There Will Be Failure
30X40 Design Workshop

There Will Be Failure

In December as the year winds down, I carve out a little time to review progress and chart the course ahead. This year that that includes celebrating and reflecting back on ten years in business.

In 2013, I was just shy of 40 when I started 30X40 and today my 50 year-old self is writing this peering through a set of glasses and more than a few gray hairs…a reasonable trade for wisdom acquired!

Ten years ago I wrote my first blog post from a drafting table set in the corner of my living room. Excited, apprehensive, determined and na?ve.

It’s been ten years of making, ten years of mistakes, of self-doubt, bad edits, wonderful (and slightly less wonderful) clients, homes built, and homes still being built, videos, videos, videos, and countless humbling lessons both in and out of the studio.

Ten years ago, I wanted work-life balance. What I discovered as I blurred the boundary has made the past ten years feel more like play than work. Work life integration is a privilege; I couldn’t imagine practice any other way. It’s also the reward for taking risks. I couldn’t see that then but it’s clear to me now.

In this video, I’ve asked my wife to join me to pull back the curtain on entrepreneurship and what it’s really like to start and operate a creative business. It can be easy to look at someone else’s journey and feel like they had it all planned out and perfectly crafted from day one. The fact is, we all face struggles along the way and my wife and I wanted to share some of the personal and financial challenges we’ve faced over the past ten years.

Daniel Simone, RA, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

Registered Architect | Real Estate Development

1 年

Eric Reinholdt, the depth of content you cover in your videos / publications and the impact it has - and continues to have - on professionals either thinking about entering this field or ones like myself who have been in it for some time and are moving to a different phase, continues to amaze. Your material was a tremendous source of knowledge, answers to what-if questions, and general guidance for me leading up to planting my own flag earlier this year. This video covers yet another facet of not just starting a business but the challenges that are inherit to our field and I'm sure speaks to a number of us on a deeper level. Thank you for the fantastic content and congratulations to you and your family on the success you've achieved over your 10+ years of being on your own, especially in this context of hearing of the challenges with first getting started. Cheers!

Henry Wooldridge

Architectural Assistant | First Class RIBA Part 1

1 年

Wow, great read and video. It's interesting to hear your reflection process and about the struggles you prevailed over.

J. Daniel Jenkins, Architect , NCARB, LEED AP

Consulting Architect | Commercial Real Estate Due Diligence

1 年

As always, great video! I can 100% relate as I currently run two solopreneur businesses.

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