Today we’d like to introduce you to Matias Daroch.
Hi Matias, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I want to start from the beginning. I lived in Miami until I was about seven, so my first language was English. We then moved back to Chile, where I eventually attended Architecture School. I’ve always had Architecture School in my mind. I got that from my mom’s creative mind. From playing with Lego blocks and drawing section-like spaces to later understanding I wanted to be in the design world and the best path was architecture.
I did study the option to go to Design school and even become a Marine (in Chile) because of my love for sailing – which I got from my Dad. In addition to studying architecture as my teen years goal, I was exposed multiple times to organizing events or temporary stores to raise money. This helped build my creativity, time management, and organizational skills even further, and at some point, it became natural for me to have a side hustle.
My biggest earning side hustle was a media production service for sailing events with a partner because we knew how to sail. We got into a motorboat and positioned ourselves so that we didn’t interfere with the race but got great video and photo shots. After architecture school, I started a firm with a friend, knowing very little about the architecture business. We struggled the first year but were very lean and grew the following year.
By the third year, I got the opportunity to move out of Chile, something I was actively looking for from architecture school. I ended up with the task of starting a small real estate family business in Miami, with the bare minimum capital we could raise to begin with a single-family affordable house. I soft-landed into the office of my Dad’s friend, an architect in Chile and a developer/builder in Miami.
I learned feet and inches from scratch, how the market worked, and how complicated the permitting process was. While the plan wasn’t for me to be the architect, I did end up drawing and working for the architect that we hired for our projects, and my creative mind then pivoted into understanding and researching local and state codes, allowing me to be innovative within the boundaries of the code.
A year after landing, I decided to get my Architecture license. My next two years were about growing the development firm in partnership with the Developer/Builder while also studying, again, to get licensed. Eventually, with much more experience in Real Estate Development and how designing and permitting projects in Miami worked, I founded MIK Architecture, at first to serve our projects; however, this was early 2020, right before the pandemic.
We started very slow due to the pandemic. Investors wanted to avoid jumping into new projects until the uncertainty got clearer, so I began learning and getting coached on sales and marketing to sell architecture to serve third-party investors and homeowners while also building processes and systems to use myself and eventually new team members.
By the end of 2020, we had taken off as an architecture firm and as a developer because most investors were jumping the gun on their paused projects simultaneously. It was wild! I eventually enrolled with a business coach who helped grow the firm financially and team-wise, and personally to have a work-life balance during these growing years.
Today, we work with developers and investors who want to design modern or contemporary-style residential architecture in South Florida for sale. By understanding the market and the end-user’s wants and needs, we create desirable spaces that sell well and fast.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
From day one, arriving in Miami, I needed help understanding the imperial system, the market, and the permitting process. I made many mistakes along the way, from designing things that were out of code and having to correct them during construction (I’m still not sure how it got approved) to deciding to acquire a lot in a historic district without knowing, which ended up delaying the permitting process by almost a year.
During my studying years, I had to balance work and staying up late to get licensed. My goal was to get licensed as soon as possible, and in a way, I did, but it was hard and bumpy sailing. I have my wife to thank for that period. Then, during the first year of the firm, COVID year, while we were lean and had the opportunity to work on our systems and processes, it was still a bumpy road to get a paycheck at any given time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about MIK Architecture?
At MIK Architecture, we design contemporary-style residential projects with developers and investors that market easily. We want to become an ally to the financial freedom of our team and our clients who invest in our single-family projects by designing marketable and desirable homes that invite families to have the freedom to imagine, transform, and enjoy as they want. We want a triple-win situation.
Additionally, we partnered with a builder and a broker to create our own real estate developer firm to look for opportunities to develop high-end single-family residences in South Florida and invite developers or investors to join as equity partners or lenders.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I like the diversity of people and neighborhoods, food, activities, and even the market! I also love the connectivity to the world. Between MIA and FLL you have a direct flight to virtually anywhere! Latin American countries, all the Caribbean, Europe, and most of the US!
And I can’t forget to mention the bay—what a wonderful place to sail. There is warm water, good wind (in season), and tons of sailing races to choose from. I dislike that you have to drive so many miles to different activities and the traffic that seems to build at any time these days,
Contact Info:
- Website: mikarchitecture.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mik.architecture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikarchitects
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/mikarchitecture
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4iuIGBmBTEhjZzJk7hFcg
Image Credits
Lea Grandvalet Studer (Image Me Photography)
