This week, we have another inspiring story from an architect turned accidental entrepreneur. He turned a need for managing finances at his own small firm into a new software tool to solve the problem. He shared the idea with some colleagues, formed a small company, and eventually sold that company. Today, it’s offered to architects throughout the world.
This week on EntreArchitect podcast, For Architects, By Architects: the story behind ArchiOffice with Steven Burns.
Background
Steven is an architect based in Los Angeles and the creator of ArchiOffice project management software. He’s currently the Chief Creative Officer of BQE Software, the makers of ArchiOffice.
Steven’s Origin Story
Steve majored in sculpture at Syracuse University. When he had his senior show, by accident a woman approached him and asked his plans after school. He joked that he was going to wait tables, but she prompted him to study architecture. He went to MIT for architecture, which he didn’t love, after not getting into his first choice, Harvard. After his first year, he went back and reread his application essay and decided to reapply to Harvard. This time, he got in. The second time around, his classmates and experiences were great and he thrived.
After graduation, he started his career at SOM in Chicago. During his time there, he put a few goldfish in an empty bowl. People liked it, so he went and bought a tank, some sand and a fish for every partner – fourteen – with a sign that said “Please don’t feed the partners.” Within three months, every partner knew him. Eventually, Bruce Graham took an interest in Steve and helped shape much of his journey in architecture.
When Steve and his wife were in Berlin working for SOM and were about to have children, they decided to take the risk to move to Chicago and Steve opened an office on his own in 1993. There was no business plan and nothing written down. After a month of working alone, he brought a friend on board to join the business. They were frugal, finding a small space and building it out on their own. Eventually they hired someone, and they felt the pressure of having to provide for them.
In 2007, he sold the firm. They chose two partners and were able to watch both of them grow into the roles perfectly. They learned that their partners weren’t like them, which was good; they should be able to fill in the spaces where you have weaknesses. Steven felt that he and his partner were able to retain some control while still giving the partners some ownership of their roles.
Would you do it differently if you had to do it over again?
If Steven had to do it all over again, he would hope that he would at least have written some kind of business plan before starting out. However, he knows himself well enough to know his spontaneity and that, in some ways, he hasn’t changed since then.
How do you pick the right person to transition your firm over to?
It’s a hard decision, and you have to trust your intuition. Steve feels lucky to have had great picks with his wife and his partner, but has also learned that when you have something that isn’t a fit, it’s better to take care of it right away. In the end, it’s best for everyone.
Why did you sell your company and where were you headed after that?
Steven was a designer at heart, and he wanted to work on designing a software for his firm. He bought a Mac-based program, File Maker Pro, and used their easy scripting program to build things to solve problems. He’d