Entrepreneur Architect: How to Start the Journey

Have you ever stopped to think about what it would be like to make a living doing what you love?

Imagine the adventure of entrepreneurship, filled with ups and downs and challenges at every corner. Picture yourself starting your own business, attracting clients, and savoring success—but also facing uncertainty and exhausting hours. It’s a path that’s not free of obstacles, but one that offers the longed-for freedom to pursue your goals through architecture.

Nowadays, everyone is talking about entrepreneurship. It’s marketed as a path to independence, a way to carve your own destiny and define success on your own terms. But the reality is, it’s not easy. The media show us stories of triumph, but rarely reveal the effort and doubt lurking in the background.

This journey isn’t just about visualizing your dreams—it’s about working relentlessly to bring them to life. Being an architect is just the starting point. It takes more than technical skills to make it. The entrepreneurial journey involves overcoming obstacles, learning from failures, and pushing forward even when everything seems tough. The freedom to build your own path comes with sacrifice and perseverance..

Believe me, there are many possible ways to make a living from architecture. But if you don’t have privileges or resources, and want to rely on your own drive to build a unique vision, here are seven fundamental keys to help you start your journey with clarity:

1. Find your purpose: The most important thing is to know yourself. Define your passions, values, what you’re truly good at, and how you believe you can do things differently. Identify needs, analyze problems, and outline a plan to meet those needs or solve those problems for people who may be drawn to your proposal. Reading tip: Start with Why by Simon Sinek.

2. Don’t wait for the right moment—create it: If you’re currently employed, start preparing. Invest in yourself and your education to improve your skills and knowledge. Gather tools, live experiences, and build connections with people who can support you later on. Know that when the time comes, you’ll never feel fully prepared—but the experience and knowledge you've gained will help you launch with a minimum viable service to keep growing. Reading tip: Atomic Habits by James Clear.

3. Validate your business idea: Architectural services are intangible. It’s vital to communicate the real value your clients gain when they hire you. Don’t try to sell architecture—sell the benefits it brings. Before entering the market, launch a minimum viable product or service (this could be a small campaign on social media). The results will tell you whether there’s genuine interest from your target audience (niche, tribe, or group). Based on the feedback, refine your message or strategy. Don’t invest in branding, office space, or a website until you’ve validated the idea. If you realize something needs to change, do it immediately and seek new feedback. Reading tip: The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.

4. Know your client. Design your strategy or business model: Here’s the truth—your ideal client doesn’t understand architecture. So don’t speak to them in architectural jargon. Use clear, relatable language. Research the channels where you can become visible—social media, Google, a website. These will be your digital platform, a 24/7 sales agent introducing you to your market. You’ll need to generate content: images, text, audio, video—or all of the above. The content must align with the purpose you defined in step 1. Reading tip: Architect + Entrepreneur Vol. 1 & 2 by Eric Reinholdt and Arquitectos de Familia by Rodolfo Livingston.

 5. Keep learning and evolving: For most architects with their own studio, the journey starts with working in different firms, then becoming a freelance or independent architect. Often, clients are other architects or companies. Over time, as you define your business model and build your sales channels and content, you become a micro-entrepreneur and grow your team, scaling your practice.

6. Clearly define your goals: Eventually, results will come. What matters is having short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Don’t drift—always have a plan. Develop a company culture or brand philosophy that gives you a strong identity in your clients’ eyes. That will make you a unique and differentiated option.

7. Expand your market—don’t aim to be the "artist architect":

The global economy needs new ways to create businesses, industries, and wealth. As an architect, you’ve probably wondered how you can contribute to that—especially when many fail by designing architecture for other architects, focusing on aesthetics, theoretical discourse, or materiality. Unfortunately, portraying the architect as an artist and architecture as a luxury service often prevents us from communicating effectively with the people who truly need better spaces. This is why our services are rarely seen as fulfilling primary or even secondary needs; instead, they’re perceived as luxury goods, status symbols, or art.

Pro tip: Look up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs—architects should aim to meet level 1 and 2 needs first.

Conclusion:

Embarking on the journey of entrepreneurship in the field of architecture is an exciting challenge that demands self-discipline, perseverance, and a deep understanding of the key elements for success. The path of an entrepreneurial architect requires self-awareness, continuous adaptation, effective communication, and an ongoing evolution in pursuit of a unique purpose. By broadening our perspective and moving beyond the stigma of being merely artists, we can meaningfully contribute to addressing the fundamental needs of the people and communities we serve—thereby securing a valuable position in the global market. The key lies in constant innovation, learning, and growth to make a lasting impact in the world of architecture and entrepreneurship.