#36: In this episode, I sit down with Lance Cayko, Principal & Co-founder of F9 Productions, F12 Development, F14 Construction, and co-host of Inside the Firm, to tackle one of the biggest myths in architecture: “I need a portfolio in a new market before I can win work there.”
(
00:39) The common myth: “I need a case study project first”
(
01:11) How F9 Productions started with zero built work and modeled everything as if it were built
(
02:39) Why you don’t need all your principles figured out from day one
(
04:04) How to uncover and address client objections (and what Lance learned from his realtor wife)
(
06:01) The sales pitch that won F9 its first duplex project
(
07:21) Why reassuring clients about your process matters more than pretty pictures
(
09:34) F9’s evolution into F12 Development and F14 Construction
(
11:27) Getting comfortable saying “I don’t know” (and leaning on experts)
(
12:25) How strategic partnerships with contractors accelerate learning new typologies
(
13:23) Getting out of the architect silo to learn from other industries
(
15:41) The biggest myth: clients must “see it” before hiring you
(
16:11) Why you must find their real objection—not guess at it
(
18:07) Why forms don’t work for discovery (and what to do instead)
(
19:25) Commercial clients are emotional too—just about different risks
(
20:21) The key discovery question Lance asks every client: “Help me understand what’s driving this project”
(
22:14) Using client priorities as the through-line for proposals, negotiations, and delivery
(
24:04) How to mirror back priorities during fee discussions to overcome objections
(
28:06) Why active outreach beats internal “case study” projects when entering new markets
(
29:55) Learning from builders and developers—drop the ego and take them to lunch
(
31:17) “Luck” as an outcome of activity, not passivity
(
32:22) The Amazon HQ case study that went viral and led to real projects
(
34:07) The first step to breaking into a new market: conversations, not portfolios
(
37:32) Metrics that matter: proposal requests, win rate, and why >50% means you’re too cheap
(
40:00) Understanding why clients see you as “equal value” and how to differentiate
(
41:36) Matching your proposal format to the client’s mindset (numbers for developers)
(
43:37) Experiments that build trust—like tying your fee to hitting their timeline
(
45:11) Where to follow Lance, F9, Inside the Firm, and his 100K-subscriber fishing channel