End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

In this live talk at Westminster University, Rion Willard shares a sharp, practical look at one issue many architects feel but rarely name: why good work does not always lead to a healthy business. He speaks from direct experience, moving from practice into advising firms, and he challenges some deeply held beliefs about fees, value, and the role of money in architecture.

But this episode is not just about charging more. It is about a bigger shift in how architects think, speak, and act when business decisions carry real weight. Ryan points to a few hidden patterns that quietly shape results, and he shows why some common habits may be costing firms far more than they realize.

If you have ever felt tension around pricing, growth, or client expectations, this conversation will give you plenty to think about—and a new lens for what may be possible.

• The quiet belief that may be hurting your fees more than the market
• Why one common way of billing can create far more stress than most architects realize
• The subtle shift that can change how clients see your value before numbers even come up

Resource: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/smart-practice-project-fee-budget-calculator

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

In this episode, architect Eric Lam joins Business of Architecture to explore a design tradition many architects have heard of, but few understand in depth: Feng Shui.

Eric shares how his early life in Hong Kong, his work as an architect, and his interest in biophilic design led him back to ideas he first heard from his grandmother. The conversation opens a thoughtful look at how space, energy, psychology, and business all connect.

You'll hear how ancient principles still shape major cities, why small shifts in a room can change how people feel, and how architects might use deeper awareness of space to serve clients in a more human way.

• The overlooked design idea hiding in plain sight inside some of the world's most powerful cities
• Why "good energy" may be less mystical—and more practical—than many architects think
• The simple spatial shift that can change how a business owner feels at work

To learn more about Eric, visit his website: https://www.redwoodsdsa.com/

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

In this episode, Erick Darbo Diaz and Carolina Civarolo share how they built ORANGE MADE in the Rio Grande Valley with a strong sense of place, purpose, and partnership. They talk about choosing to stay rooted in their community and why that choice shaped both their work and their vision.

You will also hear how they work together as husband and wife while leading the firm side by side. They reflect on how their roles grew over time, what helped them stay aligned, and why building the business became just as important as designing the work itself.

The conversation also explores a quiet shift that changed the path of the practice. Without giving too much away, it reveals how better thinking around the business opened new possibilities for the team, the work, and the future they want to build.

• Why staying in a "smaller" market gave them an edge they did not see at first
• The subtle change that made the firm feel very different almost overnight
• What they now believe matters just as much as great design

To learn more about Erick & Carolina, visit their: https://orange-made.com/

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

In this episode, Rion Willard speaks with Caspar Schols, the designer behind Cabin ANNA, about how a deeply personal project grew into something with global reach. What begins as a conversation about making soon turns into something wider: craft, grief, nature, and the strange path from one handmade object to a living body of work.

You will hear how Caspar thinks about building, why small projects can hold big meaning, and what happens when growth starts to pull you away from the work you love most. He also shares how intuition, ritual, and careful iteration shaped both the design itself and the business that followed.

You will discover:

• Why one quiet project struck a chord far beyond what anyone expected
• The hidden tension between scale, structure, and staying close to the work itself

To learn more about Caspar, visit his website: https://www.cabin-anna.com/

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

If your firm can't move without you, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar today. Rion Willard shares a talk he gave on how small practices can build teams that act with ownership, not constant supervision. It's practical, grounded, and aimed at the real pressure points that make good architects feel stuck.

You'll hear a clear way to spot when "leadership" is quietly creating stress, slow decisions, and repeat mistakes. Rion also walks through a real client story that shows what changes when a firm shifts its structure, its conversations, and its expectations—without losing its design culture. If you want more freedom, stronger delivery, and a team you can trust, this one is worth your time.

• The subtle reason "help" can make you busier—not lighter
• A simple shift that changes how accountability lands in your office
• The one number that can reveal more than a year of guesswork

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

Risk sits at the center of every architecture firm, yet few talk about it clearly or honestly. In this episode, Rion Willard reframes risk not as something to avoid, but as something to understand, choose, and use well.

Drawing from a keynote delivered at the AIA New York Center for Architecture, Rion explores why architects carry so much responsibility without matching authority or reward. He reveals how unseen pressures quietly erode profit, creativity, and firm growth.

But avoiding risk creates its own danger. The episode challenges firm owners to rethink which risks drain energy and which ones unlock momentum, freedom, and agency.

Through real stories from architects who stepped beyond convention, Rion points to a different path forward. One defined less by caution, and more by deliberate courage.

If risk already feels heavy in your firm, this conversation may change how you see it.

• Why the risks you avoid may be costing you more than the ones you take
• The quiet reason creativity disappears inside "successful" firms
• How small, chosen risks can compound into real leverage and growth

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

Premium fees don't come from better drawings. They come from a business that can win work on purpose. In this episode, Rion Willard continues the premium-fee framework by tackling the part most firms avoid: proactive prospecting and a real pipeline.

You'll hear why "doing good work" is only the entry ticket, how to break the feast-or-famine cycle, and what it looks like to treat business development like a non-negotiable system. Rion also shares a practical way to look at pipeline value so you can spot false comfort in your forecast—without drowning in tools or busywork.

On today's episode, you'll discover:

• The uncomfortable reason your pipeline can look strong… and still be a lie
• The mindset shift that makes outreach feel like service, not desperation
• The quiet weekly habit premium firms protect (and most small firms don't)

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

Architects often struggle with the quiet, grinding pain of difficult clients, rising stress, and the nagging sense that the real problem might be them—but they can't quite see how. This episode dives into that hidden tension: the gap between what architects think is happening in their practice and what's actually driving their results beneath the surface.

Rion and Enoch explore how words, stories, and colors quietly shape what architects see as possible. A difficult client, strange dreams, and silent retreats all become clues in this hidden game.

You'll hear how an "annoying" client turned out to be something different on the balance sheet. You'll also hear how past-life tales, men's circles, and a bus full of "crazy" thoughts reveal what is really driving a practice.

Listen in if you suspect your real bottleneck might live in your own thinking, not your market.

• The throwaway remark that exposed a deep fear running a firm.
• A simple shift in view that turned stress into profit.
• The silent habit that leaves leaders "asleep at the wheel" with their team.

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

AI is moving fast in architecture, but most firms still aren't sure how to use it without losing control of the work. In this episode, Brandon Mut shares what it looks like to bring new tools into a real practice with discipline, not hype.

You'll hear how one design technology leader built standards first, then tested AI against finished projects, and only then let it into the workflow. You'll also hear the metric they used to judge results, and why "don't change anything" is harder than it sounds. Along the way, they talk about fears, liability, sustainability, training younger staff, and what might change over the next few years.

• The quiet mistake that makes "AI adoption" backfire inside a firm.
• A simple way to tell whether AI is helping—or secretly shifting your design.
• Why the wave won't be about tools… it'll be about who stays in charge.

To learn more about Brandon, visit his website: https://fogartyfinger.com/

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework

In this episode, Rion digs into why "premium fees" start in your head long before they appear in a proposal. He explores how architects are trained to be exceptional technicians, but rarely prepared to think like business owners, and how that gap quietly limits growth. A simple but powerful model is introduced to reframe how time, value, and income really work.

Rion also challenges several deeply held beliefs architects carry about money, responsibility, and worth. He discusses why avoiding financial conversations weakens both firms and client relationships, and how greater clarity can create freedom rather than pressure. The focus is not on tactics, but on seeing the business of architecture differently.

• The uncomfortable middle ground that drains architects without them noticing
• A subtle distinction that determines whether your firm can survive without you
• The mental shift that changes how clients perceive your fees