Planning November 2016
Private Practice Stories
What it takes to work on the other side of the desk.
By Deborah L. Myerson
For the majority of APA members who work in government posts, the prospect of private practice planning can be intriguing. What does it take to work in the private side of planning? Is working in consulting or the nonprofit world really that different from the public sector?
Whether you're starting from scratch as a new planner or contemplating a move, it pays to know a little bit about what to expect.
My own career path launched me straight into private practice. Fresh out of Cornell's planning program in the late 1990s, I started in Washington, D.C., as a program associate at Scenic America, navigating the intersection of transportation impacts on land use and providing technical assistance for the National Scenic Byways Program.
After several years there, I landed at another nonprofit, this time in the land-use policy group for the Urban Land Institute, where I worked closely with the membership of real estate developers.
Cheryl Matheny, FAICP
'Set specific goals and develop a mission statement.'
It was actually my dream in planning school to become a consultant, but things took off in a different direction after graduation, when I was hired as the county planner for Lexington County, South Carolina. Gloria and I became friends during her internship at Lexington County and we talked for years about starting our own consulting firm. We both love the nuts and bolts of planning and resource development (grants). Finally, both of our husbands encouraged us to stop talking about it and do it — so we did. We hit the ground running and haven't looked back.
Set specific goals and develop a mission statement — determine what you want to do and how you want to do it. A major goal for us was to work with people that we enjoy working with, something that we have done throughout our 18 years of private practice, and it has made all the difference.
The projects that we have enjoyed the most and that have been the most gratifying are the ones that have had tangible impacts on groups that are in the most need of help.
Gloria's expertise in grant writing and resource development has enabled us to participate in a number of projects that are making a difference.
Recently we helped Huntsville Utilities develop a successful proposal to the TVA [Tennessee Valley Authority] that resulted in an award of $11.7 million to provide energy retrofits for 585 low-income families in Huntsville, Alabama.
Get as much experience in the public sector as you can, specifically in the areas in which you want to practice. Anyone who goes into private practice needs to have experience in doing the kinds of things that you are telling people to do. We become an extension of staff.
Become active in the planning community, especially with your state APA chapter. Gloria and I both have been very active in APA South Carolina and both served as chapter president, but we started participating early in our careers. We had no idea at that time how much it would help us in our move to the private sector.
About the Author
Cheryl Matheny, FAICP
Jamil Sheikh, AICP, AIA, NCARB
'Just do it.'
I left my job with the city of New York a year ago to go into my own practice. Although the city job provided me with an opportunity to work on very large development projects, I thought I had reached a static state and it was time for a change. The best advice I can give: "Just do it." Experience in planning in the public sector is easily transferable to the private sector.
Of course, there are challenges and obstacles to overcome. One has to start thinking as a private business and as a CEO one has to wear many hats, e. g., sales and marketing, design and production, and capital financing — skills that are not always required working in the public sector. I am developing them out of necessity. I learned that the analytical and problem-solving skills planners have — to think holistically and conceptually — are very useful whether working for the government or working as a planning consultant.
One has to be ready, willing, and able to give up the security of a regular paycheck, and for some people it is difficult. However, without risk, there is no reward.
About the Author
Jamil Sheikh, AICP, AIA, NCARB
Anne F. McBride, FAICP
'Pick your partners carefully.'
I became a planner in the private sector in 1981 because I wanted to be a part of creating projects that were really shaping how our communities develop. I wanted to be that "bridge" between the developer community and the public planning/zoning office that helped the developer understand why regulations are needed but also effectively represent the developer's case to the community for consideration.
I would urge planners looking to grow their firms to take classes from the local office of the chamber of commerce or the Small Business Administration to learn the business end of things. There are so many issues dealing with taxes, various types of insurance, payroll issues, etc., that having more guidance earlier would have been very helpful.
Employees are your biggest investment and your largest asset. It's important to offer them educational opportunities and keep them motivated.
My biggest piece of advice: Pick your partners carefully. As our attorney told my partner and me when we started out in 1999: "It's easier to get rid of a spouse than a business partner." And make sure there is a clear assignment of the tasks required to run a small business to make sure there are not too many cooks but things are getting done.
About the Author
Anne F. McBride, FAICP
Breanne Rothstein, AICP
'Instead of seeing other planning firms as competitors, view them as partners. They need you just as much as you might need them.'
I took a risk leaving the public sector after seven years for an opportunity to grow the community planning and economic development service offerings at WSB. I saw the private sector as a chance to work with a variety of clients working on many different types of projects.
There is nothing more exciting and rewarding than proposing a unique and customized approach for a project, having a client choose your team, and then getting to implement it. I will never forget the first project where the client selected our proposal through a competitive process. It was for a neighborhood plan for my hometown, Minneapolis. As a longtime neighborhood volunteer, it was like "coming home" to get to work on a neighborhood plan.
We have very little hierarchy at WSB, with a handful of managers for nearly 400 employees. This means that there are lot of people who are [managing others] and [taking] opportunities to lead without the official title. It offers a rewarding opportunity to be innovative and influence the direction of the company. Private practice is different and a little risky, but with risk is the potential for great reward.
Smaller firms should look at how to build coalitions with bigger firms, especially if you are a DBE/ TGB [Disadvantaged Business Enterprise/Targeted Group Business]. Instead of seeing other planning firms as competitors, view them as partners. They need you just as much as you might need them. At WSB, we have developed strong relationships with sole proprietors to provide specialty services and unique approaches that are advantageous to the clients as well as the consultants.
At WSB, I am able to participate in the company's Mentor Match Up program with women in the engineering, planning, and business fields. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to contribute to the development and implementation of a generous paid maternity leave policy and flexible work schedules.
Being part of the APA Planning and Women Division as well as the Private Practice Division has fostered and encouraged my development as a woman in the private sector by providing camaraderie with other private-sector women planners and training/skill-building opportunities.
I feel like there is a lot of opportunity to learn and be challenged. I love getting proposals and winning. I think I have found where I belong.
About the Author
Breanne Rothstein, AICP
Bob Barber, FAICP
'I love being my own boss. But I work much longer hours in the private sector than in the public sector.'
Private practice has been exceptionally rewarding for me, although in a very different way than my public career. In the public sector, compensation is essentially the same from month to month regardless of the number of night meetings, days away for vacation or illness, or overall effort in general. On the private side, however, there is no paid vacation and there is no compensation for down time. For me, while I am a fairly disciplined person, it did require a more precise work discipline to ensure productivity and a paycheck.
It is an incredible satisfaction as a planner to facilitate community vision, help strategize a path to achieve that vision and then witness positive results for a community as the outcomes accumulate.
It is important to continually refine expertise and methods. The rapid pace of change in the profession and issues on which we must consult continually shift. Remaining current is critical.
There's also an element of serving in noncompensated ways, involving APA chapter service, sponsoring conferences, speaking when invited, providing pro bono services when appropriate. Not always seeking work, also giving back.
A challenge for me is disengaging from a community after the conclusion of a project. Creating working partnerships with a community, generating new friendships, vesting oneself in a vision and a better future for a city are not easy things to withdraw from. In the public sector, you could be involved in the project for years. As a consultant, you are hired for a specific task and then you are done.
I have absolutely loved having business partners, and we have created a strong collaborative partnership. There is no substitute for the mutual support, synergy, and creativity that emerges from a solid partnership of talented individuals.
The lesson is to create a team and collaborate well, whether by formal partnership or informal teaming. Increases in work quality and capacity will inevitably lead to growth. I have a dear friend who likes to say that the reward for good work is more work. We have found it to be true.
About the Author
Bob Barber, FAICP
John Steinmetz, AICP
'It is important to continually refine expertise and methods. The rapid pace of change in the profession and issues on which we must consult continually shift. Remaining current is critical.'
I enjoyed working for the city of Rochester to address a wide range of urban issues, but I am also passionate about small community and rural planning. Consulting gives me the opportunity to work a wider variety of projects.
Also, advancement in [the public sector or a larger firm] was based upon someone else's perception of your value. I guess this doesn't appeal to me. I wanted my value determined by the work I could get and do well.
One of the benefits to my early practice on my own was I could work from home. That ensured that my wife and I could raise our kids. We are empty nesters now — so, goal accomplished. I love being my own boss. But I work much longer hours in the private sector than in the public sector. It's not that my colleagues at City Hall and I didn't work hard in the public sector, but the weeks are definitely longer as a consultant.
There is a learning curve to understanding the business side of consulting. You have to want to get good at planning and business. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you can't control your success.
For example, around 2010 the work in our area really dried up. There was a time where there were only one or two RFPs issued over a six-month period. Cash flow was awful and I thought I might end up as a greeter at Walmart.
If you can't live without a paycheck, don't go into consulting on your own.
About the Author
John Steinmetz, AICP
Deborah L. Myerson is a planning consultant based in Bloomington, Indiana. She has been a member of the APA Private Practice Division since 2006, including the last four years as chair.