October 2018 - The Business of Architecture UK

030: Marketing Formulas for Architects with Paul Iddon

In this week’s episode I travel to Manchester to visit the phenomenal tour de force that is Paul Iddon. Paul has had a unique career which spans across practicing as an architect running his own office to now running a marketing agency which supports product manufacturers market to architects.

His experience in both terratories provides him with a unique insight into the challenges that architects face both as individual small businesses and as a profession as a whole. In this interview Paul offers some pertinent advice to the profession and how we can collective communicate the value of an architect as well highlighting common mistakes individual businesses make when marketing their services.

In this episode you will learn:

The most common mistake architects make with their marketing communication
How to attract clients rather than chase them
How to detect a ‘bad fit’ client from the outset

Today’s Resources:

http://ai.agency-spring.com

029: Creating an Architectural Franchise with Lisa Raynes

In this week’s episode I travel to Manchester to visit Lisa Raynes founder of Pride Rd Architects, an architectural practice specialising in domestic and residential projects with an innovative business model.

Discovering that the domestic market was relatively unaffected by economic down turns Lisa set up Pride Road Architects as a franchise to empower architects who want a better work life balance and want a tried a tested method to set up on their own.

In this interview Lisa goes into depth about how she set up the business, how it operates and how people can join the movement.

Today’s Resources:

prideroadfranchise.co.uk

028: Essential Business Skills for Architects with Chris Williamson

‘There’s no reason why Business and Art can’t go hand in hand’ – Norman Foster

This week I am speaking with Chris Williamson, co-founder of Weston Williamson, a 100 person strong practice based in central London specialising in large scale transport infrastructure.

In addition to being a chartered architect, Chris has an MSc in Project Management and believes strongly that the art of architecture requires excellent business skills in order to be realised. Previously Chris was the RIBA’s Business Skills ambassador. Chris is currently the International Vice President of the RIBA responsible for setting a strategy to grow into a global membership institution and to encourage more UK architects to seek work globally.

In this interview you will learn
– The essential business skills for architects
– How to grow a large practice and remain creative
– How to move into fiercely guarded sectors

Today’s Resources:
https://www.westonwilliamson.com/people/chris-williamson

027: Strategic Alliances with Richard Zeff

This week I am speaking with Richard Zeff, an estate agent and entrepreneur with 25 years experience in the property industry, about strategic alliances to create power referral partners with related industries. Richard has recently created his own estate agent training and development company and has huge amount of experience in developing estate agents to become effective sales people through building client relationships.

In this interview you will learn

– How Estate Agents and Architects can become powerful referral partners

– How architects can influence the value of property

– The Secrets to selling houses

TODAY’S RESOURCES

Richard’s website

www.ealife.co.uk

TICKETS FOR BOA UK LIVE EVENT OCTOBER 11th 2018 7-10pm

http://bit.ly/BOAUKOct11

026: How to Calculate your Fees with Simon Berry of Fresh Projects

This week I spent some time in conversation with our collaborator for the upcoming BOA UK Live Event, Simon Berry, CEO of Fresh Projects of a software company specialising in practice management software for architects and engineers. In this interview Simon discusses how he made the journey from engineer to an entrepreneur with a mission to transform the way architects and engineers do business to empower the industry to run profitable businesses. Like many us in the construction world, Simon at first became disillusioned working as an engineer as the long hours and low pay began to take its toll. Simon began to look towards the finance industry as perhaps an alternative career path and undertook an MBA at Cambridge University. Fortunately some encounters with bankers and brokers led Simon to see that perhaps the grass wasn’t greener, as so many of his peers in these industry were unfulfilled in their work. Simon recognised that one of his greatest assets like many architects and engineers, was his passion for his work. Armed with an entrepreneurial spirit and business skillset Simon created Fresh Projects to eliminate many of business struggles that he had witnessed so many architectural and engineering practices face and to empower them to run better businesses, winning better work and delivering more impactful and fulfilling design through carefully crafted software systems.