These are a selection of non-fiction books I have found valuable and recommend. I hope you find them valuable too.
Purchasing any of these books through the links below will support Passivhaus in Plain English & More as Amazon will pay me a small commission at no cost to you.
Architect + Entrepreneur
Looking for a book that walks you step-by-step through the process of setting up your own architectural firm? There might be other books that do this, but there are none that are bang up-to-date with the Houzz and Youtube era we now operate in as architects. And none that I know of that give detailed practical instructions and share the lessons learnt along the way, whilst still ‘being in the trenches’, as Eric Reinholdt does with authenticity and self-awareness in this gem of a handbook. He follows a Lean Startup approach, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need major finances or financing to get started. There are lots of good lessons for blogging (I’ve already implemented some here on elrondburrell.com) and managing a practice, even if you’re not setting up one from scratch.
Small Giants
Most business books work on the implicit assumption that massive growth is a key aspiration for all businesses. This book looks specifically at a selection of successful businesses that don’t conform to this assumption. These businesses have consciously chosen not to grow beyond a certain size that suits their owners, their staff, their customers, and importantly, their culture. It is interesting to dig into what makes these companies tick, why they are unique and why they are so successful. None of the case studies are architectural firms but the lessons and examples are still inspirational and applicable if you are involved in practice management.
The E-Myth Revisited
I read this book after Mark R. LePage, founder & host of the Entrepreneur Architect Podcast, raved about it. At first I found some sections of the book fascinating and other aspects rather off-putting, such as the use of McDonald’s as an example of a successful franchise business. However, once I got far enough into the book, I could see the purpose of the examples and it all made a lot more sense. Also it isn’t a dry textbook, it is told in an engaging narrative which is very enjoyable. It is perhaps the best book for making a very strong and clear case of why any business should be set up on a franchise basis. This is not because every business should be a franchise, but rather, because having strong systems in place gives tremendous clarity to everyone involved in the business and increases efficiency. It also means the business operations never depend on any one person being there – there should be a standard operating procedure (SOP) to refer to in anyone’s absence. This in turn frees up precious time that can be invested in working on the business. And for architects specifically, it frees up more time for all the creative tasks that can’t be systematised and made super-efficient. For example, design. It’s an incredibly valuable resource, and one to return to frequently.
… more to come.