I'd start it with a partner who would focus on design while I focused on sales, marketing, and ops. Our first immediate remote hires would be a version of an SDR / biz dev with base + commission and an entrepreneurial designer who wants project ownership & above market comp. 2/n
We'd focus on two sectors max based off of current networks, map out the value chain of those sectors & identify service gaps with a high signal for becoming products. Some competitive research would determine positioning & discovery calls would determine market / service fit 3/n
Outbound, I'd build out an ABM playbook to target a list of potential clients & use a relevant "watering hole" (FB/LinkedIn) to run targeted paid ads to them. I'd avoid targets that required RFPs, only direct relationships with decision makers. 5/n
Inbound, I'd focus on high intent SEO with detailed guides on our blog that walk someone through the design logic we would apply on their project. If you're into DIY corporate layouts, fine use this guide up to when you need a design review. Too busy? We'll take care of it. 6/n
Our past work would be optimized for SEO as well. If it's a residential project, I'd use the address like Zillow for the slug / H1. If branded commercial, id use a mixture of local & the most common search name for that project. I'd structure project info in a table for SERP. 7/n
Each project description would be less about conceptual language but would clearly communicate goals and outcomes including timelines, budgets, and whatever we can contractually publish. 8/n
Which brings me to contracts: super simple. Hybrid of hourly for discovery, flat fee for phases, additional services for out of scope. The more prepared the client the better. We'd provide a DD checklist the client can use to source for themselves or we'd happily handle that. 9/n
We'd use @MonographHQ to run project ops, build out budgets, share proposed schedules, track time, invoice and work with consultants. 10/n
Core differentiations would be centered around the client experience using no-code/low-code solutions to provide automated status updates, memorialize decisions, additional service sign offs, etc. We'd also work in the beginning to quantify expected results beyond budget. 11/n
A part of our positioning as architects would be centered around Risk. People get too confused about architects as designers when in reality they're risk managers. When you buy architectural services you're also buying their liability coverage. We'd make that value explicit. 12/n
Of course how that's communicated would be tailored to the sector we're working in but in general it's important that we ensure design quality, risk mitigation, customer service, & value add are the pillars we base our business on. Everything we do should enable this. 13/n
Understanding the needs and journey of our ICP (ideal client profile) is tantamount because on the backend, our firm needs to ensure our CAC is low and our confidence in either referrals or repeat work (LTV) is very high. 14/n
One other idea on inbound, going back to watering holes, I'd really invest time in building out content as a core part of project delivery. A YouTube channel doing walkthroughs of design strategies, step by step checklists for how to DIY certain parts of the process, etc. 15/n
I firmly believe the future of architecture is audience building and while the closest example is @BjarkeIngels and to some degree @snarkitecture (via @DanielArsham (MIA305 represent!) via hype culture I don't think anyone has really taken this on seriously. 16/n
Last note about contracts: there will definitely be items related to capture and publication of design process specifically around pre and post 3D scans (for YouTube deep dive walkthroughs). We'd ensure post-occupancy data collection as well to keep track of benchmarks. 17/n
To keep track of value add, we'd fold this into our services. A spatial product, even a 🏠, is part of a larger series of financial goals just on different time horizons. We'd work with you early on to understand the full picture, understand local comps, & align on outcomes. 18/n
May not be obvi as I'm talking about a traditional service model but deeply inspired by the thoughts & work of @briannekimmel, @blakeir, @patrick_oshag, @benthompson, @davidfano, @fedenegro, @evelynmlee, @jmanooch my time at WeWork, & the braintrust & roadmap @ @MonographHQ 19/n
Oh yeah, totally forgot but part of the customer experience that is incredibly important is representation. Clients need to understand what they're getting. My prior sales enablement work demonstrates the power of viz in millions of TCV closed (presold!) using @archilogic 20/n
Visualization should be baked into the fee not an additional line item or additional service. We'd use @IrisVR_Inc and @Enscape3d throughout the entire design process to make sure clients understood what they were getting, shortening decision time, and keeping us aligned. 21/n
