A Story and Free “Firm Fitness Plan” to Inspire A New Year's Resolution for Architects

When I was 13 or 14, I watched Downhill Racer, the movie where Robert Redford plays a self-centered skier chasing Olympic glory. There’s a scene I still remember vividly—he decides to get back into shape, and suddenly, there’s this montage: sit-ups, push-ups, running. A few months of super intensity, and—boom—he’s back, winning races. At 14, that scene lit a fire in me. I thought, “I’ll go super intense and turn my cricket results around too!”

Here’s what I’ve learned since then:

That scene is “fake news.”

Bouts of super intensity don’t make you a champion—in sport or business. They just get you injured, burnt out, or back where you started.

Real success—whether it’s cricket, business, or life—comes from doing the right things, consistently, over time. It’s about habits, not heroics.

How this applies to your design firm

You can’t market like an Olympic skier for two months and expect dream projects to line up at your door, prepared to wait for you.

A successful design firm doesn’t rely on motivation or “intensity bursts.” It relies on marketing habits—the right actions done consistently, week after week.

I want to share a planner that SIX members use to install these habits. We call it the firm’s “marketing fitness plan”.

• What are the right activities to be doing?
• How often should I be doing them?
• Who can help me do these things or improve them?
• How do I track progress?
• When do I stop doing what doesn’t work?

Like building fitness, it’s not glamorous, but it works.

My mindset on consistency: Playing sport at 50

Let me give you a personal example.

I’m 57 years old, and I play in the top local cricket team in Wanaka, a small village in Central Otago. I’m 40 years older than some of the younger players.

Six months ago, I wasn’t dominating anyone. I was bowling “OK”—nothing special. But here’s what I’ve been doing since then:

• I show up to every practice. No exceptions.
• I’ve been in the gym consistently for 3 years.
• I started running and hiking 6 years ago.
• I added mobility exercises 3 months ago (game-changer, by the way).
• I visualize my batting for 10 minutes every day. No ball. Just me imagining and feeling the shot.

And here’s the magic of consistency: no single day has transformed me. No single moment made me the “best bowler on the field” last weekend.

But every day, I’ve gotten a little better. Each week, I feel stronger, faster, and sharper. I’m improving while others stay the same. I get satisfaction from the progress, not just the results.

I’m the tortoise.

And the tortoise wins.

Slow and steady wins in business too

If you’re trying to get better results from your design firm—winning dream projects, raising fees, and enjoying the work—you need a tortoise mindset.

Short bursts of motivation won’t cut it.

Design “your firm's fitness plan” to achieve a strong New Year's resolution for architects

You need the right habits, installed for the long haul.
Like your firm’s fitness plan.

• The right marketing activities to focus on.
• Tools to track and measure progress.
• Simple systems to make sure the right habits stick.

Stop relying on “sprints” and start winning like the tortoise.

The tortoise wins. Always.

New Year's Resolution for Architects:
Special, Free Tool to Get Organized

I know habits aren’t sexy, but they’re powerful. They’ve made me a better cricketer at 57, and they’ll make you a better business owner, too. A lot of the tools in the Step By Step Google document are charts for tracking your consistent progress.

Request to become a member of our private Facebook group at archmarketing.org/facebook where you'll gain access to the doc to consistently track your progress.

Are you a tortoise too? Let me know your story in the group or the comments below.