EntreArchitect

OCTOBER 13, 2013

We had no clients, little money and were filled with confidence. In 2003, with many accolades and a determination to take our firm to the next level, we moved out of the darkness of the basement and into a light-filled 2,000 square foot office space in Pleasantville. We are blessed with many fabulous clients.

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EntreArchitect

JULY 4, 2015

Marketing a residential architecture firm is perhaps different than marketing any other kind of professional service or product in the world. And yet residential architects have a challenging situation when finding new clients: we rarely know who may be thinking about remodeling or building a new residence.

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EntreArchitect

MARCH 30, 2014

Between the website at fivecat.com and the blog, we built a thriving local brand of residential architecture. Having established a strong brand in the region and serving our clients with exceptional service, our boards are full. Today, with my focus on Entrepreneur Architect, Living Well is unofficially on hold. Do you blog?

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EntreArchitect

OCTOBER 6, 2013

I have no portfolio of my own to show clients. I’ve shared articles on how much it may cost to start your own firm and how Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio with no clients and very little money. Your first clients may come from relationships built during your time as an employee. Be Certain.

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EntreArchitect

MARCH 10, 2013

” When one of my residential architecture clients finally reaches out and calls Fivecat Studio , these are some of the thoughts they may start with. Most of our clients are first time builders. You’re in the Client Happiness Business. .” “If I start now, I’ll be living in it by summer.”

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EntreArchitect

OCTOBER 13, 2015

As small firm residential architects, the most effective and least expensive way to accomplish this process is to start online. Here are my 21 Rules of Online Marketing for Residential Architects: 1. Understanding the specific market you choose to serve is the first step in successfully marketing your firm, online or off.

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EntreArchitect

MARCH 28, 2017

I speak with or communicate online with small firm architects almost every day. I want to know with what members of our small firm community are struggling, so that we at EntreArchitect might develop resources to help you build a better business. As with many small firm architects, I struggled with this issue as well.

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EntreArchitect

JUNE 3, 2015

Recently the subject of specifications for residential architecture was discussed in detail on the EntreArchitect Podcast. It just might save your projects, your firm and your livelihood. It may simultaneously help your client to obtain a better house and assist the contractor in doing a better job. Win – Win – Win.

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Architizer

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

This multifaceted approach is evident in projects such as Kia Lab, which take a holistic view of the programmatic brief, embedding the building’s function with the broader urban and cultural environment.

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EntreArchitect

DECEMBER 24, 2011

It’s also a great time to look back on the past year and be thankful for loyal, trusting clients. 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. We are truly blessed to be residential architects.

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EntreArchitect

AUGUST 2, 2018

EntreArchitect: Behind the Design is a weekly blog series where we feature work designed, developed and/or built by small firm entrepreneur architect members of The EntreArchitect Community. We use TinkerBox as our showroom where we meet with clients, hold seasonal open houses and design unveilings for new projects.

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EntreArchitect

JULY 20, 2015

An efficient process of architecture is all about choices and obtaining decisions from some clients takes the patience of a saint. Missing deadlines or, even worse, not managing the expectations of your client, can destroy a working relationship in one meeting. Power of a Being the Best. Photo Credit: Pixabay / stevepb.

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Architizer

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

In these terms it transforms the residential concept into a retreat – it returns to the roots that form the essential essence of living in a home. The client adopted these decisions very easily. How have your clients responded to the finished project? How do you believe this project represents you or your firm as a whole?

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EntreArchitect

OCTOBER 20, 2013

Our job as small firm architects is not only to design great buildings or to prepare construction documents, which become the legal contract between owner and contractor. Our clients have big dreams, little idea of how to achieve their goals and often carry unrealistic expectations regarding schedule and budget.

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EntreArchitect

JULY 26, 2018

EntreArchitect: Behind the Design is a weekly blog series where we feature work designed, developed and/or built by small firm entrepreneur architect members of The EntreArchitect Community. With clients? How involved was your client throughout the design process? All commercial project and most residential.

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EntreArchitect

JULY 19, 2018

With clients? The clients had a wonderful trust in me and I was able to maintain the design intent throughout the process. How involved was your client throughout the design process? We stress the need for this on every project but on residential projects it is not always performed. Which communication tools did you use?

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EntreArchitect

JUNE 29, 2015

When Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio more than 15 years ago we had no projects, no clients and no money. We were two young architects seeking the freedom of our own firm. I wrote a 3-part blog series a couple years back sharing the full story of how Annmarie and I started our own architecture firm. A bathroom renovation?

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EntreArchitect

JUNE 19, 2019

Even as the firm is transferred to future leaders, the name will carry on with a clear history of the firm. Our residential architecture continues to develop the story. As your firm grows, your brand grows with it, slowly filling the container with brand elements. A powerful brand is unique. There is only one Apple.

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EntreArchitect

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

Marketing Strategies for Residential Architects. It was a fantastic discussion about how SALA was founded and the journey to where Dale finds himself today as a principal at the firm, a teacher and an author of several books published by Taunton Press. The publisher agreed and the series was born.

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EntreArchitect

JUNE 21, 2018

This client is the older brother of a childhood (and current) friend. Withheld at clients request. We are a husband and wife design firm (architect husband, interiors wife). With clients? We are looking at Basecamp right now at the request of another client. Small, high end residential firm.

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EntreArchitect

JULY 5, 2018

This allows us to educate future clients on what is important to us, how we work, what we are working on, what we’ve recently completed, what is available, etc. This is not something that happens often in private residential architecture and is always a fantastic event. With clients? Autocad and Sketchup. Among team?

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EntreArchitect

OCTOBER 11, 2016

As residential architects, my team and I uncover unforeseen conditions on every project… and that is the key to success when managing these situations. The mindset of our client matters throughout the project. The post Unforeseen Horror Stories appeared first on EntreArchitect // Small Firm Entrepreneur Architects.

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EntreArchitect

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Working with many architecture firms over the past several years our agency, Archmark Architect Branding & Marketing, has been approached by many architects who have struggled to establish a consistent, repeatable, and reliable process to attract new clients and projects. It doesn’t have to be that way.

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EntreArchitect

AUGUST 16, 2018

EntreArchitect: Behind the Design is a weekly blog series where we feature work designed, developed and/or built by small firm entrepreneur architect members of The EntreArchitect Community. Good client relations and good PR to keep our name out there. With clients? Click here to learn how. Project Name. Not Enough.

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EntreArchitect

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

One platform may be your personal favorite over the many others, but are your prospective clients enjoying their time on that same platform? Where are our clients making the decisions that lead them to hire us? Most residential clients collect “wish list” images before they ever come to us for architectural services.

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EntreArchitect

MAY 30, 2017

Access to the attic was via the typical flimsy plywood folding ladder that so many American houses feature prominently in our residential ceiling designs. The seductive texture of our illustrations identify us as artists in the minds of our clients. Question: Do you use hand sketching to market your firm?

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EntreArchitect

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Residential Architect magazine sent me an email today introducing a new video series, Value of Residential Architecture. Each video will feature an architect discussing his/her thoughts on why residential architecture is important and where residential architecture is headed in the future. I was excited. I feel it too.

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EntreArchitect

JULY 7, 2013

Every residential architecture project starts months, maybe even years before a client ever approaches an architect. Our potential clients have saved their money and prepared a budget. On the day that a potential client contacts you, the clock starts ticking. You have a happy client with a finished project.

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EntreArchitect

OCTOBER 15, 2014

As many of you may already know, tomorrow is a big day for small firm architects. . At the Business of Architecture Summit you’ll also hear from other speakers focused on small architecture firm success (you’ll also be able to pick up 10+ AIA CES LUs). Mark has come full circle.

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EntreArchitect

DECEMBER 26, 2017

To complete the development of a standard residential additions and alterations project, it takes several months of focus and dedication. Most sole practitioners and small firms I know struggle to meet the minimum requirements of operation. The architect is simply an agent to the client with no liability for the construction.

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EntreArchitect

DECEMBER 19, 2017

One platform may be your personal favorite over the many others, but are your prospective clients enjoying their time on that same platform? Where are our clients making the decisions that lead them to hire us? Most residential clients collect “wish list” images before they ever come to us for architectural services.

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Client Clients Small Firm Management 52

EntreArchitect

AUGUST 9, 2018

EntreArchitect: Behind the Design is a weekly blog series where we feature work designed, developed and/or built by small firm entrepreneur architect members of The EntreArchitect Community. With clients? How involved was your client throughout the design process? Click here to learn how. Soaring Wings by Winn Wittman.

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EntreArchitect

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

I am often surprised by the number of firms providing architectural design services and forfeiting the final phase of the process, Construction Administration. Here is a recent comment from the group; “I need to get better at selling my clients on construction administration. Most think they do not need it and refuse it when offered.

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EntreArchitect

MAY 17, 2016

We all work to empathize with our clients. As architects, we try to reduce the overwhelm and stress that our clients experience during a construction project. A few times in our own careers, Annmarie and I have experienced the emotions of our clients first hand. One Step to Better Architecture Project Management.

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EntreArchitect

AUGUST 30, 2016

This month, the #ArchiTalks topic is “Back to School”, so I am encouraging my fellow small firm architects to go back to school themselves and learn what they need to know to find the work they want and live a life they’ll love. As small firm architects, how do we get noticed by those prospects? Back to School.

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EntreArchitect

MARCH 13, 2017

Our prospective clients learn with their heads, but decide with their hearts. After years of research and gathering information, often when a client chooses to work with an architect, it simply comes down to their feelings. How can we use virtual reality tools to allow our clients a visual and aural experience inside our designs?

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EntreArchitect

DECEMBER 3, 2019

That approach leaves potential clients struggling to understand what makes one firm better than the other. Prospects won’t understand the value your firm provides unless you communicate it. This lack has larger repercussions for the industry at large, resulting in: Increased commoditization (which drives firm fees down).

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