National Small Business Week at The Greenhouse
The Greenhouse joins in the national effort to help America’s small businesses do what they do best – grow their business, create jobs, and ensure that our communities remain as vibrant tomorrow as they are today.
For National Small Business Week, we are excited to highlight entrepreneurs who own successful businesses, like Johanna Glinsboeckel the owner of G2 Design, LLC.
Meet Johanna Glinsboeckel with G2 Design Architecture
GH: Tell us a little about yourself and your business!
JG: My name is Johanna Glinsboeckel. I am one of the principal owners of G2 Design, LLC. My husband and partner, Eric Glinsboeckel is the other principal. I am a licensed architect in the State of Florida and a mom of twin 13-year-old boys who are my heart! Our firm is licensed in eight other states up the Eastern Seaboard. We love that architecture is a blend of creativity, science, and technology.
We primarily work on commercial projects. We’ve worked on a library, physical therapy rehabilitation clinics, multi-family housing, and other work currently on the boards. We occasionally take on residential projects and even some Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) as our time allows. We greatly enjoy working with our clients to creatively see their project vision realized. Additionally, we have loved seeing the evolution of technology in our industry. Both Eric and I started our careers hand drafting with pen on paper and now do all our work in 3D, including full-Virtual Reality (VR) project walk-throughs and 3D renderings. We do occasionally still sketch by hand, though!
GH: What was it like starting your business?
JG: We were motivated in 2009 as we saw the economic downturn begin to have a serious impact on our industry. Many of our architect friends were getting laid off. We wanted to continue to work in the industry we worked so hard to get into and realized we needed to shift and become nimbler than working for large firms would allow.
GH: What advice would you give to others who are looking to grow their business?
JG: Honestly, it was pretty terrifying but super exciting as well. The learning curve going from employee to owner is incredibly steep. I quickly realized how many additional hats business owners wear on a daily basis. Also, there is no “clocking out” at 5 PM. While we try very hard to maintain a healthy work/life balance, work discussions often come at hours well outside the standard 9 to 5.
GH: Why do you think National Small Business Week is important?
JG: Tenacity and creativity are crucial, as is continual learning. Marketing and promotion are industry and personality specific more than formulaic. Utilize your talents and strengths to help propel you. Also, build your team! Having advisors for areas we were still learning about (accounting) has been a big asset. I would also add that once you have found your passion, keep moving forward and remain creative, solving any problems you face.
GH: What are your future goals/plans for your business?
JG: Our goal is to continue bringing great design solutions to our clients and we believe that these exist outside of a specific socio-economic threshold. Good design belongs to everyone; a thoughtful space can be 500 square feet or 50,000 square feet. We plan to continue growing our firm, broadening our portfolio of work in the future.
MORE ABOUT G2 DESIGN ARCHITECTURE
g2darchitecture.com/contact
727-280-6234