Networking

Note 001: Connection equals clients

I was very uncertain on what to do – to say there was a fork in the road would be a serious understatement.

The MCA Australia was complete; I had turned down a partnership offer that had dragged on too long and was wondering who on earth to call for advice.

My family and friends, while all meaning well, didn't have the experience for this particularly difficult question.

Why was it so difficult?

While on the stalling partnership track for the preceding few years, I had in reality already become one on the inside. Meaning, I loved our small creative team, (we all remain very close friends to this day) and was heartbroken at the realisation that what we had as a crew could never be repeated from scratch…

There was of course another option - one I had been avoiding like the plague. The safe option, the option some close to me were keen on me pursuing. The large-salaried commercial firm architect position, or:

The “stop-chasing-creative-fulfilment-and-grow-up” option.

The problem was, for me that felt like death.

Into the fog

Now, there is my CV version of this story where: the MCA is completed, I bravely forge onto create ADAD out of thin air, then:

Presto!

I will amazing projects into existence out of the ether. Of course in reality that’s not quite what happened.

In reality there was a petrifying, confusing, fog between one chapter and the next.

We considered a move to New York (a favourite place); possibly a move back to Melbourne where all my friends had relocated after graduation years earlier… everything was on the table for a brief, intense period.

I wracked my brain for who to talk to, and eventually realised that I did in fact have 2 family members with experience that could help give clarity on what to do.

No 1:

Judi, my adorable godmother, who had helped me intensely leading up to this point over the preceding years, in understanding hard-nosed business valuation, goodwill, and the elusive money value of ‘brand’.

• (I will focus on this topic in a future note to help anyone who may be offered partnership within their firm, or considering wether to start out solo or with others,)

She deserved a break :)

No 2:

I had a cousin who I hadn’t see since my girlfriend (now wife) and I rocked-up to his apartment in Luxembourg after getting food poisoning in Paris back in 2001 (good times!)

Dean was an international partner at PwC, a success by many measures, but I was hesitant, expecting to have the ‘virtues of climbing the corporate ladder’ extolled upon me.

Anyway, I made the call. And I’m glad I did. He was wonderful, and incredibly incisive.

Never judge a book by its cover

I think he could tell from the get go there was no way I was working for anyone else but myself by this point in my career, but we covered the options: ride the Dubai boom to try and get ahead financially, try fresh start in New York, return to Melbourne….

What he said on the phone has stuck with me ever since:

Andrew, you have gone through the business valuation process, and learnt that it is not just design talent and documentation skills needed to complete excellent projects; but business skills: finance, marketing and management, that allow these projects to be executed within a practice. The most important of all:

How did these projects come to your office to begin with?

He told me that to become a partner in Law or Accounting, there are very specific skills and expectations required – bringing in business (or for us as architects, clients) to the firm.

To bring business to your firm is a direct result of the strength of your network.

And it was settled.

Without knowing any next steps, he told me that there is actually no question – you must stay in Sydney, as that is where you have built an incredible network.

That is where I must begin.

Building your network

Good news, you already have one :)

Family, friends, your local community. You just may have never thought about those close to you in these terms before.

Before I get to your professional network, I find it is helpful to not really separate networks at all.

Let me explain.

The reason that you can count on your real friends and close ties in your personal circles, no matter how many or how few; is that the primary focus within these relationships is one of mutually giving, helping and supporting one another.

It certainly is for me.

My super-hot secret for your building your professional network: uni-friends, work colleagues, other architects, designers, artists, builders, joiners, tradies, universities, media, suppliers, factories, C.E.O.s, councils, (and eventually) your clients is…. there is no secret.

There is no secret for building your professional network, because, it is identical to strengthening your personal network:

Give, Help, Support, Connect, Pay it Forward.

What a network is not

I have been once (and never again) to a ‘Networking’ breakfast event, the premise of which was paying $20 to essentially pass business cards around in what reeked of a pyramid scheme - haha - never again!

If it feels schmooze-y, if it feels ‘used-car-salesman-y’ or forced… walk away.

Leveraging your network

As with projects themselves, you cannot just will your network into action.

You simply have to trust the life-long process of generously building your relationships over the long term, as selflessly as possible, and you just might be surprised.

Interestingly upon reflection, the only common thread between the weird and wonderful ways that every single one my own practices best, lovely, creative and visionary client relationships came to be was this:

Each relationship has grown through its own unique, surprising ‘tentacle of the network octopus’ :)

Note: Once you are up and running, have wonderful, complete, built work and happy clients, there is a whole secondary layer of marketing and referrals that make attracting more clients and producing more excellent work easier (this will be a stand alone future note).

That is a virtuous cycle, but it aways starts with people.

My 1st break, by network

Our North Curl Curl House has won Housing Industry Association NSW Chapter House of the Year 2020, won FIAA Best Built-In Furniture in Australia 201 and was featured on Grand Designs Australia TV Season 8 Episode 3 (fun fact also my favourite Curb Your Enthusiasm season and Episode).

North Curl Curl House by ADAD. Photography by Barton Taylor Photography. Behind a single image are relationships spanning almost 8 years and at least 4-people-removed up the network chain before the actual client!

But it started with people.

Lets trace the network:

Client + Client + Client

Amazingly, 2 new current projects for 2 new clients have come directly from the people that bought the house for a suburb record in 2018 from my project client.

• This is the ultimate point you want to reach. Un-competitive project offers, directly from someone who lives in your creation, loves it, and wants more! I realise this is extremely rare.

Client + Client

1 new project has come directly from the client that built this house (my client and the builder) - now a repeat client.

• This is also an ultimate point – and not as rare as you may think, great builders want great architects.

> Client

The person who bought the approved DA and built this project (my client and the builder), did so as a direct result of my helping the agent at the Real Estate Agency tasked with selling the approved DA.

> > Client

The people who connected me with the agent where my original clients, (who had to sell prior to construction for personal reasons), but had such a wonderful experience through design they wanted to keep me involved.

> > > Client

The person who put me forward, as a contender, with no built work to speak of, was the brother of the original client.

This ‘original’ relationship was itself built over time:

• The brother of the original client was himself a director of a very well known firm in Melbourne. The reason he put me forward for a project that he himself had no time to complete as an interstate director was that I had gotten to know him over a series of many years at the National Australian Institute of Architects Conference.

• The most recent year I told him that I had knocked back the partnership offer, and was considering going alone, at the drinks-intervals between keynotes

• At the preceding years, we kept up the friendly connection, they were doing excellent work, and he got to know me through my early graduate years working on the MCA though its construction, and partnership offer.

• That I was introduced to him at all, as a young graduate, came about because two of my best mates had moved to Melbourne after Graduation, and both their bosses took them both to the AIA conference each year.

So how did this house really begin?

When I was in my 20’s in Melbourne at the AIA conference wth my mates, I was so impressed with one mates boss for taking him to the conference that:

I bought him a beer and started a friendly conversation.

Summarised:

It was through a generous, mutually-giving, informal network building over 8 years; at least 4 people removed from the eventual client; that the opportunity to design this house even had a chance to surface.

It could not possibly have been pre-meditated.

My networking action for you

Reach out and connect with someone from your uni days, previous office, current office, builder, consultant, fabricator, lecturer, and start a conversation.

You have no agenda - so pick someone you are genuinely interested in having a conversation with :)

I would never have imaged that saying g’day to my mates boss, over a beer, outside the Melbourne Convention Centre, almost 10 years ago would lead to the launch of my firm, one of Australia’s finest houses, an international TV experience and by extension of this story - this note to you.

Go!

See you soon,

Andrew Donaldson

Note 001 done and dusted!

Please give me any feedback whatsoever, I would love to hear from you - after all, this is for you :)

PS - if you have a friend, colleague, or archi-buddy that you think would benefit from Andrew’s Notes, please feel free to send this to them or share with the button below: - lets grow this tribe :)