Haley is out this week but Elise Drakes fills in as co-host and Seth Pare-Mayer, Kelli Franz, and Alaina McBride join us for an unusual show on Architectural entrepreneurship and how to market yourself.

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Show Notes

Site News

• Tim’s Big News… he passed the California Supplemental Exam!!
• New Facebook “likers”
  • Chris Allen
  • Chris Foisy

Cal Poly News (no general news this week)

• Hearst Lecture: 04/23/10 Ray Landy Business Rotunda, 4:00pm
• reKINETIC exhibit still ongoing
  • http://lib.calpoly.edu/learningcommons/gallery/10spring/
  • Thursday, April 15 – Sunday, June 6, 2010
• Spring Job Fair, Thursday (4/22/10)
• Henry DeHahn updated his image gallery http://gallery.me.com/henridehahn

The Show!

• Seth and Kelli decided to go out on their own the day after graduation
  • Atelier-KS
  • They did their IDP and gained experience with Architects part-time throughout school then they moved to San Francisco and worked for a couple years with firms similar to the type that they wanted to start.
• Were you scared? Tim is!
  • Never afraid, it was always a goal, and they had good training in the firms they worked for.
  • Seth was laid off at the same time they got a job, that pushed them to go out on their own.
  • Seth has finished the IDP, Kelli is almost done and they are starting to take the ARE’s.
  • Their goal is to do small residential and light commercial projects.
• How are you getting work?
  • Networking. Shmoosing everybody. Farmers market as a networking tool.
  • Were listed in Dwell online: http://www.dwell.com/articles/sunset-district-renovation.html
  • Also on Daily Candy: http://www.dailycandy.com/san-francisco/article/80802/Local-Mission-Eatery-Opens
• Alaina’s perspective
  • How to use Social Networking for marketing:
  • How to use a Facebook fan page
  • Collaborations – a key marketing trend as a way to offer unique combination services
    • Seth and Kelli have been collaborating with Chris Allen: http://www.cwastudios.com/.  Chris designs and builds custom casework into their residential projects.
    • Building relationships with contractors
• Kelli and Seth: What is it like to work with contractors right out of school?
  • Worked with other firms and learned not to have an adversarial relationship with the contractor
  • Working towards a common goal
  • Involve builder as soon as possible
  • Sometimes they have better ideas, it’s a give and take
  • Clear communication prevents problems
• Elise’s question to Seth and Kelli: How do you avoid being taken advantage of (i.e. underpaid and overworked) by Owners because you are young/still gaining experience?
  • Kelli and Seth feel as though they bring energy to their projects, and typically they establish a pay schedule which allows them flexibility to put in as many long hours as needed, while not feeling underworked/overpaid
  • Alaina encourages Seth and Kelli to use their youth as a marketing advantage; older consumer generations are realizing that younger generations are more receptive and skilled at innovative technology
• Whats the greatest challenge of working on your own?
  • Realization of how long the process is from the first contact to getting a signed contract
• Where do you splurge and save?
  • Splurged on their desk, made by Chris Allen
  • Save everywhere else they can
  • Many tasks often outsourced by other architects (i.e. photography of projects, editing, website building) are done by Seth and Kelli to lower costs and keep work in-house (Elise’s side note: they are fantastic photographers
• Alaina’s perspective:
• Gorilla Marketing = Time, Energy, Imagination, not a large marketing budget
  • The farmer’s market architect is a great example of marketing yourself and gaining contacts to sustain work
  • Linked-In! (www.linkedin.com/) Your profile is highly ranked in Google
  • Typically an older demographic, more professionals are on Linked-In
  • Twitter! (http://www.twitter.com/sloarch), find out what your competitors are doing
  • Google Local (http://www.google.com/local/add/); puts you on a map literally; gets more reviews by local residents to increase your search visibility
  • Use the “ladder effect” to get noticed
    • Contact local media, they love talking to business owners!
    • Yelp.com – Ask your clients to add your firm’s link to their profile
    • Mission Eatery: http://www.yelp.com/biz/local-mission-eatery-san-francisco
• Some general business advice from Alaina
  • Have a good understanding of the cash flow process
  • Have six months working capital when you start so you can wait out the start up process. Assume you are working for 6 months without pay
  • Get good business advice
    • Some free sources
      • http://www.score.org – Service Core of Retired Executives contributing their time
      • http://www.sba.gov – Small business administration to find a Small Business Development Center http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbdc/index.html
    • Business development classes
    • Find local non profit business organizations
    • Find good mentors, don’t be afraid to cold call people
    • The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich -
• For unemployed designers, you have the skills, design and sell something
  • Ponoko.com – use digital manufacturing to design something to buy or sell directly on the site
  • http://www.etsy.com/ - Make and sell stuff (jewelry, furniture, art)
• Do Seth and Kelli plan on growing or staying a small firm?
  • They hope to maintain a steady workflow of projects, working side by side, in close contact with people they enjoy collaborating with
  • Seth and Kelli saw a Cal Poly presentation and were inspired by the motto, “Start your career how you want to end your career.”
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – Michael E. Gerber
• Get to know your ideal clientèle then you can learn to attract other people like them
• Baby-boomers are looking to younger professionals to leverage technology which gives younger people a competitive advantage
• Tim predicts Baroque Architecture being the next big thing
• Using your cat as your financial adviser; establish a person at your office (fictional or real) as the “financial person”; you want the face of the company to remain loved by all
• What are our best memories from Cal Poly?

Adam Mayberry, Cal Poly B’Arch ’05, joins us as we start our campaign to designate intern architects, RGLAI’s.  Adam talks about the exciting things he is doing while in between jobs.

Don’t forget to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes and vote for us on Podcast Alley, and follow us on Twitter!

Show Notes

News:

Cal Poly

• Big Thanks to Henri De Hahn, we are now on the front page of the Arch Dept’s webpage!
• Spring Career Fair
  • Thursday, April 22, 2010
  • 9:30 Chumash
• Best of Show Review Mar 12th
  • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/exhibitions/best%20of%20show/bestofshow-third%20year-031210.html
• Suggest a link for the Arch Department’s Sustainability Link’s Page
  • http://www.arch.calpoly.edu/current/sustainability.html
  • email links to thestudio at sloarch.com or architecture at calpoly.ed

Other

Interview:

Rapid Fire Questions

Final Score: RGLAI!

Questions of Normal Speed

Peter Kaupert ’05, joins us for a discussion about working in a small firm.  Tim gets a job, tries to start a fight and panics about his pending test.  Haley goes back in time and we say good bye to an Architectural icon.  Oh and theStudio at sloArch.com!

Don’t forget to tell your friends about us, join our Facebook Group, leave reviews on iTunes and vote for us on Podcast Alley!

Show Notes

Tim, Haley, Lucy, and Peter: Poly Canyon April 2002

Tim gets a new job!!!! woo hooo!!! Out of a few hundred applications he made it through a marathon of interviews. Cheers! (http://www.rls.com/)

Introducing Peter!

• Blast from the past!! We all met in studio during second year (just a bit of trivia for you all).

News

Lots of reviews happening this week!  Great job to all of you students this week.

• Bring Google Fiber to SLO rally
  • Tuesday Mar. 16th at 5pm, Mission Plaza
  • http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/
  • http://www.ksby.com/news/rally-in-slo-next-week-to-entice-google/
  • http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10150099269000246
• Falling water Lego set
  • http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=21005&cn=627
• Bruce Graham, architect behind nation’s tallest building, dies at 84
  • http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/midwest/view/20100309bruce_graham_architect_behind_nations_tallest_building_dies_at_84/srvc=home&position=recent
  • Designed the Willis (Sears) Tower, and John Hancock Center
  • Top guy at SOM from 60′s through 80′s
• Times Square Design Contest
  • http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/broadway.shtml
  • Entries due by April 16th
• UPDATE: Frank Gehry Quits Museum of Tolerance Project
  • http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/2010/100303gehry_quits.asp
  • Recently the site was used as a parking lot!
• U.S. Directs $36 Million Toward Net-Zero Building Research
  • http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/2010/100309net-zero.asp
  • University of Tennesee and Berkley Labs
  • researching HVAC systems, facade systems, lighting and interiors, skylights, and building sensors and controls.
• Bill Gates at TED 2010
  • http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates.html
  • CO2 output = People x Services Per Person x Energy Per Service x CO2 Per Unit Energy
  • CO2 Per Unit Energy is the only variable that we can reduce to zero in order to end our release of CO2 into the atmosphere during energy production.

Rapid Fire Questions

• Cal Poly or Berkeley? Cal Poly
• Autocad or Revit? Autocad
• Parallel bar or T-Square? Parellel bar
• Facebook or LinkedIn? Facebook
• Arch Record or Arch Digest? Arch Record
• Drafting dots or tape? Electrical Tape!!!
• Yellow trace or white? white
• Ad Markers or Prisma? Ad Makers
• Pen or Pencil? depends on what he’s drawing — pen right now
• Mac or PC? PC

Final score: 1000 points and a high five from Haley

Interview

• What are you up to?
  • Currently lives in Morro Bay.
  • Works for a small firm in Atascadero, only a few people in the office. He’s been working there for over five years since graduating from Cal Poly.
  • The firm does a wide range of work, mainly residential work, small scale assisted care facilities, mulit-family, a few churches.
  • Enjoys being part of a small firm and seeing everything happen
• Currently working towards licensure? progress?
  • Completed most of his IDP
  • Goal to take most of the exams this year.
• Why has he been putting off his AREs?
  • It seems daunting, putting it off until he has more professional experience to help with knowledge needed for the AREs.
  • Tim says: If you’ve gone through Cal Poly you’re well prepared for the exams in his opinion.
  • We chat about the AREs, the reformatted 4.0 exams and passing rates.
• Observations of economy, how is he seeing the effects?
  • Personally he is working less hours.
  • As far as work goes, his firm is seeing less projects in general and current project pace has slowed as well.
  • One of the problems with the slower economy is not just the lack of work but the general disposition about the lack of work, it’s perpetuating itself.
  • Students graduating now must be depressed with all the negativity out there.
  • Staying positive in these down times is key, your attitude helps office moral and reflects well on clients.
• Thoughts on Cal Poly grads out in the industry?
  • Grads are strong in some areas, hence the reputation that we have.
  • From a practical standpoint, Cal Poly Arch. grads.
  • When he came out of school he didn’t know the computer drafting programs well, so that was something he had to develop out in the industry.
  • Now it seems that current Cal Poly Arch students know software more, but it seems that they have acquired that knowledge on their own for the most part.
  • Tim chimes in: At his new job they’ve commented that the Cal Poly Arch Grads are more grounded all around, they know more about how things go together and how to apply that knowledge.
• We bring on a possible street fight with Berkley Grads (all in good fun).
• Thoughts on how the program is changing/improving?
  • Technology and software, it seems that there are more tools at the disposal of students so the final project is more interesting.
  • He’s planning on getting over to Cal Poly and checking things out to give us an update.
• Is there something you wish you had done or known when you were still at Cal Poly?
  • He would have spent more time trying to learn the computer drafting programs.
  • In retrospect he would have paid more attention in practice.
  • Appreciate all the knowledge from design and the ability to think like a designer but keep in mind practice is important too.
  • The practice side is something we sometimes lose sight of as students.
  • Having opportunities to work during school helps prepare you for your time out in the indusrty.
• What kind of advice can you give to current Cal Poly students?
  • Besides some of the above points…
  • Don’t spend every hour in lab, enjoy the community that you live in and the beauty of the place you go to school.

On my Google search last night the first link, as is typical with Google results, was a link to the Wikipedia entry on Architecture.  Next we had the Architectural Record, the AIA, Architecture Magazine, and About.com’s architecture page.   Not until the sixth link on the page did we start to see something that might jump out to a non architectural professional, GreatBuildings.com.  The only news item highlighted on the page was about computer programing architecture.

Architecture - Aug 5th Google Search

As I was watching So You Think You Can Dance, I next searched for the word “Dance”.  What a contrast!  There were ads for dance lessons and then the first links were for Wikipedia, the hit dance television show “So You Think You Can Dance”, Dance.net, image, video, and news results, and then a map to local dance studios.

Dance - Aug 5th Google Search

I then performed similar searches for “fashion”, “art”, and “music”.

Fashion - Google Search

Art - Google Search

Music - Google Search

These three searches returned consumer focused links and varying degrees of multimedia and news results.  Fashion was surprisingly lacking some of the multimedia, but the links were still consumer based and not industry organizations.

Also surprising were the number of results for each search:

• Music: 1.81 billion pages
• Art: 1.28 billion pages
• Fashion: 413 million pages
• Architecture: only 213 million pages!  11% of the pages that music returned.

In contrast to dance, fashion, art, and music, I found the Google results for Architecture so uninspiring because without digging deeper the first results were for stuffy industry organizations and magazines,  there were no news results about the exciting things happening in architecture, and there were NO pictures of amazing buildings.  A Google search for “Buildings” returns more multi-media, but the first link is for the USGBC; while it’s a great organization, their web page is… boring.

So what does this tell us?  To me it’s a perfect reflection of how the public perceives architecture.  While movies often glamorize the Architect as the artist working late into the night building models and drawing pretty pictures, most people think that Architects and architecture are out of reach and are only accessible to the rich and famous.  HGTV has brought interior and landscape design to the masses, but Architects are rarely featured.

So what’s the difference between dance, music and art and architecture?  Well, a lot of things, but these are things that I think we should work on:

• Most people think an Architect can’t help them, they can do it themselves.  Most people also think they can sing and dance, but they appreciate talent when they see it.  It’s much more difficult to identify a talented Architect.
• Architecture is looked at as being a profession for mathematicians and engineers, not artists.  Architecture in reality, is for artists, scientists, mathematicians and engineers.
• Architecture is only recognized when it is extravagant, expensive, or over the top.  Pop culture celebrates bad dancers and singers and amazing dancers and singers… and everyone in between.  Really well designed average cost buildings are rarely recognized.
• Architects are rarely associate with their work.  People have amazing abilities to recognize a song by name and artist but people rarely think about who designed their favorite buildings.  That awesome library downtown, that slick looking pedestrian bridge, who designed them?

So, why do I care what people think about architecture?  Well, that will have to be a topic for another day.