This week, Dan Ryan sits down with David Shove-Brown, architect, design leader, educator, and partner at //3877, to make the case that the most powerful thing you can put on your business card isn't a title, it's a philosophy. A firm co-founder who launched his practice in the middle of a recession with a newborn at home and a best friend from college as his only business partner, David has spent 15 years proving that relationships aren't a strategy, they're the whole game. David isn't just building great spaces. He's building a firm, a community, and a life worth writing about.

About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with David Shove-Brown, partner at //3877, an architecture and design firm based in DC and New York. David has spent 15 years building a practice and a reputation, on the belief that relationships come before business. Whether he's mentoring students at trade shows, swapping proposals with competitors, or just holding the door for a stranger, he moves through the world the same way he runs his firm, like every person in the room matters.

Chapters:
00:51 Meet David

02:04 NEWH Mentorship Moment

03:53 Defining Hospitality

04:43 Community Over Competition

08:46 Networking Roots and Values

13:01 Relationship Building That Lasts

17:45 Balance Family and Firm

27:24 Design in the Public Interest

31:18 Losing a Mentor

32:46 Succession and Letting Go

33:56 Mentoring Through Mistakes

36:19 How to Find Mentors

38:01 Learning From Students

40:11 Community and Collisions

42:25 Craving Certainty Forward

48:25 Startup Stories and Growth

50:07 Looking Ahead and Wrap

Quote of the Show:

"Networking always had this underlying idea of sales, we flipped it. For us, it's really relationship building." - David Shove-Brown

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• David’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsb3877/
• David’s Company’s Website: https://www.3877.design/
• Dan Ryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

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