Becoming the Best Small Business to Work For: An Interview with Alyse Makarewicz, President and Co-Founder of AMB Architects

AMB Architects team
Alyse Makarewicz, AIA, and some of the AMB Architects team

Alyse Makarewicz, AIA, is President of AMB Architects, a bootstrapped Commercial Interior Architecture consulting and design firm with nine employees. She is also a contributing author to the book Phenomenal Success Stories, released earlier this year. Alyse’s company has been named the Best Small Business to Work for in Houston, Texas, for the last four years and in this episode, it’s easy to see why. Keep scrolling to find show notes and more about Alyse and AMB Architects.

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Show notes:

1:07 – All about AMB Architects and the top accolades they’ve received in Houston

2:49 – What is “intentional culture,” what does it mean to Alyse?

4:43 – Flexibility in the workplace, how to maintain it and make it work for both employee and employer

5:50 – An example of what is possible in reconfiguring an employee’s role to help make their career work for them and their personal life

9:05 – Alyse’s history of hiring and management before she started her company and how her hiring process has changed since she started her business

10:40 – An example of how a bad hire can affect a team

11:18 – Alyse’s three-step hiring process

13:13 – What is a DiSC Assessment?

15:05 – Core values and mission at AMB Architects and how they are made real in the office and for clients

18:56 – What to do when you have an employee that you need to get out of the business as soon as possible

19:56 – When someone is struggling at work, how do you manage them?

22:04 – Alyse’s “Layer Cake” approach to hiring and management

23:06 – The biggest challenge Alyse is facing on the people side of the business

23:52 – Alyse is reading Intentional Living: Choosing a Life that Matters by John C. Maxwell and she recommends it

24:50 -What will AMB Architects look like in a year from now?

Connect with our guest:

AMB Architects: Twitter | Facebook

Alyse: Twitter | Linkedin