I have another interview to share with you today! I want to introduce you to sidepreneur Mike Riscica. Like with Tim Johnson, I met Mike in Nick Loper’s Mastermind. Mike works full-time for the City of Portland, he’s a licensed architect, and he also has a side business both running an architectural blog and making money on Amazon.
Let’s get to the questions and get the full details!
1. What is your day job and what is your side business?
During the day, I work as a Capital Improvement Project Manager for the City of Portland, Oregon. Different city agencies subcontract me to solve problems, around design and construction within their facilities. I play the role of the Owner, while I hire and oversee Architects, Engineers, and Contractors to design and build the project. It’s all creative problem solving. I sometimes think of it as shepherding construction projects through a very convoluted maze of design, governmental bureaucracy and lots of rules.
On the nights and weekends, I have started to build my own architecture practice: Michael Riscica Architecture. At the end of 2013, I became a licensed architect and immediately started taking small projects. I recently completed a 2,000–sf addition onto an existing house, as well as a hip new restaurant and have several other small projects.
As a result of getting my architecture license, I started a blog at YoungArchitect.com to share my story and provide resources for Architecture students and other Young Architects who are following the same path as myself. I shared many of my experiences from taking the Architect exam, resulting in becoming an accidental authority on the topic.
I recently self–published a 130–page eBook called How To Pass The Architecture Registration Exam. My book isn’t a technical book with 2+2=4 kinds of information to memorize. It took me several years to complete the Architectural Licensing process, and it was really important for me to share all the things I learned—how I did it and the many pitfalls that result in many people not finishing.
I also have a side business with Fulfillment by Amazon. I order products off the internet (computer stuff, baby supplies, toys, camping gear, cosmetics, etc.) at a wholesale cost and ship them to Amazon’s warehouse, where they become Amazon Prime Items. When the products sell, Amazon takes care of the shipping and customer service.
2. How did you choose your side business?
They really chose me. Architecture is my lifestyle, much more than a career or a job.
Since I had worked for other architects for such a long time, mentally I had felt like I deserved to be licensed by now with all my experience. This became the driving factor to me complete my licensing process. It only felt natural to start taking on my own projects.
Blogging and writing about architecture is very easy for me because I’m just amplifying what I am already talking or thinking about.
I have been actively selling things on Amazon and eBay for 15 years. The fact that Amazon can ship the product and handle the customer service was a game changer for me. I send them big boxes, instead of dealing with each item individually.
One reason why I work for the city is because I knew I could start building my architecture practice while still being employed. There is no conflict of interest between the work I am doing on the side and my day job. If I was still working at an firm, it would be complicated with me building my own brand.
3. How do you find time to work on your side business?
Oh, I dunno. I’m kind of a stereotypical Architect, as far as time management goes. I basically work Architect hours. As I write this, it is 4:30am on a Thursday morning, and I don’t have to be in the office until 8:30.
Working for the City of Portland, I never really work more than 40-45 hours a week. When I worked in the private architecture world, it was normal to regularly work 60–hour weeks.
I have several Assistants working virtually, who help me with various tasks—from proofreading blog content to maintaining my website and doing my bookkeeping. I am a very big fan of Fancy Hands. I even have a guy I work with in Italy who does 3D architectural renderings extremely fast and cheap.
Whenever time becomes an issue, I always back off the Amazon business. Amazon is just another job and is definitely not my passion in life. If it wasn’t for the money, I wouldn’t do it. I just happen to be good at it. I have always seen it as easy money or a low–hanging fruit. I try to keep Amazon at the bottom of my business totem pole.
Living in Portland, Oregon, the winters are really dark, cold, and wet. I use this time to buckle down and get a ton of work done. In the summer, the city is a never–ending party, and I definitely do not work as many hours as I do in the winter.
4. What’s working for you right now in growing your side business?
Face–to–face networking. I am constantly meeting with people, trying to understand who they are, why they do what they do, what their challenges are, and if or how I could help them. There are so many qualified people at my fingertips, but I always hire the people I like to work with, are fun and who I want to help succeed! Everyone who has hired me or supported me across all jobs and businesses has the same mindset. I truly believe that in our hyper–connected digital world, face–to–face human connection and personality is more important than ever.
Investing time into learning social media and the basics of SEO have been fundamental to growing the blog and connecting with the Young Architect audience.
By not being too invested in Amazon business, I have been able to create an efficient, streamlined process that seems to be working with growing profits.
5. What advice can you give someone that is thinking about starting a side business?
My advice is: Most advice usually validates the person giving it. Be careful who you take advice from.
I tend to have specialized mentors for all of the many areas of my life, and I often discount their advice about topics that fall outside their specialty that I admire them for. For example…I’ll disregard relationship advice from the brilliant Architect, who is approaching his 4th divorce.
