Wisdom for the Modern Architect

by Global Architect

A Saturday Newsletter+ for business-oriented architects to feed their curious minds.

Carefully and personally curated by Aitor Arteta.

🕑 5 Minute Read

Welcome to a new episode of the Wisdom for the Modern Architect series, where I share a dose of ideas, research conclusions, principles, models, books, podcasts, tools, and other useful stuff with you.

Let’s get started.

📍 Message of the week

Starting your own architecture business is hard.

The only way you can make it easier is making small experiments.

You will make mistakes, for sure. But this is the only way to learn.

📰 Story of the week

Ever feel like you're a bit lost, like you're not sure where you're heading?

You've got all those skills and dreams, but the map to get there is a bit blurry.

A lot of what we learned in school doesn't always match up with the real world.

We were left abandoned, on the university's doorstep, in one of the toughest times for construction.

Like, make a life for yourself, kid.

We are going to turn this situation around and make a living from architecture as we deserve.

This is what I discovered:

5 Startup Stage Business Principles

🦸‍♂️ Influencer of the week

Influencers are natural people, like you and me, who make an extraordinary job, and have the ability to inspire and lead with example.

In this episode:

Cheli Wasserman

Cheli is the dynamic Co-Founder and CEO of BIMMatch, who's been at the forefront of transforming the construction industry since 2019.

Based in Israel, she has been instrumental in steering Bimmatch towards its mission of automating the procurement process in construction, making it not just cost-effective but also sustainable.

Because she's not just shaping the present, she's crafting the future of construction procurement, you’d better follow her.

🛠️ Tool of the week

Digital tools that will make you a more productive architect, producing more using less effort.

The tool I reviewed this week:

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is like a smart helper for architects.

Efficiency is key. It makes work faster and easier.

You can get design ideas, find out how much things cost, and learn about building rules quickly.

Gift included. Let’s see if you are able to find it.

Try it, use it, and let me know what you think.

📘 Book of the week

Reading books is like sucking other minds that have already been in your place.

Why should you reinvent the wheel when someone else is showing you the way?

The book I recommend you to read:

Sprint by Jake Knapp

How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

"Sprint" is a guide to innovating and problem-solving in an accelerated way.

Jake Knapp, the inventor of the Sprint process at Google, explains how to compress design thinking to reduce the risk of launching new innovations or products.

The book provides a step-by-step guide to define your target, find a solution, create and test a prototype within just 5 days.

And it’s applicable to any architecture firm.

📝 Posts of the week

Top-notch architects are always learning.

These publications give you direct access to my experiences, where I share my views.

Much like having a mentor to guide you through today's complex challenges.

The best posts of the week are:

Use these posts to find new relationships, engage with other people and learn new things.

♟️ Quote of the week

Quotes make you reflect and think.

The quote of the week was:

You don’t need a lot of money to start a business.

I have observed a common misconception among many aspiring architect entrepreneurs.

The belief that setting up a business requires heavy investments, such as a 900€ logo, a 2.000€ MacBook Pro, or an 87.000€ MBA.

Let me tell you that this is not the case.

🎧 Song of the week

⚡️ Let's energize your day with a little bit of music.

The song of the week is:

“Do I Wanna Know” by Hahlweg & Nicky MacKenzie

I’m sure you have heard this song somewhere else.

Every time I listen to it, it makes my hair stand on end.

I hope it does the same for you.

❤️ Healthy of the week

Your health is the most important thing you need to take care of.

Above anything else. Including your architectural career. It's not worth it.

Here is the highlight of the week:

Architects, it's time we talk about the reality of our salaries

Depending solely on our monthly paycheck is becoming a risky business.

We pour our creativity into every project, but does our income mirror that effort?

Facing job uncertainty, burnout, and financial stress is more common than we’d like to admit.

But there's a hopeful path forward: diversifying how we earn.

💎 Business of the week

Architecture is big business, and it’s on track to becoming even bigger in the coming years.

A lot of companies are emerging to make life easier for AEC professionals by improving job site safety, streamlining project communication, opening up job access, and more.

Keep an eye on the companies that will disrupt the industry.

This most valuable business of the week is:

BIMMatch

Bimmatch was founded in 2019 to pursue of a technological solution for streamlining the selection and procurement process in the construction industry.

Bimmatch happened to be so much more than that.

With AI technologies, based on BIM methodology, we created a platform for all participants of the planning and execution process to communicate, make smart decisions, support green buildings solutions, and purchase economically.

💥 Offer of the week

I am looking for Architects who are serious about taking their business to the next level.

I've helped more than 20 architects level up their business.

They usually start by themselves with Sprints.

And continue working 1:1 with us after, with Consulting.

Next month, I'll be deep diving into how they can add new customers to their top line.

Whether you are making 50.000€ a year or 1.000.000€.

My goal is to find you another 100.000€ a year in income.

Let’s do some math. That’s:

1 big project of 100.000€
2 medium project of 50.000€
4 small project of 25.000€
10 customers of 10.000€
20 customers of 5.000€
100 customers of 1.000€
200 customers of 500€
500 customers of 200€
1.000 customers of 100€

Can you imagine what products you can offer at those prices?

Where do you find these customers?
Which one sounds easier to you?

Surely you already have the answers.

If not, DO NOT miss this opportunity. It can cost you 100k€.

We've got limited spots, especially for December, and our subscribers are first in line.

Book your December Consulting Session and let's talk about business.

Don't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Get ready about your finances and change your game for 2024.

❓ Quick question

I'm working on understanding our audience better so we can make more helpful content.

Help me with this question:

What would you say are your key activities as an architect?

It is not very clear to me.
I am dedicated to selling and closing new clients.
I am dedicated to organizing projects and construction sites.
Designing and drafting, that's my key activity.

Reply to this email and let me know.

🔐 Membership

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Join now and you will get:

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Including 📘 Books, 🦸‍♂️ Influencers and 🛠 Tools of the Year

4) A community of Business-oriented architects, ready to support you.

It's time to get serious with your ideas.

Upgrade to Pro Membership and give your business a boost.

Reserved for our Premium members.

⏪ Previously

If you missed any of the previous episodes, don't trip over the same stone twice.

Here they are:

🎖 Sponsors

Wisdom for the Modern Architect has quickly become one of the most influential newsletters for business-oriented architects.

Each week, they receive a deep dive covering topics ranging from growth and decision making to business, financial and productivity tools.

Would you like to sponsor our newsletter and help those architects?

Let's work together.

♻️ Ps

Forward this email to someone you respect today.

Cheli Wasserman, ChatGPT and Sprint

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