Architecture is an awesome field. And like most awesome fields, it can be challenging to break into. Going freelance is a great way to ease yourself in and get some experience under your belt. I’m going to try and make this as easy for you as possible by sharing the 13 tips that helped me become a freelance architect in two years.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Build a Strong Portfolio: Showcase your best work and demonstrate your skills to potential clients. |
| 2. Network and Collaborate: Connect with other professionals in the industry to expand your opportunities. |
| 3. Offer Competitive Pricing: Set reasonable rates to attract clients while considering your expertise. |
| 4. Market Yourself Online: Establish a strong online presence through a website and social media platforms. |
| 5. Upskill and Stay Updated: Continuously improve your skills and stay informed about industry trends. |
| 6. Seek Mentorship and Guidance: Learn from experienced architects to accelerate your growth. |
| 7. Be Persistent and Patient: Building a freelance career takes time, so stay committed and persevere. |
| 8. Deliver Exceptional Service: Focus on client satisfaction to build a positive reputation and gain referrals. |
| 9. Diversify Your Services: Explore different architectural services to cater to a broader clientele. |
| 10. Embrace Professionalism: Approach your work with a professional attitude and deliver on your promises. |
1. Decide What Exactly You Want To Do
If you want to be a freelance architect, then you must decide what exactly you want to do.
Do you want to work on residential houses? Or maybe commercial buildings? Or maybe industrial structures? Once you have an idea of the type of work that interests and excites you, then the next step is deciding which firms will be the best fit for your career goals.
If there are any other professions in architecture that interest or inspire you (interior designers, landscape architects), it’s worth looking into as well. Some architects find themselves working more closely with interior designers than others because their focus tends to be solely on building exteriors.
On the other hand, those who focus more so on interiors may find themselves working with landscape architects because they often collaborate on projects together since both disciplines require similar skillsets and knowledge bases.
Whatever path(s) seem most interesting should be explored further before making any decisions about where exactly your training should go next!
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2. Make Sure That You Have The Right Qualifications
The next step is to make sure that you have the right qualifications. To become a freelance architect, you will need to have a combination of hard and soft skills.
The first thing that you need to do is ensure that your portfolio showcases the type of work that you want to do as a freelancer. Your portfolio should contain examples of all aspects of architecture such as residential, commercial, urban planning, and interior design not just one specific field or aspect of the industry.
You should also make sure that your language skills reflect those needed in becoming an independent architect before applying for jobs or building relationships with clients. You can learn these skills by taking courses on how to write contracts; it’s important because this will help you when communicating with clients later down the road
3. Find A Mentor
A mentor is someone who has been there and done that, someone who can help you avoid the mistakes they made so you don’t have to make them yourself. They can also help you learn new skills and develop your network of contacts.
Mentors are often people who work in architecture firms or practice independently, but they can also be found in related fields such as construction management or real estate development.
Mentors will advise on how to proceed with your plans for becoming a freelance architect and provide feedback on drafts of contracts for projects that could lead to lucrative new outcomes down the road (like when an architect designs homes using sustainable materials).
4. Create An Online Portfolio And/Or Blog
You’re going to need an online presence. A website for your portfolio and/or blog will be key. Think about it: how hard would it be for a potential client to find you?
Your website should have a lot of information about your process, how long projects generally take, what they cost, and more. You can also use this space as a personal platform to share things like opinions on architecture in general or just write about whatever design-related topics inspire you at the moment.
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5. Start Marketing Your Work
Now that you have your portfolio together, it’s time to start marketing it. Here are some ways to do so:
- Create a website and use social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Social media is a great way to get your work out there and let people know about you. You can also post links back to your portfolio website or portfolio book to generate traffic there as well.
- Create an email newsletter that will allow you to keep in touch with clients, colleagues, potential clients, and colleagues all while promoting yourself at the same time!
To make sure this works well for everyone involved in the process of receiving emails from you (which should include everyone reading this article).
Research what types of readers are most likely interested in what type of content before creating content based on those needs according to survey results from previous recipients’ demographic information (age range/gender/etc.)
6. Set Up A Simple Accounting System
As a freelancer, you’re going to be dealing with a lot of money. You’ll need to keep track of your income and expenses, so it’s important that you set up an accounting system.
This can be as simple or as elaborate as you like you don’t have to hire a CPA or learn complicated accounting software if you don’t want to (though it’s not a bad idea). But if all this seems too daunting, there are many free and paid options available that will make keeping track of your finances easy. Here are some examples:
- QuickBooks Online (paid)
- Xero (free)
- FreshBooks (paid)
7. Write Down Everything Your Software Cannot Do For You
Before you start writing code, it’s important to take a moment and ask yourself: What tasks do I currently perform manually? What tasks can my software not perform for me? What tasks could it perform but don’t need to be automated?
For example, if your software doesn’t automatically generate the titles of your projects (or any other content), you may spend some time thinking about how best to write those titles.
This may be something that isn’t worth automating, or perhaps there are other ways in which you can save yourself time by not having the program write project titles for you.
Perhaps there’s a shortcut or two that will always work well enough for whatever purpose it’s meant toward. Maybe using those shortcuts is preferable to creating an entire system within the software itself.
It’s important to consider these options carefully before making any decisions regarding whether or not they should be included within your workflow especially when it comes down to deciding whether or not something should be allowed at all!
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8. Create A Daily Schedule And Stick To It. Every single day. No excuses
Creating a daily schedule and sticking to it is one of the most important things you can do as an architect. A daily schedule will help you stay on top of all your projects, not just the ones that are due right away. It will also help keep yourself accountable for work that needs to get done, even if it’s not urgent or time-sensitive.
You might think “well, I don’t need this because I’m already organized.” But if we’re being honest here, having a written schedule can make all the difference between getting things done and feeling overwhelmed by them all at once.
You’ll be surprised how much more productive you feel when there’s nothing else left to do but sit down at your desk and get to work.
9. Don’t Be Afraid To Say No
Another important tip is to say no to jobs you don’t want to do. You’re the expert in your field, and if you’re making a career out of it, then you should be able to say no when a job doesn’t fit your expertise or interests.
You should also consider saying no to clients who don’t respect your time or skills. If they are going to take advantage of you and not pay fairly for their services, then walk away from that opportunity and work with someone else who respects both sides of the arrangement.
10. Stay Informed About New Technologies And Trends In Architecture
To stay on top of trends in architecture, it’s important to be aware of new technologies. In the past few years, we have seen a lot of growth in the use of 3D printing and virtual reality technology in the building design industry. These are just two examples of how technology could impact your career as an architect.
Becoming familiar with new technologies and learning how they can be used to improve your architectural practice will help ensure that you can keep up with changing times and industry standards.
11. Charge Fair Prices
You should always be charging fair prices. You can’t expect to get rich by charging low rates, and even if you do, you’ll probably burn out or work yourself into an early grave.
If your client wants a design that will cost them $1 million in construction costs, don’t give it to them for $500 because they need a deal to charge them what it’s worth and make sure they know why. What’s more valuable to an architect? A lot of money or a few dollars?
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12. Bill Your Clients Promptly And Regularly
Billing is one of the most important aspects of being a freelance architect, but it’s also one of the most overlooked. Don’t make this mistake! You need to have a billing system that you trust, or else you could find yourself in financial trouble later on down the road.
Here are some tips on how to bill your clients:
- Make sure you have a good billing system; this should be obvious, but we want to emphasize it anyway. You must trust your accounting software (and all its features), as well as any other tools/products that help manage financial operations like payment processing and invoicing services.
- Send reminders when bills are due; it may sound obvious, but people forget things all the time! If someone fails to pay their invoice by its due date then send them an email reminder.
Don’t be afraid to follow up with them multiple times if needed until they do pay up so that no one gets away with not paying their bills owed from previous work done by yours truly :).
13. Be Informal On Social Media (But Still Professional)
I’ll be honest with you: I’m not a huge fan of social media. I don’t like the idea of getting hung up on my profile page, and socializing with people who aren’t real friends. But if you want to freelance, there’s no way around it you need to be active on Instagram and Facebook, at least.
For me, having a personality and being myself are important parts of building my brand as an architect. People see some of my posts and know that I’m fun-loving and silly (particularly if they’ve been out drinking with me).
They also see how much I love architecture through my posts about buildings around the world or cool stuff happening in our industry and this helps create trust between us!
That said, you do have to be careful about what you post online. It’s easy for anyone who sees your profile picture or comments on one of your photos to assume that they know everything about who they’re following online but remember: we all hide our best sides from other people in real life too.
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Final Thoughts
While all of these tips are very important, there is one thing that should help you get through this all: Never give up.
Starting your career can be hard, and sometimes, it might seem like the right decision to go back to working for someone else.
However, if you keep on trying and learning from your mistakes, you will eventually succeed. I know it can be hard to stay positive at times when things aren’t going as planned but remember that every failure brings with itself new opportunities. So don’t ever give up on your dreams.
Further Reading
Making Money as a Freelance Architect or Designer: Explore practical tips and strategies to boost your income and thrive as a freelance architect or designer.
How to Become a Freelance Architect: Learn step-by-step guidelines and essential considerations for starting your freelance career in architecture.
Going Freelance as an Architect: Discover inspiring stories and insights from architects who have successfully transitioned into freelancing.
People Also Ask
What Do You Think About The Architecture Industry?
I’m not sure what you mean by “architecture industry.” As an architect, I work on a variety of different projects and with a lot of different clients. Architecture is a field filled with opportunities for creative expression and innovation. As long as you’re driven and passionate about your work, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish.
What Are The Qualifications For Becoming A Freelance Architect?
To become a freelance architect, you need to go through school for architecture or civil engineering. You also need some experience working in the field before you can start your own business.
What Are The Benefits Of Becoming A Freelance Architect?
The benefits include having more flexibility in your schedule and getting paid more money per hour than an employee would make at their job (but less than an employee would make if they worked overtime).
And being able to work from home instead of having to commute every day if they lived far away from where they worked before starting their own business as well as being able to take vacations whenever they want without worrying about whether someone else will cover their shifts while they’re gone.
What Should I Do If I Don’t Have Any Experience In Architecture?
I recommend getting some internships with smaller architecture firms that will let you learn the ropes of the business without taking away too much from their workloads or profits.
Once you’ve got enough experience under your belt, it will be easier for you to find jobs with bigger companies who are willing to take on more interns at once because they know what kind of work ethic they’re getting from them (and also because they don’t want any competition from these smaller firms).
What Are The Best Ways To Find Freelance Architecture Jobs?
There are a few different ways to go about this. The first is to network with other architects in your area and see if they have any projects that need help with or if they know of any clients that might be looking for someone new this year.
Another option is to search through the local newspaper for any job listings related to architecture and see if anything comes up that sounds interesting enough for you to pursue further research.
Finally, there are websites like Upwork where you can post your profile and wait for bids from potential employers who need help with their projects – just make sure that whatever site you use has good reviews before signing up!
How Can I Become A Freelance Architect?
It is possible to become a freelance architect by simply having the right education and skill sets. You will need to have an understanding of design, construction, and architecture to be successful in this field. It is important that you can think outside of the box to come up with unique designs for each project that you work on.
What Type Of Education Do I Need?
You will need some form of formal education to become a freelance architect. This could include an associate’s degree or even a bachelor’s degree depending on what type of work you want to do once you are out there on your own as an independent contractor.
How Much Does A Freelance Architect Make?
The average salary for a freelance architect is $43,000 per year, which equates to about $21 per hour. This can vary significantly depending on where you live, what kind of clients you work with, and the type of work you do.
What Certifications Do I Need To Become A Freelance Architect?
There are no formal certifications required to become a freelance architect, but there are some that may be recommended depending on your area of expertise and experience level.
If you plan on working in residential or commercial building construction, for example, then it would be beneficial for you to obtain a license from your local government office or authority.
Having a license will increase your credibility as an expert in this field and give potential clients confidence that your work is up to par with industry standards.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.