As I read over the article and list of the Top 250 Firms (by revenue) in Architectural Record, I actually found the reader comments to be more in tune with the industry sentiment than the ENR list itself. (Be sure to read a few, there are some doozies…)
The truth is that while the top 250 firms may show a revenue growth, they don’t represent the industry as a whole well because it is such a small portion of the architectural talent available, which the author eludes to. Just as an example, a quick search on the AIA’s “Find an Architect” for DC shows that there are more than 200 firms in DC alone.
So what are the big ones doing so well that they realize growth (at least in revenue, if not workforce) while so many other firms are going under?
Branding and marketing.
The firms that top this list invest in themselves and they have brands that are known even to people outside of the AEC community. They aren’t doing things that the smaller firms can’t do though. The key is developing a marketing plan (and budget) that makes sense for the scale of your firm.
As a firm principal, ask yourself: If you really want to grow by 50% in a year, how much more are you willing to invest in marketing to do so?