The business of architecture
Last week, I reflected on our goals for growth. I looked back through the history of Mihaly Slocombe and explored the decisions we've made as we've expanded from two to eight people. I concluded that we began growing without a systematic reason to do so. We had a little more work than we could handle,... Continue Reading →
A couple of colleagues of mine, Dave Sharp and John Ellway, responded to my resource planning post a fortnight ago by asking for my take on why our headcount at Mihaly Slocombe is growing. In the post, I had discussed the benefits of a larger team, and its normalising effect on our earnings. Dave and John were... Continue Reading →
In the early days of Mihaly Slocombe, we had no idea how to plan. We knew what needed doing, on what projects, and in what order, but we never attempted to put it all together. We had no conception of short cycle planning, of how to line up tasks each month to achieve a setlist... Continue Reading →
This is the fifth article in a series examining how we are transitioning our architecture studio from a lean startup to a more mature business methodology. In the last article, I shared my research into twenty six different resource scheduling apps, and the approach I used to whittle them down to a shortlist of four: Coincraft,... Continue Reading →
For the first six years and three months of Mihaly Slocombe's existence, we relied on a lean methodology and Microsoft Excel to manage our business. But my growing constellation of Excel spreadsheets eventually began creating as many problems as they were solving. The increasing trouble I was having with them triggered a broader realisation that... Continue Reading →
Continued from Feeding the beast... Our financial forecasting has proved to be a great tool to keep the Mihaly Slocombe beast satiated year-round. By starting with the money, we can prioritise projects and tasks to help us reach our earnings target each month. We can work out who's going to work on what, how long it should take and when... Continue Reading →
Albert Mo of Architects EAT has observed that all businesses are beasts. A small architecture practice needs very little sustenance to get by, while a medium-sized practice, with around 20 employees on board, can easily have a hundred thousand dollars in salaries to cover each month, plus overheads and profit. A constant parade of new projects is required to keep such a beast... Continue Reading →
This is the 7th instalment in a series of 10 articles where we attempt to categorise chronologically and thematically the list of things you will need to start your architecture practice, and furnish it with the glimpses of insight we've accrued during the first three years of our architecture practice, Mihaly Slocombe. 7. Cashflow When: Soon Importance: Moderate to... Continue Reading →