Starting Your Own Business: A Guide for Architects Transitioning to Entrepreneurship

There are several differences between being an employee and setting up on your own. Some of them may be hard to navigate if you are not used to them, while others will allow your natural creativity to be unleashed.

The basics of being an architect remain the same, whether you are working for somebody else or yourself, so all of the training and software you have used over the years will still be relevant. Therefore, making the transition to entrepreneurship shouldn’t be too tricky when it comes to the day-to-day bricks and mortar of doing your job.

It is actually running the business itself where you might find that you need to take on advice and read up on what is required.

Create your business plan and specialism

Once you have decided you want to branch out on your own, you need to decide what sort of focus your firm will have. It is likely that you will start off small – potentially just yourself – with a view to possibly taking on employees of your own one day. But, you don’t want to run before you can walk.

By setting out what you hope to achieve in a business plan, detailing the proposed outcomes and noting down what actions you are going to take in order that these come to fruition, it will help to give you a clearer idea of what is possible within your own remit and capabilities.

Architecture is a wide-ranging field with many facets, so if there is an area which is of particular interest to you, then you could specialise in that – at least to start with – and begin to make a name for yourself in that territory.

Include an analysis of strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats present in setting up the business, as well as any competition in the area, and your proposed financial forecasts for the next three years.

Set up your finances

It is virtually impossible to set up in business without some strong financial backing in place. Consider a bridging loan, especially if you are purchasing an office base to work from, as this will provide you with a short-term finance option that is reliant on you paying it back at a later date. Alternatively, you could put up your own home as assurity, but be absolutely sure you want to do this before committing.

The beauty of a bridging loan is that it is interest only, and so you won’t be paying any large capital repayments until you reach the end of the term. This frees up some funds for you to get your business up and running and spend on important initial outlays, thereby spreading the costs accordingly.

You will also need to set up a business bank account, so that all income and expenditure for the business is kept separate from your own personal accounts. This makes keeping track of it much easier, as well as clarifying accounting procedures and reducing the likelihood of any inadvertent payments.

Insurance and legal documentation

The next thing on your checklist is making sure you have insurance in place and have completed all the necessary legal documentation to register as a business. With something like architecture, which could make you liable in worst case scenarios, having this peace of mind is vital both for you and your clients. Professional Indemnity Insurance will help to cover you and your employees, if it gets to that.

If you are setting up completely on your own, you will need to register as a sole trader, and you will need to declare this on a self-assessment tax form. If you set up as a limited company, you are legally responsible for all debts, or have shared responsibility if you decide to have other directors join the business alongside you.

As an architect, you will also need to add yourself to the Architects Register, which denotes that you are a trained and qualified professional architect who will be able to do the job required of you. 

Marketing and publicity

There is no point setting up in business and hoping that people will just come to you. Having a strong marketing strategy, that includes a recognisable brand identity, is crucial.

Think about your target demographic and make sure your marketing speaks to them. Have a consistent message via your website, social media channels and any direct mailings and printed marketing collateral.

A website is the perfect way to get your business out there to be found. It allows you to expand more on what you can offer, who you are, your qualifications and the work you have done previously. You want to maintain a professional tone, but also show you as a person with your own personality. Clients are more likely to warm to someone who shares their own vision or ideals.

Consider if you will want to move into the international market, and make sure your branding is able to reflect your company without the need for translation, or using words that mean something else in another language.

Update your portfolio

In amongst the excitement and pressures of starting up your own business, you may have forgotten to keep your portfolio up to date. But, this is the most important aspect of showing exactly what you can do and proving you have the skills and experience needed in a fast-moving environment.

Having professional photos taken of completed work, and of you in your office doing the groundwork will portray you and your business as professional but with a human side too. Aim to provide a short description of the brief, so that potential clients can see how you followed it, and put your own spin on it.

Ultimately, let the photos do the work for you – they do say a picture speaks a thousand words – and utilise your website and sites such as Instagram to really show off. Incorporating 3D imagery will also help to give a full overview of the projects you are or have worked on. 

Final thoughts

You need to meet people. Yes, you may have clients who know you from your previous company, but they also may feel that they want to stay loyal to that company. It is your job to persuade them that moving across to be serviced by you again is in their best interests. Word of mouth should not be underestimated either. 

Nevertheless, you still need to attend conferences, seminars, planning meetings and anywhere else where architectural services could be seen as a boon. Speak to people and get your name out there, give out your business cards, and get yourself known as an architect to be reckoned with.