The dilemma of an architectural startup by Vaibhav Saini

THE DILEMMA OF A STARTUP Anand, Kritiika Student, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi-110002, India, Email: kritiikaanand99@gmail.com

Sonowal, Paraz Student, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi-110002, India, Email: 99paraz@gmail.com

Saini, Vaibhav Student, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi-110002, India, Email: sainiv2998@gmail.com

Pillai, Vignesh Student, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi-110002, India, Email: vigneshspillai9298@gmail.com

ABSTRACT This research paper attempts to address the dilemma as to when is the right time and what are the right skills that are important to start an architectural practice. This study is important to address this recurring question which most architecture graduates face but are unable to get answers to. The research started with a literature review followed by semi-structured interviews and questionnaires which were conducted to better understand the parameters and factors involved that can affect an individual’s decision. The importance of these parameters along with some of the essential skills and prerequisites for establishing a successful startup was identified and analyzed and further substantiated with the learnings from the interviews. Findings of the research suggest that it is advisable for a graduate to ideally gain a work experience of three years to acquire the necessary skills that can aid them in successfully starting their own practice. Taking from the situation given, the paper tries to give advice to Bobby, Lovely and Dumpy about whether to start their own start-up and when is the ideal time to do the same. The paper tries to understand each of their backgrounds and give advice in relation to that. The data collection was done using a general as well as a targeted questionnaire and pilot interviews. For many architects, starting their own firm is a dream. Working for yourself on the projects you want to do, and the power to make your own creative decisions is a major driving factor that pushes architects to want to open their own firm. But it is important to understand whether this statement is true or not and whether a person effectively gets that much freedom in a startup? The paper tries to answer all these questions. KEYWORDS: Architectural startup, recent graduate, experience

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Situation 6 You are wise beyond your years, all your friends confide in you and take your advice. Three of your friends Dumpy, Bobby, and Lovely want to start their own architectural practice as soon as possible. They have been working diligently in all summer vacations and have some experience and generally are good at their work. Dumpy’s family is affluent and has a contracting firm in MEP field, and they have contacts to get him to work immediately, but even if he gets more field experience that option is always there. Bobby’s family is also well connected in a small town (tier 3 city) but they are a business family. Lovely is the brightest of all but from a non-affluent family and wants to start immediately (nothing to lose type scenario). 1. What is going to be your advice to each of them? Would you give the same advice to all three? Why? 2. Would you ask all of them to work somewhere to get more experience? 3. Is there any right type of experience and skill that should be acquired before a startup? 4. Do you lose opportunity while getting experience? Doesn’t a startup mean learning on the job? 5. Does the financial and family backup fast track your success? On the flip side does going half prepared dampen your chances of success? 6. Does working in one or two offices give you the experience and exposure to be prepared for your own venture, if so working for how long, or how many years? 7. What would be your advice generally about when to start your own office, after acquiring what type of experience, skills, and resources? 8. What would be your plan of action for evolving your professional practice over a period of time via these parameters?

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Table of Contents Abstract Situation Statement 1. Introduction 1.1. Aim 1.2. Objectives 1.3. Scope 2. Methodology 3. Results and findings 3.1. Architects who started their firm right after graduation 3.2. Architects who started their firm after gaining experience 3.3. Fresh graduates aspiring to start their own firm after gaining experience 4. Discussion 4.1. Working under seasoned professionals vs starting own firm 4.2. Is there any right type of experience and skill that should be acquired before a startup? 4.3. Does the financial and family backup fast track your success? On the flip side does going half prepared dampen your chances of success? 4.4. When should you start your own firm? 4.5. Situation specific advice for the three individuals: 4.5.1. Dumpy 4.5.2. Bobby 4.5.3. Lovely 4.5.4. Common Advice 4.6. The plan of action for evolving professional practice 5. Conclusion

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6. Limitations Acknowledgements Citations/ References List of Tables List of Figures Appendix

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The Dilemma of a startup 1. Introduction The situation given talks about the dilemma almost every architecture student faces after he/she graduates from college, “Should I work under an established professional, or should I start my own firm”. Being in the most crucial year of the course, it is imperative for a final year student to understand what factors influence this decision and what outcomes it may have. For many architects, starting their own firm is a dream. Working for yourself on the projects you want to do, and the power to make your own creative decisions is a major driving factor that pushes architects to want to open their own firm. But it is important to understand whether this statement is true or not and whether a person effectively gets that much freedom in a startup? Any new startup will be faced with a number of challenges. On the other hand, working under a seasoned professional will help you understand the ways of the trade. Which approach is better and why, is a tricky question to answer as each will have its pros and cons. Therefore, the question arises: When should an architect start their own firm? Is there any right type of experience and skill that should be acquired before a startup? 1.1. Aim To identify the right time and the required skills for an architect to start their own practice, and to give suitable advice for the three individuals: Dumpy, Bobby, and Lovely given in the situation. 1.2. Objectives 1. To understand the situations faced by Dumpy, Bobby, and Lovely and come up with suitable advice for each of them. 2. To explore the two options an architecture graduate faces: a. Working under seasoned professionals; and b. Starting their own practice. 3. To understand how a startup works and the basic requirements to start an architectural practice, and developing a plan of action for evolving architectural practice.

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1.3. Scope The scope of the study is limited to views and opinions of Indian architects and B.arch graduates as the source of primary data, and shall only be concerned with architectural startups in the Indian context. 2. Methodology The research commenced with a literature review followed by a pilot questionnaire to understand the different categories to which the user group could be classified according to their educational and financial backgrounds. This was done after a pilot study in the form of an interview with Ar. Bharat Jadhav was conducted to understand the nuances of architectural practice and to establish the background for the study. The different parameters for the study were derived from this interview. The next step included the identification of respondents and sharing structured questionnaires with them. The sample size included 21 architects running their own practice and 29 who are currently working under someone but wish to start their own firm. The total no. of architects in India as per CoA for November 2020 stands at 1,05,005 and this gives a confidence interval of 13.86 for a confidence level of 95 per cent for the study. Subsequently, the learnings from these questionnaires were correlated and substantiated with the help of the identified parameters to arrive at the conclusions for the research. Hence, the set of advice for the three students as mentioned in the situation was backed up by the findings from the literature review and the questionnaire. The different objectives were achieved as given below: Objective 1: It was done by analysing the case profiles and figuring out the pros and cons based on the research conducted. Objective 2: It was done through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires of recent graduates, architects owning young startups, and architects having older practices. Objective 3: It was done through literature review, semi-structured interview, and questionnaire. 3. Results and findings A. Pilot Interview with Ar. Bharath Jadhav (DSync) The interview with Ar. Bharat Jhadav was conducted to help identify the various parameters and qualities required to establish a startup. He started his own firm, DSync, after working at an

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established firm. According to him, architecture is a very creative and dynamic field. You learn a lot on the field and work experience before venturing out on your own is extremely important. He says that you should have a minimum of 3 years of work experience to gain a better understanding and be better equipped to handle your own firm. Architecture colleges are all about design and do not focus on the business side of architecture. Ar. Bharat feels that it is important to learn these business skills before you venture out on your own. The specific skills you acquire when working under someone are soft skills, like talking to clients, managing work, etc. Through this pilot study, the important questions as well as parameters for the research were identified. The final questionnaire that was then prepared has been included in Appendix 1. The crucial learnings from the interviews have also been tabulated and represented in the upcoming sections. B. From the questionnaire: Based on our interview with Ar. Bharat Jadhav, we had conducted a pilot survey to understand the struggles of starting an architectural startup. The survey encompassed young architects who have recently graduated to the more experienced ones for this study. From our survey, we have categorized the respondents into 2 broad groups, viz. (A total number of 50 architects were surveyed) 1. Own a startup (21) 2. Wish to establish a startup soon/ Currently working (29)

Fig.3.1: Pi chart depicting choices of the respondents (Source: Author)

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Own a startup From the survey, we have found a total of 21 respondents, out of which 12 started their firm after working under an established firm, while the rest 9 have started right after graduation. Most of these respondents are experienced architects who have been running their practices ranging from 2 to 40 years. Out of the 12 respondents, a detailed questionnaire of 6 respondents was carried out. Out of the 9 respondents who started their firms right after graduation, a detailed questionnaire of 5 was carried out. Wish to establish a startup soon/ Currently working From the survey, we have found a total of 29 respondents who are either currently working or wish to start their startup soon. Most of the respondents are young fresh architects, some of whom have recently graduated, mostly belonging to the age group from 23 - 26 years. Out of these 29 respondents, a detailed survey of 3 of them was carried out. As shown in Figure 3 around 61.1% of the respondents stated that their first thoughts post completing their undergraduate studies was to join an established firm followed by starting their own practice and pursuing a master’s education.

Fig.3.2: Pi chart depicting first choices of the respondents after graduation (Source: Author)

Out of the respondents who were chosen for the online questionnaire, more than 61.1% responded that it is better to gain work experience first. But, when devoting your time to gain more experience before starting your own company, it is absolutely essential to make a conscious and careful decision regarding the kind of work and kind of firm you will be working at. From the questionnaire, it was found that most respondents opted to gain experience to acquire skills.

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As stated by Ar. Bharat Jhadav, the skills of how to run a firm are also really important. You learn marketing skills and understand how to get clients. The respondents were further divided into four categories, namely: 1. Architects who started their own firm right after graduation 2. Architects who started their own firm after working at established practices 3. Recent B.arch graduates who wish to start their own practice 4. Currently working under an established architects 3.1. Architects who started their firm right after graduation This section covers the views and the experiences gained by architects who have started their own firm right after graduation. We found that 9 of our respondents have started their own practice right after graduation. From the survey, we understood that a majority of our respondents wanted to have their own architectural freedom of expression and a better work-life balance. From those 9 respondents, a detailed survey of 5 was then conducted. Starting one’s own firm is not as easy as it is. Of the 5 respondents, 4 have stated that “Acquiring Projects and getting clients” is the main challenge. Some other prominent issues stated are● Managing finance ● Project management ● Self-discipline At the same time, different respondents have stated the initial challenges that they have faced when starting their own firm. Similarly, 1 out of 5 respondents had felt at a disadvantage since he/she had zero years of experience. All 5 respondents have stressed upon the point that family background does matter when starting one’s own practice. At the same time, we have received mixed responses to the factors which could influence one’s decision when starting a firm. 4 out of 5 respondents have stated “Availability of projects” as the biggest influencer, followed by● Contacts, ● Confidence and skills,

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● Overcoming fear and failure, ● Family background, and so on. Finally, all the 5 respondents have stressed upon “Confidence” as the most important skill to run a firm, followed by● Networking and contacts, ● Project management, ● Negotiating skills, ● Business management ● Branding and marketing, and so on. Below are the interview questions for the above-stated respondentsQ0. Professional experience (in years) Q1. Since you had started an early practice, how difficult/ easy has the process of skill acquisition been for you? (Rating difficulty from 1 to 5, 1 being easy and 5 being very hard) Q2. What kind of challenges did you face when managing a project, since you didn’t have any experience before? Q3. What were your reasons for starting your own practice? Q4. What were the challenges that you have faced when starting your own firm? Q5. Do you think that a person’s family background is important when he/she starts their own practice? Q6. When you had started your firm, did you ever feel that you were at a disadvantage since others have had some work experience beforehand? Q7. Which of these influenced/ will influence your decision when starting your own firm? You can select multiple options. Q8. What according to you are the skills /qualities required to start your own practice? You can select multiple options.

Below are the tables (table 3.1.A and table 3.1.B) with the respondents’ names and their responses. Table 3.1 (A) Q.No.

Respondent 1

Respondent 2

Respondent 3

Respondent 4

* Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1

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4 years

4 year

3 years

Learned a lot of things on site. Every project is a learning process. It helped to have some good mentors.

Lack of technical know-how, lack of experience, lack of structural knowledge

Market knowledge was important, and I had to reach markets 1hr before clients to explore first. Gave 55 visits in the first project in which I can wind up in 10 now

Designing is only 10% part of the entire project. Apart from that, major challenges lie in client dealing and site execution. Even though you work hard and prepare a drawing, ensuring that it is actually happening on site accordingly is the toughest job.

I wanted to pursue a career in music also, which requires dedicating a good amount of time to it. So, 1 to have the freedom in timings. 2. To experiment and try out certain design philosophies that I have developed over the years

Wanted to be your own boss Have a better work-life balance

Wanted to be your own boss Have a better work-life balance My skill my name

Wanted to be your own boss

Acquiring Projects and getting clients, Self-Discipline

Acquiring Projects and getting clients Managing Finances Project Management

Acquiring Projects and getting clients

Yes

Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure, availability of projects, family background

Availability of resources and backup plans Availability of projects Contacts Family background

Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure

Availability of resources and backup plans Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure Availability of projects Contacts Sustainable business strategies: Sources of passive income Family background

Confidence Project management Networking and contacts Business management and understanding of finances Time management Understanding of legalities and contracts Negotiation skills Branding and marketing skills (All skills are necessary but we don't start with all of them. They are learnt along the way.)

Confidence Networking and contacts Branding and marketing skills

Confidence Project management Networking and contacts Business management and understanding of finances Time management

Confidence Project management Networking and contacts Negotiation skills

Table 3.1 (A): List of architects who started their own firm

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Table 3.1 (B) Q.No.

Respondent 5 * Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1 Q0

38 years. Studio Plus (1980-89), Mathur & Kapre Associates (1985-2005)

I started working in the 1st yr. onwards, so I had the experience. If the project is of magnitude proportional to experience there is no management challenge

Wanted to be your own boss Have a better work-life balance

Managing Finances

Yes

Availability of projects Contacts

Confidence, Networking and contacts, Understanding of legalities and contracts Negotiation skills Table 3.1 (B): List of architects who started their own firm

3.2. Architects who started their firm after gaining experience This section covers the responses from those architects who chose to start their firm after gaining experience. As it was derived from a majority of the conversations, most architects prefer to initially work under established architects prior to starting up their own firms. Knowledge and experience gained from college is only a small fraction of the actual set of skills and experiences that are required to function well for an architectural startup. As derived from some of the conversations, practice is more of a focused procedure but with added layers of requirements and skills. Some of the prominent ones include: ● Project Management ● Finance Management ● Time Management ● Site Supervision ● Team management and co-working skills ● Networking and Contacts

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● Branding and Marketing Mastering these skills requires certain efforts and periods of time depending on the individual. That is why it is essential for him/her to initially work under professionals and attempt to learn these skills from them prior to starting their own practice. It was also derived through the questionnaire that 4 out of 5 architects believe that it is better to commence a startup as a partnership between people whose skill sets can complement each other. 60% of the respondents claimed that 2-3 years is a good period of time to gain experience before starting a practice whereas the rest were of the opinion that it can vary from case to case. Some of the major factors that influenced the respondents while starting their own firm include: ● Availability of resources and backup plans ● Availability of projects ● Contacts ● Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure Q0. Professional experience(in years) Q1. What were your reasons for working under a seasoned architect? Q2. What type of experience was it that you wanted to gain from working before starting your own practice and what did you eventually gain? Q3. Do you feel that it is important to work under a seasoned professional before starting your own firm and how did that decision help you? Q4. According to you, what is the right time to start your own architectural practice? Q5. Should one start his/ her firm in a partnership or on their own? Q6. Which of these influenced your decision when starting your own firm? Q7. What according to you are the skills /qualities required to start your own practice? Q8. How much time do you think one should work before starting their own firm? Q9. What are the reasons for your choice of the suggestive work experience requirement in the above question?

Below are the tables (table 3.2.A, table 3.2 B, and table 3.2.C) with the respondents’ names and their responses

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Table 3.2 (A) Q.No.

Respondent 1

Respondent 2

* Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1

16 years

12 years

Gaining experience Developing contacts and network Understanding my specialized interests within the field

Feels that the skills you acquire by working under an architect cannot be learned in college.

The practice is a specialized beast, with layers on top of research and design (which is where education stops in colleges). Gaining experience is important to understand those layers Project Management skills Managing finances How to build contacts and Acquire Clients Marketing Skills How to build teams and foster teamwork

Soft skills like how to talk to clients and teamwork. Marketing and business skills were also acquired

Yes

Yes, Definitely! You learn while working!

After working and gaining experience

Soft skills like how to talk to clients and teamwork.

Partnership

Yes. And preferably their skillset should complement your own

Availability of resources and backup plans Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure Availability of projects Contacts

Availability of resources and backup plans, Availability of projects, soft skills

Marketing skills, contacts, business sense, Time Management

3 years

2-3 years at least as a project takes that much time

Completing at least 1 (and if lucky 2) projects from design to final handover to client under the mentorship of an experienced architect.

It is better to gain some experience before you dive in.

Table 3.2 (A): List of architects who wanted to gain experience before starting their own firm

Table 3.2 (B) Q.No.

Respondent 3

Respondent 4

* Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1

28 years

21 Years

Gaining experience

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Nuances of architectural design and practise

Experience in Large scale projects of different typologies

Yes

No fixed answer. It may not be the only option to start your firm. Larger multidisciplinary teams may be the future.

After working and gaining experience

Increasingly better perhaps to work as part of a larger team

Partnership

Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure

Availability of resources and backup plans Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure Availability of projects Contacts

Confidence Business management and understanding of finances Time management Understanding of legalities and contracts Negotiation skills Branding and marketing skills Willingness to work hard at constantly improving design skills

Confidence Networking and contacts Business management and understanding of finances Understanding of legalities and contracts Branding and marketing skills Architectural Skills

No fixed answer. It may not be the only option to start your firm. Larger multidisciplinary teams may be the future.

NA -

3 years is a good time to be able to make informed decisions about you professional career

Table 3.2 (B): List of architects who wanted to gain experience before starting their own firm

Table 3.2 (C) Q.No .

Respondent 5

Respondent 6

* Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1

19 years

12 years

Gaining experience, Developing contacts and network

Gaining Experience

Project Management skills, Conversation Skills

Project Management skills, Site supervision, making drawings, designing in reality

Institutional/Academic experience does not cover a lot of aspects of professional practice.

Yes. The best learning is in the field and self-learning takes longer and might be like reinventing the wheel. Good practices already exist and can be picked up

After working and gaining experience

Partnership

It doesn’t matter

Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure, Availability of projects, Contacts

Availability of resources and backup plans, Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure, Availability of projects

Confidence, Project management, Networking and contacts, Business management and understanding of finances, Time management, Understanding of legalities and contracts, Negotiation skills

Project Management, Networking And Contacts, Negotiation Skills, Branding And Marketing Skills, Time Management

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4 years

No fixed time really, case by case

Too much to cover in a shorter duration

It's an individual choice really. Some people start right after college. I personally think it's easier if you first gain some first-hand experience from a seasoned architect and also gain a mentor that way.

Table 3.2 (C): List of architects who wanted to gain experience before starting their own firm

Fig.3.3: Double Bar Graph representing the difficulty level of acquiring projects - 1 (Source: Author)

From the survey, it was understood that it is easier to get your first project if you have worked under an architect and gained experience. This could be because one is able to make more contacts and build more connections when working in the field.

Fig.3.4: Double Bar Graph representing the difficulty level of acquiring projects - 2 (Source: Author)

3.3. Recent B.arch graduates who wish to start their firm The responses are compiled in table 3.3 (A) & (B) and this section shall have the same questions as for the architects who started their own firm after gaining experience as none of the respondents wanted to start their own firm right after graduation. Gaining experience in the field

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was the foremost reason for the respondent to join existing practices followed by financial stability, and developing contacts and network. Most frequent responses about why to join an existing practice include: architecture schools do not prepare for the professional world and finding out one's own interests while working on live projects. When asked to elaborate on the type of experience which the respondents aspired to gain, the majority wanted to learn about project management skills which included project execution and contractual aspects followed by conversation and presentation skills on how to pitch your projects, how to build contacts and acquire clients, and understanding the market. Commenting on the skills which the respondents felt were necessary to start their own firm, the majority deemed confidence, project management skills, and networking and contacts to be of utmost importance followed by business management and understanding of finances, understanding of legalities and contracts, negotiation skills, and branding and marketing skills. There was no clear answer to the factors that influence the decision of starting their own firm. When asked about “what according to you is the right amount of work experience before starting your own firms'', 3 out of 7 feels 2 years of work experience is enough, 2 are of the opinion that one should work for 4 years at least, and 1 of them says 3 years. It was also observed that 6 out of 7 respondents were in favour of starting their own practice as a joint venture. List of questions Q0. Professional experience (in years) Q1. What were your reasons for working under a seasoned architect? Q2. What type of experience was it that you wanted to gain from working before starting your own practice and what did you eventually gain? Q3. Do you feel that it is important to work under a seasoned professional before starting your own firm and how did that decision help you? Q4. According to you, what is the right time to start your own architectural practice? Q5. Should one start his/ her firm in a partnership or on their own? Q6. Which of these influenced your decision when starting your own firm? Q7. What according to you are the skills /qualities required to start your own practice? Q8. How much time do you think one should work before starting their own firm?

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Q9. What are the reasons for your choice of the suggestive work experience requirement in the above question?

Below are the tables (table 3.3.A and table 3.3.B) with the respondents’ names and their responses Table 3.3 (A) Q.No .

Respondent 1

Respondent 2

Respondent 3

Respondent 4

Respondent 5

* Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1

1.5

Gaining Experience, Financial stability, Developing contacts and Networks, Exposure

Gaining experience Financial stability Fixed working hours Developing contacts and network

Gaining experience, Financial stability, Developing contacts and network, Learning how construction happens, learning the workings of professional practice

Gaining experience

Gaining experience, Developing contacts and network

Processes involved before building - How to approach, pitch, design, and during building - tenders, materials, samples, site coordination, and 2. Working on larger scale projects - public buildings etc - which only bigger firms tend to get.

How the market works. How the business world works. Needed to know the nitty-gritty of the business side of the world

1. Construction drawings 2. Design through the delivery process 3. Site visits to oversee construction 4. Financial and legal handlings of contracts, payments, tenders, etc.

Market study and site work, Project Management skills, Conversation Skills

The contractual aspects and execution of a project, Managing the work on-site and coordinating with the contractor and various consultants, Figuring out the finances required for a project

Yes. Give the opportunity to experiment and make mistakes at someone else's expense. It also gives exposure to ground realities and industry standards and expectations.

Maybe. I was always inclined towards starting something of my own

Yes

Yes, if someone has a bigger vision.

Yes, I believe our education doesn't prepare us enough to be able to start our own practice right after college

After working and gaining experience

This is subjective and may vary from person to person. Figure out what you want in life, your purpose, act accordingly

After working and gaining

After working and gaining experience

Partnership

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Don't own a firm

Availability of resources and backup plans, Contacts Sustainable business strategies: Sources of passive income Family background

I haven’t opened my own firm

Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure

Don't own a firm

Networking and contacts Business management and understanding of finances Time management Understanding of legalities and contracts Negotiation skills

Confidence, Networking and contacts

Confidence, Project management, Networking and contacts, Business management and understanding of finances, Time management, Understanding of legalities and contracts, Negotiation skills, Branding and marketing skills

Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure, Availability of projects, Sustainable business strategies: Sources of passive income

4 years

This is subjective and may vary from person

2 years

3 years

to person. Q9

Table 3.3 (A): List of recent graduates who wish to start their own firm

Table 3.3 (B) Q.No.

Respondent 6 * Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1

2.5 years

Respondent 7 * Name & COA no. are in Appendix 1 2 years

Gaining experience, Developing contacts and network

Gaining experience Financial stability Developing contacts and network

Site know-how, handling projects. Project Management skills, Conversation Skills, How to build contacts and Acquire Clients, Marketing Skills

Project Management skills Conversation Skills How to build contacts and Acquire Clients

Yes, You spend some time handling projects and figure out if this is what truly interests you.

Yes. I personally wanted to get an idea of how the ideas on the paper turn out in reality. There is a huge gap between what is taught in architecture schools and what really happens on site. I also want to explore different design forms and understand the nature of each.

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After working and gaining experience

Very subjective

Partnership

Don't own a firm

Availability of projects

Confidence, Project management, Networking and contacts, Business management and understanding of finances, Time management, Understanding of legalities and contracts, Negotiation skills

2 years

4 years

Field experience To Understand how different offices function To Understand financial management To connect with contractors, clients, vendors Table 3.3 (B): List of recent graduates who wish to start their own firm

4. Discussion It was found from the study that about 80% of the respondent architects feel that work experience is a prerequisite before starting your own firm. Architect Bharat Jadhav says that “In college, you do not acquire soft skills, these can only be learned while working under an established architect”. In an architecture college, you are your own boss and you can choose to have your own timetable, eat the way you want, dress the way you want, and choose to make the best use of your studio in your own creative ways. But after graduation, you are not just accountable to yourself but you have people to answer to. There will be dedicated time slots, work schedules, and deadlines that you will have to follow. So working at an established practice would aid in learning the professional practice, obligations, and code of conduct. These are some of the right types of experiences that are essential before starting your own firm. Deciding to open your own design practice requires a fundamental shift in attitude toward the making of architecture. When deciding to start your own firm, you’re a business owner first (W. Reinholdt, 2015). The book highlights that while running one’s own firm, you do not get to actually design that much. There are so many more things that need to be taken care of, like invoicing, marketing, paying bills, doing taxes, ordering office supplies, finishing the drawings for your current project, etc. (W. Reinholdt, 2015).

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From the questionnaire, it was found that most of the people worked under an established architect before starting up their own firms as they wanted to gain experience followed by developing contacts and establishing networks was another important reason. Hence, it can be concluded that being active in the field provides more exposure and helps an architect grow.

4.1. Working under seasoned professionals vs starting own firm Interviews with recent graduates and architects who started their own firm were conducted. From them, the following inferences were derived: Most of the responses were in favour of gaining work experience. It is suggested that one should work for three years (in one office and preferably one project) before venturing out on their own. Therefore, ideally, an architect should gain experience in all stages of at least 1 project that one intends to engage in future depending on interests before setting out to start their own practice. It is very important to know what skills are lacking and what type of firm/ office will help in acquiring the same. Fresh graduates though, had a different opinion. They answered that, if you think you are ready you should just dive in and go for it. You can learn on the job. There is no hard and fast rule, and no right or wrong. Since you are young you can take the risk, as there is nothing to lose. Both of these ideologies are in a way the same. Both say that architecture is something that needs to be learned in the field. It is just easier if you learn from someone who knows the way the field works.

Fig.4.1: Pi chart representing percentages of people with their preferred choice regarding the best time to open their firms (Source: Author)

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Through the online questionnaire, it was derived that most of the architects preferred to work under an experienced professional before opening their own firm. The different parameters which were considered while taking this decision have been explained in the previous sections. There are various challenges faced when trying to venture out on your own. These could be management, money, acquiring projects, and learning how to run a successful firm. These should all be kept in mind before making a decision. Many people often quote the reason for starting their own firm as to get a sense of freedom regarding work hours and payment schedules, to be away from the restraints of a boss/employer. But in most cases, this is not as easy as it sounds. When starting one’s own firm, there are several bosses, schedules, and deadlines to adhere to now- every client becomes a boss, and it is imperative to treat all projects with equal importance to ensure a steady flow of income. Whereas while working in a firm, as long as you are able to stick to the schedules set by your employer, he/ she is responsible for the development of the project as well for paying you on time. So that means that for a pseudo sense of freedom you have to commit yourself to a series of schedules and deadlines, and take responsibility for each decision regarding the implementation of your projects. 4.2. Is there any right type of experience and skill that should be acquired before a startup? From the interview, it was derived that there is a whole set of skills that are imperative for an individual who plans to establish a startup, some of the most important ones being project management and networking skills. A college education is too limited to teach and impart all the necessary skills to the students in its given time frame. Hence, learning to interact effectively with clients, managing a team, marketing your products, etc are other soft skills that are imperative for architects. These combined with a good design aptitude can render a startup successful.

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The following two graphs represent a comparative study between the skills/qualities that are needed to establish a startup according to the respondents and the actual experiences that they were able to acquire while working under seasoned professionals:

Fig.4.2: Survey showing the skills/qualities that are required to start one’s own practice (Source: Author)

Fig.4.3: Survey showing kind of work experiences gained from working in an office (Source: Author)

4.3. Does the financial and family backup fast track your success? On the flip side does going half prepared dampens your chances of success? Any business needs capital to survive and thrive, and it is very important for the ones that are in the startup phase. Money is required to rent office space, buy equipment, obtain licenses, to build

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websites, to pay contractors, and keep the business up and running while the workflow becomes steady. Financial and family backup can ease the process of establishing a startup but it does not necessarily guarantee its success. Therefore, not being prepared to tackle the adversities and difficulties that come along the way can surely dampen the chances of success and increase the risk of losing the investment.

Fig.4.4: Survey if family background and financial background are important factors (Source: Author)

4.4. When should you start your own firm? Based on what is derived from the interviews, a majority of the respondents believed that 2-3 years of experience is essential prior to starting one's own firm. This may help in ensuring that the architect is able to take part in all stages of at least one project, right from ideation to completion. At the same time, there are also respondents who believe that this period can vary from case to case, depending on the experiences gained and skills achieved. Therefore, ideally, an architect should gain experience in all stages of at least 1 project that one intends to engage in future depending on interests before setting out to start their own practice. But there are always exceptions as based on our interview it was observed that a few of the respondents have started their own firm right after graduation with the motive of having architectural freedom of expression and a work-life balance. But it comes with its own challenges, major ones being that of acquiring projects and getting clients. In this case, family backing has been stressed upon by the respondents, inferring that one should ideally have a backup plan if things go wrong. Based on the interview and survey conducted, we have understood that when starting a firm one should ask the following questions to understand their position1. Are you experienced?

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2. Is now the right time? 3. Do you have the contacts and potential clients? 4. Does the market need what you have to offer? 5. Do you have enough money? (Berg, 2014) This answers the basic question of whether you are confident enough to start your own firm or not. But to start it, there are other factors which can have an influence on your decision-making. Based on our survey, the following factors/ parameters have been confirmed and corroborated in the order of importance, which affect your decision to establish a firm. A. Availability of resources and backup plans B. Confidence and skills as an architect and overcoming fear of failure C. Availability of projects D. Contacts E. Sustainable business strategies: Sources of passive income F. Family background It is to be understood that not all factors come into play. Most of these vary from individual to individual as well as it also depends on the location where one wants to start his/her startup, with the most important factor being that of the availability of resources, backup plans, and projects to work upon.

4.5. Situation specific advice for the three individuals: The table below includes the case profiles of the three individuals mentioned in the Situation: Table 4.1 Case profile

Criteria

Dumpy

Bobby

Lovely

Family Background

Affluent family with an MEP firm

Affluent family and a business background

Non-affluent

Location

Tier 1 city (assumed)

Tier 3 city

Tier 1 city (assumed)

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Experience

Internships during all summer vacations and semester

Same as Dumpy (Approx. 1.5 yrs)

Architectural Skills

Generally good

Brightest

Benefits

Contacts to get immediate work access to monetary resources

Well Connected, Less architectural firms so less competition in home town for projects, Access to monetary resources

No Contacts

Table 4.1: Case profiles

The advice given to the three individuals is based on the responses collected from the general as well as the detailed surveys. 4.5.1. Dumpy Based on our survey conducted, family background has been given a lot of importance when starting one’s own firm. This means that Dumpy can ideally start his own startup since he has a backup plan for himself if things take a wrong turn. At the same time, since his family is involved with the MEP business he has a large pool of clients and projects before him giving him a head start over most of his peers. While working, he can always hire a few experienced architects to work together on the projects and learn while working and developing as the firm evolves. 4.5.2. Bobby Similar to Dumpy’s situation, Bobby comes from a business background in a tier 3 city. Bobby has the backing and resources to start his own firm but ideally, he should work under a seasoned architect first for at least 3 years to gain some experience. Based on our survey, a minimum of 3 years of experience or worked at least 1 project till its completion, under a seasoned architect is essential to gain some experience before starting a firm. As family background and connections can help bring a couple of initial projects but the subsequent projects are generally dependent on the firm portfolio, skills and further network developed through the clients. After this, Bobby can start his own firm in his hometown (Tier 3) as he would already have had a lot of contacts and resources to work on. At the same time, his family background and monetary support would help him better in starting his own firm in his hometown.

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4.5.3. Lovely Though Lovely is the brightest of the three, he neither has a family backup nor does he come from a Tier 3 city. Based on our survey, we understood that to start a startup from scratch, one should ideally gain some experience before venturing out. In the case of Lovely, it is advisable that he should join a firm under a seasoned architect and gain some experience for at least three years. In these three years, he should have worked on a project, at least 1, from initiation to completion so that he gets an overall idea as to how a project is managed. At the same time, during this period he should learn all the necessary skills and knowledge that he would require when starting his one firm. As stressed in the survey, he should try to build up as many contacts as possible for his startup. Once he is prepared, both mentally and financially, he can establish his own firm in the city. 4.5.4. Common Advice From the survey conducted, it was found out that many of the respondents have stressed the idea of starting a firm in partnership and that one should always seek out partners who can complement their own skill sets as opposed to having the same. Based on this, we can advise Dumpy, Bobby, and Lovely to start their own firm together. Each one of them has a particular skill and backing, which complement the three of them. With Dumpy’s influence, they can hire seasoned professionals to work in their firm, have financial backing as well as a client pool to get projects from. Similarly, in Bobby’s case, they have the option of establishing their own firm in a tier 3 city, where there is less competition as well as financial backup and contact pool. And finally, Lovely being the brightest of them all, can lead the team and look after the overall management and functioning of the firm. Overall, these three can achieve a lot if they team up together.

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Fig.4.5: Survey: Is partnership is necessary to start a startup (Source: Author)

4.6. The plan of action for evolving professional practice Growing practice takes time and patience. Businesses need money to survive, and businesses in the startup phase need more money (Green, n.d.). To run a successful practice you need to be good at managing resources, time, and money. One needs to be aware of the source of income of the firm (passive or active). When starting an architecture firm, you should find a successful architect to mentor you. He or she will be able to offer invaluable advice on what works and what does not (Green, n.d.). If you want to start building a reputation and gaining clients, then once you've set up shop the first thing you should do is start networking and getting your name out there. One of the ways you can do this is by joining local business networking groups and events, and start meeting with and getting to know other local businesses. From the targeted survey, it was understood that one can make contacts while gaining work experience. To run a business, you are going to need clients. You do not necessarily need them all lined up before your launch, but you should at least know where to look (Berg, 2014). 5. Conclusion Through the study, it was determined that most of the respondents recommend having work experience of a minimum of three years before starting one’s own practice. At the same time, there are also respondents who believe that this period can vary from case to case, depending on the experiences gained and skills achieved. Therefore as an alternative to having a minimum of three years of experience, an architect should gain experience in all stages of at least one project that they intend to engage with in the future depending on interests before setting out to start their own practice. The gained experience will help to enhance and streamline the skills an individual acquire from college and this will directly help with setting up the startup. Kritiika | Paraz | Vaibhav | Vignesh S / The dilemma of a startup | 27

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After analysis of all the data gathered from the literature review, interviews and surveys, it can be said that establishing a startup when one has the right contacts and the financial resources, is not a bad idea. Financial and family backup can ease the process of establishing a startup but it does not necessarily guarantee its success. Acquiring the right skills and business sense is equally important. Also, it was found through this research that an architect's confidence, management and organisational skills are more important than their family background. Knowledge and skills acquired from college only help in shaping out a foundation for your career. The skills picked up while working in an office will further help to streamline your growth and is, therefore, a very important aspect while considering to establish one’s startup. 6. Limitations Due to the smaller sample size, the accuracy of the research is reduced and the findings may vary. Also due to the pandemic and the present market situations, the present graduates and interviewed professionals might have skewed opinions which may affect the findings.

Acknowledgement This research was made possible with the help of a number of individuals and we would like to acknowledge all of them. Firstly we would like to thank our guide Ar. Tushar Aggarwal and other faculty members including Prof. Anil Dewan, Raja Singh, and Ar. Ravindra Singh Verma for their support and guidance throughout the course of this research. We would like to thank Ar. Bharat Jadhav for taking out his time to have a conversation with us and helping in streamlining our research on the right track. We would also like to convey our gratitude to all of our respondents for their invaluable contribution to the interview. Citations/ References: Berg, N., 2014. Should I Start My Own Architecture Firm? [WWW Document]. Architect. URL https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/should-i-start-my-own-architecture-firm_o (accessed 11.13.20). Green, S., n.d. The Complete Guide to Starting Your Own Architecture Practice [WWW Document]. URL https://www.workflowmax.com/blog/architecture/complete-guide-starting-architecture-practice

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(accessed 12.4.20). W. Reinholdt, E., 2015. ARCHITECT + ENTREPRENEUR A Field Guide to Building, Branding, and Marketing Your Startup Design Business.

List of Images ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Fig.3.1: Pi chart depicting choices of the respondents (Source: Author) Fig 3.2: Pi chart depicting first choices of the respondents after graduation (Source: Author) Fig.3.3: Double Bar Graph representing the difficulty level of acquiring projects - 1 (Source: Author) Fig.3.4: Double Bar Graph representing the difficulty level of acquiring projects - 2 (Source: Author) Fig.4.1: Pi chart representing percentages of people with their preferred choice regarding the best time to open their firms (Source: Author) Fig.4.2: Survey showing the skills/qualities that are required to start one’s own practice (Source: Author) Fig.4.3: Survey showing kind of work experiences gained from working in office (Source: Author)

List of Tables ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Table 3.1 (A): List of architects who started their own firm Table 3.1 (B): List of architects who started their own firm Table 3.2 (A): List of architects who wanted to gain experience before starting their own firm Table 3.2 (B): List of architects who wanted to gain experience before starting their own firm Table 3.2 (C): List of architects who wanted to gain experience before starting their own firm Table 3.3 (A): List of recent graduates who wish to start their own firm Table 3.3 (B): List of recent graduates who wish to start their own firm Table 4.1: Case profiles

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