Architect's Essentials of Starting, Assessing, and Transitioning A Design Firm » (Reprint)

Peter Piven, FAIA, is a principal consultant of The Coxe Group, Inc., Philadelphia, the oldest and largest multidisciplinary firm providing marketing and management consultation to design professionals. He is a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Bradford Perkins, FAIA, MRAIC, AICP, is the founding principal of Perkins Eastman Architects, PC, a 750-person architecture, planning, and interior design firm based in New York. He is the author of Building Type Basics for Elementary and Secondary Schools, Building Type Basics for Senior Living, and International Practice for Architects, all published by Wiley.

Written by two leading experts in the field this essential volume offers a step-by-step guide to understanding and evaluating the goals, risks and the rewards of starting a firm.

• Covers the basics of firm organisation, personnel requirements, legal considerations, fee setting, marketing issues and the essentials of strategic and business plans
• Addresses how to get started including how to create your first business plan, evaluate initial needs and costs, create a budget and a produce a list of action items to get started
• This volume is practical, applied, concise, portable, affordable and user-friendly

Introduction to the New Edition     ix
Starting a Design Firm
Introduction to Starting a Design Firm     3
Deciding to "Go on Your Own"     7
Marketing and Sales     17
Financial Management     47
Negotiating Fees and Contracts     81
Organization and Personnel     99
Legal and Ethical Issues     133
Resources and Support     151
Strategic and Business Plans     165
Planning for Excellence     181
Potential Causes of Failure     201
Launching Your Firm     215
Study Guide     225
Charting Your Course     227
Ownership Transition
Introduction to Ownership Transition     249
Ownership Transition Options     255
Determining Candidate Selection Criteria and Communicating Founders' Expectations     265
Valuing the Firm: How Much Is It Worth?     283
Making the Purchase Affordable: Ownership Transfer Mechanisms     327
Designing the Ownership Transition Program     341
Getting the Ownership Transition Program Started     351
Documenting the Ownership Transition Program     365
Choosing the Form of Entity     389
DevelopingLeadership in the Firm     401
Preparing for Future Transition     415
Glossary     425
Bibliography     429
Index     431