𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗨𝗥 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽
อัปเดตเมื่อ 2 วันที่ผ่านมา
Recently, our company had the pleasure of participating in DESIGNPRENEUR INSIGHTS, a Design Talk hosted by the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at Thammasat University.
It was an honor to share our perspectives and experiences alongside two distinguished architect-entrepreneurs, Mr. Dhanasit Dhanesnitaya, Managing Director of Massive Design Co., Ltd., and Mr. Sarayut Wajang, Managing Director of Yeesibha Ongsa Development and Design Co., Ltd.
We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Dr. Akapan Thienthaworn and Thammasat University for the kind invitation and the opportunity to share our knowledge, experiences, and insights with the next generation of designers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
We came from different generations, different experiences and different stages of the journey. But one thing we could all agree on was simple ..
“Building a design business today is far from easy”
And in today’s economic climate, when investment slows, projects become harder to secure and uncertainty becomes part of everyday business, being good at design alone is no longer enough.
" Design is no longer just about form and aesthetics. It is becoming a strategic tool for solving problems, unlocking opportunities and creating business value "
As someone working across design strategy, project development and branding, we have learned that we need to understand not only how to design the work, but also how to design the business around it.
Looking back at our conversation, these are some thoughts we would leave with young designers who may want to build something of their own one day.
1. Understand the market before building the business.
Know where the industry is going, who your clients are, what they actually need and where the opportunities might be.
" Passion is important ..
But passion becomes much more powerful when it meets market reality "
2. You do not need to start big.
If you want to start straight after university, keep the cost low and give yourself room to experiment.
Or work inside an organisation first. Learn how projects actually happen. Learn from clients, teams, sites, mistakes and real constraints. There is no rule saying you can only do one thing at a time.
3. Stay lean, but build a strong network around you.
A design company does not always need a large permanent team.
A small core team with the right partners, specialists and collaborators can sometimes be much stronger than a large organisation carrying heavy fixed costs. We increasingly believe in collaborative ecosystems, consortiums and business networks where people create opportunities together, not only compete for them.
4. Put yourself where opportunities can find you.
Competitions are one example.
They are not only about winning an award. They force you to test your capability, expose your work to a wider audience and, when you do win, give your business both credibility and visibility.
Sometimes opportunity comes from being good. Sometimes it comes from making sure your work has a chance to be seen.
5. Design is a relationship business.
Architecture, interiors, landscape, branding and consultancy are all professional services.
Clients are not buying only a deliverable. They are buying trust.
Trust that you can handle their investment, their expectations, their problems and sometimes their uncertainty.
Especially in our industry, network and reputation matter enormously. There is an old saying in Thailand that “what you know may not be as powerful as who you know.” It may sound uncomfortable, but there is some truth in it. We would only add one thing.
" Who you know may open the door ..
What you can actually deliver determines whether that door stays open "
6. Not every client is your client.
Early in business, many of us believe we should accept every opportunity.
We have heard the phrase, “If you are not picky about work, you will never starve.”
There is some truth in that too, particularly when you are starting out ..
But with experience, you begin to realise that choosing the wrong client, the wrong project or the wrong working relationship can sometimes cost more than saying no.
Learning who you should work with is part of learning how to build a sustainable business.
7. Use AI to increase your value, not erase it.
AI is changing the way we work, and resisting it will not stop that change.
Learn how to use it.
Let it make you faster, sharper and more capable. But do not outsource the very things that make your thinking valuable, judgement, curiosity, empathy, taste and the ability to connect ideas that others may not see.
8. Stay flexible. Keep learning. Watch for the next gaps.
Every difficult market removes certain opportunities.
But it also creates new ones.
There is almost always a gap somewhere.
A new problem.
A new behaviour.
A new type of client.
A new service that did not need to exist before.
The question is whether we notice it early enough, and whether we are willing to change when we do.
9. Get comfortable with failure.
If you choose entrepreneurship, failure will visit you in many forms.
A project you lose.
A client who walks away.
A bad decision.
A difficult year.
A moment when you genuinely question whether you should continue.
Over time, we have realised that entrepreneurship is not really about avoiding failure. It is about learning how to recover from it without losing the courage to keep moving.
For us, building a business often feels like climbing a mountain. You carry your own weight, along with the responsibilities you share with your partners, your team, and the company you are trying to build.
Some parts of the journey are smooth.
Some are steep.
And sometimes the fog becomes so thick that you cannot even see the summit anymore.
But of course, there is much more to entrepreneurship than these nine lessons.
What we've shared is simply a reflection of what we've learned along the way, not a formula for success.
The truth is, you have to experience it for yourself. To try, to make mistakes, to learn, and gradually discover your own combination of ideas, decisions, and ways of working.
Because ultimately, there is no single recipe for building a successful business.
You have to find your own.
Perhaps that is the hardest part.
Not knowing exactly how far you still have to go, yet finding the strength to keep believing in what you are building, even when you doubt yourself, and to keep moving forward with purpose, one step at a time.
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