Viewer Question: Quitting architecture if I can't find a client. What should I do?
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- Опубликовано: 29 дек 2016
- Every new business faces this challenge: how to find a client willing to trust a young professional. This week I'm answering a viewer question from Kristian in the UK who is considering quitting architecture; he has all the requisite skills but no one is hiring his firm.
I break down the essentials of marketing and offer a simple methodology for determining where architecture clients are spending their time. Hint: chances are you have one of these devices within arms reach most of the time.
Marketing is your only game when you’re establishing your business. If you don’t have projects to work on it’s because your marketing plan isn’t working...yet.
Marketing is simply: getting in front of people who are buying and selling them the things you make. Markets are agnostic, they don’t care if you’re the most talented designer in the world, or if you have a family to feed, or if you’re in debt or struggling to keep the lights on, or if you’re about to quit the profession you love if they don’t buy from you. They simply don’t care.
Markets care only about one thing: about you solving their problem. Build a product that solves a problem and sell it to the market. If a market isn’t buying your solution, you’re either: not solving an urgent enough problem or you’re not getting in front of your target audience.
Kristian also says, “I have a few social media accounts but they haven’t drawn very much attention.” And, to that I would ask, “What are you doing to capture people’s attention?” Are you making cool stuff? Are you sharing things to educate or help others? People don’t just pay attention because you share a link on Facebook, organic reach is way down on all social media platforms, which is why you have to build an audience and cultivate a relationship with them for social media to work. Social is the key to social media, right? I talk about the different ways you can build an audience in volume 2 of Architect + Entrepreneur.
I offer a few ideas on how to crack the social media nut to get you started.
1) Prove your expertise; share your knowledge.
2) Do some spec work, design something.
3) Teach someone something.
4) Piggyback on someone else’s social media account more popular than you.
5) Reach out, make connections; offer to help.
Simply having a social media account and posting once a week doesn’t solve someone’s problem. That’s not a marketing plan.
So what is? Well, to market to someone, first you need to know whom you’re targeting: your target demographic, what do they carry in their pockets, where do they shop, where do they recreate, where do they hang out online and in real life.
Next, find five to ten of these people in your target market; in real life, not online. Now, ask each one to open up their smart phone and ask to look at their home screen. This is where their attention is. When we have downtime, what’s the first thing we pick up? Our phones. Like it or not, this device has earned our complete attention. We sleep with them on our bed stands, our phones comfort us when we’re alone, sing to us, connect us to the Internet, and deliver our email; and this is where your opportunity lies. What apps get the best real estate on the home screen? Look at your own phone. What apps are you using most of the time?
Marketing and forging social connections is hard work though and I know, everyone wants the easy solution: buy some likes, buy clicks, a magazine ad, a billboard…whatever. If you’re not ready to invest in the hard work that’s fine. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. It’s a really fashionable thing to be an entrepreneur right now, to own your own business, to control your time; but the reality is, entrepreneurship isn’t going to be right for everyone. That’s okay too. You might actually be happiest working for someone else. That’s not a failure if it makes you happy is it? I don’t think so.
Please share your thoughts and advice for Kristian in the comments.
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After I moved to southern California where I was new to everything. I spent $25 to print my first business card as CAd drafting services (even i have had a master degree from Italy) and post them in local blueprint company i got tons of job from contractors that now asking me to design full house. That $25 was the best marketing I did and i think it was only time i did after was word of mouth. I think it wouldn't work if i was not humble and passionate about my work.
It's genius that in helping your marketing skills he's promoting his own books
But cool that he also gives the gist of it so you know if it could help you... I think he's sincere. I mean he did actually go through the same struggles and he literally did what he's telling the other guy to do. No bs! Cheers!
Wow, just found your channel. Real talk, thank you :)
cheers...and now...I found your channel...fantastic work...!
...adding you to my featured channels list...
what an honor Eric, thanks!
I'm a first year student of architecture, and watching this makes the path clearer and more exciting. Thank you for your dedication and willingness to help others.
Cheers...you're quite welcome...
Hoping to show that practicing architecture can be designed to fit your life, in the same way we design anything else...
It's been six years
Hope you're doing okay
I just find your channel yesterday, I have seen so many of your videos, man, they are so inspiring, just dropped here actually looking for a motivation for not quitting independent architecture business, but with your vids explaining the business and the architectural drawings now I'm taking a deep breath...thank you so much.
It is true that architects and graduates might not know enough when it comes to marketing and business development! This is my favorite topic of yours! Keep creating great content!
Great channel, thank you for spending your time sharing your experience with us!
I like your tips. I just graduated as an Architect in Mexico and its difficult to find a job. Thanks for you channel and tips! I hope one day to be my own boss, like you are. I like that your videos are very down to earth.
This is great service you are doing here Eric. Being a student of architecture I really enjoy you videos. Your talks are very motivating and assuring. Thankyou!
you're quite welcome +Sooraj Sharma; I'm happy it's helping so many...cheers...
Yes, Your advices were very helpful! Thank you.
I like your channel. I'm an interior architect in Turkey and everyone calls themselves designer here so it's so hard to be a designer they learn some 3d programs and here you are an interior designer now.
Hey! Turkish here. mimarlık için sektör düzelir mi sizce nasıl şu an
🤭 the same thing in Algeria, Everybody is his own architect!
Eric thanks for this video. You are a great mentor!
I came to the realization that I'm doing thing in reverse. An experiment for sure. Right now I'm working for a firm while I prepare to branch off on my own. I came up with the strategy to produce a series of products - books, ebooks, photography artwork - and utilize my architectural teaching at local college as a way to establish myself as a brand and reputable individual. Once I decide to make the leap (very soon) and practice architecture, hopefully i will have some trusted followers, that have bought my products in the past, to provide conventional and productized architectural services to. We shall see how it plays out. For now, "marketing", systems set up, and what Chris Guillebeau from the Book, "$100 Start up", calls Hustling, are my focus. Great question and thanks for the insight Eric.
Hustle... +Marques King ...precisely...! And you are...love your new book, fantastic work...
Thank you. I need to listen to more of your videos. Marketing. Yes, I heard that in college many times over.
I just found your channel as well, this is great what you`re doing!
Best wishes from Serbia!
I work in the lumber industry, if you having trouble finding clients go to your local lumber yard or building material yard and give them your cards. I bet I get asked once a week for people that can draft building plans in my area.
Thanks for sharing! I'm working on my first online-course for architects right now and I wasn't sure if I should spend some money on facebook-ads or anything else. Now I'm sure. I will add you to my featured channels. I love your work and I'm extremly excited to see some drone-videos! Greetings from Germany
respect...many thanks...
it's been so rainy here I haven't been able to fly the drone at all...looking forward to getting it in the air on vacation...
Very impressed by your advice...thanks
You video’s detailed description is highly appreciated as to we have limited data here
Very encouraging. I have had some the same ideas and wasn't absolutely sure if I was just being scattered and unfocused. Thanks for the pep. It really helped me broaden my vision
always here to help...good luck...
Thanks for your wise counsel. I'm at a similar point in my entrepreneurship journey. I'm inspired to think different.
Awesome, awesome video. As a architecture student (moving into masters this year) i will no doubt find myself coming back to this video in the future.
I am much the same. I love architecture but its not my life. I have many interests and i want to pursue them all. I can definitely see myself going into entrepreneurship in the future. - LJ. 😀
What a great video. Thanks!
Super awesome video. Thanks a lot!
Very helpful and honestly said.
Eric your videos are super helpful in so many aspects. You show really good business sense, and some tough love here for Kristian, but it's likely the best kind. The market is ruthless, of course, as a product of the secular world. It's literally immoral and the only rule seems to be just don't get caught, but that's an illusion. What the market sorely lacks in every single discipline, in my opinion, is people who still hold that their word is their bond and actually deliver what they promise, or more. They add value by having character. They actually care and still assert this vital little component called sincerity. They don't fleece people and run rackets. If you can build a reputation as someone who can actually be trusted, you will have all the word of mouth advertising you could hope for, because people like this are as rare as hen's teeth. The problem is being that person long enough to stay in business and building a reputation but that's why entrepreneurs have to have a lot of faith and perseverance. It ain't easy but nothing worthwhile or lasting is.
Hi Eric, Just found your channel and this particular pep-talk and advice hit home. I'm struggling to start a shipping container design and modification company, my first try fizzled-out (business partner died), and I'm just starting my second round. It's creative bliss but stressful to say the least. I'll be looking for your books, thanks a bunch and keep up the good work.
Hey Eric! Loving your channel man. Good job. I'm a secondary high school teacher in Newcastle Australia. I teach technical drawing and think your videos will have a great impact with my students in their final year. You have a cool style to your work and explain things really well!
I just wanted to say thank you. Keep it up.
you're quite welcome...hadn't realized i was in a classroom in Australia...
Youre about to be in one in Minnesota too. I left chemical engineering to teach kids about architecture and engineering. my story parallels yours in so many ways. Two terms that resonated with me" trading time for dollars" and "being a cog in somebody else's machine". The video that shows your conversation with an engineer is absolute gold for my students. To see you each speaking a different language... its very relatable. My favorite part is when he starts to doodle up your prints, you casually took over the conversation and then seamlessly slid the vellum out to continue doodling on without wrecking the prints. Don't mark up archies prints!!! If the wife and I ever get our four boys and minivan out to Acadia I'd love to stop by and shake your hand.
thanks for the social media tips... like your channel
also: really liked your video on model making
Cheers...glad it helped!
Thanks, really interesting video, I'm thinking of branching out into other things too.
Great message.
Your a clever bloke ,cheers Eric
Great Video!!
Just found this oldie but good. Make better stuff! LOL Ain't that the truth. Always appreciate your insights Eric. Cheers.
You have great videos! We're looking to build a home, but I am finding your business advice helpful as well (I design landscapes). I lived in Germany for eleven years and am interested in your style. We do not find this very often in small-town Michigan, so I am using your videos to educate my fiancé.
Many thanks...glad you're finding the videos educational...cheers...
I like your saying " if your local design fee is too low, try with other area, conquer the world ". Wow, it is very cool, if you could cooperate with me either way.
Thanks a lot
your video really inspire me
you're quite welcome +Ahmad Tijan Jalloh...thanks for watching...
|m|
very nice.
love ur channel
Good talk...
39th like...it should be with lots of 0s...great channel, great info. as a graduate with almost 2 years experience and planning on establishing my own office this was really helpful. thank you for creating this channel and sharing all this info.
Kind words...many thanks...glad you're finding it helpful...
Cheers...!
love this kind of vídeos... thanks... 😘😘😘
thanks for the positive feedback...
cheers...
very inspiring
Inspiring!
Absolutely agree with this. For any entrepreneur the name of the game is to SOLVE AN EXISTING PROBLEM. Favorite line was " if you can't find a few hundred people across the whole world who want to buy your stuff, you need to make better stuff." Too many people forget to make a great product before they start looking for clients.
cheers...that was my favorite line too and, more importantly it means you watched until the end...
here's to making great stuff...
how to market: Get a guy to ask about his marketing of his business, then refer to his own business' books about marketing. Love it
Good.
Hi Eric, I bumped into one of your videos a few days ago, and it really spoke my language.
To be honest, I had had a tough time pursuing Architecture when I was in high school but sadly ended up with Civil Engineering major at the local university, which is not actually bad but undesirable. Even so, sketching, designing, and especially making models are still the things I want to add to my future career beside working at the contruction area.
Nevertheless, I heard it is quite rare to work as an architect with an engineering degree. Companies and clients would hire a degree-acquired architect to design their houses over a civil engineer. Although there really are some great engineer-based architects available in the world, I am still afraid to commit the that road. What should I do?
P/s: Also, I just decided the make a small model-making studio, and hope to see some more guidance videos about that sort. Thank you!
Hi +Dung Nguyen -
Not sure where you're located, but architecture in the USA is a regulated profession, meaning one can't practice architecture (or refer to their work as architectural, call oneself an architect, etc) without a professional degree. In many cases residential design projects don't require a licensed architect and it's not uncommon to find a variety of people - with and without professional degrees or training - designing homes.
If you're in the USA, and your goal is to design homes I would venture that the vast majority of homes are not designed by civil engineers. However, the vast majority of homes in the USA aren't designed by architects either. The types of home design commissions you'll receive without an architecture degree will naturally be different than those a licensed architect receives. In my experience the higher end commissions will go to licensed architects. This isn't to diminish any of your talents though, I say this with full honestly; there are a great many designers in the world with natural abilities exceeding licensed professionals.
Engineers have the opportunity to collaborate with architects as part of the design team and while they may not have an equal say in the design direction of the project they can have meaningful impact on systems and final aesthetic outcomes. I have a structural engineer that I consider to be an equal contributor to the execution of my work in built form. So the question is: do you want to be driving the design or is it okay to fill in as part of a larger team?
Hope that helps...another vid in the model building series will be out this week...
Cheers...
Hi Eric,
I understand what you're saying and have tried to apply for several Architecture Universities locally and abroad - I'm a Vietnamese and currently studying in my country - but both didn't turn out my way as I got accepted but without sufficient scholarships.
The reason I chose Civil Engineering is that I want to understand how structures work, resulting to more realistic and constructable designs as I help the architect steer his pen; but, as you said, I want to be driving the design and taking hold of the pen if possible. Is there any other options asides from abandoning my current major and reapplying for Architecture Schools? Can I apply for Master of Architecture and then be able to work as an architect? I heard that's a plausible option from a friend of mine who is studying Interior Design at University of Cincinnati; the abnormal course took you one extra foundation year compared to the usual one's.
Also, I just found out that making architectural model actually has a professional career path. Can I work as a model maker as a civil engineer? That wouldn't be so bad if Architecture afterall is not meant to be.
Thank you, have a great day!
I think as an architect you should first and foremost position yourself: are you providing a solution to a problem, OR do you provide something (not necessarily a solution) that no one provides? The former position of architecture is pretty straightforward. Once you go down this route you will find that this field is pretty much filled with many architects, designers, contractors, etc... etc... providing many solutions, from very good ideas to absolutely, downright awful. But luckily thanks to the many bad to mediocre solutions there will always room for improvement. You just have to look for these problems and say "hey, I can do this better!" The opportunities, when seen in this way, are endless.
If you want to position yourself in the latter field, ie. come up with ideas that are completely new, and advance the cause of architecture for the sake of architecture, or maybe for yourself, you will quickly find yourself in unchartered territories, usually pubs filled with dark figures with thick rimmed glasses drinking black coffee while reading Foucault or Delleuze. This path will be much more difficult (not just because of the 1000 plateaus book) but this route will, if you are lucky to choose the right projects (yes, you have to choose) and can come up with unusual ideas than this too can lead to an equally satisfying career in architecture.
Remember, you have to choose the door that leads to the path of your career. The problem is that many architects decide that they want to have a bit of both, which in my opinion (and, unfortunately experience) leads to misery and financial downfall. Which door will you take?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts +One Minute Architecture...
Just my 5 cents as an architect. Great channel by the way!
Cheers +One Minute Architecture...architects are nothing if not opinionated, right? I so appreciate that others are willing to share their opinions here too...
and, I see you're working hard to build out your channel too...well done...let's keep in touch.
Are those book on audible???
Hi I was curious, generally how long does it take you to go from schematic drawings, presentation, to working drawings ? For instance the design you showed at the beginning ?
Thanks I'm really enjoying your videos
Hi +Java Devil...not sure which project you're referring to in this video, but the short answer is..."it depends..." Mostly on scale and how the client approaches the decision making process. For an average new residential project schematics and DD consume a month each +/-, CDs two months. This is straight time though so not predictive of the actual calendar time that elapses for a typical project. This is in part because in the studio we have other projects running simultaneously, business related tasks (meetings, marketing, invoicing, etc.) to attend to, and we often have to wait for client feedback. Add in time for negotiating a contract and pricing with a contractor and this time is stretched out over a year or more. As I said, it all depends on the client and their schedule too. It's certainly possible to fast-track the design and construction which would abbreviate the total timeline. Hope that helps...
Aaah sorry I had just looked at a previous video of yours the one "A Residential Architect's Workflow - Design Software" that was the design I was referring to.
Thanks for info
Kindly tell me where I could get your books?
37 years after college, my view is that if someone needs to draw their livelihood from architecture then they (and their family) will likely be disappointed with small cap independent practice. Sorry. Feast/famine is just the nature of the business. If you insist on doing this, you will need a trust fund or a spouse with a good job if you want to live well through the lean years. If you must have regular income then get a job with the biggest firm you can and do what you need to do to hold on to it. If you're young, don't be impatient. Be smart. Take the long view. Do what you can to direct your experience to recognizable building types. Hospitals, airports, K-12 education are all good. Lay persons are the ones that buy our services and they always hire firms with verifiable expertise in the building type they are interested in. If you're smart, after 30 years you'll have a "F" in front of your AIA and a couple of million in your 401K. You'll still be in your 50's with the money and the time to do what you want. Time passes quickly. You will be there before you know it. As far as I can see, that's all you really need to know because that's about all that really matters. CHEERS and good luck!
Are you an architect?
I'm creating residential designs here in Houston. I don't have an Architecture degree/formal training yet. I'm not really satisfied with the look of my drawings. I recently found a book "Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction." I've read that "Architectural Graphic Standards" is the "Architects Bible" and the other is the same just a focus on Residential Construction. Is this book would be a really good resource for creating drawings? If there is another book that would explain how to create better drawings other than this one please let me know. Thanks for your time.
+Andrew Logan, Ching's 'Architectural Graphics' is the bible in my opinion: amzn.to/2hRDTvZ
The key to making drawings look professional is lineweight. By varying lineweight, we render hierarchy, importance, and focus in a drawing. Without it drawings appear static and one-dimensional, all information is equally weighted and therefore nothing is more important than anything else. Themodmin has a good primer: ruclips.net/video/YROiMGiKUf0/видео.html
Cheers...
Excellent, Thanks.
Hello Eric. How can I order your books? I live in the Philippines
Hi +Adamantive ...my books are available digitally, in print, and in audiobook form on Amazon. Links are here: thirtybyforty.com/books/
Cheers...
How can I contact Kristen in ty UK? I want to design and build my own home. I have experience as an architect draftsman. But it's a long time ago. I need someone who is willing to help at a very low cost until the full plans are needed. Thank you
Good day sir,i want to buy both volume of Architecture Entrepreneur,shall we get in amazon or directly buy from u.pls guide me.
Cheers...Amazon is the best way to get them...
@@30by40 thanku sir
Hi Eric,
I admire your work, i love how enlightened motivated you are. kudos to that. I have both of your books and i re read it whenever i loose track of things. I am doing couple of projects interior, retails, architecture.
I would like to say to chisten, (hope i spelled it right!) that get in touch with contractors which you worked with before. Be nice to vendors, suppliers, carpenters, ask if any help needed from your side, and be regular. Tell that you have started doing things. etc.
About myself,
This is Ar. chinmay r nimje from india, I am a 24.I started on my own 4 months back with the name aarkin design studio, www.aarkin.in . Eric your seeds are saplings for me now and they are growing. Thank you.
Hi sir, how was your last 3 years?