Architecture & Engineering Business Strategies

Latest Episodes:

Moody Nolan: How To Design Sustainable Operations (w/ Allen Schaffer) Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

A growing number of firms are combining two major responsibilities into one role: chief operating officer and sustainability director. It’s a lot to juggle in a small firm, let alone a quickly growing one spread across multiple cities. But Allen Schaffer, COO and Director of Sustainability at Moody Nolan, has handled the two roles for almost two years now as they’ve expanded into new markets. In this Best Practice interview, Allen discusses the ways the two roles overlap and how they differ, how the firm is managing growth, and how success all comes down to having a plan and communicating.

Interview Takeaways

Find the overlap in operations and sustainability
Juggle the differences between two roles
Look internally for operations and sustainability roles
Engage in responsive architecture
Strive for structured growth
Lean into diversity
Deliver solutions to clients and your team
Monitor and adjust to stay on budget
Use communication to stay on track
Create strategic plans for sustainability
Find consultants who challenge you
Care deeply and look for others who do too

Show Links

Check out Moody Nolan
Connect with Allen Schaffer on LinkedIn
Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn
Check out Monograph
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Snohetta: Collective Intuition & Operations (w/ Elaine Molinar, Michelle Delk) Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Good design won’t automatically equal financial success
Approach design with a work-together mentality
Learn how to scale as an employer
Aim for work-life integration over work-life balance
Opposing viewpoints are equally valuable
Refresh your mind by taking breaks
Gain second-hand experience through your peers
Cultivate a collaborative mindset
Set aside your individual point of view
Let go of the fear of looking foolish
Set your design in motion through site planning
Nurture the next generation

Show Links

Connect with Elaine Molinar on LinkedIn
Connect with Michelle Delk on LinkedIn
Check out Snøhetta
Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Rossmann Architecture Inc: Success Stories (w/ Shane Balcom) Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Think outside your vertical to scale
Dial in your tech deck
Efficiency is good for business
Incentivize staff with bonus targets
Get into a forecasting rhythm
Align your company culture
Build strong habits with Monograph
Let Monograph enable hyper-growth
Pivot structure as you grow
Keep ops on pace with billable growth
Design a different practice

Show Links

Connect with Shane Balcom on LinkedIn
Check out Rossmann Architecture Inc.
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Colloqate Design: Success Stories (w/ Bryan C. Lee Jr.) Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Understand the implications of architecture
All power dynamics are tied to the land
Design justice requires radical thinking
Think outside of architecture processes
Serve diverse communities
Prioritize the outreach process
Focus on public spaces
Justice is greater than equality
Engage with stakeholders
Consider the communities you serve
The value of efficient work

Show Links

Check out Colloqate Design
Connect with Bryan C. Lee Jr. on LinkedIn
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

HOPEWORKSDESIGN: The Value of Investing in Performance Marketing for Your Practice (w/ Hope Trory) Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Invest in data-driven marketing
Be proactive and save time
Know your acronyms
Calculate LTV
Find out your CAC
Generate brand awareness
Increase website traffic and retarget
Increase engagement and conduct lead generation
Choose your digital channels
Create, then measure
Only pay for the actions you want
Be confident in your ROI

Show Links

Check out HOPEWORKSDESIGN
Connect with Hope Trory on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): Operationalizing Business Development (w/ Iben Falconer) Dec 05, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Don’t confuse marketing and business development
Plan with your destination in mind
Own your leads pipeline
Forecast by looking ahead
Ask: Do I really want this job?
Assign a point person for prospects
Recognize personal strengths
Acknowledge your weaknesses
Empower & guide your team
Never take business development off your plate
Make every team member count
Pitch even with a full plate

Show Links

Check out SOM
Connect with Iben Falconer on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Lake|Flato Architects: How to Leverage Synergies at the Intersection of Sustainability, Design Technology and IT (w/ Scott Lelieur, Dan Stine) Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Integrate tools and technology slowly
Balance current and future needs
Assess the efficiency of your tools and systems
Give your team more independence
Implement the right tools
Leverage technology with care
Cultivate a compelling culture
Look to remote work
Make the most of every opportunity
Foster growth within your company
Share similar values
Pinpoint your passions

Show Links

Check out Lake Flato
Connect with Scott Lelieur on LinkedIn
Connect with Daniel Stine on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with Chris Morgan on LinkedIn
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Slack Technologies / Practice of Architecture: Building & Running a Hybrid Practice (w/ Evelyn Lee) Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

A hybrid practice is the hardest practice
Re-examine your company culture
Create shared ownership in culture
Create new people processes
Consider a year-long onboarding process
Support employee career journeys
Hybrid processes sometimes look like 100% remote
Set time for live responses and deep work
Invest in cloud technology
Don’t get into process debt
Hybrid work requires investment at all levels

Show Links

Connect with Evelyn Lee on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Practice of Architecture
Connect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

HKS Architects: JEDI in Practice (w/ Yiselle Santos) Nov 16, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Prioritize a JEDI mentality
Create a safe space
Learn how to manage diversity
Gender equality increases profitability
Encourage authentic conversations
Focus on transparency
Challenge yourself and others
Think people-first
Establish goals to achieve success
Accountability comes through transparency
Disrupt your biases
Data defines the truth

Show Links

Check out HKS, Inc.
Connect with Yiselle Santos on LinkedIn or Twitter
Connect with George Valdes on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Charrette Venture Group: Financial Management Basics for Small Firms (w/ Rena M. Klein) Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

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 Takeaways

Understand financial management
Conduct cash and accrual reporting
Know your utilization and break even rate
Track your hours
Increase utilization rates
Increase billable ratios
Nix scope creep
Use best practices to avoid over-delivery
Have routine projects to up efficiency
Calculate your hourly rate
Check for profitability
Use a fixed fee for greater profitability

Show Links

Check out Charrette Venture Group
Connect with Rena M. Klein on LinkedIn
Connect with Joann Lui on LinkedIn or Twitter
Check out Monograph
Check out Section Cut
Follow Monograph on LinkedIn or Instagram
Listen and read more about Monograph

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Architecture & Engineering Business Strategies

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected