The Drafting Workshop community is a resource for drafters and designers! This space is built to be a support system, whether you're working for a firm or building your own freelance drafting business. You'll find the help and practical pointers you need to not just succeed, but truly shine. For the CAD drafters out there that are done dreaming about leaving the office behind and ready to start your own business, I want to support you in that journey. I've worked many years as a freelance CAD drafter, so I've learned a lot of hard lessons that I can help you avoid. I want to work with you to win and succeed. - How to land those perfect clients with smart marketing and lead generation strategies. - Learn how to develop a pricing strategy that makes you money and not headaches. - Providing services so good your clients will never want to leave. - Keeping your skills sharp and staying at the forefront of the construction industry. - A think tank to ask for and receive real help with the obstacles you face. Follow this link to get there.

You Don’t Have a Lead Problem, You Have a Conversion Problem. You didn’t start your firm to chase clients. You didn’t survive studio all-nighters, crit reviews, and years of licensure exams just to negotiate your own fees down on a Zoom call. But if we’re being honest… A lot of firms are still operating like this: * Waiting on referrals * Hoping a broker sends something over * Sending a proposal and praying it doesn’t get ghosted * Hearing “we’re talking to a few other firms” and instantly feeling pressure That’s not strategy. That’s survival. And survival mode is expensive. If your average project is $80k–$120k and you’re closing 2 out of 10 qualified inquiries, that’s not a design issue. That’s a structure issue. Because the firms that quietly dominate their local market? They’re not always more talented. They just: * Control the discovery call * Pre-frame budget before presenting design * Anchor value before fees ever come up * Filter out bad-fit clients early * Have a defined sales process their team understands Most architects were never taught how to: * Handle “your fee is higher than the others” * Prevent scope creep before it starts * Upsell additional services without feeling awkward * Build brand authority so clients come in pre-sold So what happens? You take projects you don’t even love just to keep cash flow steady. You discount when you shouldn’t. You tolerate red flags because pipeline isn’t predictable. And the worst part? You think it’s normal. It’s not. The moment you add structure to how projects are won, everything changes: * Higher close rates * Better clients * Cleaner margins * A team that feels stable instead of reactive * The ability to say “no” without anxiety Architecture school taught you how to design. Nobody taught you how to win. The good news? This is a skill gap, not a talent gap. And once you see the framework behind it, you’ll wonder how you ever operated without it.