For some time now, there’s been a lot of discussion about how architects don’t receive adequate business training—whether in universities or while working under someone else. I hear you, and I understand the frustration.
But I’m also growing increasingly concerned by the rhetoric I see online.
At ArchiBiz, we’ve been part of this conversation, positioning ourselves as the ones who “fill the gap in your business education” and teach the skills necessary to lead an architecture firm that does great work and gets properly paid for it. I stand by that, but something has shifted recently.
On one hand, I’m encouraged that six years after our inception, there are now at least 3x as many people advocating for business education in architecture. The more voices spreading this message, the better. But somewhere along the way, I think we’ve lost focus.
Instead of dwelling on what architects aren’t taught, why aren’t we discussing the solutions that are available? More importantly, why isn’t it more common for architecture firm leaders to seek business help and openly talk about it?
Consider this: many entrepreneurs don’t take courses on “how to manage a team” or “how to improve profitability” while earning their undergraduate degrees. Universities are where you go to develop technical and ‘thinking’ skills. It’s not their responsibility to teach you how to run a business. That’s on you—if you choose to pursue that path.
There’s a paradox at play here. The further you advance in business, the less you rely on your technical skills and the more you need entrepreneurial business acumen. Michael E. Gerber’s E-Myth captures this perfectly.
Of course, many architects do seek business training and discuss it openly. ArchiBiz wouldn’t exist without them, and for that, we’re grateful. But this article isn’t about them.
So, what are the options available today?
Architects who want to learn about business have a range of choices. On one end of the spectrum, there’s an abundance of free advice online—podcasts, articles, LinkedIn posts. Choose your preferred medium, and it’s there. The challenge with this approach is that it’s often highly generic and topic-specific, leaving you to sift through the noise and piece together a solution and implementation plan that works for you.
On the other end are MBAs and formal education. While theoretically sound, they often fall short in addressing the practical day-to-day challenges of running a business.
Today, there are many consultants specializing in marketing, business development, fee proposals, scaling, and more. This is where ArchiBiz fits in. We’re biased, of course, but we believe this approach can be highly impactful if you can afford it.
ArchiBiz began as a business coaching company offering architects support in building sustainable, profitable practices that do great work. However, not all architecture practices want or can afford a business coach – which is why we’ve recently been prioritizing foundational business education for architects. Yes, we still provide business coaching, but often after the client has learned the ‘basics’ of business.
The root of the problem
The real issue, in my view, is the lack of coherence around best practices in architecture. There aren’t clear benchmarks that say, “You should hit this income at this stage,” or, “This is the best way to manage a firm of 10 people.”
Every practice is different, and success can look very different from one firm to another. But for simplicity’s sake, a business is either profitable or it’s not.
There are plenty of opinions and anecdotes about how to achieve success, but I believe we’re missing the critical piece in between. The part that says, “This is what a successful business looks like.” The part that teaches you how to find opportunities and identify issues so you can solve them yourself.
Without a clear picture of what business success can look like for an architectural practice, how would anyone know what they’re capable of? How would they know what they’re missing?
At ArchiBiz, we’ve developed a framework that outlines the key tenets of a profitable and sustainable architecture firm.
What we’ve found is that when architects understand and consider these core principles, their job satisfaction, efficiency and profitability improves. And when a practice evolves, creativity flourishes, and the team grows stronger. The effects snowball.
It’s easy for architects to say, “I need more work,” but if you’re not making money on projects, adding more work won’t solve your problems. If your team is inefficient, hiring more members will only amplify the inefficiency.
Where do we go from here?
For architects to see real change in their businesses, they must adopt a holistic approach.
They need to invest in their own professional education and development. Will it consume time and money? Yes. But will it pay off? Absolutely. (I haven’t met a single architect who hasn’t recouped their investment after investing in business education—whether with us or elsewhere. But I’d welcome the opportunity to be proved wrong here!)
To the architects, consultants, and architecture-related professionals out there, I wonder where this discourse will take us next.
At ArchiBiz, we’re in the process of developing a symposium to explore this topic further and discuss the options available to architects. If you’re interested in being involved, I invite you to reach out to me directly at [email protected].
Let’s move this conversation forward together.