AIA Central Virginia Mid-Career Professionals met at Studio IX to talk "Time & Money" this week, and the group was ready for it!
At mid-career, we navigate choppy waters: increased professional demands, childcare, aging parents—and the elusive hope of time for ourselves! Add career transitions, layoffs, empty nests, and new babies to the mix, and it's clear we're managing more than projects—we're making profound life transitions while trying to run profitable practices.
The group discussed some hard truths:
➕ Perfectionism is our enemy. We make this harder than it needs to be.
➕ We've got to get better at talking about money. Fast.
➕ Additional services can cause conflict that we'd rather avoid.
➕ "It's harder to sell the value of a process, than the cost of product."
And the challenges that hit home:
⭕ Clients are rarely honest about their budget ...
⭕ Which sets our fees too low for the project we end up designing.
⭕ Late-stage changes wreck good plans & sap goodwill.
⭕ Some clients misunderstand our value & service - that's on us.
But that's where it got good! We discussed strategies we use that work, and some we've adapted from other creative fields like software development, consulting, product design & film production:
✔️ Value-Based Pricing & Options: Offer clients a range of services and options. Let them choose the level of support they need and can afford.
✔️ Agile Sprints & Time-Boxing: Work in 2-week sprints with defined deliverables. When time's up: submit it, iterate once (max 5 days), or stop. No more endless refinement.
✔️ Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Deliver just enough to get clear feedback on scope, quality, and cost alignment—then proceed. Stop perfecting in isolation.
✔️ Pre-Production Investment: Spend MORE time upfront aligning the team around priorities, timeline, and expectations. A paid pre-design phase clarifies scope and budget before committing to fixed fees.
There are as many ways to practice as there are architects—and we're constantly innovating. Let's learn from other industries, value our time, get paid for our expertise, and "pay ourselves first" so we bring our best, most creative selves to work each day—and can actually go home and live our lives.
Ultimately, we want:
💡 Architects well-paid for their work,
💡 Clients thrilled with the outcome, and
💡 Builders equipped to give solid feedback & build it right the first time.
To get there, we have to get aligned on services, fees, and expectations BEFORE diving into the fun stuff. It prevents headaches, sleepless nights, and resentment.
Thanks to everyone who brought their challenges, strategies, and honesty to the table. These conversations matter.
