Stephanie Crombie, Supernatural Studio | Dorset Business Matters Ep 1001

What does it really take to build an architecture practice from scratch, and can great design and sustainability genuinely go hand in hand? In this episode of Dorset Business Matters, I’m joined by Stephanie Crombie, co-founder of Dorset-based Supernatural Studio, an architecture practice specialising in architecture, interiors and sustainability-focused design. Stephanie shares her journey from studying architecture at Cambridge and the Royal College of Art, through her years working in London and leading sustainability projects, to building Supernatural Studio with her business and life partner, John. We talk about sustainable architecture, natural materials, retrofitting rather than demolishing, designing buildings for a changing climate and where architects really fit into the journey from the first idea to the finished building. But this is also very much a conversation about business. Stephanie talks openly about the challenges of running a small professional practice: cash flow, marketing, building a pipeline, finding the right clients and the very different experience of being good at your profession versus being good at running the business behind it. We also explore how AI is already changing architecture, where it genuinely helps and why Stephanie believes it should remain a tool rather than a replacement for human thinking and creativity. And, as always, we finish with the question every business owner has to answer: if you were starting again with a laptop, £5,000 and a blank sheet of paper, what would you do first? Stephanie’s answer is refreshingly simple: find a client, understand the problem they need solving and work backwards from there. A fascinating conversation about architecture, sustainability, entrepreneurship and building a business around work you genuinely care about. Listen on Spotify/Apple: https://www.simonellson.com/podcast Book a free Discovery Call: https://www.simonellson.com/contact 01305 566150