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Balancing Business and Humanity - David Shove-Brown - Defining Hospitality
Description
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/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/