Are you a small firm architect? Then you’re also a businessperson. The problem is that architecture school is all about design, with very little training on the day-to-day practicalities of running a company. When Mark LePage and his wife started their architecture firm in 1999, they succeeded by dividing and conquering. Mark headed up the business side, while his wife focused on design. In a quest to create a community to help other small firms, they started EntreArchitect: a thriving online platform to help architects build better businesses. In an interview with Monograph’s Best Practice host George Valdes, LePage shared the importance of honing basic business skills, weeding out bad clients, and valuing a culture of transparency over secrecy.
Interview Takeaways
- Architecture requires business education
- Financial management is a critical skill
- Filling in gaps with the right players
- First things first: create a roadmap
- Layering in marketing and sales strategies
- Architecture community helps spur growth
- Don’t be embarrassed about business
- Profit is not a dirty word
- Knowing who your ideal client is
- Embracing an “all for one” mentality
- Building a community to spark a career
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