Wisdom for the Modern Architect
by Global Architect
A newsletter for business-oriented architects to feed their curious minds.
Carefully and personally curated by Aitor Arteta.
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🕑 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.
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📍 Message of the week
Building a successful and profitable architecture business takes time and effort.
Find out where your small business currently is in the cycle.
Plan for the future and create an appropriate business growth strategy.
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📰 Story of the week
Running a business is usually something you do it alone.
Especially if you’re starting so young.
My colleagues were more interested in designing than making money or being profitable.
So I felt the whole pressure of running the business on my shoulders.
Fortunately, I found new friends, especially in the startup world.
They were other founders trying to do the same thing, to build their own profitable businesses.
We helped each other, shared advice and celebrated even the little things.
Now, when I look back, I see how all those little steps added up.
From staying late working on designs to now running my own company, every little thing was important.
One thing we all learned was that building a business takes time. Much more than you think.
And that there are some stages and steps that we all need to experience to make it grow.
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This is what I learned about growing a business:
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🦸♂️ 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:
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He suffered years of frustration trying to answer some simple questions such as:
- What fee should I be charging on new projects to ensure profitability?
- Are my existing ongoing projects going to end up making a profit or a loss?
- Should I work for this Client again?
- Which of my team members is most effective?
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So he founded Fresh Projects, an online platform that allows Architects and Engineers to manage their business effortlessly.
They provide a central platform for project financial data and give you realtime answers to your most important financial questions.
If you want to build a more profitable business, follow this guy.
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🛠️ 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:
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We said it before, creativity isn't just about design.
It's also about how you run your architecture business.
The Artist vs Entrepreneur thing.
The Business Model Canvas is a strategic tool that will help you visualize, design, and pivot your business model.
It's perfect for architects who are great with designs but might need a nudge in business strategy.
Try it, use it, and let me know what you think.
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📘 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:
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For architects, it's really important to build a profitable business.
No one plays this game just for fun.
We all started out as a small, disorganised firm.
And we aspire to become a successful and profitable architectural firm.
This book explains how to go from one to the other.
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📝 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:
- We need more media Robin Hoods.
- I've been an architect for over 10 years.
- The best architects do not live off their salary.
- Architects, it's time we talk about the reality of our salaries.
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Use these posts to find new relationships, engage with other people and learn new things.
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♟️ Quote of the week
Quotes make you reflect and think.
The quote of the week was:
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I am talking to the architect who is working on something super cool.
Like your own architecture business.
But before you start, you need a strong base.
How to build a strong base?
Follow these 3 steps…
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🎧 Song of the week
⚡️ Let's energize your day with a little bit of music.
The song of the week is:
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This is one of the songs I put on Mondays. It plugs me into the week.
Listen to it and let me know if it's the same for you.
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❤️ 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:
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One of the biggest problems we face as architects is the crazy amount of pressure and stress that comes with our kick-ass profession.
I mean, we're talking about long hours, crazy deadlines, low fees & salaries.
And the never-ending quest to impress our clients.
It's no wonder we're feeling the heat, right?
Mental health should be at the top of our priority list.
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💎 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:
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Fresh Projects is an online platform that allows Architects and Engineers to manage their business effortlessly.
With over 70 000 projects across 4 continents under control with Fresh Projects, their project financial management tools have been fine tuned to meet the specific demands of the built-environment.
From CRM Pipeline tracking, Fee Calculators, Project Scheduling, Timesheet Management, Project Cost and Time Tracking, Financial Planning and Forecasting Tools to Resource Planning Tools – they have a seamless solution to improve your project accounting and profitability.
Let's see what business ideas you get out of them.
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💥 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.
Next month, I'll be deep diving into how they can add new customers to their top line.
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Whether you are making 50k€ a year or 1M€ my goal is to find you another 100k€ a year in income.
Let’s do some math. That’s:
- 1 big project of 100k€
- 2 medium project of 50k€
- 4 small project of 25k€
- 10 customers of 10k€
- 20 customers of 5k€
- 100 customers of 1k€
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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€.
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We've got limited spots, especially for December, and our subscribers are first in line.
Book your 1:1 Session and let's talk about business.
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❓ Quick question
I'm working on understanding our audience better so we can make more helpful content.
Help me with this question:
Within the value chain, are you clear to which other stakeholders you bring a lot of value?
- We also help other agents such as integrators and regulators.
- We are only dedicated to families or companies.
- I don't know what you mean by Value Chain.
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Reply to this email and let me know.
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🔐 Membership
For those who enjoyed this content, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
There's more value inside the Global Architect Pro Membership.
Join now and you will get:
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1) Everything on Newsletter+:
2) Save 840€ each month by learning from the coaching sessions of others.
3) BONUS: Unlock the Full Resources Library
- Including 📘 Books, 🦸♂️ Influencers and 🛠 Tools of the Year
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It's time to get serious with your ideas.
Upgrade to Pro Membership and give your business a boost.
🤫 Reserved for our Premium members.
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⏪ Previously
If you missed any of the previous episodes, don't trip over the same stone twice.
Here they are:
- Ross Hartland, Shopify and Architecture + Entrepreneurship Vol 2
- Valentin Manaila, Glassdoor and The Architect’s Guide to Small Firm Management
- Antonio Gonzalez, Teachable and The War of Art
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🎖 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?
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♻️ Ps
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