How Passion and Process Built a Thriving Global Firm
Business of Architecture Podcast
Release Date: 05/05/2025
Goal Setting for Architects: Measurable Targets, Feedback, and Clarity | EP661
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: Architects often feel stuck chasing “someday” goals, working harder but not getting closer to the practice or life they imagined. The real pain? Knowing you’re busy, overwhelmed, and talented—yet still unclear about what you’re aiming for or why progress feels so slow. Enoch and Rion share how a small shift in how you think about targets, feedback, and your “default future” can reshape your practice and your life. You’ll hear how their own health scares and career detours uncovered blind spots they never...
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From Architecture Grad to Developer: How Baker Roddey Launched His First Investment Project | EP660
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: What happens when a young architect trades a steady paycheck for a risky first project—with no guarantee of success? In this bold episode, Baker Roddey reveals how he navigated real estate rules, raised unexpected funding, and turned one deal into a springboard for his firm. But it wasn’t easy—and what he shares will challenge your ideas of what it really takes to grow. You’ll hear how strategy, sales, and sheer nerve played a role—but not in the ways you might expect. Baker opens up about the invisible...
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How Accountability Transforms Leadership, Culture, and Profit in Architecture Firms | EP659
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: Architect Nation, this episode tackles the silent killer in many firms: weak accountability. Enoch and Rion reveal how polite habits and fear of conflict drain authority, profit, and joy. You’ll hear why “safety” and “fierce compassion” can live in the same room. Through real stories, they show what happens when leaders avoid hard talks—or explode instead. You’ll learn how language choices signal ownership, and why clients sense wobble long before you do. The result: missed deadlines, shrinking margins, and...
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What Architects Can Learn from UX, Tech, and Real Estate | EP658
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework Most architects feel like outsiders in the business conversations that shape their projects. They’re left out of key decisions, treated as a line item cost, and frustrated when their design expertise isn’t valued the way it should be. What happens when an architect trades AutoCAD for agile sprints and business models? In this episode, we sit down with Daplaah-Teng Aryene—an architectural designer turned UX strategist—whose career took a sharp turn during the...
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Building High-Performance Architecture Teams with Rion Willard | EP657
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: In this energetic live session, Rion Willard held at the AIA Austin Event, he asks a hard question: what does a true high-performance architecture team look like? He shares sobering industry stats and stories. Then he flips the script, turning the room into a workshop with quick audits, hands-up shares, and honest self-checks. You’ll hear why profits power design, and why little things—like scattered emails, fuzzy roles, and quiet scope creep—silently drain margins. Rion sketches a simple score that top firms use...
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Using AI to Eliminate Redundant Work and Boost Profitability in Your Architecture Firm | EP656
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: Architects are under more pressure than ever to deliver projects faster, with fewer resources, and tighter margins. Yet much of their time is still spent repeating work, hunting for old files, or redrawing details they know they’ve already drawn before. This episode dives into how AI can help architects work smarter—not harder—by unlocking the power of their past work. In this episode, Rion reconnects with Natalia Bakaeva from ARKI and you'll hear how she is tackling everything from tedious workflows to...
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Breaking Free from Hustle and Grind Culture in Architecture | EP655
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: Enoch Sears and Rion Willard tackle the myth of hustle and grind. Why do smart architects work more yet feel behind? They walk through the real cost and hint at a better path that frees your time, profits, and nerves. They share stories from studio all-nighters, a high-stakes talk in Austin, and a sharp lesson on leadership. You’ll hear a clean way to pick what to stop, what to keep, and what to hand off. Most of all, they show how ease beats force when you build your firm. The 30-second check that exposes hidden...
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How Zaha Hadid Architects Built a Global, Scalable Practice Without Compromising Design Integrity | EP654
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: What if the very systems meant to support architects are actually holding them back? In this powerful episode, Rion Willard sits down with Patrik Schumacher, Principal of Zaha Hadid Architects, for a bold, no-holds-barred conversation. They dive into what it really takes to run a creative practice that’s profitable, scalable, and still deeply visionary. You’ll hear how one of the world’s most innovative firms navigates bureaucracy, wins global commissions, and stays ahead—without selling out. Patrik also unpacks...
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Uncovering the Money Myths Holding Back Your Practice | EP653
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: In this thought-provoking episode of the Business of Architecture podcast, Rion Willard sits down with long-time collaborator Nicole, whose work with firm owners goes far beyond strategy and business systems. Together, they explore the hidden forces shaping how architects think, act, and lead—often without realizing it. Nicole reveals why many practice owners feel stuck, overwhelmed, or adrift, even when they’ve “done everything right,” and how unseen layers of belief can quietly limit results. She shares...
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How Strategic Communication Helps Architects Win Better Work | EP652
Business of Architecture Podcast
End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: What if the secret to winning more architecture work wasn’t just better design, but better communication? In this thought-provoking episode, Rose Marshall of ING Media pulls back the curtain on how architects can become allies, not just suppliers. Her approach flips the script on how architects show value—and who they’re showing it to. Rion and Rose explore a recent industry report that connects surprising dots between investment trends and future-proof practices. You’ll hear about the biggest missed...
info_outlineIn this episode of Business of Architecture, we meet Tima Bell, founder of Bell Design Group—a firm with global reach and an unexpected twist on what it means to practice architecture. With studios across Los Angeles, Madrid, and Argentina, Tima shares how his journey from hospitality design to managing a 50+ person team has shaped a unique approach to leadership, delegation, and culture.
You'll hear how one of his biggest challenges turned into a multi-business solution, helping not just his firm but others in the industry. He opens up about the real cost of passion, how to spot when a project is truly worth saying yes to, and when it’s not. And if you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to grow a firm while still loving the work, this conversation offers an inspiring glimpse behind the curtain.
Listen to learn:
- What most architects miss that keeps their firm stuck
- A surprising way to build international credibility without a big name
- How to get clients without "selling"
- What happens when you let go and trust your team to rise
To learn more about Tima, visit his:
Website: www.belldesigngroup.com
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tima-bell-577b177/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_belldesigngroup
► Transcription: https://otter.ai/u/9gbmgfvPiEW34QNfpO0Q-wd1nJ0?utm_source=copy_url
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Carpe Diem!