JUST LAUNCHING YOUR BUSINESS?

Ensure that you’re registered and active with the necessary governmental agencies and their current requirements.

• Business & professional licenses
• Insurance – research & comparison
• Taxes – registration forms

LICENSE/REGISTRATION CHECK-UP

Not sure when your existing license or business registration renewal is due? I'll verify the requirements, get you up to date if needed, and make a cheat sheet to keep track of renewal dates for the future.

• Business & professional licenses
• Research licensure & permitting processes for new jurisdictions
• Insurance – research & comparison
• Taxes – registration forms

OPTIMIZE YOUR SOFTWARE STACK

• Are you using all the features of your existing software and apps to their fullest?
• Paying double because two programs overlap?
• Where are the holes that you’ve been plugging with post-it notes and Excel spreadsheets?
• What can we automate and integrate to save time?

I’ll recommend, implement, and document the solutions in your Operations Manual

THE SECRET PLAYBOOK

Do you have an Operations Manual? If you only have ONE internal document, this should be it! This will become an indispensible daily reference for you and your team.

You'll also get:

• Personalized calendar of your company's “Annual Things To Do & Renew,” with monthly reminders
• Custom email templates that will help you crush your inbox
• Communication cadences for keeping your clients informed and team on task

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

Reduce time & cost preparing proposals

• Analyze previous wins and losses to determine how to improve conversion of the right clients for your firm
• Create a go/no-go checklist for new opportunities - are they worth your time/cost to pursue?
• Create or update existing proposal & contract templates, review with your legal counsel as needed
• Solicit bids/proposals from subs your network, or my trusted resources
• Research permit submittal requirements for AHJ, to determine if multiple submittals or agency reviews will be needed; adjust proposed fees accordingly

Empower your team to pitch additional services & new work

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

Partner with your financial team to identify & achieve your targets

• Assess project profitability
• Review fees and contract formatting; suggest updates
• Develop strategies to improve utilization rates and reduce overhead
• Create an annual operating budget
• Review and monitor existing business expenses; recommend cost-saving measures
• Make recommendations on purchases of new equipment or improvements to the office
• Coordinate with your bookkeeper and PMs to ensure timely client invoicing and billing

At each project start (if on continuous service retainer):

• Monitor receipt of signed contracts and deposits; reduce risk of working ahead of the money
• Coordinate with your bookkeeper to ensure that each job gets set up in your billing software

During design, production & construction (if on continuous service retainer):

• Monitor work against contract scope; ensure that Add Services are proposed and approved
• Run and review profitability reports, working with you or your PMs to flag any issues

At Close-out (if on continuous service retainer):

• Run and review financial reports with you and your project team
• Recommend adjustments to new work proposals, based on lessons learned

READY TO GROW YOUR TEAM?

You’re slammed – and it can take 40+ hours just to write an ad and sift through candidates! I’ll help figure out who you need, place ads, vet, and short-list the most qualified candidates for you to interview. Once they're hired, I’ll help you prep for their first day...

• Create new-hire checklist of things to be done before they start
• Create an onboarding checklist so they know what they’re supposed to do on day one, week one, and month one
• Training - create a process that you or other members of your team can execute

BENCHMARK & UPDATE BENEFITS PACKAGE

Research, compare, and ensure compliance with local laws (includes review with your lawyer as needed)

• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Short-term & long-term disability insurance
• PTO policies
• Maternity/Paternity, FMLA

THINGS THAT YOUR HR CONSULTANT DOESN’T DO

Most HR consultants or outsourcing services only provide generic versions of these documents. I will create documents (or update your existing/the HR service's boilerplate version) to include industry-specific information that generic documents won't, and personalize them specifically to your firm culture and branding.

• Employee Handbook & policies
• Performance Reviews processes & the forms to support them
• Remote Work policies

IDENTIFY & BUILD OUT YOUR EXTENDED TEAM

Architecture & Design is a team sport, you can’t do it alone!

• Help you find a lawyer, accountant, or bookkeeper if you don’t have them already
• Find & vet 3rd- party purchasing agents
• Find a receiving warehouse for FF&E delivery & installation

NURTURE YOUR EXTENDED TEAM

• Tips to strengthen relationships with your existing vendors and trades to keep them on your side
• Mitigate risk by verifying that your contractors and subs are licensed & insured in the states where you want them to work
• Recommend and implement ways to keep track of sources & vendors

MANAGING YOUR TEAM

OK, you’ve got a crack team of designers and a ton of projects. How do you keep them on board?

• Write job descriptions for every role on the team - collaboratively with you and each team member. People who have clear job descriptions know what is expected of them. People who help author them are more invested in doing the job in the first place!
• Establish communication protocols for sustained remote workforce
• Work with you or your HR team to correct team member behaviors if things go sideways
• Set up a program for in-house professional development opportunities
• Coordinate internal and external/3rd-party training on software or other skills

MANAGING THE WORK

Document or create standard operating procedures, so that:

• Your whole team knows exactly where to go to find the info they need to do their jobs
• Everyone follows the same process, so you can trust that things will be done the way you like
• They can crank out a consistent product for your clients

Examples include:

• Project Planning template
• Client intake form & satisfaction surveys (may be automated/online)
• Client on-boarding package to set expectations early
• Site survey/Field dimensions checklist
• Programming template - tailored to your market sector(s)
• Drawing review QA/QC checklists for each phase, tailored to your market sector(s)
• Detailed, step-by-step Permit Submittal Process checklist, to ensure your projects are reviewed smoothly

If on a continuous retainer:

• Coordinate master scheduling for all projects, to avoid employee burnout
• Forecast and staff future projects, to know when you can take on more work or need to hire
• Set up new projects in all your systems
• Monitor receipt of consultant subcontracts & CAD releases
• Close out projects & record lessons learned
• Perform QA/QC drawing reviews to ensure consistent quality
• Create an agenda for and run weekly all-staff team meetings

NEED ONGOING OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT?

No problem - I can provide continuous service for a monthly retainer. Think of me as a fractional COO. Here are just a few ideas:

• Coordinate master scheduling for all projects, to avoid employee burnout
• Forecast and staff future projects, to know when you can take on more work or need to hire
• Set up new projects in all your systems
• Monitor receipt of consultant subcontracts, CAD releases & deliverables
• Perform QA/QC drawing or FF&E spec reviews to ensure consistent quality
• Close out projects & record lessons learned
• Create an agenda for and run weekly all-staff team meetings

"OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED"

Just ask! My goal is to make your work life easier.