The True Meaning of an Architect with David Supple

0:01Light that spark fire nation JLD here and welcome to entrepreneurs on fire brought to you by the a HubSpot podcast network with great shows like CEO School. Today, we'll be breaking down the true meaning of an architect. To drop these value bombs, I are brought to David Supple and to EO Fire Studios. David is the CEO of NEDC in Boston, architects who build and lift spirits with spaces. He is an author and a humanitarian on a mission to unite those that create the built movement. And today, for our nation, we'll talk about the true meaning of an architect. We'll talk about why that's not what an architect is today.

0:36we'll talk about bucking the status quo and so much more and a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to David and our sponsors many EO Fire listeners have launched franchises in a variety of industries outside of food and Fran Bridge Consulting has guided them to these premier opportunities the founder John Ostenson has done more placements than any other in the country sign up for a free consultation with John or get a free copy of his book non-food franchising at franbridgeconsulting.com. Outbound Squad, hosted by Jason Bay, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

1:15Tune in for convos with leading sales experts and top performing reps to help you land more meetings with your ideal clients. One of my faves, the monthly app with Jason and Ethan, where they share hacks, tips, and tricks. Listen to Outbound Squad wherever you get your podcasts. David, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. Hello, Fire Nation. Honored to be on here with you. And for me, I would say in success, you want to be successful, but the achievement of that is gained through helping people. And if you can look at not necessarily how can I be successful, which the question kind of makes you makes you look at, but how can you help others and look at this win-win-win proposition and where you are providing value, which you talk a lot about.

2:14And it goes also into the scarcity versus abundance mindset. Fire Nation, we're talking about the true meaning of an architect. This is an interesting topic, one that we don't touch upon very often here at Entrepreneurs on Fire. So I think it's going to be a great conversation with a very interesting theme. And I want to talk first and foremost about the true meaning of an architect. What is that true meaning, David? Well, unbeknownst to most, you have an architect today and a builder. But the word architect, if you go back to its derivation, goes back to antiquity and to ancient Greek times. And it means master builder.

2:59Arky is chief or master, and Tekton is builder or carpenter, and it meant master builder. And you would become an architect by going up through the trades. Like today, you still have a master electrician, a master plumber. You start off as an apprentice. You're then a journeyman. And then once you are a master, you can turn around and design and direct the work. And that is where the word came from. And that held true for millennia throughout history. The architect was always just the best builder. I find that very interesting because I don't think a lot of people would really go down to the core of what that means, understand where it came from.

3:43And I love that word derivation. It actually might be the first of 3 ,800 plus episodes of that word's made in appearance and entrepreneurs on fire. So it's long overdue, David, but it was aptly used. And antiquity as well. I love those two words, but I'm kind of really enjoying getting down to the core of this true meaning of an architect. And I'm just, I'm kind of curious as we continue to flesh this out, is that why has that true meaning like not really lived up to what an architect is today? Yeah, yeah. Well, I've done a deep dive into this topic. And just to preface it with how I became aware of this is I went to school to be an architect.

4:29I got out of school. And I tell folks, it's like going to school to be a chef, but you never cooked anything in your life. But now your job is to turn around and tell folks what to build or what to cook and how to cook it. Like, that's the analogy for being an architect in the way one is trained today. And I felt completely deficient, insecure. And so I started to look into this. I figured out, oh, the derivation of the word is master builder. That hit me like a ton of bricks. I looked into it further. And up until the mid-1800s, the architect built. And at that time, if you look up in an English dictionary, if you look up architect and builder, they are synonyms.

5:13They use the other word to define the other one. And what happened is at that time, a group of the best builders, architects, same thing at that time, was trying to solve the problem of how they could raise their social status. At that time, there was this status called a gentleman. It came from England. It was in their census. It wasn't just an adjective for a nice guy. It was in their census as a thing you hit. And per the definition of a gentleman, you could not partake in manual labor, physical labor. And so the way they solved this was to create the American Institute of Architects. And they changed the rules of the game.

5:53It was really a PR play to raise their status, to be at the same level of their best clients. And so that is really how it started. They then got it, the education of an architect switched from an apprenticeship system to a university curriculum. And then cyclically, you know, through generations, there was more of a disconnect, more of a disconnect, more of a disconnect until you had guys like me and gals like me coming out and being like, I have no idea what I'm doing. And, and so, and, and also societally is not aware of this? It's like, oh yeah, the architect and builder, it's been made to appear like they've always been separated.

6:41If you go back to ancient Greek times, we'll talk about it now like there was an architect and a builder. That's because the same institutions that put out this new curriculum are also the ones writing the history books. And so they've made it appear like they've always been separated, but that is not true. Now, as I'm hearing you talk about this, It really feels like there's this changing of the guard. And my question to you is, does this changing of the guard matter? Is it going to have an impact? And if so, what? It makes a huge difference. Incredible. Like more than we know, really. And it's actually an inevitability because you see technology advancing now.

7:26You can 3D print a building. You have AI that's starting to design. And as technology advances, the integration, like where did the design stop? What click of the button did the design stop and the construction start? Like this integration is coming together regardless, just naturally because it inherently makes sense. And so correcting our history and putting that – giving society awareness of that is really important because it just will bring that upon faster and the progress it brings. If you have anything to do with design or construction in this industry, it is adversarial. It is segregated on many levels.

8:21And that is from the setup of it. And it is not natural. And I could talk a long time about how that it does not benefit anybody. It doesn't benefit the architect, the builder, and most importantly, the client who is left in between these two professionals where both are responsible, but neither is really. And so the change is really embracing accountability and providing that for the client. And the real difference is in the experience, which is not as tangible as the end product, which you see and experience. But that experience throughout the process is completely different when you do have the integration of the architect and builder.

9:13And it does make a better product as well. think it's really interesting that you brought up AI and it's just amazing how artificial intelligence is literally currently touching and continue to even become more enmeshed in everything that we do. I mean, from podcasting to design, to all forms of media, to, you know, I mean, just anything that decision we're going to make content, we're going to, I mean, it's just crazy the amount of impact and the reach that AI is going to have. And people that aren't willing to embrace this are on the forefront of this. They're really going to be in an interesting situation coming up in the next one, five, 10 years.

9:54And this is one of those things that's not going to come slowly. It's like this exponential speed compounding effect that just comes at you faster and faster and faster. So we're going to be talking about bucking the status quo and uniting people that are creating the built movement and so much more when we get back from thanking our sponsors. I still can't believe Kate and I met as neighbors almost 13 years ago. We were incredibly lucky to find ourselves sharing a wall, both of us driven individuals who share the same values because I know that can be tough to find. If you're a busy, successful professional looking for a partner who shares your drive and values and your neighbor isn't quite your perfect match, then Elite Singles is the perfect dating platform for you.

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11:51500 franchisor and a multi-brand franchisee, and he does more placements than any other in the country. Sign up for a free consultation call with John today, or get a free copy of his book, non-food franchising at franbridgeconsulting.com. That's franbridgeconsulting.com. Tech is great. It can help us grow and scale our businesses in so many ways, but it can also be clunky, time-consuming to manage, and expensive. That's why I'm excited to introduce you to HubSpot CRM, the best platform to speed up your sales and scale your business without blowing your budget. HubSpot's all-in-one CRM helps you automate tedious tasks, keep track of all your deals in one place, and make sure your whole team has access to the same data.

12:36No need to worry about the management and cost of a massive tech stack. HubSpot gives you everything you need all in one place. Plus, with fast activation, HubSpot makes it easy for the entire team to get up to speed, saving you precious time. And best of all, you can try before you buy. No commitment, no hidden fees. Not even a credit card is needed to sign up. Get started for free at HubSpot.com. That's HubSpot.com. David, we're back. And I mentioned this in the intro, but I want to kind of dive a little bit deeper into it now, which is you are on a mission to unite those individuals that are creating the built environment.

13:13Tell us more. Yeah. I mean, I'm really just the way it's set up currently, educationally, I'm in Boston. We have some of the most prestigious and best educational institutions in the world. And if you are going to school, say, for construction management, you'll be in the same school as those going to school for architecture or engineering. But there's no cross-pollination, totally different locations, curriculums, professors. There's no integration, although the built environment is based on these different professionals working together to serve the client. So it actually makes no sense whatsoever.

13:53And if you understand why it was set up that way, which was for the wrong reasons, for social status, it makes it all the more powerful and logical to change it, to make it integrated. And that's really where it's going to start with is the education because we are grooming in this adversarialness and this segregated setup. It's being taught and then we wonder why it's like that in the industry. Design build as a word is kind of the name of bringing these things together. and um but i i'm really looking at it for more of an educational base of hey let's look at this history of how this occurred the other thing these gentlemen did is which i have just uh published my first book on it's called classical architectures african roots is what they knew to be true and and what was pretty much common knowledge before the 1800s is that the greeks and the Romans got it from Africa, from Egypt, in terms of classical architecture.

15:09Classical architecture is the most popular and most influential style of architecture throughout history. And in our textbooks today, it's presented as a just kind of spraying up in Greece, and then the Romans perfected it. But my book shows definitively and conclusively, visually with buildings that still stay in today that have the truth has somehow lay hidden despite that that it came from africa and these gentlemen who changed the history books to make it appear that the architect and the builder were separated throughout time to raise their social status because it benefited them also changed the history books to deny africa's legacy of classical architecture because it did not suit their ends.

16:02They wanted to be positioned with Europe as opposed to Africa. Some of them owned slaves. And so this truth is really going to turn the tide and make people understand that this status quo that we have today is really not the right way. And we really need to get back to the inherently natural approach to building, which is to have these things connected, just like the chef who's never cooked before. It doesn't make sense. And so it's really first and foremost educating folks and really from a society level because the industry is so set in its ways. I really appreciate the opportunity to make this known to a broader audience because that's what's going to change it.

16:55And then the industry will change. This is all fascinating stuff. And one thing that you did, obviously, while you were going deep on this research, is you gained a lot of knowledge on these topics and these things. You just shared some of that with us now. But you've actually used this knowledge to actually buck the status quo. And you've told us a little bit about this already, but I want to dive even deeper. What does that look like, you using this knowledge, bucking that status quo? Yeah. So I own New England Design and Construction. 2005, I started this firm really with the intention to continue to fill the void I had in hands-on building.

17:39I worked as an architect for a while. I came to this epiphany like, I don't know what I'm doing. I then worked as a carpenter to fill that void. I got fired. And I started this company really to continue to learn and gradually have built it up. But always with this integrated approach, always with embracing accountability for the client, taking full responsibility for the outcome, good or bad. And so in that way, we've tried to set an example in this connected approach to building. And so design build is becoming very, very popular now. It's almost like a catchphrase that you almost need to watch out, like really look at the firm and what they're composed of and what their ethos is and what have you.

18:36But for me, it's about setting an example for this methodology and the outcome and the experience, the superior experience that it provides. So how can Fire Nation learn from everything that we've been talking about here today? I mean, we have a lot of entrepreneurs, small business owners, individuals that are looking to build brick and mortar businesses, that are looking to look at and find niches and become the number one solution to real problems. What do you want our listeners to really get from this conversation? Yeah, I think there is a lesson there that is applicable to all sectors or industries.

19:16And that is, if I look at how I, you know, discovered, made these discoveries is I just didn't make sense to me. I saw something in my industry that didn't make sense to me. And instead of just going on and putting some excuse there of like, oh, whatever, that's just the way it is. And I'll just, you know, I'll just pretend, you know, I really questioned it. And I didn't accept. And I pulled the string. And then I got to a place. And I kept pulling until I got to the bottom of it. And from that, I was left with a more fundamental understanding of my profession and what the right way to go about it is.

19:57And I think there's likely lessons there and things that have just been accepted over time as the way it is that if one really evaluates may not make that much sense. And so I would encourage you to dig in and uncover until you have a satisfactory answer. Now, speaking of digging in, you wrote a book. You've mentioned it briefly, but I want to talk a little bit more about this. What is this book? What's the concept behind it? You know, I stumbled upon this. Like I said, I was very much interested in this separation of the architect and builder and documenting that. And in my research, I stumbled upon what may have a bigger impact and effect on the world, which is this point of the denial of the true origin of classical architecture.

20:56And, you know, you may not know anything about architecture, but if you were to go outside, you'll see this style everywhere. It has impacted every style. And the true source of it was Africa. And I found the gentleman who started to purport history in a certain way, they knew it to be true and started to change the history books to suit their ends of being affiliated with Europe instead of Africa. And so the book is a really, first and foremost, a picture book. And I'm putting it out for free as a free flip book online because I want the information out. I think this will really have profound and powerful implications worldwide because when you're done with this book and it's, it is, you know, see for yourself.

21:54I made it a picture book so you can see for yourself. It's free to make it as accessible and shareable as possible. But when you're done with this book, you will be left with the question of like, oh, my gosh, this definitely came from that. And how come I don't already know that? And so it sets up to continue the story and answer that question. And I will get to kind of back to where I was started from, which is this reintegration of our industry for the benefit of the world. But I'm starting with this piece of truth to really wake folks up to the fact that, oh my gosh, we have been duped. We have not been given the truth.

22:41What's in our encyclopedias on this topic? I can visually see is not true. And let's talk about that reintegration. What exactly does that look like? Take us home on that topic. Providing a foundation where everybody starts with the fundamentals that are needed and then can progress into specialties, whether that be design or the construction side. There's also a parallel of today, I believe it is black people comprise about 15 % of the population, but only 2 % are architects. And so that's part of the book, purpose of the book is to put the legacy there that the black community rightfully has.

23:34It is theirs and it has been denied. And I think that will be a very powerful thing. I also, because this is the low-hanging fruit, because it is visual, I don't have, you don't have to read anything. You can just look at the pictures and read the captions and you will come away with this. It opens the door to, oh my gosh, what else has been denied? And in other topics. Even on this topic, I mean, as we talked about pre-interview, you're half Puerto Rican. So we got to talk about the Latino inclusion as well. Oh, it's really been a Eurocentric Western. And, you know, it's not to minimize those contributions, but it was it was set.

24:20It was what I see is that it was put out that way for a certain agenda, which isn't necessarily aligned with the truth. And so all I'm asking for folks to do is look. And I think it's going to give folks a higher level of understanding of how we got to where we are today. I know for me, when I thought of Africa growing up, I thought of impoverished people in poor settings. And in reality, that civilization is responsible for the West's advancements and achievements. And it's really increased my awareness that there is one race. It is the human race and that we have so much more in common along those lines than we do apart.

25:19And the divisiveness and polarization that we are left with today is really from the misinformation. nation. And so, you know, I hope this has a profound effect and inspires folks to look and, you know, not settle with what the status quo is because it's not necessarily, it's what, I heard a definition of the history that history is what happened or what might have happened. It might've been what might've happened and we can get to a higher level of what actually did occur. Well, David, I can tell you Fire Nation does not settle for the status quo. So you were talking to the right people for sure.

26:01And give us just one key takeaway from our entire conversation today, how we can connect with you, any call to action you may have, then we'll say goodbye. I would encourage you to look and see what you see and have integrity in that. I'd love for you to download and view for yourself my free book. You can purchase it on Amazon as well, but if you go to designrootsafrica.com, designrootsafrica.com, you can get it for free. And it's actually better because I made it so clickable and there's a lot of neat features that you don't have with the print book in that. And I'm on Instagram, David Muniz Supple, M-U-N-I-Z, that's the Puerto Rican.

26:49Aspect of my name, David, M-U-N-I-Z, Muniz, Supple, S-U-P-P-L-E. That's pretty much where I am on LinkedIn, Instagram, all the social media platforms. Fire Nation, you're the average. Of the five people you spend the most time with, you've been hanging out with D-S and J-L-D today. So keep up that heat. If you have any direct questions for David, go to EOFire.com. Type David in the search bar. The show notes page will pop right up with links to everything that we've talked about here today, ways to contact and connect. And of course, his book and Instagram and LinkedIn and all that jazz. David, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today.

27:31For that, we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you, sir. Thank you for all you do. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and David for sponsoring today's episode. And Fire Nation, over the last decade, I've interviewed more than 3 ,000 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, and I've created a revolutionary 17-step roadmap to your financial freedom and fulfillment. I put it all into my first traditionally published book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, personally endorsed by Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk. The Common Path to Uncommon Success is the step-by-step guidance that you need to achieve the lifestyle of your dreams.

28:07Visit UncommonSuccessBook.com. Order your copy and I'll catch you there or I'll catch you on the flip side. Many EO Fire listeners have launched franchises in a variety of industries outside of food and Fran Bridge Consulting has guided them to these premier opportunities. The founder, John Ostenson, has done more placements than any other in the country. Sign up for a free consultation with John or get a free copy of his book, Non-Food Franchising, at FranBridgeConsulting.com. Outbound Squad, hosted by Jason Bay, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

28:46Tune in for convos with leading sales experts and top performing reps to help you land more meetings with your ideal clients. One of my faves, the monthly app with Jason and Ethan, where they share hacks, tips, and tricks. Listen to Outbound Squad, wherever you get your podcasts.