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When Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio, we were “young and dumb”. We were optimistic and enthusiastic, but we didn’t know what we didn’t know. We were 29 years old, had a dream of starting our own firm and jumped.

I always knew I would own my own firm. I’m a born entrepreneur. What I did not know though, was how hard business would be. Blessed with friends who needed architectural services for their new restaurant, we signed a contract and thought we were on our way. We thought that was all we needed; a project to launch the rest of our career.

That project did lead to another, and that one to another. Our boards were soon filled with work, but a successful business depends on much more than busy boards.

We bounced from project to project, establishing a local reputation and building a beautiful portfolio, but consistently living on the edge of financial failure. It took us more than five years and a serious commitment to educating ourselves before we acquired the not-so-secret basics of business success.

(Read more) Via Entrepreneur Architect