Small Firm Forum: Lessons Learned (1.5 LU)

Architects who work in, manage or own small firms wear many hats. They are the proposal writers, the code experts, the designers, the specification writers, the accountants, the marketers, the drafters, the construction administrators, and the client managers. This is in contrast to larger firms where individuals will often specialize in each of these areas. And yet, most small firm architects learn their trade initially in other offices. So the knowledge needed to run a small firm resides in all small firm architects, but not all small firm architects know the same things.

In this program we will share some of the surprising things we’ve learned through our successes and our missteps. We hope that each of us will leave with new insights into how we might run our practices with greater success and fewer disappointments. This will be a roundtable conversation open to all zoom participants.

The October program will center on the sharing of our experiences. So think about your experience forming and running your practice. And maybe consider a few questions that you might ask or like others to answer. Here are a few in no special order.

• When you started your practice, was there one area where you felt especially ill prepared? What did you do about it?
• What is the experience you will “never forget”?
• If you could start over, what would you do differently?
• What advice would you give to a young architect contemplating forming his or her own practice?
• How would you rank the rewards?

Our aim, despite current challenges, is to build links between us that allow the sharing of what we know, to elevate our abilities as architects, and to build professional friendships which offer rewards with the passing of time.