Hey there, Welcome to the 6-figure Architectural Designer Community! Please introduce yourself below by telling us where you're from and a little bit about your business. My goal is to help you Level Up your Design & Drafting business by giving you all of the knowledge that I wish I had 5 years ago! Being a designer is hard enough, but trying to run a Business AND be a designer is near impossible. In this video I cover the following topics (The reference PDF is attached): #1.) The “Givens”: - I'm assuming everyone here has a certain level of training, expertise, access to design software, & personal motivation. #2.) Getting Organized & Prepared before seeking new clients: - Standards, Checklists & Templates. - Drafting Software Templates - Project Management Systems - Digital File & Folder Organization - Company Name & online presence - Time-Tracking - Payroll Service - Income & Expenses #3.) Finding New Clients: - Lead Generation services - Cold call & email local Home Builders - Cold call & email local Architects - WORD OF MOUTH & REPEAT CLIENTS - Get out into the world and meet people - FIRST CLIENT CONTACT Strategies - Winning Leads & Setting Expectations #4.) Getting the Work Done: - What can you outsource? - Use a Project Checklist - “Work Until It’s Done, and then Some” - “Cover Your Ass” (CYA)  notes - Track your time, productivity & profitability #5.) GETTING PAID - MAINTAINING LEVERAGE is the name of the game.  - Define clear project checkpoints to invoice & send drawings. PHASE 1 [Schematic Design], PHASE 2 [Design Development] & PHASE 3 [Construction Documents] - Never be DESPERATE, easier said than done. - If a client is slow to pay, be slow to work. - Contracts? #6.) FINAL THOUGHTS: - Keep Learning. Always be looking for ways to improve your product & Service, as well as expanding your expertise in the Construction Industry as a whole. There is a LOT to learn! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE DOCUMENTS RO TEMPLATES IN THE VIDEO, just message me here and I will send you a download link. Thanks, -CODY