Rich the Architect

Technology Silos exist in all aspects of life and work. In the past year I have experienced some negative aspects of this though working with collaborators on a project that use their own workarounds for their own efficiency. In this case it has made others less efficient, including the team I am working on. On the other side, silos similar to this can make a project more efficient. Think of speci...

As I developed my firm principles I started to think that I should also use this as a basis for finding ideal clients. When networking or interacting with people I have started to think if I'm spending my time wisely. In this episode, I'm proven wrong by questioning if i should go to an event, and I also start considering to offer some Revit software advice, but not for free.

Now that I've identified my principles how do I test them on a regular basis. On this episode I go over how I have a weekly meeting with myself (coffee and breakfast provided by my boss, oh wait that's me) to identify certain situations in the past week and test to see which principles were used. Then I go over how I may be able to use these principles to evaluate an ideal team member to w...

Combining the last two principles, which are Principle 7 (Quick Communication) and 8 (Follow the Follow). Both work well together because I want to get information to others as quick as possible, and once that information is in their hands I want to make sure the next steps are being made by others.

The details of a project can be broken down into not only the design of a project, but also the design of the process of a project.

The daily grind of running and operating a business can take its toll over time, so making sure I'm fresh and ready to go is very important. I go over how I can keep it fresh on business operations and processes, along with how I do it on a daily basis.

As a younger professional I worked with a senior project manager who would tell me to always look at the pros and cons of whatever is involved in the design of a project. Today, I still look at that and sometimes it can help me determine if a client is a good fit or not. I also offer my opinions of made up deadlines for designing for the environment that is a sure sign of an groups or individuals...

With my third principle, it's fitting that this is being released in August, since this is the month most people do slow down. I came up with this principle in response to how I've seen stress being created in project with unrealistic expectations to project timelines and expected quality of product. Slowing down has led to better quality and less stress, and I go into detail how I deliver...

The second firm principle is Simplify the Complex. This principle's basic premise is to take any project and break down into smaller, digestible parts. I give a few examples here, the first is how a project used phasing to simplify a lab renovation project I worked on for construction coordination modeling. I also go into how I break apart a typical residential project into design and approval...

For the last few month’s I’ve been taking a course called, Building a Better Company, by Alex Gore of the Inside the Firm Podcast. The course is aimed towards professionals in the AEC industry and has been super helpful. One of the core ideas is to develop a set of principles for yourself or your business, which I want to cover in the next few episodes. Here I cover my first principle, which is Fi...

Had an interesting response to a recent project proposal recently, which the title of this episode is a loose quote.  A response like this warrants a no response from me, but this response also signifies a trend I'm seeing this year with my proposals related to years past.  Proposal requests are looking similar but the number of projects that have started from these proposals is signific...

It's been a bit. When I say a bit I mean a year and some time.  I'm back now with a new approach towards the podcast.  I'm looking for guests and my hope that you can give me some suggestions.  Looking for people I find interesting and can be curious.  Happy to be back and look forward to getting this rolling again.  See you in a few weeks once I get back from a family tri...

Have I been operating my company for the past 12 years in love with the idea of freedom?  What is freedom in a business sense?

This past week I finished reading 'Company of One' by Paul Jarvis.  In the latter chapters he discusses operating with ego versus operating with purpose.  I go into that and reflect back on my 12 years in business and realize that I've operated more with my ego.  I then think about how anyone can operate more with purpose in the long and short term.

In the book, 'Company of One' by Paul Jarvis, he speaks about how collaboration is more effective with less instances of communication.  I expand on that topic, which I agree with, with two real world examples I experienced where more communication caused less productivity.     Let me know your thoughts on this topic.  Do you agree with my thinking, or is there a better wa...

Tyler Ardron is the Vice President of Risk Reduction Plus, which provides flood, homeowners, and other insurance for home and property owners across the country.  We dive deep (pun intended) into flood insurance and how rating for this insurance relates to the base flood elevations and other factors with properties near or next to the water, whether they are oceans, rivers, or lakes.  &n...

As I looked into growing the firm recently I came across a book that hit a nerve with me.  The book, 'Company of One' by Paul Jarvis, speaks about how growing for growing sake isn't necessarily the best business approach, and doesn't actually lead to overall happiness in life.  While I've only gotten through about half of the book so far, in this episode, I speak about passion in busines...

In the past couple weeks I've been trying to hire someone to help with my projects with little to no luck.  So the question I'm asking myself now is how do I deal with all this work without any help.  In this episode I go through what I've been doing with scheduling my time on a monthly, weekly, and daily level, and how its been helpful with dealing with the stress of having so much work...

Last week I received a phone call from someone I had a disagreement with back when I worked for an architecture firm 15 years ago.  When he called he ended the message by saying that he wasn't sure if I would call back.  Ended up I did and it led to a possible project in my town where the client is buying a property from an old client of mine.  This old project was never built so it...

Today I dive into why I'm still doing architecture.  Rather than talk about my origin story of why I chose to be an architect as a kid, I go into why I'm still an architect almost 30 years later from when I started to take the initial steps of being an architect.  Basically it comes down to enjoying the process of helping people, and I go into three points of time where this occurs on an...

Today I discuss the concept of Rich vs Wealthy based on the surprise feeling I got once I started hitting revenue goals that I was aiming for.  I also add a recent example of a day I had last week where I took the afternoon off to recharge, leading to my definition of what wealthy is.  I also lose it near the end because of a technical issue that cut off my video because of a spam call t...

Matt Rahn is the owner of the Rahn Companies, which is a Landscaping and Contracting Company located in South Jersey.  He provides installation and property maintenance services for primarily commercial businesses.  Matt and I discuss current challenges with labor shortages, house hacking, and enjoying the great outdoors.     Here's a link to Matt's website for more information about the Rahn Comp...

I have a long term goal in the next few years to have my own office with a few unique amenities. The question I’m asking myself today is what are the first steps I should take to achieve this goal. I lead into the question by going over some other growth goals I have and what I’ve already accomplished or am working on to get to those goals.

Ryan Harbinson is the Director of Business Development for Clearbridge Branding Agency.  We briefly talk business, but primarily talk about gaming, both video games and board games.  This was a fun one.  Enjoy.

This week I’m thinking out loud about imposter syndrome. How I deal with it and why does it come up in my day to day thought processes.