Sign up free Log In

Making the Leap: From Architecture Firms to Knowledge Management Software Founder

featured image

Chris Parsons of Knowledge Architecture talks about how to minimize the financial risk when you leave salaried work, and why you don't need to be a big risk-taker to be a successful business owner. 

In our fourth episode of “Making the Leap to Entrepreneurship,” EIX’s Cathy Buday interviews Christopher Parsons, founder of Knowledge Architecture, a firm that develops solutions for the architecture, engineering and construction industry.  Parsons founded his business after eight years of salaried work, and he said that observing a 60-year-old crying at work after learning he was being laid off had a big impact on him.  

"There's a risk in entrepreneurship," he says, "but there's a greater risk working for someone else. Good entrepreneurs are highly attuned to risk but they look into de-risking as much as possible...Before making the leap, check the winds, and make sure you have wings and a backup parachute that works."

Parsons talks about how he prepared to pull the plug and the steps he took to minimize the risks. For example, he lived frugally so he could cut back to part-time while he developed plans for Knowledge Architecture; his old company gave him contract work when he launched; and he hired people who were willing to forgo immediate financial awards for a longer-term payoff. 

He also debunks a few myths – including that getting venture capital should be the Holy Grail for founders.

 

Explore the entire "Making the Leap" series


Catherine Buday
Catherine Buday
Managing Editor / EIX and FamilyBusiness.org
View Profile

Cite this Article

DOI: 10.32617/1171-677c1ee84746e
Buday, C. (2025, January 6). Making the leap: from architecture firms to knowledge management software founder. Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange. Retrieved April 3, 2025, from https://eiexchange.com/content/making-the-leap-from-architecture-firms-to-knowledge-management
Buday, Catherine. "Making the Leap: From Architecture Firms to Knowledge Management Software Founder" Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange. 6 Jan. 2025. Web 3 Apr. 2025 <https://eiexchange.com/content/making-the-leap-from-architecture-firms-to-knowledge-management>.

Comments

There are no more comments for this resource.

Editor's Pick

All Picks|

Editors' Picks are resources that our editors think are worthy of sharing. Check out all picks, or use the refresh button in the upper right to see another pick below.

Becoming the Best: A Journey of Passion, Purpose, and Perseverance

Richard M. Schulze. Idea Platforms, 2011

Best Buy Founder Dick Schulze was once asked if he ever thought about closing Best Buy if it did not meet certain benchmarks for financial returns. Schulze responded with relaxed confidence: "No, there was never a point I would have thrown in the towel; failure was not an option." That quote explains much of what is to be learned from Schulze's book.

James C Wetherbe
Connect with us
on LinkedIn
Connect