Context & Clarity for Small Firm Architects

Lora Teagarden - An Architect's Guide to Writing, Publishing, and Educating

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can an architect write and publish a book? That's where we started our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Clarity LIVE. Jeff Echols a...

Lessons on Architect as Developer: Context & Clarity Backstage with Isra Banks

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Context & Clarity LIVE, we talked to Jonathan Segal talked about architecture, development, and even the future of education and practice.What ...

Jonathan Segal - Architect and Developer

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can someone be both Architect and Developer? That's where we started our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Clarity LIVE. Jeff Echols...

Lessons on Building Code Workflows: Context & Clarity Backstage with Ryan Shoop

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Context & Clarity LIVE, we talked to Scott Reynolds about making building codes more accessible and creating workflows to make code research mo...

Scott Reynolds - Making Building Codes More Accessible

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Making Building Codes More AccessibleThat's where we'll start our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Jeff Echols and Katharine Wh...

Lessons on Succession Planning: Context & Clarity Backstage with James Polk and Jing Johnson

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Context & Clarity LIVE, we talked to Angela Donahoe about the future of your work, your legacy, and succession planning. She had some real mic-...

Angela Donahoe - Succession Planning for Small Firm Architects

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Succession Planning for Small Firm ArchitectsThat's where we'll start our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Jeff Echols and Kath...

Lessons on Finding Superfans and Passive Income: Context & Clarity Backstage with Chris Novelli

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Context & Clarity LIVE, we talked to Pat Flynn about engaging and building community. He laid out, step-by-step how he thinks an architecture f...

Pat Flynn - Superfans and Passive Income

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can Architects create superfans and passive income? That’s where we started our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Clarity LIVE. Jeff Echols...

Lessons on Risk Management: Context & Clarity Backstage - Risk Management with Christian Nielsen-Palacios and Tim Dearborn

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Context & Clarity LIVE, we talked to Zach Waters about risk management and insurance for architects. Talking about risk caused anxiety for some...

Zach Waters - Risk Management

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can architects manage (or reduce) risk?That's where we'll start our conversation on TODAY’s Context & Clarity LIVE at a SPECIAL TIME......

Lessons on SEO: Context & Clarity Backstage - Networking with Nicole Lynam

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Context & Clarity LIVE, we talked to Bryon McCartney about SEO (search engine optimization) and content that attracts clients to architects’ ...

Bryon McCartney - SEO for Architects

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is SEO and how can Architects build better websites?That's where we'll start our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Jeff Ech...

Lessons on Networking: Context & Clarity Backstage - Networking with Mandy Freeland

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Context & Clarity LIVE, we talked to Julie Brown about networking that works, even if you’re an introvert. It was a great conversation, but w...

Julie Brown - Networking that Works

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can architects build networks that work (even if they're an introvert)?That's where we'll start our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Cla...

150: Networking for Introverts

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've been talking about networking and relationships all week and I know that a large portion of our community are introverts. Maybe that's you, so t...

149: Networking that Works

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Brown is an Author, Podcast Host, Speaker, Business Development Strategist, and Networking Coach. She's on a mission help you build a network of...

148: Important Relationships

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you think about the relationships that are important to you... from the point of view of your architecture firm... that list probably extends bey...

147: Referrals

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You probabaly say that a large percentage of the work for your architecture firm comes from repeat clients and/or referrals. So, who's referring clien...

James Petty - Architect & Developer

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can an architect also become a developer?That's where we'll start our conversation on Thursday’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Jeff Echols and Kath...

146: Labor Day

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's the Labor Day Holiday in the United States and we're taking the day off, but I wanted to give you a rundown of what's coming up. This week, we'll...

145: Member Spotlight - Jacob Flitton

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 18 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some o...

144: Architect & Developer

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

James Petty wrote the book, "Architect & Developer: A Guide to Self-Initiating Projects." Today, we'll talk with James about his journey to becomi...

143: Why Not?

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you're inspired by the idea of being both the architect and the developer... If you're excited about the increased impact you can have, the additio...

142: Baby Step

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Making the leap from architect to architect as developer may seem intimidating, so what are some simple steps that you could take in that direction? W...

Emily Mottram - BS + Beer

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can we make architects and architecture more accessible to more people?That's where we'll start our conversation on today’s Context & Clarit...

141: The Developer

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you were an architect and a developer, what would you develop? A common response might be a single family home, but there are lots of models and ex...

140: Code Overhauls

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do building codes need to be overhauled? If building codes have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people across the spectrum of projects, ...

139: BS and Beer

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Emily Mottram and The Brew Crew wanted to take building science to the masses, so they launched the BS + Beer show. I want to know how successful they...

138: Homeowners and BS

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you get homeowners interested in building science? It's about education, but not necessarily educating them on the technical aspects of buildin...

137: Work on Small Projects

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What do you need to do differently to build and sustain a firm that has a pipeline based on small projects? That’s the reality of the idea of servin...

Eric Reinholdt - Financially Independent. Retire Early. (FIRE)

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How can architects become financially independent and retire early?That's where we'll start our conversation on today’s Context & Clarity LIVE.J...

136: Think Architects First

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’ll run with the theme of taking architecture to the people and see if we can figure out how to make architects and architecture more a...

135: Member Spotlight - Chris Novelli

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 15 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some o...

134: Financially Independent. Retire Early. (FIRE)

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's a movement called F.I.R.E. That's an acronym that stands from Financially Independent. Retire Early. You may know Eric Reinholdt from one of h...

133: Your Passive Income

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you needed to generate $50,000 of additional income this year, could you do it? Could you make money while you sleep? All week we've been looking b...

132: Your Financial Future

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've looked at your financial past and what's influenced your financial present. Now, let's look at your financial future. What's determining your fu...

Julie Taylor - Public Relations For Small Firm Architects

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What's a PR strategy for small firm architects?That's where we'll start our conversation on today’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine White MacPh...

131: Your Financial Past

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Your financial past isn’t really about what you’ve done, it’s about your parents, maybe your grandparents. It’s about what you’ve learned, o...

130: Welcome to Echolstock!

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're taking this show on the road! I'm headed to northern Vermont today and Context & Clarity will be live and I'll be joined by members of the C...

129: Public Relations For Small Firm Architects

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Taylor is not an architect, but a design evangelist. She's the Founder and Principal of Taylor & Company, a PR firm for the built environmen...

128: The Value Of Design Awards

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Would you have thought about submitting for design awards as public relations? That thought really didn't cross my mind until I realized that there ar...

127: Getting Published

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A few weeks ago, I was in a conversation about public relations and someone insisted that no one reads or even looks at print magazines any more. They...

Robert Ivy - The Future of the Profession

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What's the future of the Architect?That's where we'll start our conversation on today’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine White MacPhail and I wi...

126: Promoting Your Business

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Public Relations is an interesting niche in the marketing realm. I guess it falls somewhere between what we usually think of as marketing and what we ...

125: Member Spotlight - Leslie Divoll

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 15 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some o...

124: The Future of the Profession

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Ivy is an architect, but he left his practice to spend 15 years promoting the profession through publications, and now 10 years at the healm of...

123: Individual Responsibility

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No matter what you think any professional organization should be doing to further the profession, no matter what you think should be lobbied for or le...

122: Making Architects More Accessible

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Much of the built environment isn’t designed by architects and the majority of work that is designed by architects is commissioned by the so-called ...

Bolanle Williams-Olley - Cash Flow for Architects

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cash flow for architects.That's where we'll start our conversation on today’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine White MacPhail and I will welcome...

121: Advice for Students

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A new class of architecture students will begin their studies in a few weeks. What advice do you wish someone gave you when you were starting your arc...

120: Non-Traditional Architecture Project Financing

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Have you used any non-traditional financing for an architecture project? What does that even mean? I'm wondering if you've done something or somehow p...

119: Bolanle Williams-Olley - Cash Flow for Architects

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bolanle Williams-Olley loves math and she sees numbers everywhere. She recently presented an excellent Expert Training Session on Cash Flow For Archit...

118: Financial Tracking & Reporting for Architects

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to financials… What do you track? What do you report on? And When? It's awefully hard to plan for something if we don't know where we'...

117: Financial Struggles and Architects

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Finances may not be your favorite responsibility in your business, so it would be understandable if you struggled with some aspect of them. Off the to...

George Smart - Why Modernism?

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why Modernism?That's where we'll start our conversation on today’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine White MacPhail and I will welcome preservati...

116: Financial Tools for Architects

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What do you use to manage the finances of your business? I guess this could be anything from Post-It-Notes to accounting softwares. I’ll be the firs...

115: Member Spotlight - John Kinney

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 15 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some o...

114: George Smart - Preserving Modernism

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you're listening to this podcast, you're probably passionate about architecture. Have you ever been so passionate about some aspect of what you do ...

113: Promoting the Profession - What's one aspect of the profession that you feel passionate about promoting?

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

George Smart's road to starting US Modernist started with wanting to find out more about modern architecture and houses in his area. Now, George is fo...

112: Advice for Clients - What advice would you give to someone looking for an architect?

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What advice would you give to someone looking for an architect? I think if we want to change the perception the public has of architects, then we need...

111: Architectural Styles - What's your favorite architectural style and why?

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, our special Context & Clarity LIVE guest will be George Smart. He's called Mr. Modernism because he's devoted himself to being THE reso...

Nikita Morell - Architecture Without Archi-babble

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Architecture without ArchibabbleThat's where we'll start our conversation on today’s Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine White MacPhail and I will ...

110: Self Care - Taking care of ourselves and taking a break.

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We all need to get better at self-care. I've gone through periods of my life where I didn't do a good job of self-care. Here's a little bit of my stor...

109: Nikita Morell - Architecture Without Archi-babble

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Copywriting is taking all the things you say about yourself, and your business, and your work and writing them down. The trick is, the result needs to...

108: Words Matter - What are your favorite words and what's your client's version of those words?

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Let's play The Words Matter Game! We've learned and used a lot of lingo and jargon over the years and unfortunately, it's confusing to a lot of our pr...

107: Flip The Script - Change from about you to about your client.

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Let's play The Flip The Script Game! You're an expert, a professional; you're experienced, maybe you've won awards, but your prospective client wants ...

Lindsay Diven - How do you learn how to market?

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you learn how to market your architecture firm?That's the question we'll start with Thursday, June 24th on Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine...

106: Elevator Pitch - Describe your business in 8 seconds or less.

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Let's play The Elevator Pitch Game! If you had just a few seconds to explain to a prospective client what you do and why that matters to them, what wo...

105: Member Spotlight - Ambright Muller

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 15 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some o...

104: Lindsay Diven - How do you learn how to market?

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us didn't learn many actionable lessons about marketing in architecture school, so what are we supposed to do? How do we learn to build and im...

103: Marketing Systems - How do you track your marketing efforts?

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Leads, pipelines, contracts, timelines, and sales cycles may not be your favorite terms when it comes to the business of architecture, but they're all...

102: Lead Generation - How do you find leads?

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I often use the analogy of a pipeline because that's a visual that helps us understand that we have to put leads in one end and that sometime later so...

Mark W. Schaefer - Build Momentum For Your Business

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you build momentum for your business?That's the question we'll start with Thursday, June 17th on Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine White Mac...

101: Marketing Plan - What's your marketing plan?

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone needs a plan, right? After all, it’s hard to have a system if you don’t have the plans to design it and run it. I’m sure your life and ...

100: Big Goals - What are your goals for the rest of the year?

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are your goals for the rest of the year? Are you dreaming big or are you keeping it practical? According to Mark W. Schaefer in his latest book, ...

099: Building Momentum - How do you build momentum for your business?

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is there a system for building momentum for our ideas or our business? Is there a method for getting noticed and spreading our ideas and our influence...

098: The Influencers - Who are the influencers in your market?

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you feel like you've been fighting the good fight, but toiling away in relative obscurity while others are being noticed, there may be one key char...

097: The Network - Where do you connect with people?

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of adjacent possibilities that Steven Johnson talks about in "Where Do Good Ideas Come From?" Is a good illustration of why we need to connec...

Shannyn Lee - Winning Work For Your Architecture Firm

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shannyn Lee - Winning Work For Your Architecture FirmHow do you win work for your architecture firm?That's the question we'll start with today on Cont...

096: Where do your best ideas come from?

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Where do your best ideas come from? Many of my best ideas pop into my head when I'm in the shower? Does that ever happen to you? It's a topic that Mar...

095: Member Spotlight -Audrey Whisker

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 15 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some o...

094: Winning Work

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every time I bring up sales, I know I lose a few listeners. This is another one of those topics that I know many architects would rather not hear abou...

093: Understanding You

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Some architects do a great job of simplifying things and helping clients understand, some don't. Believe it or not, more words is not the key here, an...

092: Diversity, Growth, Service

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we're talking about diversity in terms of what you do, not in terms of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. How do you diversify? Why do ...

091: You The Expert

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you read that question, you probably thought, ‘Well, demonstrating our expertise, of course.’ And yes, that’s the way to truly be seen as a...

090: Getting to Yes

04 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you find the work you really want to be doing? That's a hard question, but a thread that runs through all of our topics this week is the idea o...

089: Saying No

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have trouble saying no? Many of us do. The problem is, that little two-letter word is one of the most important words and using it can be one o...

088: What to do next

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I know I’m not the only one that opens my calendar and to-do list in the morning and wonders, ‘who in the world scheduled this?’ Most of us are ...

087: Making the decision

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s always interesting to find out how other’s got their start, but also why they took the leap. Maybe, if you’re the employee of a firm right ...

Dr. Michelle Mazur - Persuasion

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you persuade clients to hire you?That's the question we'll start with today on Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine White MacPhail and I will w...

086: Memorial Day Remembrances

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's Memorial Day in the United States, so we won't have Context & Clarity on Clubhouse or in the EntreArchitect Community Facebook Group today. W...

085: Member Spotlight

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I feel like I’ve gotten to know a number of people over the past 15 months that I’d call friends and that I could count on, even though for some o...

084: Dr. Michelle Mazur

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I know a lot of people get uncomfortable when it comes to talking about sales or persuasion, but if you’re going to have clients to work with and pr...

083: Marketing Architecture

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

To make yesterday’s conversation more actionable, introduce yourself. Think like a Toastmaster, think about the change you create, think about descr...

082: Marketing Architecture

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I focus a lot of time helping architects reposition their firms from service provider, or order taker, to trusted and valued advisor and one thing tha...

Rosa Sheng - JEDI

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What does a justice and equity-centered design process look like?That's the question we'll start with Today on Context & Clarity LIVE.Katharine Wh...

081: Marketing Architecture

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I love asking, 'What if you couldn't use the word architect?' I don’t mean what if you weren’t allowed to use the word. What I mean is, what if th...

080: Work

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've spent an entire week defining JEDI, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and considering what it means when we hire employees, and consider...

079: Rosa Sheng

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do we put justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into practice when it comes to the design process? Who needs to be involved, what needs to be ...