Kevin Crawford grew up inside his dad’s architecture practice in Montrose, starting on the photocopier at 14 and eventually leading the firm through a major transition to 100% employee ownership. Today he runs Designing Success, helping architecture practice owners reclaim time, build stronger teams and design businesses that support their lives, not the other way round.

Episode Summary

What happens when your family name is above the door, the business runs on your shoulders, and your body finally says “enough”? In this conversation, Kevin Crawford shares the inside story of growing up in a family architecture firm, feeling trapped by legacy and responsibility, and the back injury that forced him to stop working 24/7 and redesign everything.

Kevin unpacks how Crawford Architecture went from a traditional family-owned practice to a 100% employee-owned firm, why that decision protected both his dad’s legacy and his team’s future, and what it really takes to let go of control without walking away. He talks candidly about resentment, cashflow panic, missed family moments and the loneliness of being “the one” holding it all together – and the systems, mentors and mindset shifts that finally gave him freedom.

If you’re a founder, family business owner or practice leader who’s ever wondered how to share ownership, protect your health and still move forward boldly, this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn

• How starting in a business at 14 shaped Kevin’s approach to leadership and legacy.
• Why “just work harder” stopped working – and the back injury that changed everything.
• The real emotional pressure of having your family name above the door.
• How to think about succession planning years before retirement, not at the last minute.
• What an Employee Ownership Trust actually is – and why Crawford chose 100% employee ownership.
• The shift from reactive firefighting to data-driven resourcing, revenue targets and one- and three-year plans.
• How founders can move from “doing everything” to building a team around their unique strengths.
• The role of mentors, retreats and communities in breaking the isolation of practice leadership.
• Why investing in your own health, wealth and self-development is a commercial decision, not a luxury.
• How AI, systems and the Pilotes app are helping practices win back 7–10 hours a week.

Memorable Lines

• “I thought the answer was to go in at 4am and leave at midnight. My back proved me wrong.”
• “For years I woke up thinking, ‘I don’t have time.’ Now my job is to design time.”
• “Succession isn’t ‘one day when I retire’ – it’s a strategy for everybody’s future, including your family’s.”
• “Owning 100% of the shares but 0% of your time is not freedom.”
• “You can’t market well if you don’t even know which projects are actually good for you.”

Guest Picks

• Books
• Traction – Gino Wickman
• Always Free: How to become financially free to live an inspired life – Jason Graystone
• Music
• “Caledonia” – the lyric “my way is clear and I know what I’ll do tomorrow” as a reminder to keep going with conviction.
• Tool / Framework
• Tiers of Freedom programme – Jason Graystone’s framework for financial, time and mental...