#40: Today I’m joined by Caitlin Brady, architect and host of the Architectette podcast, to unpack a headache most firm owners share: you’ve got good people, but limited rungs on the ladder. How do you keep ambitious talent engaged when you can’t promote everyone every year?

Caitlin’s worked in 15–17 person studios and at giant corporations, and she interviews leaders across the industry. We dig into clear advancement paths, setting expectations on day one, smart little “surprise” rewards, and why flexibility sometimes beats a fat raise. We also cover what employees should track to climb faster and what owners should measure to retain the right people.

Listen if you want a practical strategy to attract & retain your best talent.

Connect with Caitlin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradycaitlin/
Check out the Architectette podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/architectette/id1664012857
Work with Tyler: Send the word “Grow” to hello@growthitect.com

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What You’ll Learn:

(00:40) Why small firms struggle with promotions and how structure fixes most of it
(02:05) The four things people ask for: title, pay, perks/flexibility, responsibility
(03:40) How to design clear “rungs” so folks know exactly how to advance
(05:00) Caitlin’s path: coast-to-coast roles, and launching Architectette while remote
(07:15) The case for tiny unexpected rewards that show you’re paying attention
(08:55) Knowing your team: cash vs title vs PTO vs conference budget vs WFH days
(10:20) Employee playbook: set goals, gather comps, map role-above-you skills, agree on a plan in writing
(12:10) Title transparency: make the ladder and expectations visible to everyone
(14:05) Pay transparency realities and better ways to benchmark your market
(16:00) Post-COVID tradeoffs: why flexibility can outweigh a big raise for some hires
(17:30) Retention moves when budgets are tight: perks, scope expansion, sponsorship, ARE study time
(19:15) Metrics for employees: skills gained, scope owned, license progress, mentors, timeline to target role
(21:00) Metrics for owners: org design, salary bands by level, promotion cadence, regretted attrition
(22:10) Equity check: review pay by role for gender and race to correct gaps early
(23:20) Succession thinking: your exit plan, their growth plan, and why both should live in writing

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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

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#39: In this episode, I sit down with Beth Lundell Garver, Dean of Practice at the Boston Architectural College (BAC), to dig into one of the most common complaints in the industry: “We never learned business in school.”

Beth brings a rare perspective. She’s not only working inside academia, she’s actively redesigning what architecture education looks like. We talk about why most programs still avoid teaching business, how BAC built a work-and-learn model with 800+ students logging real practice hours, and what firm owners can actually do to train young architects instead of blaming schools.

This episode bridges two worlds that rarely talk honestly to each other: academia and practice. And Beth has receipts — from BAC’s competency-based program (which predates NCARB’s AXP) to why firms need to stop hiding their financials if they want better-prepared hires.

Connect with Beth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lundell-garver/
Learn more about BAC: https://the-bac.edu/
Work with Tyler: Send the word “Grow” to hello@growthitect.com

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What You’ll Learn:

(00:41) Why “we didn’t learn business in school” isn’t the full story
(01:20) The problem with assuming one business class would fix everything
(02:55) How BAC built a degree model tied directly to real-world work
(04:45) The origin of BAC’s practice curriculum (and how NCARB borrowed from it)
(06:32) Why exposure > memorization when it comes to business education
(07:58) The industry’s identity crisis: self-actualization vs. job readiness
(09:55) Why most architecture schools still prioritize theory over practice
(12:15) The real reason firms keep getting grads who lack business skills
(14:38) Community design + design-build programs as the “bridge” between school and practice
(17:40) Why architects overthink and under-act — and how school trains that mindset
(19:12) The transparency problem inside firms (and how it blocks learning)
(21:20) Why most young architects don’t see how their firm actually makes money
(22:48) What firms should do tomorrow to train better business-literate architects
(25:05) Why design talent alone won’t create the next generation of firm leaders
(27:30) How “design” applies to business models, not just drawings
(30:18) The #1 mindset shift firm owners must make if they want better teams
(33:02) Why many firms still manage people who don’t even know project budgets
(35:40) Design thinking as a superpower—outside architecture
(38:22) How BAC students are already learning business through real projects, not lectures
(40:12) How firms can partner with architecture schools (including BAC’s remote model)

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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

#38: In this episode, I sit down with Mark R. LePage, Founder of EntreArchitect, to tackle one of the most common questions architects ask: Should I spend money on marketing or just focus on organic growth?

Mark argues that before you ever think about ads or paid strategies, you need to build a better brand because most firms don’t actually have a marketing problem, they have a clarity problem. We unpack how to define your brand, find your ideal client, and establish the systems that make every dollar (and hour) you spend on marketing count.

Mark also shares lessons from decades of helping architects build better businesses, why shortcuts never work, how branding attracts the right clients and repels the wrong ones, and why strong systems are the real key to breaking the feast-or-famine cycle.

Learn more about EntreArchitect: https://entrearchitect.com/
Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrlepage/
Work with Tyler: Send the word “Grow” to hello@growthitect.com

⸻

What You’ll Learn:

(00:34) Why the answer isn’t paid vs organic—it’s brand first
(01:12) How Mark went from running a firm to building a global community of 9,000+ architects
(05:25) The fundamentals architects were never taught in school
(06:40) The step before marketing: defining your brand, your difference, and your ideal client
(08:50) Why most architects look for shortcuts—and why they don’t exist
(09:40) How “accidental” marketing success happens when your foundation is strong
(10:50) The hidden power of branding: who it attracts and who it repels
(12:40) Why paid ads are accelerants, not starters
(14:20) The simple test: if it doesn’t work organically, it won’t work paid
(15:50) How to use content as a low-cost marketing lab
(16:10) The missing system in most firms: sales
(17:30) The follow-up problem—why most proposals die in silence
(18:45) The four systems every thriving firm needs: Attraction, Conversion, Delivery, and Nurture
(20:00) Why one weak link can stall your growth
(21:55) Key brand-building questions: Who’s your ideal client? What’s your story? What makes you different?
(23:10) Why you should write your story—but validate your differentiator with clients
(26:20) How to balance time vs money in your marketing strategy
(27:45) The KPIs that matter: win rate, lead source attribution, and project profitability
(31:00) How to track where your best clients really come from
(34:15) Why “I don’t have time” is the wrong excuse—and how to fix it
(35:30) The compounding return of building brand foundations early
(36:45) Inside the new EntreArchitect Academy: business fundamentals every architect needs

—---

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