‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Douglas Teiger, FAIA 

Founder  | Teiger Consulting

LEARN FROM AN EXPERT

Douglas Teiger, FAIA, graduated from Cornell University, in 1982 with a BARCH.  He opened his own firm in 1989 and grew from a solo practitioner to become managing partner of his 32-person firm.   

In 2009, Douglas received a Master’s in Spiritual Psychology from USM, where he learned tools and skills he is sharing with his staff and clients. His ability to effectively streamline the operations allowed for more time to be spent on design and project research while creating a culture that fosters a holistic approach to a work life balance.    

In 2017, he served as President of the AIA Los Angeles Chapter and previously served on the AIA National Strategic Council. In 2019 Douglas transitioned out of his firm elevating three associates to partners, sold his shares and started his next venture, Teiger Consulting.   

Douglas’s mission is to “live an inspiring balanced life” whether it involves family, coaching, consulting, painting, or sports.   

The AE Firm’s Guide to Growth: How Marketing & Business Development Create Predictable Revenue  
Part 12 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Watch on Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Most AE teams are extremely thoughtful when developing their designs, but often let communicating their brand or actively pursuing ideal clients fall to the wayside. Marketing and business development are the twin engines that fuel your AE firm's ascent, and understanding their synergy is paramount.  

Join Founder of Teiger Consulting Douglas Teiger, FAIA, as he unravels the secrets to sustainable growth and revenue predictability. Distinguish between marketing, the craft of establishing your brand and nurturing qualified leads, and business development, the strategic art of cultivating relationships with potential, new, and existing clients.

In this session, Douglas unveils a systematic approach to tracking leads, tailored to teams of all sizes, and helps you design an opportunity pipeline. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to master finding and retaining ideal clients for consistent and predictable revenue.

The Path to Prosperity: How to Build & Measure Against Your AE Firm’s Strategic Plan  
Part 11 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on November 20, 2024.

For AE firms, a strategic plan isn't a luxury—it's your financial roadmap to success. Yet, how many of us truly dedicate the time to create, update, and review our firm's strategic plan? The answer is often not enough. But it doesn't have to be complicated. It's about planting your flag in the ground, defining your destination, and steering your firm towards prosperity. It's the blueprint that answers critical questions: Who is your ideal client? What are your firm's strengths? How do you measure success?

Join Douglas Teiger, FAIA, for this game-changing session, where AE leaders discover the financial secrets hidden within strategic planning. In this session, Douglas gives a simple breakdown of the strategic planning process, providing a roadmap for development. He dives into the 'who, what, when, where, and how' of strategic planning, making it accessible and actionable. Moreover, he shows you how to identify and leverage essential Key Performance Indicators that will transform your strategic plan into a financial powerhouse, setting your firm on the path to prosperity for years to come.

The Aligned Firm: Crafting Your AE Firm’s Story & Mission-Vision Statement  
Part 10 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on October 16, 2024.

Though it may seem aspirational, your AE firm's core values and mission can define the trajectory of your firm. Are your clients aligned with YOUR story? In this session led by Douglas Teiger, FAIA, we'll embark on a journey to sculpt a value-centric practice that resonates with your identity. Discover a step-by-step process to define your firm's core values and craft mission-vision statements that reflect your biggest goals. Additionally, we’ll explore the power of an analyzer tool that confirms if your employees, clients, and projects are harmoniously aligned with your core values.

Join us for this enlightening session and unlock the tools and techniques to forge an AE practice that thrives on its core values and your highest vision. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to create alignment, purpose, and success in your firm.

The AE Firm’s Foundational Trio: Defining Your Business Structure, Org Chart and Role Accountability   
Part 9 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on September 18, 2024.

Designing your AE firm's success is more than choosing an entity type; it's about architecting the perfect organizational structure that drives alignment and fuels peak performance. Whether you're a solo practitioner, lead a small team, or command a larger organization, Douglas Teiger, FAIA, who has 30-plus years of firm management experience, will be your guide on this journey to excellence.

Discover the myriad of options for business structures and their unique benefits, gaining the insight to make informed decisions that align with your firm's goals. But it doesn't stop there – in this transformative webinar, Douglas delves into the crucial distinction between organizational and accountability charts and how to ensure that the right person is in the right seat to supercharge your firm's performance. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to craft an organizational structure that ignites alignment, propels productivity, and fuels your firm's ascent to greatness. 

What to Track and How to Track It: Essential KPIs for Every AE Firm   
Part 8 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on August 21, 2024

In today's dynamic landscape, staying ahead requires a real-time view into the heartbeat of your AE firm. Dashboards, reports, and scorecards offer critical insights into employee performance, projects, and financials. Join Founder of Teiger Consulting and architectural entrepreneur Douglas Teiger, FAIA, for a transformative course where you'll discover the essential KPIs that drive AE firm success. You’ll also learn to create a system that tracks these metrics month-over-month, reflecting your firm's unique trends and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.   

Join us for this enlightening session and embark on a journey to unlock the power of KPIs to optimize your firm. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to navigate the AE landscape with precision and achieve unparalleled success.

AE Profitability Metrics Demystified: Utilization Rate, Efficiency Rate, and Cost Rate Multiplier   
Part 7 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on July 17, 2024

For AE firms, profit is a multifaceted concept that extends beyond a simple year-end bank account balance. It's about diving deep into the metrics and tools that unlock both project and firm profitability. Douglas Tieger, FAIA, who started his own firm over 30 years ago as a solo practitioner, grew it to 32-employees as managing partner, and then successfully sold it to begin his own consulting firm will be your guide in this illuminating webinar! He will review the intricacies of profit analysis and empower you with the essential knowledge to drive success at both the project and firm level.

Join Douglas as he unravels the vital KPI of profitability, the cost rate multiplier, and explores the crucial distinctions between utilization rate and efficiency rate. He'll explain precisely how to define your breakeven multiplier and unveil your true cost rate, ensuring that financial clarity guides your decision-making. Additionally, discover how to set and analyze your firm's maximum office billing potential, a critical step toward achieving your financial goals. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to drive profitability, both at the project level and across your entire firm. . 

Shaping Success: Strategies for Nurturing Your AE Firm’s Project Managers   
Part 6 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on June 12, 2024

In the AE world, great project managers are sometimes under appreciated and overlooked. While they may not be the ones designing the buildings or producing drawings, they are the linchpin that holds the entire project together. It's a role that demands a unique skill set and finesse. However, for many AE firms, proper training and mentorship for project managers are often lacking.

In this transformative course, Douglas Teiger, FAIA, a former managing partner at his own firm for 30 years and Founder of Teiger Consulting, gives an overview of the skillset and training necessary for firm leaders to hire and effectively nurture project managers. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to elevate your project management practices and drive excellence in your firm's project profitability. 

Cash Flow Essentials: How to Calculate Burn Rate & Runway for Your AE Firm  
Part 5 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on May 15, 2024

In the dynamic world of AE firms, understanding your financial runway and burn rate is akin to having a GPS for your practice's financial journey. Your gross burn rate is a crucial metric that measures the rate at which your firm consumes capital before generating positive cash flow. It's the answer to the pivotal question: “How long can we stay in business without signing another project?” This enlightening webinar delves into the vital key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with your runway and burn rate, empowering you to estimate and project your firm's income with precision. Join Douglas Teiger, FAIA, for this illuminating session and unlock the keys to financial stability and prosperity in the AE industry. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to navigate your firm's financial journey with confidence and foresight, ensuring a secure path to success. 

A Guide to Client Onboarding: Crafting Winning Proposals and Contracts     
Part 4 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired on April 17, 2024

The proposal is the pivotal part in the client onboarding process, a gateway that holds the power to set the stage for a successful project journey. However, in the world of architecture and engineering, there's no one-size-fits-all proposal. Join Founder of Teiger Consulting and architectural entrepreneur Douglas Teiger, FAIA, in this comprehensive course where he’ll dive deep into the art of crafting compelling proposals that resonate with each unique project and client.

Explore the anatomy of a proposal, unravel the nuanced differences between proposals and contracts, and gain mastery in sculpting terms and conditions that seamlessly transform your proposal into a rock-solid contract. Discover the invaluable benefits of leveraging AIA agreements, setting the standard for professional excellence. 

Join Douglas as he guides you through the critical link between your proposal and project setup, illuminating the path to seamless project execution and embarks with you on a journey to craft winning proposals and contracts that lay the foundation for client success. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to navigate the intricate realm of client onboarding with confidence and excellence. 

The Art of Estimating Fees: Unlocking Profitable Projects for Your AE Firm    
Part 3 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired March 20, 2024

Ready to master the art of estimating fees and gain profound insights into their impact on your bottom line? Join Douglas Teiger, FAIA, on a journey that begins at the very inception of a project—when that initial request for a proposal lands on your desk or in your inbox. In this comprehensive course, you will not only learn to define project scope, but also develop a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for construction costs and estimate project hours. We'll culminate by dissecting how fees are structured and introduce a simplified system to enhance your overall project profitability. Join Douglas for this illuminating session that will empower you to unlock profitable projects and gain mastery in fee estimation. By the end of this session, you'll possess the knowledge and tools to make informed financial decisions, ensuring the prosperity of your AE firm. 

The Chart of Accounts: Your AE Firm’s Path to Financial Control 
Part 2 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired February 21, 2024

The chart of accounts is the bedrock of financial insight for your AE firm. In this course, Douglas Teiger, FAIA, demystifies some often-confusing, essential accounting terms and equips you with the power to wield them effectively. Discover the art of creating a customized chart of accounts, tailored to the unique needs of your AE firm, and dive deep into its organizational prowess, understanding how it can illuminate the flow of money within your practice. Join Douglas as he takes you beyond the numbers! Learn how your chart of accounts becomes the cornerstone of budgeting, empowering you to set ambitious goals and navigate the financial terrain of the upcoming quarters with precision.

The Power of Time Management: Balancing Projects, Profitability & Life in the AE World
Part 1 of the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Masterclass Series

Originally aired January 17, 2024

In AE practices, time is money. Without proper tracking and allocation of your team’s time, there is no way to understand and manage profitability on your projects. In this foundational session, Douglas Teiger, FAIA, Founder of Teiger Consulting and former managing partner of his own architectural firm for 30-plus years, shows you how to execute advanced time management strategies, including budgeting time to align with project activities rather than just traditional phases, and analyzing the impact of non-billable time on firm profitability. He will also review proven tactics that he uses for his own schedule, like tracking time via buckets, implementing calendar blocking, and creating a realistic, harmonic work-life balance.

ABOUT BQE: A PROUD SPONSOR OF THIS MASTERCLASS SERIES

BQE Software develops innovative business management solutions for architecture, engineering, and other professional services firms. Its flagship product, BQE CORE, streamlines project management, time tracking, billing, accounting, and other business processes on a single platform. Every day, over 5,000 customers use BQE CORE to get clear visibility and control over their projects, productivity, and profitability – all in one place. Learn more at www.bqe.com.