Elizabeth Lear,
Landscape Architect

  • Know your field before you join it as an IP.

  • Figure out what you can do better than the competition.

  • The IP lifestyle isn't for everybody. As Elizabeth Lear says, "Some people just aren't good at working independently."

  • Good work for a client on one occasion can lead to more for the same client and to referrals to new ones.

  • IPs do almost everything themselves: with freedom comes responsibility.

  • Know your client. As Lear puts it, "You have to unravel the needs of a client" and "You have to figure out what will make them happy."