Why Word of Mouth Isn’t a Growth Strategy (with Rens Hayes)

#37: Most architects and engineers say their work comes from word of mouth. But few ever ask the follow-up question: what are people actually saying about us?

In this episode, I sit down with Rens Hayes, Co-Founder and Principal of H+O Structural Engineering, to unpack why relying solely and passively on word of mouth is one of the most dangerous habits in the A&E industry. We dig into how most firms unintentionally commoditize themselves, what it really means to “drive” word of mouth instead of hoping for it, and how to turn your reputation into a scalable growth engine.

Rens shares how he and his partner built H+O from scratch into a national firm and how they’ve used brand, content, and long-term thinking to escape the scarcity mindset that traps so many firms.

Learn more about H&O Structural Engineering: https://h-o.engineering/
Connect with Rens on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renshayes/
Listen to the Design Development podcast: https://h-o.engineering/podcast/
Work with Tyler: Send the word “Grow” to hello@growthitect.com

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What You’ll Learn:

(00:31) Why “word of mouth” isn’t a real growth strategy
(01:10) How most firms get commoditized by being “relationship businesses”
(02:00) The question every firm should ask: what are people actually saying about us?
(03:15) How Rens built H+O Structural Engineering into a premium brand
(04:25) Why business strategy matters more than technical skill for long-term success
(06:44) The blind spot that keeps architects and engineers stuck in low-fee work
(07:45) How competitor-based pricing kills growth and profit
(09:39) Why focusing only on keeping people “busy” keeps firms broke
(10:32) The difference between solving for income vs. building enterprise value
(12:10) How scarcity and short-term thinking show up inside firms
(13:41) What a decade of compounding looks like—and why patience wins
(14:26) Why H&O grew by saying “no” to the bottom 20% of work
(16:59) How most firms climb one tier at a time, not in one big leap
(17:30) The business lesson Rens learned from The Compound Effect
(19:22) Why extreme ownership is the antidote to “hope marketing”
(20:57) The first question every firm should ask before chasing leads
(21:25) Why generalists struggle to get referrals (and how to fix it)
(23:18) What M&A thinking can teach small firms about reducing risk and increasing value
(24:07) Why specialists win in down markets
(25:33) How to communicate your value in your client’s language—not yours
(26:07) Using cost as the universal language between engineers, architects, and developers
(27:45) The “column example” that changes how clients see your value
(28:30) Why developers don’t care about design—they care about ROI
(31:22) The mindset shift from scarcity to abundance
(31:47) How to attract great clients (and talent) through founder-led marketing
(33:12) The real purpose of content: pre-selling trust and eliminating risk
(34:53) Why understanding client pain points makes every conversation easier
(35:52) Two questions to ask yourself: How are you filling your space—and what are you making space for?
(36:14) The no-brainer offer that turned H+O’s expertise into consistent growth

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