Why Word of Mouth Isn’t a Growth Strategy (with Rens Hayes)

#37: Most architects and engineers say their work comes from word of mouth. But few ever ask the follow-up question: what are people actually saying about us?In this episode, I sit down with Rens Hayes, Co-Founder and Principal of H+O Structural Engineering, to unpack why relying solely and passively on word of mouth is one of the most dangerous habits in the A&E industry. We dig into how most firms unintentionally commoditize themselves, what it really means to “drive” word of mouth instead of hoping for it, and how to turn your reputation into a scalable growth engine.Rens shares how he and his partner built H+O from scratch into a national firm and how they’ve used brand, content, and long-term thinking to escape the scarcity mindset that traps so many firms.Learn more about H&O Structural Engineering: https://h-o.engineering/Connect with Rens on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renshayes/ Listen to the Design Development podcast: https://h-o.engineering/podcast/ Work with Tyler: Send the word “Grow” to [e-mail] ⸻What You’ll Learn:(00:31) Why “word of mouth” isn’t a real growth strategy(01:10) How most firms get commoditized by being “relationship businesses”(02:00) The question every firm should ask: what are people actually saying about us?(03:15) How Rens built H+O Structural Engineering into a premium brand(04:25) Why business strategy matters more than technical skill for long-term success(06:44) The blind spot that keeps architects and engineers stuck in low-fee work(07:45) How competitor-based pricing kills growth and profit(09:39) Why focusing only on keeping people “busy” keeps firms broke(10:32) The difference between solving for income vs. building enterprise value(12:10) How scarcity and short-term thinking show up inside firms(13:41) What a decade of compounding looks like—and why patience wins(14:26) Why H&O grew by saying “no” to the bottom 20% of work(16:59) How most firms climb one tier at a time, not in one big leap(17:30) The business lesson Rens learned from The Compound Effect(19:22) Why extreme ownership is the antidote to “hope marketing”(20:57) The first question every firm should ask before chasing leads(21:25) Why generalists struggle to get referrals (and how to fix it)(23:18) What M&A thinking can teach small firms about reducing risk and increasing value(24:07) Why specialists win in down markets(25:33) How to communicate your value in your client’s language—not yours(26:07) Using cost as the universal language between engineers, architects, and developers(27:45) The “column example” that changes how clients see your value(28:30) Why developers don’t care about design—they care about ROI(31:22) The mindset shift from scarcity to abundance(31:47) How to attract great clients (and talent) through founder-led marketing(33:12) The real purpose of content: pre-selling trust and eliminating risk(34:53) Why understanding client pain points makes every conversation easier(35:52) Two questions to ask yourself: How are you filling your space—and what are you making space for?(36:14) The no-brainer offer that turned H+O’s expertise into consistent growth—---AISC RESOURCES→ Learn about sustainable steel: http://aisc.org/sustainable → Get your Sustainability Toolkit: http://aisc.org/buildgreen GROWTHITECT RESOURCES→ Apply to join The Studio - https://growthitect.com/studio → Join thousands of architects on the free Growthitect newsletter - https://growthitect.com/join STAY CONNECTED→ Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylersuomala/ → Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthitect_com → Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@growthitect