You are most likely an architect who has been in the industry for some years and you’re now interested in becoming your own boss.
Starting your own architecture business is an exciting journey and not as challenging as many say. Regardless if you are a recent graduate or have been in the industry for some time, you are still eligible to do it all on your own.
In this article, we’ll show you it all and how you can start today.
1. Define your business vision
Before starting any sort of business, you need to define your purpose and focus. This can be done by analyzing three important factors that will serve as a roadmap for your business:
- Choose your specialization: Residential, commercial, sustainable designs, urban planning, or restoration. Not all architectures are the same, so it’s important to choose which field you are going to pursue.
- Identify your unique selling proposition (USP): What makes your firm different from competitors? This industry is so unique so it’s always important to find out what it is.
- Define your business goals: You need to state both long and short-term objectives to make sure you are working for profitability and growth.
Your business vision will help further in clearing the path when you start your own architecture business.
2. Create your business plan
Your business plan will cover the key aspects of your business and will serve as a roadmap throughout the lifetime of your business. To make everything more understandable, let’s take a closer look at what your business plan should include:
- Executive summary: This includes your business name, structure, location, founding date, and mission statement.
- Business description: Here, you need to describe your architecture firm, and highlight what you’ll offer, your unique value proposition (UVP), and your target audience.
- Services: Describe the types of services you’ll be offering.
- Market analysis: Who your competitors will be, and defining your client profile and preferences.
- Operational plan: Where do you plan on starting your business? Will it be on a remote basis (at home) or at a physical office?
- Risk analysis: Identify all potential challenges and risks that can impact your business's success.
In short, you don’t need to write anything in depth, but just include a general overview to have an idea of which direction you’re heading.
3.Create your website
Running an architecture business requires you to make sure you are on the right track and this can be done by setting up your own website. Especially with technology advancing so much in the past decade, it’s now easier than ever to create your website. You don’t have to wait for months to do so and certainly don’t need to pay a fortune either.
There are AI website builders that are now trending and helping business owners set up their own websites in less than an hour. The only cost you’ll be dealing with is monthly maintenance, which isn’t usually too high. Also, many AI web builders are now offering free trials that you can use.
These tools will ask about your business description and which industry you are in to make sure they create a website that is tailored to your specific needs.
4.Set up your office and tools
This will require you to distinguish if you want to work from home or use commercial space. You need to consider your budget here and whether you need a physical location for client meetings or not.
If you want to have a physical office, but are on a tight budget, you can always access co-working spaces that are ideal for networking and collaboration with other professionals. Above all, make sure the space reflects your brand and accommodates your workflow.
As you’re already an architect, you most likely are familiar with the required office setup & equipment you need. However, let’s just go through a general overview:
- High-performance computer: Powerful processors and GPUs are the key to helping you as an architect. This is to make sure they can withstand the workload they encounter.
- Large display screens: Great for detailed design work and presentations.
- Large format printer & scanner: This is used for printing architectural drawings, blueprints, and 3D rendering.
It’s always important to acquire the necessary equipment for your architecture firm, including design software, and other important equipment to make sure you have your office fully set up.
5.Build up your network
There’s no such thing as being successful on your own. Therefore, you need to have a network you can rely on. As a business owner, you need to always build your network, regardless if it’s a family member, your mentor, clients, or anyone else who can help you professionally and personally.
You shouldn’t ever be afraid to reach out to people you don’t know. You can now use platforms like LinkedIn to do so, and showcase your work where most professionals will appreciate it. Just like you appreciate someone’s work, the same rule will go for them. Always remember that someone is waiting to see your talent and you might be the solution to their problems.
6.Choose your pricing model
Pricing models differ and let’s face it, not everyone has the same pricing model. Someone might charge on an hourly basis, while the other might charge at a fixed rate, or project-based. These are the three most popular pricing models, and most of the time, they are dictated by how you worked in the past.
For example, if you started your architecture career working with a fixed pricing rate, then, you will be most likely influenced to use this pricing model again.
However, this will all depend on where you place your focus.
7.Focus on the legal terms
Regardless of the type of business you start, you need to make sure you are complying with local regulations and industry certifications.
First of all, your best bet is to acquire an Architecture License that is required to legally offer tour services and obtained through the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) or local licensing boards.
In some cases, even though you aren’t always associated with this part, you might need to also acquire a building permit. However, to be more sure, it’s best to communicate with your local government.
Last but not least, you can also use professional certifications to enhance your firm’s credibility. For instance, LEED certifications are used for sustainable architecture.
8.Use project management tools
Being an architect is no easy job and project management tools are definitely a one-way ticket to making their lives somewhat more easier. To make sure you are promoting efficiency and improving client satisfaction, we recommend you use Trello or Asana to manage your daily tasks.
When using these tools, it’s important to set realistic deadlines and budgets. Also, communicate with your clients and contractors to make sure you are on the right track with your deadlines to make sure you aren’t mixing anything up.
9.Don’t forget about social media marketing
Social media communication is becoming mandatory for many firms. Let’s face it, the reality is that most of the communication you do on a daily basis involves social media. The good thing about being an architect is that you have lots of flexibility to create an account on any social media platform you’d like.
This is because architects are always showing off visuals and they have so much flexibility to remain active on any social media channel they like. However, as a start, we recommend you start using the following platforms:
- Instagram: Serves as a great option for creating reels, posting stories, and connecting deeper with your target audience.
- TikTok: You can always show off your great work with videos and get more interactive feedback from your audience.
- Pinterest: While it might not be as popular as other social media channels, the advantage here is that Pinterest is suitable for architects since you can promote all of your work. The best part is that when you build up your portfolio, you’ll have many images to showcase.
Throughout time, when you start showcasing attractive and interesting work, it’ll be more than easy to reach a larger audience and people will start to see how good your work is the good news is that they might even share it if it’s interesting enough.
Starting your own architecture business is a blend of creativity and vision
Starting your own architecture business requires a blend of creative vision, strategic planning, and action. These 9 steps we mentioned are a summary of the steps you should take to make it possible.
Being successful in the architect world is more than just design; it involves effective marketing, financial management, legal compliance, and always learning how you can do better. With the right mindset, and a well-structured approach, you can easily build a firm that leaves a good first impression.