A great name isn’t just a label; it’s a strategic tool that can shape your firm’s success and identity for years to come. This week on the EntreArchitect Podcast (Episode 591), I sat down with Emily Hall, President of CVG, to dive deep into the art and strategy behind naming an architecture business. If you’re an architect considering a rebrand or starting fresh with a new name, this conversation is a must-listen. You can access the full episode at entrearchitect.com/591.

If you’re considering naming or renaming your architecture firm, you probably know what you don’t want. Those names that make your eyes roll. Tacking on another last name to the string of names. The much-settled-for acronym. One client said, “I don’t want a name that sounds like it could be a cannabis store.”

In the world of naming, it’s much easier to edit losers than to generate winners. That’s because people tend to think that there’s one “perfect” name out there for their firm, it just needs to be plucked from the air or come to them during the perfect shower contemplation moment...

When should a firm leader start planning for transition? How do successful leaders transfer control and mentor the next generation? What questions do emerging leaders most frequently ask about firm ownership? In this insightful article by CVG's Rena Klein, FAIA and Blitch Kneval's Ron Blitch, FAIA, experts simplify the process and help existing A/E owners and emerging leaders understand the steps to a successful transition strategy.

Inside the Firm’s Alex Gore and CVG’s Rena Klein, FAIA, discuss a range of topics covering architecture firm valuation, what it means to share ownership, buying into a firm, and her “greatest hits” of advice for small architecture firm leaders. You’ll also hear a rare telling of Rena’s origin story about how she went from owning an all-female design-build firm after architecture school in the 70’s to becoming one of the industry’s leading experts on the business of architecture.

Hear Rena Klein on American Arcitecture’s #ArchTalk Podcast

Small and mid-sized architecture firm leaders often fear becoming too “corporate” when faced with practices, systems, and policies used by big firms. But to get big, larger firms must be doing something right. Join CVG to learn which large firm business practices are most applicable to smaller firms – and why. We’ll discuss how larger firms approach project delivery, strategy, business development, operations, and organization, and which aspects of these approaches might be instructive to smaller firms. Lastly, we’ll explore how this understanding creates opportunities for smaller firms to effectively compete, successfully differentiate themselves, and strategically partner.

Many firm leaders ask, “What are you seeing in the economic trends?” They often want to know, “Is the market slowing down?” and seek some clairvoyant insight into conditions of which they have no control. Mostly, their obsession with answers to these questions signifies an approach to business growth that is more centered on answering the phone and responding to inbound inquiries than the hard work of active and consistent business development. Over time, there is a direct correlation between the pace of business growthand the firm’s investments in business development activities.

Credibility is defined as the quality of being trusted and believed in, so naturally a leader’s impact on organizational behavior is directly correlated to their level of credibility. A lack of credibility means a leader is less effective at impacting positive behavior. In this short article, learn common behaviors that erode leadership credibility.

In this interactive webinar, CVG’s CEO, Todd Reding, will walk through common sticking points that CVG has helped partners navigate within the leadership of small and mid-sized architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design firms.

Small architecture firm leaders: join us to identify your negative business behaviors – and learn how to correct them in 2023.

Align your design firm’s current owners and emerging leaders in a customized, interactive 1/2-day workshop.

By Rena M. Klein, FAIA