Check out "Architecture: The Story of Practice" by Dana Cuff

Also, I know dissing the AIA is an official sport of archinecters, but I find "The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice" enormously helpful and clarifying.

Though I'll be very interested in hearing what other have to say here.

I've found the local SBDC to be helpful, except as it pertains to the specifics of architecture.

gruen,
Several years ago, I wrote a business plan for my small practice and it has proved to be exremley valuable. I ended taking a workshop sponsered by Nxlevel. It was free. They have workshops in most states. Through the class, there was access to many business people and companies like Price Waterhouse. They will critique your business plan, give valuable business advice and help answer many of your questions. It was also helpful to network with other business owners, bankers etc. I would highly recommend.

I took a look at the nxlevel site - it does look good. I agree w/sharing your business plan w/others - many business ideas don't hold up under the spotlight of critique.

Would you feel like sharing any unique ideas you discovered through this course? (w/o giving up your trade secrets of course!)

a business plan is useful primarily as a road map ... but, it's hard to get people to draw up the map and it's even harder to keep them from straying from the chosen route ... it's just so much fun to deviate along the scenic byway, even when the interstate is so much faster

nevertheless, the more you can quantify your goals and the better you can plan the route you want to follow, the more likely you are to end up in the general vicinity of the destination you chose

focus on MEASURABLE goals ... that way it will be much easier to determine a year from now if those goals were actually met ... it's not enough to say "do great design" ... you have to say something more like "win 1 design award from AIA San Francisco by yearend" or whatever

i agree with fortified, there are some very useful essays in The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice that can help with business planning

you also might want to check out David Maister's website ... David is a management consultant who works with design firms ... few can afford him, but he does have some very useful strategic planning tools that you can download from his website ... look under "Resources" then "Planning Questionnaires"

good luck ... it's a great adventure ... don't forget to have some fun

Even though I'm YEARS away from running my own firm, business plans have been on my mind lately. (Recall, I still don't know whether it's better to work to the top of an established firm or start a new firm.) I thought I would revive this thread in hopes that others would chime-in about business plans.

Some of the comments above surprised me; it seems almost natural that an architect - a planner for all intents and purposes - would be inclined to design and organize his/her business strategy.

I'm also curious: when is it too early (if ever) to start the business plan?

DCA, revive this thread in another 3 months and I may be able to speak to this topic from experience! I am trying to convince my partner that we need one, he thinks it sounds a little new-agey. So we'll see.

I would think it's never too early to write a business plan - it helps one clarify personal goals as well as professional ones, even if one doesn't have a business. And it's like the "100 Word Manifesto" thread - writing what you believe about architecture within a strict 100 word limit is not easy and makes you truly consider what is important.

we started our firm over a year and a half ago and we have been trying to sit still and write it down. as with any upstart we have also been trying to stay busy and keep the business going and so we keep saying to ourselves we will do it.

i will agree that the AIA book is a good reference, it does have a bunch of good information. thanks for the suggestions of other resources.

is a verbal business plan count, we have talked about it even before starting our adventure, just haven't written it...

business plan? i'll probably just set up shop near/in a college town that turns out more graduates annually than could possibly expect to get employment in the town...and then i'll exploit the cheap labor and the youthful ambitions of these recent graduates. besides, the schools put such great effort into teaching these kids that they should be working 80 hours/week on international design competitions for about $10/hour that it'd practically be a shame not to give them that opportunity, right?

actually, that's probably not really a business plan...but i might use it anyways

liberty bell: "a little new-agey"... A LITTLE NEW-AGEY? wtf??

No wonder you always seem to be stressed over your firm's operational costs and bank account. The more I learn about your partner, the more I grow to dislike him. Good luck in your endavor to create a business plan.

A business plan should not be something that is purely academic and never used. I think it should be a living document/spreadsheet/file/tool that gets updated periodically and consulted when you do strategic visioning (in whatever formal or informal capacity you choose).

I repeat, a business plan is a road map - it clarifies where you're going and how you're going to get there.

do whatever works for you - just don't confuse 'fuzzy thinking' or 'lack of discipline' for objective planning.

DCA I did find liberty's comment a little funny too, was wondering who her business partner was. But oddly enough, I made a call around to a few architects already in practice and it was odd how many shared the same view (most were less than 35)

Win the Lotto and Waste it all on my Pipedream of being a Rqtect.
Then End up Drunk, Dead and Alone like all great RqTects.
Wow I got to get out of this field.

You might want to check out this link: Charting Your Course

It contains some powerful, and relatively simple, ways to think about organizing your firm for the future.

Hmm, my business plan: don't lose money...

quiz- that article sums up the pro.practice course at penn (as one of the scribes teaches that class). There are other ways of organizing a firm, but those 6 types are a useful way of thinking about your future. Not many people aspire to be a 'strong delivery business' firm, most arch students think that they will be the next 'big idea practice' - but we can't all be starchitects or can we?

Never really thought about it but what do people suspect is the failure rate of Architectural Firms? Is it like the restaurant business?

1.find person
2.get underwear
3.?
4. profit

quizzical - thanks for the great article - clear.

I think an effective business plan should focus on:

1. not trying to be everything

2. don't be too ambiguous or general

3. quantifiable / qualifiable success measures

4. knowing what you are, and that's not vague adjectives... so less horiscopey, more strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

5. organization structure and how that relates to productivity / firm culture

I was trying to put one together the other day and was reading some business literature and came across Ricardo Semler and his Semco corporation. He wrote two books, "Maverick" and "The Seven Day Weekend". I was sold. We abandoned the plan making and have adopted his companies principles and are going to let everyone do whatever will bring them the most fulfillment. One of the side effects is we are already looking at options to spin off some product designs that we needed, couldn't find and are now looking to patent. Don't plan anything farther than 6 months out. No set hours, not titles, everyone is welcome to participate at whatever level they want, and will be paid based on results, not "ass in chair" time.
1. Be a serious and trusted company.
2. Value honesty and transparency above momentary interests
3. Search for the balance between short term and long term profits
4. Offer fair prices for our products and services and be the best in the market
5. Provide diversified services to clients, putting our responsibilities before profits.
6. Stimulate creativity, prizing people who take risks.
7. Incentivize participation and question decisions imposed from the top down.
8. Preserve an informal environment with professionalism and without preconception.
9. Maintain safe working conditions and control the industrial process to protect the environment
10. Be humble and recognize mistakes, knowing that there is always room for improvement.

That's the "Plan"
j

$$ to more $$
business plan is all the stuff inbetween

Avoid the 2 pac | 90s hip hop version -

"get rich or die trying"

1. get capital | build client base
2. determine a target before starting
3. speak with a financial rep
4. reach target | start practice
5. save, save, save
6. assess with financial rep (3 months, 6months, one year, two years...)
7. invest, invest, invest
8. buy yacht!

Business plan as in Architecture firm or other things that you do AFTER doing design;e.g: properties. I know the ultimate wish for an architects is to build their own properties.