I studied to be an architect. And I find tremendous similarities

“I studied to be an architect. And I find tremendous similarities between building a company and the design process. Businesses have to do their planning on the fly in a fashion similar to an architect sketching.” Thus spoke John Katzman, an innovator and builder of enterprises, a man who saw in the art of architecture not only the design of buildings but the design of dreams. His words reveal a truth known to all creators across time—that the act of building, whether of stone or of vision, demands both structure and spontaneity, both discipline and imagination. The architect and the entrepreneur are bound by the same spirit: they are dreamers who must also master reality, shaping the unseen into form, and the possible into being.

The origin of this quote lies in Katzman’s dual life as both a scholar of architecture and a founder of companies. He understood that the essence of creation—whether it manifests as a cathedral or a corporation—is a dialogue between order and chaos. The architect sketches his first ideas on paper, knowing that these sketches will evolve, change, and adapt to unforeseen conditions. So too must the entrepreneur plan his business not in rigid certainty, but in fluid adaptation. Both must learn to design in motion—to dream while building, to correct while creating, and to balance idealism with the demands of reality.

In the ancient world, the same truth was known to the builders of civilizations. Consider the architects of the Pyramids of Egypt. They began with visions of eternity carved into their minds, yet their plans were not perfect from the start. As they worked, they adjusted their structures stone by stone, learning from weight, from wind, from failure. Their design process was living, breathing, and responsive. Katzman’s vision of entrepreneurship mirrors this same truth: that great creation is never born from a finished plan, but from an evolving one. The blueprint is not a prison; it is a guide for discovery.

The heart of Katzman’s wisdom lies in this idea: that planning and improvisation are not enemies but companions. The architect may begin with lines drawn in ink, but those lines must yield to the realities of ground and gravity. Likewise, the founder may dream of markets and models, but must adapt to the forces of people, time, and chance. To build something enduring, one must possess the humility to change the sketch—to erase, redraw, and rebuild without losing the essence of the vision. The greatest mistake of the builder or the entrepreneur is to believe that perfection must precede creation. Perfection, in truth, emerges through creation.

In this balance of design and spontaneity lies the mark of mastery. The architect sketching is not merely drawing walls; he is thinking aloud through form. His hand moves before his mind has spoken, and yet, in that movement, ideas take shape. So too does the entrepreneur sketch his vision through experiment—testing, failing, refining. Each step is a stroke of the pen, a line drawn toward clarity. Both must embrace uncertainty as a material in their craft. For just as the architect works not only with brick but with air, the entrepreneur builds not only with capital but with imagination.

History offers another echo of this truth in the story of Filippo Brunelleschi, the master builder of the Florence Cathedral. When others said the dome he imagined could not be built, he sketched, tested, and experimented endlessly. His plans evolved with every challenge, each obstacle giving birth to a new solution. In the end, he built one of the greatest achievements of the Renaissance—not by rigidly adhering to his first design, but by designing on the fly, as Katzman describes. His courage to adapt turned uncertainty into innovation, and his flexibility became the foundation of beauty.

Thus, my listener, take this teaching as your own: whatever you seek to build in life—be it a business, a dream, or a legacy—build it as an architect does. Sketch boldly, plan wisely, but remain ready to change. Do not be paralyzed by the need for perfection before beginning. The act of creation will refine the design. Allow your plans to live, to breathe, to evolve with time. For in the dance between structure and improvisation lies the path to greatness.

Remember always the wisdom of John Katzman: that to build is to design, and to design is to adapt. The true creator is never rigid, nor reckless, but walks the narrow bridge between the two—guided by vision, yet open to transformation. In this, you will find not only success but the joy of creation itself. For when you learn to sketch your life as the architect sketches his dream, you will discover that every line, even the imperfect ones, leads toward something magnificent—something entirely your own.