Architecture & Engineering Business Strategies

In the workplace, collaboration is the glue that holds a company together. But getting your employees to function as a cohesive unit is a unique challenge, especially in the design and architectural world. So how can you get a bunch of creative individuals to create solutions as a collective force? It begins with your workplace environment. In this Section Cut interview, Elaine Molinar, partner and managing director at Snøhetta, and Partner and Landscape Architect Michelle Delk share the importance of collaboration and how to encourage collective intuition in your business.Interview TakeawaysGood design won’t automatically equal financial successApproach design with a work-together mentalityLearn how to scale as an employerAim for work-life integration over work-life balanceOpposing viewpoints are equally valuableRefresh your mind by taking breaksGain second-hand experience through your peersCultivate a collaborative mindsetSet aside your individual point of viewLet go of the fear of looking foolishSet your design in motion through site planningNurture the next generationShow LinksConnect with Elaine Molinar on LinkedInConnect with Michelle Delk on LinkedInCheck out SnøhettaConnect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn Check out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

Today’s business landscape calls for new and disruptive ways of doing things. You wouldn’t typically think of placing a software professional at the helm of an architecture firm. But that’s exactly what Rossmann Architecture did when they tapped Shane Balcom for the role of Managing Director. Thanks to new ways of operating from the ground up and the adoption of tech tools like Monograph, the team at Rossmann has grown from 14 employees to 33 in just one year. Interview TakeawaysThink outside your vertical to scaleDial in your tech deckEfficiency is good for businessIncentivize staff with bonus targetsGet into a forecasting rhythmAlign your company cultureBuild strong habits with MonographLet Monograph enable hyper-growthPivot structure as you growKeep ops on pace with billable growthDesign a different practiceShow LinksConnect with Shane Balcom on LinkedInCheck out Rossmann Architecture Inc.Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or TwitterCheck out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

When the focal point of your work is design justice, your processes look a bit different than the average design firm. For one thing, processes need to be simultaneously more efficient and also more unique. When you’re seeking diverse voices and shaping public spaces, steps like community outreach are complex and time-consuming, making efficiency key. At the same time, conducting radical thinking and seeking to overturn past injustices requires brand new modes of operation. Bryan C. Lee Jr. is the CEO and principal of Colloqate Design, a firm focused on shifting the power dynamics inherent in the built environment. In this Section Cut interview, he described the type of work Colloqate does, and why thinking about processes is so important. Interview TakeawaysUnderstand the implications of architectureAll power dynamics are tied to the landDesign justice requires radical thinkingThink outside of architecture processesServe diverse communitiesPrioritize the outreach processFocus on public spacesJustice is greater than equalityEngage with stakeholdersConsider the communities you serveThe value of efficient workShow LinksCheck out Colloqate Design Connect with Bryan C. Lee Jr. on LinkedIn Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or TwitterConnect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn Check out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

Does this sound familiar? You need to bring in more clients to your practice to increase your revenue, but you don’t know if the money and time you spend on marketing will bring the right results. That’s where performance marketing comes in. It’s a measurable, concrete way to drive new business to your practice. Performance marketing is a comprehensive term for marketing and advertising where you only pay when a certain action occurs. You set a budget and know exactly what you’ll get for that price. In this Section Cut interview, Hope Trory, founder of HOPEWORKSDESIGN, outlines the steps you need to take to build a performance marketing strategy and enjoy the benefits.Interview TakeawaysInvest in data-driven marketingBe proactive and save timeKnow your acronymsCalculate LTVFind out your CACGenerate brand awarenessIncrease website traffic and retargetIncrease engagement and conduct lead generationChoose your digital channelsCreate, then measureOnly pay for the actions you wantBe confident in your ROIShow LinksCheck out HOPEWORKSDESIGN Connect with Hope Trory on LinkedIn or TwitterConnect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn or TwitterCheck out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

If you’re a doer-seller, you’re probably more comfortable “doing” than “selling.” Nobody goes to school to become an engineer, a designer, or an architect because they want to sell engineering, architecture, or design services. They want to do whatever their skill set is. But in today’s business world, doers need to become sellers—or at least active partners in the business development of the companies they work for. That’s what Iben Falconer has observed in her career. An architectural historian by training, she’s evolved into a marketing and business development leader, currently at SOM. In this Section Cut interview, Iben shares why you have to be organized, active, and focused about getting new work, and why everyone on the team has to play a role. Interview TakeawaysDon’t confuse marketing and business developmentPlan with your destination in mindOwn your leads pipelineForecast by looking aheadAsk: Do I really want this job?Assign a point person for prospectsRecognize personal strengthsAcknowledge your weaknessesEmpower & guide your teamNever take business development off your plate Make every team member countPitch even with a full plateShow LinksCheck out SOMConnect with Iben Falconer on LinkedIn or TwitterConnect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or TwitterCheck out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

If you want your business to run efficiently, you have to give your employees access to the proper tools and technology so they can get the job done. But it can be a challenge to find and implement the tools and tech that will best help your company achieve its goals. In this Section Cut interview, Scott Lelieur, director of operations at Lake Flato, and Director of Design Technology Daniel Stine, share how their company implements tools and technology to optimize their work at the intersection of sustainability and design technology.Interview TakeawaysIntegrate tools and technology slowlyBalance current and future needsAssess the efficiency of your tools and systemsGive your team more independenceImplement the right toolsLeverage technology with careCultivate a compelling cultureLook to remote workMake the most of every opportunityFoster growth within your companyShare similar valuesPinpoint your passionsShow LinksCheck out Lake FlatoConnect with Scott Lelieur on LinkedInConnect with Daniel Stine on LinkedIn or TwitterConnect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn Check out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

If your firm is considering going hybrid, it’s a much bigger decision than deciding how many hours per week you’ll ask staff to spend in the office. It also means overhauling processes that may have been in place for years or decades. Careful thought is needed, as is employee buy-in at every level. Evelyn Lee is the founder of Practice of Architecture and currently works at Slack. In this Section Cut interview, she shared the wisdom she’s gathered over the last 10 years as a workplace strategist, including where to focus your energy so you can innovate and thrive. Interview TakeawaysA hybrid practice is the hardest practiceRe-examine your company cultureCreate shared ownership in cultureCreate new people processesConsider a year-long onboarding processSupport employee career journeysHybrid processes sometimes look like 100% remoteSet time for live responses and deep workInvest in cloud technologyDon’t get into process debtHybrid work requires investment at all levelsShow LinksConnect with Evelyn Lee on LinkedIn or Twitter Check out Practice of Architecture Connect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn or TwitterCheck out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

With the surging demand for diversity in the workplace, many companies are scrambling to figure out how to increase—and manage—gender and ethnic diversity within their own firms. To help your people to work well together, you have to learn how to handle a diverse team of employees, which means focusing on four values: justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). In this Section Cut interview, Yiselle Santos, VP and Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at HSK, Inc., explains what a JEDI mindset looks like in the workplace and how to direct your company toward a more equitable future.Interview TakeawaysPrioritize a JEDI mentalityCreate a safe spaceLearn how to manage diversityGender equality increases profitabilityEncourage authentic conversationsFocus on transparencyChallenge yourself and othersThink people-firstEstablish goals to achieve successAccountability comes through transparencyDisrupt your biasesData defines the truthShow LinksCheck out HKS, Inc.Connect with Yiselle Santos on LinkedIn or TwitterConnect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or TwitterCheck out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

Financial management isn’t just standard accounting. It also involves looking at the big picture of your financial performance to make smart business decisions. When you understand what’s going on financially, you can improve and plan for the future. In order to get that understanding, you need to track your time and do some calculations. In this Section Cut interview, Rena Klein, Vice President for Investment Partnerships at Charrette Venture Group, explains why firms need to know things like their utilization rate, break-even rate, and billable ratio in order to understand and enhance their profitability.Interview TakeawaysUnderstand financial managementConduct cash and accrual reportingKnow your utilization and break even rateTrack your hoursIncrease utilization ratesIncrease billable ratiosNix scope creepUse best practices to avoid over-deliveryHave routine projects to up efficiencyCalculate your hourly rateCheck for profitabilityUse a fixed fee for greater profitabilityShow LinksCheck out Charrette Venture GroupConnect with Rena M. Klein on LinkedInConnect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn or TwitterCheck out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph 

The world is changing fast. In order for your practice to survive, you’ll have to change along with it. New technologies and new ways of communicating can be scary, but humans have always evolved and adapted by using new tools. During this Section Cut interview, Libo Li, CTO of KatalystDI, talked to us about how becoming an adaptive organization has to start from the firm culture, how better organization tools can lead to better design, and how experimentation and permission to fail is key to improving.Interview TakeawaysAdapt to surviveOrganize for better designsMove past paper-based communicationBe a tool maker, not just a tool userCreate an adaptable cultureExperiment and iterateAdapt in the right directionReduce blocking events & introduce independent actionCreate tools within NotionUse templates for repeatable workCode what you knowKeep a growth mindset and allow failureShow LinksCheck out KatalystDIConnect with Libo Li on LinkedIn or TwitterConnect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or TwitterCheck out MonographCheck out Section CutFollow Monograph on LinkedIn or InstagramListen and read more about Monograph