Ask Ionic

Standing Out: Why Being Yourself is Your Best Business Strategy

In a sea of companies all fighting to grab the spotlight, the real game-changer might just be something as simple as embracing what makes you uniquely you. A lot of folks get caught up in chasing the latest trends or outmaneuvering the competition, but they miss out on a powerful ingredient for success: their own originality.

A great friend of mine, Winnie Hart of TwinEngine has shared about brand recognition and distinction by focusing on the art of standing out. “In a world where everyone is trying to fit in, your brand’s strength lies in standing out. Embrace your uniqueness, for it is your brand’s signature in the crowded marketplace.”

Be Genuinely You

The heart of a standout brand? Authenticity. When you’re true to what your business stands for, it reflects in your brand’s personality. People dig authenticity; they’re drawn to brands that are real and honest, not just those with flashy marketing. Being genuine helps you break through the noise and connect with customers on a deeper level.

Your Special Sauce

Knowing and valuing your own strengths lets you offer something special to your customers. What makes you different is exactly what can draw people to your door, seeking what they can’t find elsewhere. This distinct edge is your secret weapon in the competitive arena.

Innovative Thinking

When you’re comfortable in your own skin, it boosts your confidence and creativity. This makes you more agile in tackling challenges, coming up with out-of-the-box solutions that meet your customers’ needs in unique ways. Originality in problem-solving can set you apart in a crowded marketplace.

Making Real Connections

Owning your uniqueness enables you to engage with customers more personally and meaningfully. This authenticity fosters loyalty and encourages repeat business, as customers value businesses that get them and treat them as individuals.

Carving Your Niche

By confidently putting your uniqueness front and center, you make your mark. This not only helps you stand out but also attracts customers who share your values and are looking for exactly what you offer. Your genuine nature becomes a beacon for those seeking authenticity.

To wrap it up, being boldly yourself isn’t just about personal growth—it’s a smart business strategy. By embracing and celebrating what sets you apart, you not only carve out your own niche but also build a brand that resonates deeply with your customers.

While everyone leans towards sameness, your uniqueness is your strength.

The Power of Authenticity: Socrates’ Wisdom in Business

In the fast-paced world of business, success often hinges on perception and reputation. How you present yourself or your company can be the difference between sealing a deal and missing an opportunity. Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, offered timeless wisdom that is as relevant in the modern corporate landscape as it was in his own time: “Be as you wish to seem.” I had to ponder this statement more as I found that it really could be “deep” and its implications for businesses and professionals alike.

Authenticity in Business:

In the digital age, authenticity has become a buzzword. Consumers, clients, and partners are drawn to businesses and individuals who exude genuineness and sincerity. But what does it mean to “be as you wish to seem” in the context of your business? Here are a few of my thoughts:

  1. Define Your Values: Just as Socrates encouraged individuals to act in alignment with their values, businesses should start by defining their core values. What principles guide your company? Knowing these values is the first step in authentic branding. At IONIC we talk about our core values every week and how we’ve seen them in action.
  2. Align Actions with Values: It’s not enough to have values on paper; they must be embodied in your actions. This could mean making ethical choices, delivering on promises, or fostering a positive company culture. Words on the wall are not what it means to live your core values. Take the next step after the values and create a set of “beliefs”. Beliefs that have an action behind them leaving no doubt what your intentions are.
  3. Consistency Matters: In business, consistency builds trust. Ensure that your actions, messaging, and brand identity are consistent across all touchpoints. This builds a sense of reliability and credibility. We felt so strong about this belief we made CONSISTENCY our theme word for 2024.
  4. Building Trust and Reputation: Socrates’ wisdom extends to the realm of reputation management. In the business world, reputation can be your most valuable asset or a liability. Remember, you have a reputation whether you plan it or not. Here’s how “be as you wish to seem” can help:

Trustworthiness: Authenticity breeds trust. By consistently demonstrating your values and principles, you become a trusted partner, service provider, or employer. Trust is another buzzword…so how do you show it.

Positive Perception: Just as Socrates suggested, your actions shape how others perceive you. An authentic business is seen as reliable, ethical, and customer-centric. One of my pet peeves is people who are always negative…why?

Socrates’ wisdom, “Be as you wish to seem,” holds significant relevance in today’s business world. The question is if you wish this to be adapted into your business? If so how? At IONIC we chose to embody this phrase as one of our new beliefs: “Shape the impression you deZire to leave.”

Authenticity is the cornerstone of trust, and trust is the currency of success. By defining your values, aligning your actions, and consistently embodying those values, you can build a strong reputation and thrive in the competitive business landscape.

Be true to yourself or your brand is not just a philosophical ideal—it’s a strategic advantage.

Power of Teamwork: Our Latest Project Win

Perhaps you’ve heard the analogy that a draft horse can pull 8,000 pounds of dead weight, but two draft horses, with their combined power, can pull 24,000 pounds, far more than the single effort of each doubled. Whether or not that is actually true (the internet is divided on the issue), the principle remains: get the right team in place, and you’ll have exponentially greater success. This principle resonates profoundly with our recent project win at Ionic DeZign Studios.

As the founder and principal of IONIC, I’ve always believed that the true strength of any architectural endeavor lies in the collaborative spirit of the team. It’s not just about individual abilities; it’s about harnessing the collective power and expertise that each team member brings to the table.

Our recent project award is a testament to this principle. While my role as the founder and principal is important, but it’s equally important to acknowledge the incredible team we’ve carefully assembled within our firm. From seasoned architects to emerging talents, each member played a pivotal role in securing this prestigious project.

Our collaborative culture, where ideas flow freely, innovation knows no boundaries, and creativity reigns supreme, was instrumental in capturing the client’s attention. We know that our combined efforts far surpass the capabilities of any single individual.

But our success story doesn’t end there. We recognize that in the realm of architecture, collaboration extends beyond our own team. It’s about forging partnerships with those who share our commitment to excellence.

This is precisely where our partnership and longstanding relationship with our general contractor, Hoy Construction came into play. Their expertise, dedication to quality, and seamless collaboration with our DeZigners laid the foundation for success. Together, our combined power exceeded what we could achieve separately.

In the spirit of the draft horses’ analogy, our team, working in harmony, pulled not just the weight of a project but the weight of our collective ambitions and aspirations. As we embark on this exciting project, we do so with immense gratitude for our talented team members, the trust of our client, and the invaluable collaboration of our partners.

This project win is not just a moment of celebration; it’s a reminder of the boundless possibilities that emerge when the right team comes together. We’re committed to turning this shared vision into a remarkable reality, knowing that our combined strength will lead us to even greater heights.

Stay tuned as we continue to leverage the power of teamwork, collaboration, and innovation, not only in our projects but in every aspect of our architectural journey.

ASK IONIC Mastering Effective Communication: The Consultant’s Guide

In this insightful and informative video, we’ll explore the vital role that clear and efficient communication plays in the world of consulting. Whether you’re a seasoned consultant looking to refine your skills or someone considering a career in consulting, this video is packed with valuable insights:

Renovation Project Tips

IONIC’s Eugene Thompson shares some tips to consider for your next renovation project:

Ask IONIC: Proposals and Process

In this video installment of our Ask IONIC series, Eugene Thompson shares the IONIC two-phase approach to developing proposals and the overall process. Click on the video and for Eugene’s overview:

Ask IONIC #2 – Contract Administration

Ask IONIC is a napkin series of questions that we often see from our client and others that may assist those who are seeking answers.

No question is dumb… just the ones you don’t ask.

We hope these help you understand our industry just a little bit better so you can make informed decisions. Information that leads to knowledge is the key to success.

What is contract administration and why do I need it?

This is the one of the most common questions we get in our office when our clients review our proposal. We always itemize out all the all of our work from conceptual design, schematic design, design development, construction documents and finally contract administration.

What is contract administration?

In short, as defined by CSI: Contract administration involves making decisions and the timely flow of information and decisions to enable completion of the project as required by the contract documents including review and observation of the construction project. This is important to the Owner and Consultant not only to determine that the work is proceeding in conformity with the contract documents, but also because it allows a final opportunity to detect any inaccuracies, ambiguities or inconsistencies in the design.

Many times people use the word construction administration, however, an architect typically is not involved in managing the actual construction. We do often manage the contract that involves the construction as defined above. We help the owner establish an agreement between themselves and the general contractor to produce a structure that is designated in detail supporting our construction documents.

We understand everything and are extremely familiar with what we put into the documents and are responsible for all of the calculations of all the details and all of the design decisions that went into the making of this (usually massive) set of documents.

It only makes sense that we would assist the owner in managing what we already produced.

When establishing the contractual agreement between the owner and general contractor, IONIC often includes the following:
1. Complete set of construction documents
2. Addendums
3. RFI’s Requests for Information
4. Written specifications

Often included:
1. General contractor’s proposal
2. Insurance
3. Proposed construction timeline
4. List of sub-contractors
5. Personnel list

All this detailed information is so everything will be encompassed in one agreement. This is sometimes very complicated. However, it is very important should something go wrong. We never want it to…but…just in case.

One of the small side bars that is often included in contract administration is bidding and negotiation. Typically there are always questions that come during the bidding process, whether you’re just having one contractor look at it along with his subs or you’re having multiple general contractors preparing a competitive bid. This is often established as a separate phase.

Why a separate phase?

We have had clients negotiate a contract, change their mind, bid the project, award it to the low bidder, change their mind, re-bid it, re-award it and then finally begin construction after some further negotiations.
And yes, IONIC wrote a contract for each general contractor during that time frame.
And yes, IONIC was present and/or involved during all of those discussions.
If bidding and negotiations were included under all of CA in this case we would have been out of our fee!

Another common question that occurs is why do I need to pay you for this?

We always hear that you produce a set of documents they should be perfect there should be no questions, there should be no issues, and if there are you must’ve made a mistake!

Construction simply does not work that way. I wish it did! There are always questions, ALWAYS! There are always substitutions, ALWAYS! There are always things in a set of drawings or the written word that cannot be covered completely or as clearly as envisioned. If it was…we would never finish the documents. And you would never get your building built.

It is just the nature of the beast!

The owners typically want a guarantee that our work will stand up properly will be capable of functioning in all manners of the design and we and IONIC, always stand behind our work. However, if we cannot see the contractor build the work and review his performance according to the way that we detailed the construction…how do we know if it is built correctly? How do we know that he did not make this mistake during construction inside the wall cavity that we have no easily accessible route to review down the road?

The contract administration is there to help the owner and contractor negotiate the complexity of a construction project so that it can be completed on time without enormous issues, mistakes, delays, added costs or whatever unknown expectations that may occur.

Some of the items that are typically included within contract administration are:

1. Creating a contract between owner and general contractor.

2. Respond to any RFIs request for information.

3. Review all pay applications from the general contractor to the owner for approval.

4. Conduct site investigations to review the progress and status of the work being performed by the general contractor and its subcontractors.

5 Respond and review any product submittals produced by the general contractor and its subcontractors for use in the project.

6. Coordinate any special inspections required from third-party jurisdictional agencies that review the work being performed.

7. Assist in reviewing any change orders that are generated by the general contractor either omitted from the original scope or added during construction. Note cynical and many times added scope of work and change orders also will increase the fees of the architect.

8. Review, complete, and report all punch list related work that is discovered during site visits to the project.

9. Produce closeout documents and operational manuals and warranties ensuring all pieces of literature complied with the requirements of the construction documents and contract agreement between the owner and the general contractor.

These items are often critical to the process of construction and owners typically do not have the staff available for the experience needed to navigate through many of the issues that arise. Our office and our team has done this over and over again on project after project and have developed a set of skills, experiences, and past related concerns that we ensure to address during this process.

There are many times when an owner elects to only use contract administration and its limited use.
An example would be: “I’ll call you if I have a question.”
Okay, we will be here. However the liability for determining the work in evaluating the quality of the performance completely falls upon the ownership and the general contractor if you choose not to hire the architect for these COMPLETE services. Every now and then involving the architect doesn’t provide the surety or warranty.

It’s not always just structural concerns. Although that is a major issue with every project. They can also be how the insulation or weather barrier has been incorporated into the project. Did the contractor apply the vapor barrier the under slab insulation before pouring the foundation? Did the contractor incorporate the finished details like we anticipated and described during the design phases to our clients?

These are just some of the issues that we see day in and day out.

Consider contract administration as an insurance policy.

You are ensuring with the architect that all of the design details and individual components of the construction are performed in a manner that is acceptable.

The architect acts as the owner’s agent. We are here to protect the owner.

Hope this clarifies the question for you. Should you have others, please submit them to us and we will add them to the list and post answers. Feel free to contact us.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Ask IONIC #1- Concept vs. Schematic

Ask IONIC is a napkin series of questions that we often see from our clients and others that may assist those who are seeking answers.

No question is dumb… just the ones you don’t ask.

We hope these help you understand our industry just a little bit better so you can make informed decisions. Information that leads to knowledge is the key to success.

Ask IONIC image

What is the difference between a “Conceptual” Phase and a “Schematic Design” Phase?

This is a question we received from a client after we had completed an IONIC Masterplan plan for the renovation of an existing facility. While preparing our proposal we included a phase for schematic design. The owner asked why we had included this because we had already prepared the concept… wasn’t this a duplication of services?

Actually no. It wasn’t a duplication but rather an extension of what we had started. In our initial study for the client, we used  PDF plan provided for the building. We had walked the site and taken a few pictures of the building so we had a good idea what challenges were going to be presented. No field measurements were conducted during the site visit.

Our office prepared a conceptual floor plan that represented areas for demolition, walls that were considered load-bearing and of course a new plan for how the client could adapt their program to the existing footprint in the most efficient manner. We also produced color exterior renderings for the proposed new use.

All was approved… now on to the next step.

So wasn’t that enough for you to jump in straight to the construction documents?

Unfortunately, NO!

First, we need to take detailed measurements of all the existing conditions so we can prepare an accurate digital plan to work with. Why is that important? Actually, a few inches here and there could take an area out of ADA compliance. Changes required during construction could cause delays and additional expenses. This first step is critical!

Secondly, once we have prepared all of the as-builts (definition: a digital accounting of the actual pre-existing conditions typically produced in AutoCAD.) Our design team can go back and develop the previously created floor plan concepts into a more detailed and accurate plan that not only we can use, but also our consultants. Again, we try to avoid changes in the field down the road.

Finally, we also take into account all the various little ambiguities with the exterior elevations and ensure that our heights are correct. Our bearing walls are correct. The structural integrity and sizes of existing beams are accurate. So many times we have seen changes made in the field that were never shown in the drawings provided.  Never assume!

With these new schematic documents completed, our office can proudly and confidently present a dimensioned floor plan, exterior elevations and even early building and/or wall sections of the design for everyone to progress safely onto the next phase of work.

Hope this clarifies the question for you. Should you have others, please submit them to us and we will add them to the list and post answers. Feel free to contact us.

We look forward to hearing from you.