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TS3 Architects founder Thomas Smith joins Rion Willard to share how he moved from scraping by to leading with purpose. He reveals the turning point that made his firm’s numbers—and culture—finally click.
Tom talks about the fee trap that many architects fall into and the surprising move that got his clients saying yes. He hints at a simple review that uncovered cash hiding in plain sight. You’ll also hear how opening the books shifted his team from employees to true partners.
From vision days to a fresh org chart, Tom shows why culture is not fluff—it’s profit. He speaks about freedom through people, not just systems, and the next chapter for his firm. This is a story of transformation every architect will want to hear.
You’ll also discover:
The one-sentence purpose that changed everything
The quiet client talk that unlocked higher fees
The tracking tweak that turned hours into cash
To learn more about Thomas, visit his website: www.ts3architects.com
00:00 Intro
02:45 From Survival Mode to $45K Found in One Week
06:12 Why 3-5% Profit Kept Us Broke for 10 Years
09:38 The Client Who Exposed We Were 30% Below Market
12:15 How Fear of Rejection Cost Us Six Figures Annually
16:42 Renegotiating 2017 Fees Mid-Construction (And They Said Yes)
21:03 The $45,000 Hiding in Our Own Timesheets
24:28 Why Financial Transparency Terrified Me (Then Changed Everything)
28:16 From Bottleneck to Freedom: Restructuring 12 People
31:44 “I Just Wanted to Feed My Family” – The Turning Point
35:20 Week 11: When My Purpose Finally Clicked
39:05 Committed vs. Interested: The Line That Changes Culture
42:38 Vision Days: How Retreat Transformed Our Team
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