You Deserve Profit: Why Paying Yourself First is an Act of Leadership
Let’s normalise architects getting paid well.
Why Architects Need to Reframe Profit
Too many architects treat overwork like a badge of honour. Long hours. Thin margins. Your salary comes last, if it comes at all. Let’s be direct: if your practice doesn’t pay you properly, it isn’t sustainable.
This is not greed. It’s leadership, wellbeing, and resilience. Strong studios build systems that reward principals for their expertise; they don’t hope there’s “something left” after expenses. Firms with clearer financial controls tend to report better profitability and stability.
For context, see Deltek’s Clarity A&E Industry Study overview and 2024 press release:
You don’t need to become an accountant. You need a profit-first mindset, making your pay non-negotiable, not an afterthought.
Why Architects Don’t Pay Themselves First
Most small and mid-sized practices hit the same traps:
Reactive finances: Bills, wages, and expenses go first. If anything remains, you get paid. Often, nothing remains.
Cash-flow rollercoaster: Invoices slip; payments arrive late. Your personal income rises and falls with the tide.
Misplaced priorities: Clients first. Staff second. You last. When the leader is underpaid and exhausted, the whole practice suffers.
Cultural myth: “Architecture isn’t about money; it’s about passion.” Passion is vital. It won’t pay your mortgage.
Many principals in small UK practices report paying themselves below market rates. For context, see:
RIBA Business Benchmarking 2024 Executive Summary: https://www.riba.org/media/befbkfn5/riba-benchmarking-2024-executive-summary.pdf
RIBA Jobs Salary Report overview: https://jobs.architecture.com/staticpages/10290/architects-salary-report/
Profit-First Thinking
Profit First isn’t only a finance move, it’s a leadership stance. By allocating profit before expenses, you set the tone: your practice serves your vision and your team’s wellbeing. It does not exist to scrape by.
How It Works in Practice
Flip the equation
Traditional: Income – Expenses = Profit (profit is whatever is left)
Profit First: Income – Profit = Expenses (you decide profit first)
Accounts that help
Profit account: Pay yourself first.
Operating account: Salaries, rent, software, suppliers.
Tax account: Ring-fence tax to avoid nasty surprises.
Set your percentages
Start with 5–10% profit allocation to build resilience.
As profits grow, increase the percentage in scheduled reviews.
Quick example
Monthly fee income: £80,000
Allocate profit (10%): £8,000
Allocate tax (20%): £16,000
Run the studio on the remainder: £56,000
Helpful resource
Profit First book/tools: https://mikemichalowicz.com/books/profit-first/
Delegation: The Missing Link in Profitability
Many architects struggle to pay themselves because they are doing everything, design, emails, admin, client handholding. That bottleneck kills profit and blocks growth. Shift 20% of principal time from admin to strategy and you’ll typically see faster margin gains, without adding more hours.
Start here
Document 3 SOPs this week (invoicing cadence, meeting notes, RFIs).
Delegate 1 recurring task.
Block 2 hours every Tuesday for BD/design leadership.
Target: move 20% of your time into strategy within 8 weeks.
Check: if a task doesn’t require your licence or relationships, delegate it.
Delegation Without Micromanaging
Use SOPs and templates to free time and reduce errors.
Delegate with structure, not abdication
Set clear outcomes.
Agree check-in points.
Define quality standards.
Empower your team
Assign growth tasks that stretch skills.
Give feedback that builds confidence.
Reward ownership, not just output.
By trusting others with delivery, you create space for leadership, pricing strategically, choosing the right clients, and yes, paying yourself first.
Leadership Beyond the Numbers
Paying yourself first sends a clear signal to your team:
Boundaries matter: Unpaid overtime is not “normal.”
Profit funds creativity: Financial health pays for design exploration.
You practise what you preach: A well-paid, balanced leader models success.
Team boundaries policy
No unpaid overtime as standard.
Quiet hours for deep work.
Monthly 1:1s to discuss workload and growth.
Mental Health and Profitability
Financial stress erodes creativity and harms retention. Practices that ring-fence profit report steadier teams and stronger client trust. Clients equate financial stability with reliability.
For practical wellbeing guidance
Architects’ Mental Wellbeing Forum: https://www.amwf.co.uk/resources
RIBA “Practise Architecture Well” toolkit: https://www.riba.org/media/dzveims2/riba-practise-architecture-wellpdf.pdf
How to Start Paying Yourself First
Audit your flow: Map where money goes each month; identify leaks and delays.
Open three accounts: Profit, Operating, Tax.
Set your first percentage: Start at 5–10% and schedule quarterly increases.
Systemise cash management: Invoicing cadence, credit control, monthly allocations that run without firefighting.
Delegate low-value tasks: Free yourself for strategy, pricing, and high-value client work.
30-day target
Hit a 5% profit allocation for two consecutive pay runs in the next 30 days. Review every Friday; celebrate one financial win in your Monday stand-up.
Profit is Leadership
Normalising profit-first pay is a powerful cultural shift. It moves you from hoping it works to leading with clarity. It positions you as a designer and a leader, one who values sustainability, wellbeing, and vision.
Your practice deserves more than survival. You deserve profit.
Download the Profit First Setup Checklist and take the first step towards paying yourself first, because sustainable leadership starts with valuing your own work.
