Why Most Architecture Studios Stay Small, and What The E-Myth Gets Right

If you're an architect running your practice, chances are you've had at least one late night asking yourself: "Is this it?" You started the studio to design great buildings, not to chase invoices or reply to 17 emails before breakfast. Yet here you are, juggling design work, admin, marketing, and project management, with little room to breathe.

This feeling isn’t a fluke. It’s the predictable outcome of a pattern seen in nearly every small business, especially creative ones. In The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber unpacks why most small businesses don’t scale and how talented professionals end up trapped in their own companies. And although architecture isn’t explicitly mentioned, the book might as well have been written for architects.

Let’s explore why this is so relevant to the profession and what can be done to break free from the technician trap.

The E-Myth Explained: Why Talent Alone Isn’t Enough

Gerber’s central insight is that most small business owners start as technicians. They’re good at what they do, baking, fixing cars, or designing buildings, so they figure they can go out on their own and build a business. But the assumption is flawed. Being good at the work doesn’t mean you’re good at running a business that does that work.

He breaks business roles down into three core personas:

• The Technician: Focuses on doing the work. In architecture, this means designing, drawing, and delivering projects.

  
  

• The Manager: Builds order and stability. Think schedules, systems, and documentation.

  
  

• The Entrepreneur: Sets the vision. They imagine how the business grows, scales, or pivots.

  
  

Most architecture practices are built and run by technicians. The problem? When your entire operation depends on your effort, you build a business that you can never step away from. You don’t own a business, you own a job.

A 2022 report by the UK’s Architects Registration Board found that over 70% of sole practitioners said they had no long-term growth plan. Many reported being “comfortable,” but also overworked and isolated. Comfort, in this case, is code for survival.

Architecture’s Technician Trap: A Vicious Cycle

Let’s look at a typical week for a small studio founder:

• Designing for three different clients

• Answering urgent planning queries

• Managing project timelines and deadlines

• Updating the website

• Posting to Instagram

• Coordinating with engineers and builders

• Chasing unpaid invoices

This isn't a business owner at work. This is a technician in overdrive.

It feels like you’re achieving a lot, but all of it is reactive. There’s little time for strategic thinking. There’s no clear system to onboard new clients or hand over tasks. And when the workload spikes, the only solution is to work longer hours.

The result? Growth stalls. Creativity wanes. Burnout creeps in.

Even in firms with a few employees, this dynamic persists. Without strong managerial and entrepreneurial structures, growth often leads to more chaos, not less.

A 2021 study from the Harvard Business Review found that businesses that relied heavily on founder involvement hit a plateau at 5-9 employees unless they deliberately shifted leadership responsibilities and built scalable systems.

“The fatal assumption is: if you understand the technical work of a business, you understand a business that does that technical work.”

Case Study: Turning Chaos into Clarity

Many architects start their practice to gain creative freedom, only to find themselves buried in admin, chasing invoices, and wondering why running a business feels nothing like designing a building.

1. Studio Z Architecture: Automating Client Onboarding

Studio Z Architecture has streamlined its client onboarding process by utilising automation tools like Dubsado. They've developed a series of automated emails and guides that are sent to clients at each stage of the design process. This approach not only saves non-billable time but also enhances the client experience by setting clear expectations. According to a report, only 13% of architects have a formal client onboarding process, highlighting the significance of Studio Z's initiative. ​

2. Young Huh Interior Design: Emphasising Process Mapping

Young Huh, an acclaimed interior designer, attributes much of her firm's success to meticulous process mapping. By documenting every step, from client onboarding to project execution, her team ensures consistency and minimises errors. This structured approach has been pivotal in managing complex projects and maintaining high standards across the board. ​

3. Architecture Firm Enhancing Project Management with Microsoft Dynamics GP

A growing architecture firm sought to improve its project management processes and turned to Microsoft Dynamics GP for a solution. By integrating timesheets and automating time and expense entries, the firm reduced manual data entry and improved the reliability of project tracking. This system allowed architects to record hours directly via the web, streamlining operations and enhancing financial oversight

Systems Are Not the Enemy

There’s a myth in architecture that systems kill creativity, that you have to choose between design integrity and business efficiency.

This is a false dichotomy.

Systems don’t suppress creativity, they support it. They remove repetitive, decision-fatiguing tasks so you can focus on the high-value, high-impact parts of your work.

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), while known for their wildly imaginative buildings, they are also one of the most operationally rigorous studios on the planet. They use BIM templates, internal protocols, and streamlined communication tools to deliver complex projects across continents. Without these systems, their creative output would be unmanageable.

Even at a smaller scale, studios like CY Architecture often use design frameworks and repeatable elements in housing typologies to balance creativity with business viability. The Viennese firm adopted Timely, a time-tracking application, to work seamlessly with external consultants and automatically track hours across multiple projects. This integration has improved their operational efficiency and provided accurate insights into project timelines and resource allocation. 

“Systems run the business and people run the systems.”

Designing Your Business Like a Building

Architects are trained to think in systems. To resolve constraints. To choreograph complexity.

So why not apply that same thinking to your business?

What if you treated your practice like a building project?

• The brief: What kind of life do you want your business to support?

• The users: Who are your clients, collaborators, and team members?

• The structure: What roles, systems, and tools hold it all together?

• The programme: What tasks need to happen, when, and by whom?

• The future-proofing: How will it adapt as you grow?

This shift in mindset turns business development into a creative act. It’s not about spreadsheets. It’s about designing freedom.

Three Practical Shifts to Make This Week

1. Audit your time: For the next 5 days, write down everything you do. At the end, classify each task as Technician, Manager, or Entrepreneur. This alone will highlight where your energy is going.

   
   

2. Choose one process to systematise: It could be client onboarding, project kick-off, or invoicing. Write down the steps. Automate or delegate one part.

   
   

3. Schedule CEO time: Block out two hours each week to work on your business. Use it to reflect, strategise, or build systems. Protect this time like you would a planning deadline.

“Your business is not your life. Your business and your life are two separate things.”

Final Thoughts: The Architecture of Business

It’s tempting to believe that better design work will naturally lead to better business. But as Gerber reminds us, technical skill is only one-third of the puzzle.

The companies that thrive aren’t always the most talented, they’re the most deliberate. They think like entrepreneurs. They act like managers. And yes, they still design like technicians. But they’ve built a structure around their talent.

If you want your practice to grow, you need to grow with it. Step into the other roles. Design the business like you’d design a building: with intention, clarity, and care.

That’s not selling out. That’s levelling up.