Notes from the studio.
Writing on running architecture practices. Operations, finances, clients, and the parts of running a studio nobody teaches you.
Why Money Sits Awkwardly in Architecture
There's a moment in every first conversation when the fee gets named. A slight pause. A careful word. The sound of money sitting awkwardly in a conversation that was, until then, comfortable.
The Studio That Runs on WhatsApp
Most architecture practices in the country run their client communication in the same app they use to talk to family. It works in the moment. The cost adds up later.
The Conversation About Money You Should Have at the Start, Not the End
The fee conversation happens once, at signing, and then never quite happens again. The work expands over the months in small increments, and the number never moves.
The Hiring Problem
When studios decide to grow, the first hire is almost always another architect. The bottleneck moves, but not in the direction anyone expected.
What You Can See Versus What You Can't
The visible parts of a practice are the projects, the drawings, the team busy at their desks. The parts that actually decide whether it does well sit underneath, mostly unseen.
What 'Profitable' Actually Means in a Small Studio
Most studios run on cash flow without realising it. The advance from a new project covers what the last one didn't earn. It works until the cycle slips, and then suddenly the numbers don't add up.
Staying Small Is a Choice. Sometimes.
The chaos of growth isn't about being bigger. It's running a bigger practice on a smaller one's systems. Why studios stay small, and why the ceiling is more fixable than it feels.
The Quiet Gap in Architecture
Every architecture practice has a ceiling it doesn't quite understand. It has nothing to do with talent or work or recognition. It has to do with what's holding the practice up underneath.
Try Projectsmate free.
Free to start. No commitment needed.