Advice

Make sure your Conceptual Design and the corresponding Construction Documents are 100% complete before you begin construction. And push back against clients and contractors that want to push you to “whip up some basic drawings just to get started.” All fixtures, finishes, lighting, furniture, equipment, and every single material and effect needs to be sorted […]

Remember, above all else: you aren’t a bank handing out loans to clients at no interest. If a client is holding money they owe you, then they are making money off your money while slowing your growth. It is simple as that. Does that sound wrong and maybe a bit insulting? Well, both are true.

The Cost of Your Services should always be related to your growth strategy. Early on, you may want to just collect great relationships with clients and get great work. That is an excellent growth strategy for somebody starting out. That is, keep your rates low to get access to robust opportunities and make just enough

It is mind-boggling how so much bad work gets produced on a job, but even the best contractors. I’m not sure if it is a symptom of the industry as a whole, and always has been, or whether it is a trend due to other forces in the industry, but contractors are making mistakes. One

Nobody likes someone who “talks smart” and I am personally repulsed by it. People who do this overtly are typically covering for other deficiencies but may be in a position of intellectual authority so they feel inclined to state the obvious. My brother calls it “stupid talk” and I can’t think of a better way