You’ve taken the entrepreneurial leap, and your architecture firm is officially open for business. The design projects are starting to trickle in, and you realize you can no longer handle everything on your own. The pivotal question now becomes: who should you bring on board as your first employee to set your firm up for success and future growth? The answer might surprise you.
Counter-Intuitive Advice on the First Critical Hire
Lucas Gray, director of content and community at BQE Software and a seasoned professional with two decades in architecture, including running his own firm and consulting with numerous others, offers some compelling insights on this crucial decision. Drawing from his extensive experience, Lucas shares a perspective that often goes against the initial instincts of new firm owners.
He recalls his own journey and the lessons learned from the challenges of building and running an architectural practice. His subsequent experience as a business consultant for small architecture firms at CVG further broadened his understanding of the factors that contribute to their growth and success. This background equips him with a unique vantage point on the strategic importance of early hiring decisions, especially that crucial first step.
The Common Mistake: Prioritizing Low-Cost Junior Staff
A natural inclination for many solo practitioners or very small firms when making their first hire is to minimize financial risk. This often translates to hiring someone with a lower salary, such as an intern, a recent graduate, or a junior designer. The logic seems sound: a lower salary equates to less financial pressure for a fledgling business. However, Lucas Gray strongly urges firms to reconsider this approach.
He candidly admits to making this very mistake himself when starting his own firm. The first hire feels like a significant financial commitment, and the desire to limit that risk is understandable. Yet, as Lucas learned, this initial cost-saving measure can inadvertently hinder growth and place a greater burden on the firm owner.
The Strategic Advantage: Investing in Experience from the Outset
Instead of hiring junior staff as the first employee, Lucas advocates for a significantly different strategy: prioritize hiring someone with more experience, ideally at a project architect or project manager level. This may seem counter-intuitive, especially when budget constraints are a primary concern. However, Lucas argues that the long-term benefits of bringing on an experienced professional far outweigh the initial higher cost.
Freeing Up the Owner’s Time for Crucial Business Development
The core rationale behind this recommendation lies in the allocation of the firm owner’s time. When a junior employee is hired, the owner inevitably spends a significant amount of time managing and training that person, bringing them up to speed on projects and firm processes. While this mentorship is valuable in the long run, it directly detracts from the owner’s ability to focus on essential business development activities, such as marketing, client acquisition, and strategic planning.
As Lucas experienced, if the owner is constantly tied up managing a less experienced hire, they have less time to secure the next projects that will generate revenue and ensure the firm’s sustainability. In essence, the initial cost savings on salary can lead to a bottleneck in business growth. Conversely, hiring an experienced individual who can manage projects independently from the start frees up the owner to concentrate on these vital business-generating activities. This, in turn, strengthens the firm’s financial footing and allows for more confident messaging and a stronger online presence, crucial for attracting new clients through your website.
Experienced Hires Drive Immediate Value and Require Less Oversight
An experienced project architect or manager brings a wealth of knowledge, skills, and the ability to handle projects with minimal supervision. They can take ownership of project delivery, manage junior team members (hired later), and ensure projects are completed efficiently and effectively. This immediate contribution to billable work generates revenue that can more readily justify their higher salary. Furthermore, their expertise can elevate the quality of your firm’s work and enhance client satisfaction.
Building a Strong Foundation for Future Growth
Lucas emphasizes that the first experienced hire can also serve as a crucial building block for future team expansion. Once you have a capable project architect or manager in place, they can then effectively mentor and train more junior staff as you grow. This creates a more efficient and sustainable model for team development, distributing the responsibility for training and allowing the firm owner to remain focused on strategic leadership.
In contrast, starting with a team of junior individuals places the entire burden of training and management squarely on the owner’s shoulders, potentially leading to burnout and slower overall development of the firm’s capabilities.
The Right Time for Administrative Support
While the first billable hire, according to Lucas, should lean towards experience, he notes that administrative support becomes increasingly critical as the firm grows to around five to seven people. Hiring a non-billable administrative person at this stage can take over the menial tasks, freeing up both the owner and the project architects to focus on higher-level responsibilities. However, for that initial, crucial first hire, the focus should be on bringing in someone who can immediately contribute to project delivery and reduce the owner’s workload on billable tasks.
Designing your architecture firm for success requires strategic thinking from the outset. The decision of who to bring on as your first hire is a pivotal one that can significantly impact your firm’s trajectory. By considering Lucas Gray’s advice and prioritizing experience over the perceived cost savings of a junior hire, you can lay a stronger foundation for sustainable growth, allowing you to focus on building your business and delivering exceptional architectural services.
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Written by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, CSI, CDT, LSSBB
