Architect + Entrepreneur Course Information

The Architect + Entrepreneur Course is the Design Professional’s MBA

“I have no business acumen, but I’m done working for others”

Sound familiar? It probably does. That’s why you’re here, right?

You’re a skilled designer, you know your craft, but when it comes to running your own practice, you wear all the hats: you’re the admin, the project manager, the sales rep, the social media manager, and the financial planner—all roles that design school never truly prepared you for.

Traditional design school training has little to do with the day-to-day operations of running a business… and I found that out the hard way.

In 2013, about two months before my 40th birthday, I set off on my own with no savings, no backlog of projects, no studio, just a drafting table in the corner of my living room, a computer, and an Internet connection.

Before setting out on my own and establishing 30X40 Design Workshop, I searched for a step-by-step instruction manual on how to build a successful design practice.

Like most people, I wanted a sure thing.

I wanted to see the roadmap and know where I was going before I arrived. I wanted a plan for guaranteed success.

I wanted to understand how to find clients, what kind of website to build, what software I needed, how to structure my contract and how to get paid.

What real-world business situations and negotiations would I face?

My search for these answers turned up little.

So, I had to figure it out on my own.

It hasn’t been, however, without mistakes.

And those are mistakes that I’d never trade away because they’ve helped shape the business I have today.

But they’re mistakes that you don’t have to make.

It’s why I created a course that will teach you everything about how to run a successful (and profitable) design business.

The Architect + Entrepreneur Course is like a real-world A&D MBA

It’s stuff you don’t learn in school and won’t find in books…

In school the focus is on design, and in practice we’re left struggling to figure out how to run a business on our own.

This course is your shortcut; your alternate MBA. You’ll learn the practical strategies and tactics that successful architect-entrepreneurs use to build and grow their businesses, from identifying your ideal clients to marketing your services and earning passive income.

What You’ll Learn In Architect + Entrepreneur Course?

Introduction

• Introduction (12:06)
• (re)Defining Success (7:30)
• Financial Fears (+ Your Budget) (17:54)
• Planning for…a pandemic?
• Tell Me About Yourself

The Entrepreneurial Business Model

• Your Business (Revenue) Model (32:01)
• Choosing Your Business Structure (10:48)
• Productized Service Example – New Client Parcel Evaluation (4:19)
• Productized Service Example – Existing Conditions Survey Proposal
• Productized Service Example – Short Course for Homeowners (2:18)
• Productized Service Example – Design Services on Demand
• Affiliate Links (Done Artfully) (11:53)
• Lessons Learned Selling Plan Sets (12:12)
• Case Study : Architecture Business Plan Reality Check (54:28)
• Case Study : What Your Client Really Wants (It’s Not What You Think) (35:43)
• Case Study : $10K Per Month from My Side Hustle (43:56)
• $100K “Hyperfine” Case Study (13:48)
• Case Study: The Design-Build Conundrum

Your Brand™️

• The Brand Plan (8:45)
• Your Brand Visuals + Story (10:52)
• Your (Virtual) Studio (44:32)
• Your (Physical) Studio (32:57)
• Case Study: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder (49:23)
• Case Study: Employee to Firm Owner (17:28)
• Case Study Catch-22: Finding Work With a Limited Portfolio (62:17)

Business Fundamentals

• How to Find Clients (+ How They Find You) (19:36)
• Document while you create (Your Marketing Plan) (22:37)
• How (not) to Write Proposals (10:53)
• Overcoming Client Objections (5:28)
• A (Real) Potential Client Phone Call (26:40)
• Social Media for Architects (29:26)
• Your Email List (11:11)
• Pricing Your Work (17:41)
• Determine Market Rates: Try this hack…
• Project Scheduling (13:01)
• Profit + Hourly Rates (15:30)
• Accounting (Simplified) for Designers (6:16)
• Invoicing: What you need to know (14:50)

Your Process

• Your Process (What Your Client is Actually Buying) (3:57)
• Client Site Visit + Predesign Meeting – The Outpost (26:08)
• Programming + Budgeting – The Outpost (7:00)
• Site Analysis + Contractor Interviews – The Outpost (14:38)
• Contractor Interviews – The Outpost (22:49)
• Concept Development – The Outpost (14:49)
• Design Concept Presentation + Client Meeting – The Outpost (24:48)
• Design Development Client Presentation(s) – The Outpost (22:48)
• Collaborating with Consultants (25:38)
• Client Presentation: Preparation, Process + Materials (12:21)
• Problems + Challenges of Practice (23:34)

Tools, Resources + Routines

• The MVP of SOPs (8:57)
• Designing Your SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) – Part 1 (10:06)
• How to Organize + Use Your SOPs (2:50)
• Project + Office Management using Notion (48:22)
• Side Hustle to Solopreneur (11:10)
• Time Management Strategies (14:00)
• Goal Setting (Reimagined) (4:33)
• A Typical Day in the Life (12:46)
• The Value of Side Projects (4:48)
• Course Workbooks + Handbooks
• Email Templates
• Meeting Notes Template
• Business Folder Structure
• Site Analysis Template + Sample
• Passive Income Tracking Spreadsheet
• Software, Links, + Recommendations

Next Steps

• Outro (Go Make Things…)
• Leave a Review
• Things I Wish I Knew When Ied My Design Business (29:20)

About Author

Hi, I’m Eric, an award-winning architect, entrepreneur and founder of 30X40 Design Workshop, a design studio located on Mount Desert Island, Maine. I’m also author of the Architect + Entrepreneur book series and creator of the most popular architecture-focused YouTube channel online. I’ve been designing simple, modern residential architecture for more than 27 years and a practitioner of all the novel, entrepreneurial business strategies I teach in my courses.

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