June Recap: The Human Side of Architecture

Hello RCD readers!

I’m back and officially awake from my blogging hiatus. If you’ve ever wondered if a "quiet" month for a solo architect actually means less work—the answer is a resounding no! June has been a whirlwind of balancing the desk-heavy side of the business with the realities of being a solopreneur.

Here is the behind-the-scenes look at how this month unfolded.

The Tax Tangle: Lessons from the Desk

This month, my primary goal was tackling income taxes and getting my financial administration back into QuickBooks. Dealing with taxes for businesses definitely took some time to grasp. While I had my calculations ready by mid-March, I didn't actually fill out the online forms until the very end.

I’ll admit, I thought it would be easier than it was! It took me an entire day—and a lot of help from Google—to figure out exactly which numbers went where after getting it wrong a few times.

QuickBooks Rebound: After feeling like an "idiot" navigating the 2023 tax year, I decided to give QuickBooks another try. Managing multiple currencies here in Suriname can be brutal—creating separate cash and bank accounts for every currency, plus specific accounts for how clients choose to pay. It’s a lot of work. However, opening my 2022 folder and seeing everything in one clear report was so refreshing. It reminded me why this admin work matters:

• Performance Tracking: Seeing which services attract the most clients.

• Financial Health: Tracking how often I dip into savings to cover monthly expenses.

• Growth: Finally seeing if I actually made a profit and identifying my "slow season."

Marketing in Challenging Times

June is historically a slow month, and with external factors like waterfloods and economic struggles, finding clients ready to invest in their dream homes is tough.

I’ve had to refocus on what’s right in front of me: my actual potential clients. Some battles you win, some you lose, but the loyal ones? They are waiting until they have the funds for my services, which is a huge motivation.

Why I Don't "Wing It" with AI: I’ve realized that clients choose me more for who I am than for my portfolio. Because I am the face of RCD, I try to represent my character, ethics, morals, boundaries, and most importantly, my real work in every post. When I know my clients are saving up for my services, I can’t just rely on cliché, generic AI-generated promo content. They need to know the real me.

The Verdict on June

I’ll be honest—I’m not entirely proud of my time management this month. By using a money tracker app, I try to record my expenses and incomes weekly, but since June was slow, I ended up doing both the admin and the tax work in one marathon session yesterday. 👩‍💻🤣🙈

It was a lot of hours, but I’m back on schedule. Now, I’m turning my focus toward July. Keep watching my channels to see what I choose for next month’s content!

Until next time