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Book your discovery call
I work with architecture firm owners and principals across the USA and Canada,
in the $1M to $20M range, including right here in Philadelphia. People who have
a strong design reputation, margins that swing or stay thin, and too many
decisions routed through one or two people.
Architecture: From founder-centric studio to transferable practice
Great projects, a portfolio you're proud of, and profit per partner that doesn't match the quality of the work. Principals reviewing every set and every fee. A practice that stalls the minute the founder steps back.
Client Success Stories
“Franne McNeal provided me with invaluable, specific and practical advice that I was able to implement into how I manage my architectural design business. Franne’s advice gave me a new perspective that is affording me the ability to see opportunities for growth in my architectural design firm.”
“Franne is insightful and unrelenting in helping entrepreneurs reach for growth for their companies and for themselves as leaders. She understands the core competencies needed for her clients to grow, and she makes sure they map an ambitious but realistic path to that growth.”
No. I work with architecture firms in the $1M to $20M range, roughly 5 to 60 people, from small studios to multi principal practices.
Yes. Most owners come to me for margin, cash flow, and owner dependency problems, not for a sale. The same drivers that raise a firm’s sale price also raise its profit and reduce the principal’s hours while you still own it. For an architecture firm that usually means fee structure, phase level profitability, and a studio that can run a project without you in the room.
No. The point is to protect the design reputation you built while fixing the economics underneath it. When the fee structure and studio leadership are right, the design and the margins both improve. One 21 person studio lifted operating margin from 9 percent to 15 percent while the principal cut review time from 18 hours a week to 12.
Both. I coach over Zoom and in person. I am based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and work across the Philadelphia region and throughout the USA and Canada. Every session ends with a written recap and named action items.
Yes. Take one of the three free scorecards. Eight questions, about two minutes, and an instant score showing where you are leaving value on the table. The Profitable Firm scorecard is the usual starting point for architecture firms.
The assessments are free. From there, two doors. If you want your Value Builder Score read and ranked, the Business Efficiency Assessment is $495: a 60 minute debrief and a written report. If you want your leaks priced and a plan to fix them, the Firm Health Snapshot is $1,500: a 60 minute working session that gives you a gap map, your two biggest leaks priced in dollars, and a ninety day plan, fully credited toward coaching booked within thirty days. The Scalability Finder Session is $875 and the Business Growth Mastermind runs ten weeks at $1,485. Coaching programs are scoped and priced on the Discovery Call.
Three kinds of firm. Owners under $1M in revenue, who need volume before they need value engineering. Owners who want a broker to run a sale in the next ninety days, which is an M&A advisor’s job, not mine. And owners who want the answers without changing how the firm runs. The work only pays off if you are willing to hand things to your team.
About Franne McNeal and
Significant Business Results
Franne McNeal is President of Significant Business Results LLC,
an Accredited Value Guide, and the former leader of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (PHL). She holds a BA from Princeton, an MBA
from Eastern University, and an MSBR from Temple University, and has advised business owners for 35+ years.
Founded in 2006. Based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Recognized by ABC, NBC, AP, NPR, Yahoo, and The Washington Post.
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your smartest next steps
Take the free Profitable Firm Assessment, then book a discovery call.