It’s also a great time to look back on the past year and be thankful for loyal, trusting clients. In a time of severe economic crisis throughout the world, we have been blessed with a full roster of projects. We cannot be more appreciative for the opportunities our clients have provided us.

I often think about how our work has literally changed the lives of our clients. The new kitchens, family rooms, fireplaces, master bedrooms… have all created homes where families grow and thrive. There are few professions that allow one to be so intimately involved in how families live, work and have fun. It is truly an honor when clients grant us their trust and permit us to create such spaces.

It is a great feeling to know that on this night, Christmas Eve, there are dozens of families gathered in spaces designed by Fivecat Studio. We are truly blessed to be residential architects.

If you have time this week, please comment below and share your thoughts on the opportunities and honor of being an architect.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very happy holiday season.

Isn’t that how it is supposed to work. Well… it doesn’t.

The trick is step 2. Getting noticed. How do you get noticed?

The answer in a word, is Marketing.

Even uber-successful “starchitects” have a marketing team working to get their “great architecture” noticed.

Whether you want to be published in national magazines or looking to get noticed by the homeowners around the corner, you can’t reach your audience without marketing. Great architecture alone will not build a great business.

Marketing is the action of promoting and selling products or services. So, how does it work?

First you need to know your target market. What type of architecture do you design? What range of budgets do your clients have? Who are your clients? What do they do for a living? You need to know as much as possible about your target market.

Have no fear; defining your target market does not restrict you from taking on other non-target work. It just allows you to focus your marketing budget and effort appropriately.

Once you have a target, prepare a marketing strategy (and add it to your business plan). How do you best hit your target? Should you advertise in local newspapers, magazines or online? Should you focus your efforts on getting published in national magazines? Should you attend local networking events? Should you focus your attention on Twitter, Facebook and other social media? Whatever it takes to get YOUR “great architecture” noticed by the people in your target market responsible for hiring an architect is your marketing strategy.

Now you have a target market and a marketing strategy. Next you need to execute.

Take your strategy, set some goals and create a marketing action plan. What are you going to do and when will it be done by?

Marketing. It is not a dirty word. Try it and watch your business grow.

Maybe… but whether clients come knocking or not, its not so simple to keep them knocking.

The solution? Write a business plan.

I know, I know; “I don’t need a business plan,” you say. “It takes too much time and effort.”

Wait! Before you discount my suggestion, think about it from a different perspective. A simple, stripped down perspective. Your first business plan doesn’t need to be a 100 page document, with financial projections and fully developed marketing strategies. In fact, I recommend that it not be. Start with just one page.

Jim Horan, author of The One Page Business Plan series of books says, “The greatest value in creating a business plan is not the final document. It’s the communication, prioritization, focus, clarity and learning that make the process worthwhile.”

Get started by taking a single sheet of paper and writing a single paragraph describing your vision. What will your business someday look like? Then scribe your mission. Why are you starting this business? List a few simple strategies. How do you get there? Then a few specific goals; benchmarks that will lead you to executing your strategies. With goals set, commit to paper an action plan. What specific tasks will you accomplish to reach your goals? When will you accomplish them? Who will accomplish them?

That’s it… a business plan. Done. It really is that simple.

I revisit and revise my business plan at least twice a year. As our firm grows and evolves, priorities change, markets shift, economies collapse. My business plan needs to evolve too. It’s also a great source of inspiration and motivation. A periodic reminder of my big ideas and reasons-for-being, keeps me focused and wanting to push Fivecat Studio to the next level.

So, go do it. Now… Don’t wait. Reach over and grab a sheet of paper.

What’s your vision?

Do you have a facebook account with which you post regularly and interact with your fans? Do you follow Twitter feeds for people who have influence in your local communities… and respond to their tweets?

Do you blog… consistently, and have a website which reflects the expectations of the market in which you wish to become “famous”?

What happens when you Google your name? Your firm? The term “architect” followed by your location? Are you there… on the first page? (Google Entrepreneur Architect and see what happens.)

Do you network with local business organizations?  Do you share your passion for what you do with others… with large groups or organizations… as a speaker?

Does your business card include your website URL and email… as well as your facebook and Twitter accounts?

To become “locally famous”, you must first truly “know your stuff” and be viewed as THE expert people turn to. Second; you must be everywhere they are and everywhere they look. Third; you must interact with the people from which you are seeking “fame”… and fourth, smile (a lot) and be nice. When you are sincerely nice to people, good things happen.

Last year Howard Stern earned more than any other radio personality. U2 topped the list of highest-paid musicians. Leonardo DiCaprio made $77 million, more than any other actor. Tiger Woods, in spite of all his, um, problems, still made $62 million to head the list of highest-paid athletes.

Read more.

How does one get it all done?

David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (GTD), says, “our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential.”

For each of my responsibilities I have specific things that need to be accomplished. To make it all more manageable, I plan “projects” with a list of tasks required to complete. Breaking down the larger tasks into the smaller bits of an action plan makes it easier to see my progress and keeps stress to a minimum.

Due to the current economy, our business situation changes often, which does not lend itself to keeping “my mind clear and my thoughts organized”. In order to stay focused, I reassess my goals often to confirm they are still relevant. I remind myself what is truly important and review my action plans for each “project”.

In order to be most productive with my email, Allen suggests applying the “do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it” rule to empty your in-box. Schedule specific times each day to organize your email. Address every message. If it will take less than two minutes to complete, do it. If it can be delegated to someone else, send it down the line. If addressing the item will take more than 2 minutes, defer it and schedule a time to address items requiring more attention. If the item is not important, drop it and move on to the next.

The single most important tip to productivity is to know what NOT to do. Be comfortable with saying no and limit tasks to the “projects” that will make a difference in your business.

Whether you follow the GTD method or another system of personal productivity, you need a system. You can’t just show up each day and hope it all works out. Success is planned and will not happen without focusing on the things that matter most.

How do you get it all done?

Let’s talk…

Do you know of any other programs teaching entrepreneurship to architects?

Obviously, in order to be successful my routine is flexible. In fact I have a project interview this evening… on a Monday.

By keeping my tasks for each day consistent, it allows me to stay focused on what I am trying to accomplish,,, and that keeps my stress levels down (see previous discussion post).

How do you organize your week?

Let’s talk.

1. Be Real.

Who are you? Find the true you and live it to the fullest.

2. Never give up. The lyrics to the rap, Lose Yourself, describes a time in the young rapper’s life when he “choked” and failed to perform. The humiliation and embarrassment would have sent weaker men running, but Mathers regrouped, put the experience behind him and jumped right back into the mix, winning praise and success.

In order to reach the highest levels of success, you must never give up.

3. Curse…alot! Well, not really, but Eminem’s passion, anger and pain are so very clearly communicated by his controversial lyrics and foul language that there is absolutely no doubt what he is trying to say.

Mean what you say and say what you mean. Communicate clearly.

4. Collaborate. A common practice among recording artists is to collaborate and work with other talented people. Eminem has collaborated with dozens of people including Dr. Dre, Kid Rock, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Elton John. The mix of sounds and styles results in unique opportunities for music not possibly created as individuals.

Find talented people, mentors and peers, and seek to develop new ideas, new products and new services. The results may surprise you.

5. Pay it forward. Under the Shady Records label, Mathers signs talented unknown artists, mentors them and collaborates (see above). The exposure provided by Eminem has created success for superstars 50 Cent, D12 and Royce da 5’9” of Bad Meets Evil. Mathers experienced similar mentorship from Dr. Dre of Aftermath Records when he was an unknown artist.

Once you find your own success, pay it forward and help others succeed.

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Learn more about Eminem at Wikipedia.