In the past week or two I have been thinking of how to market my company, brand, and myself. Initially I was wondering if attraction and marketing are the same thing. After a few conversations with others online I've realized they are not, but the combination of awareness and attraction is what marketing is about. In this episode I break down what these two concepts mean to me, and also some steps I'm taking to execute on these two concepts.
Feb 17, 2021•47 min
This morning I was having an issue finding sweatpants to wear. This is because our house is having work done on it and all our stuff is not where it's supposed to be at the moment. I speak about this experience and relate it to some of my BIM Consulting work. In the consulting work there have been some situations that shortcuts were taken that make the project more difficult to work. In that case I relate to how my services have become the 'sweatpants'. Then I announce a new group that I'm launc...
Jan 27, 2021•43 min
This past week I had to cancel a project with a client due to site and existing restrictions due to the layout of the home. It's never a good conversation to have, but I cover how being honest with a client is always the best approach. Then I came across a video from another architect, Eric Reinholdt of 30X40 Design Workshop, where he states that specifying or drawing an element now prevents deferring to someone making a decision for you later in a project. I expand on this by giving two project...
Jan 20, 2021•47 min
In recent months I realized some issues that clients have on projects are centered around not committing to the process to get approvals. I go into detail from a recent experience and discuss why a municipality may or may not give you all the information when you initially contact that agency (9:26). I then cover why time blocking and using a scheduling application where people can schedule an appointment with me on their own helps with my own focus (27:17).
Jan 13, 2021•53 min
Starting the New Year with some new ideas for the podcast. I start with some ideas I have for a new format of how I want to structure the podcast. Then I introduce two new segments (Outsider and Insider) I will have in the this episode and future ones. In the first Outsider segment (10:00) I cover factors that are involved in how long it takes to get a permit approval. Then in my Insider segment (36:55) I discuss what is the soul behind the work that I do. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to commen...
Jan 06, 2021•1 hr 3 min
During the last few weeks, I have been outsourcing some of my workload with some level of success. I started to notice the need to document what my steps are in my drawing process, which will help in training others, but also keeps me on track when I do the drawings myself. In this episode, I identify what some of the first processes I have that need to be documented, and how I intend to document them.
Oct 23, 2020•40 min
I wanted build on the previous episode, so in this episode I discuss the three main parts of any business. These parts I call Production, Business Owner, and Entrepreneur. Recently I found myself in more the Business Owner and Production areas of the business, and not much in the Entrepreneur side of things. So the question now becomes how do I balance the business out and shift my focus.
Sep 09, 2020•26 min
After returning from vacation one thought I had was how do I transition from doing everything in my business to delegating. I’ve reached a crossroad where I think that in order for my business and myself to grow I need to be an educator. Now how do I do that? Any thoughts? Message or comment and let me know.
Sep 01, 2020•20 min
Recently I was hired for a new project down at the Jersey Shore for a house addition. At first, our discussions were over the phone for a few reasons. The homeowners had objections to the fee while we spoke on the phone, but once we met in person those objections went away. I speak how I try to relate to potential clients when meeting in person, and also go into how you never know how a previous connection can lead to opportunities down the road.
Aug 17, 2020•51 min
As this current pandemic continues I started to think how are we going to start living with this virus. This got me thinking about what changes and innovations in the design and construction industry will we see in the near future that is a direct response to the pandemic. Some of what I cover here are building code related changes, material innovations, and also what construction processes will either change or are entirely new due to new policies put into place to work and live with this new v...
Jul 13, 2020•50 min
This is more of a getting thoughts out of my head in this episode. I end with this but if you would like to have a conversation on any topics i speak about here, whether its on my platform here or offline, let me know. I start with covering my thoughts on businesses and communities opening back up from the recent pandemic. Then around the 18 minute mark I start talking about race relations and bring in some of my own personal experiences. I thank you ahead of time for listening....
Jun 09, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Brandon Walker is a photographer and videographer with his business House of Aperture, based in Philadelphia. We talk about how he went from working in the medical field to starting his business, ways he helps promote his clients, his passion for salsa dancing, and much more.
Jun 05, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Justin Deal is the Vice President of Sales for Pay Day Payroll Resources in Washington Twp, NJ. Justin and I speak about his experience playing football at the college level, arena football professionally, and going through the process of the NFL combine. We also speak about martial arts, getting an RV to travel, among other things. This was a great laid back conversation and I can't thank Justin enogh for coming on.
May 29, 2020•1 hr 6 min
In this episode of What's Next, Eileen Scardina of The First 7, Shana Fannon of SF Design LLC, Justin Deal of Payday Payroll Resources, and Jon Cooper of Perlow Productions join me to discuss ways we can help each other out during this current pandemic. We also dive into some apps to use to help find ways to provide services in your business.
May 15, 2020•54 min
Excited to start this new series of episodes called What's Next. This series will simply cover the topic of What's Next, with each episode diving into detail of what is next. Each episode will be a rountable discussion of 3-4 guests offering their opinions and insights. In this first episode of What's Next, I am thankful to have on Betty Maul of Front End Graphics, James Corbett of Project Refit, Elaine Igoe of EBE Events and Entertainment, and Ken Toscano of New York Life. We discussed what are...
May 08, 2020•47 min
I got on a call with Jeremy Fyfe of GLS Painters where Jeremy and I discuss how he got started, how he's been dealing with the current pandemic, and some ways he uses social media and targetted ads to gain more business. Jeremy's company, GLS Painters is located in Sicklerville, NJ where they provide interior and exterior painting for residential and commercial clients. The primary service area for GLS is in South Jersey. As his motto goes, "Don't stress, call GLS".
May 01, 2020•46 min
I finally broke down and decided to speak about the current situation right now with COVID-19/Coronavirus. I first give an update on what I've been doing with work and dealing with being at home. Then I revisit some thoughts I had about the cycle of the construction industry economics, and if this pandemic is truly the next recession.
Apr 16, 2020•32 min
This is the first episode where I cover 3D scanning and its application not only in architecture and construction, but other industries as well. I cover the two main types of scanning, Lidar and Photogrammetry, along with the benefits of both. I also talk about two scanners that I have personal experience with, Matterport and Leica BLK360, and finish with how I use the scan data.
Feb 21, 2020•45 min
Back in December I was a guest on RVNTV's show, Connect to Success, hosted by Ashley Owens. This episode is the audio of that interview. Connect to Success features local business owners and entrepreneurs in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Ashley's guests talk about what they do along with offering their networking techniques, tips, and tricks. Thanks again to Ashely and the RVNTV team for having me on. I hope I can make it back on some time in the future. To see more episodes of Connect to Succe...
Feb 11, 2020•30 min
Coming into the new year with a somewhere in between note. I probably looked at too much social media over the break and I go into some things that got under my skin while online. Two types of posts I saw a lot of involved people talking about what charities they contributed to or the goals they accomplished or plan on having in the new year. Both of these I think are good to have, but I don't think they should be shared to everybody on social media. I then also go into some ideas of thinking ab...
Jan 06, 2020•36 min
While my wife prepares for her ballet school's production of the Nutcracker, I was able to sit down with her to talk about her school, the Williamstown Ballet Theater, and her upcoming show. We also talk about how she started the ballet school and the ways it differs from the dance school she owned and closed a few years ago. Then we dive into the challenges we both face as being married with children and also both owning our own businesses. I'm really glad to have Laurie on and there wasn't nea...
Dec 12, 2019•1 hr
In this episode Matt Auterson of the Bill Mervin Team at Apex Home Loans visits with me. Matt is the Business Development Manager for the Bill Mervin Team, which is a mortgage lender that serves Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey. Matt and I cover a number of topics which include providing the best possible service for your customers, focusing on yourself and not your competition, and similarities of the professional services of an architect and a mortgage lender. This was a fantastic co...
Nov 26, 2019•44 min
In this episode I go over three common questions I get from new or potential clients on a project. These three questions are: How much will the project cost How long will a project take What services can a client provide in a project Not only do I go into detail of various factors for each topic, I also add some real world examples from my projects in the past. Enjoy and please take a moment to rate this podcast. Thank you for your support....
Nov 06, 2019•27 min
The second interview I did during my town's arts and crafts fair was with John Lorenzo of Two Two Creative. Two Two provides marketing and graphic design services, primarily serving the South Jersey and Philadelphia region. Besides graphics and marketing, they also are a full service print shop, producing print media both large and small for their clients. John and I discuss the wide range of services they provide along with the marketing services they have provided for my firm the past couple m...
Oct 28, 2019•13 min
The town I live in, Williamstown, NJ, had a town fair recently, which I got a vendor table at. During the day I setup my podcast equipment and sat down with two different guests. My first guest I sat down with is Cody Miller. Cody has been on town council the past few years, and here we chat primarily about the town's redevelopment plans, along with other opportunities for growth here in South Jersey.
Oct 08, 2019•30 min
I traveled down to Avalon, New Jersey to one of my projects completed a few years ago and sat down with my client, Chas Peruto. We primarily discussed two projects we worked on at the Jersey shore, along with how Chas got to the point of managing these projects, and what he's doing now with his new company Peruto Custom Homes. There was a minor audio issue during the first few minutes, but it clears up around the 7 minute mark.
Sep 25, 2019•43 min
I just purchased new equipment to record the podcast and in this episode I'm trying out the new toys. From here on out there will also be a video of the podcast on my firm's Youtube channel, Dauntless Design Collaborative. I'll have a playlist for the podcast episodes in the near future so you can check out the videos as well. As for this episode, I go into how years of experience is still valuable and how I feel I can compete with larger architecture firms.
Sep 12, 2019•19 min
Before I had my own firm, I worked for a larger architecture firm who worked on high rise projects. One project I work on was a 30 story residential condominium project. One of my tasks for the project was to solve an issue with the stair wells in the building. In this episode I go through the process of what this issue was, and how I came to the solution for the project.
Jul 22, 2019•48 min
I just started working with a local Marketing Services Firm, Two Two Creative in helping me to market the firm. In this episode I first cover my thoughts of how to market the firm prior to my first meeting with Two Two Creative. I then follow up with a segment of my thoughts after my initial day long meeting with John. John was a guest of the show back in Episode 11. You can listen to that episode here: https://anchor.fm/richard-sanford/episodes/Episode-11---John-Lorenzo-e1spsk
Jul 08, 2019•32 min
I've been getting away from doing an episode on the personal side of my life, so this episode i touch on my hobby of keeping chickens. It was also a good time to jump into this since my town is about to launch a backyard chicken program, which I volunteered to be a member of the committee that reviews applications for a license to keep chickens in town.
Jun 19, 2019•29 min
