur.com.
I received my copy of Residential Architect magazine today (in my opinion, the best of all the trade journals). This month’s Practice column, by Cheryl Weber (another one of my favorites), is about savvy architects investing long-term by owning their buildings.
The advantages of owning real estate are plentiful. Here are five reasons to start your search today:
- Paying yourself rent feels much better than paying a grumpy landlord.
- E-Q-U-I-T-Y (make money without lifting a finger).
- Buy or build a mixed-use building and eliminate your commute… live and work in the same building.
- Tenants help to pay your mortgage.
- Buy. Renovate. Occupy. Sell. Profit… Repeat!
Ready? Check out the U.S. Small Business Administration’s CDC/504 program for a small biz loan.
Do you own the building in which you work? Share the pros and cons of being a real estate investor.
