Architect's Essentials of Starting, Assessing and Transitioning a Design Firm (The Architect's Essentials of Professional Practice)

Written by two leading experts in the field this essential volume offers a step-by-step guide to understanding and evaluating the goals, risks and the rewards of starting a firm. Covers the basics of firm organisation, personnel requirements, legal considerations, fee setting, marketing issues and the essentials of strategic and business plans Addresses how to get started including how to create your first business plan, evaluate initial needs and costs, create a budget and a produce a list of action items to get started This volume is practical, applied, concise, portable, affordable and user-friendly Architect's Essentials Of Starting A Design Firm Presents A Thorough, Organized Approach To Building Your Own Design Firm Or Expanding An Existing Firm. Written By Two Leading Experts In The Field, This Authoritative Resource Offers Real-world Tips And Guidance, As Well As Pitfalls To Avoid, To Give Your Practice The Best Chance For Success. Coverage Addresses All Aspects Of Getting Started, From Preliminary Analysis Of Personal Skills And Resources Preceding A Startup (including Creating A Business Plan And Evaluating Initial Costs) To Business And Marketing Strategies To Keep Your Firm Going. This Complete Reference Also Gives The Solid, Hands-on Advice You Need To Manage Such Nuts-and-bolts Issues As Firm Organization, Personnel Requirements, Fee Setting, Contract Negotiation, Creating A Budget, Legal Considerations, And Much More.--jacket. Deciding Whether To Go On Your Own -- Marketing And Sales -- Financial Management -- Negotiating Fees And Contracts -- Organization And Personnel -- Legal And Ethical Issues -- Resources And Support -- Strategic And Business Plans -- Planning For Excellence -- Potential Causes Of Failure -- Getting Started -- Study Guide. Peter Piven, Bradford Perkins. Includes Index. Architect's Essentials of Starting a Design Firm presents a thorough, organized approach to building your own design firm or expanding an existing firm. Written by two leading experts in the field, this authoritative resource offers real-world tips and guidance, as well as pitfalls to avoid, to give your practice the best chance for success. Coverage addresses all aspects of getting started, from preliminary analysis of personal skills and resources preceding a startup (including creating a business plan and evaluating initial costs) to business and marketing strategies to keep your firm going. This complete reference also gives the solid, hands-on advice you need to manage such nuts-and-bolts issues as firm organization, personnel requirements, fee setting, contract negotiation, creating a budget, legal considerations, and much more. Architect's Essentials of Starting a Design Firm is a peerless, single-source reference for everyone starting or running his or her own design firm. Easy access to crucial business information for design professionals Find the concise, practical business information you need right now in the Architects Essentials of Professional Practice Series. These authoritative guides quickly make you an instant expert on the best business practices crucial for success in todays design and construction professions. Each portable, affordable, user-friendly volume gives you: Authoritative advice from leading national figures Flip-and-find access to critical business information Bulleted lists and callout boxes for quick reference Clear, insightful explanations of complex business topics Architects Essentials of Starting a Design Firm presents a thorough, organized approach to building your own design firm or expanding an existing firm. Written by two leading experts in the field, this authoritative resource offers real-world tips and guidance, as well as pitfalls to avoid, to give your practice the best chance for success Architect’s Essentials of Starting a Design Firm......Page 3 Contents......Page 9 Introduction......Page 11 1. Deciding to ”Go on Your Own”......Page 15 2. Marketing and Sales......Page 27 3. Financial Management......Page 57 4. Negotiating Fees and Contracts......Page 91 5. Organization and Personnel......Page 109 6. Legal and Ethical Issues......Page 143 7. Resources and Support......Page 161 8. Strategic and Business Plans......Page 175 9. Planning for Excellence......Page 193 10. Potential Causes of Failure......Page 213 11. Launching Your Firm......Page 227 Appendix A. Study Guide......Page 237 Appendix B. Charting Your Course......Page 239 About the Authors......Page 241 Index......Page 243 Combining two books, "Architect's Essentials of Starting a Design Firm" and "Architect's Essentials of Ownership Transition", this volume presents the step-by-step guidelines to understanding and evaluating the goals, risks, and rewards of starting a design firm. As stated in the Introduction, having their own practice is the goal of many design professionals.