Elizabeth Lear,
Landscape Architect

• Know your field before you join it as an IP.

• Figure out what you can do better than the competition.

• The IP lifestyle isn't for everybody. As Elizabeth Lear says, "Some people just aren't good at working independently."

• Good work for a client on one occasion can lead to more for the same client and to referrals to new ones.

• IPs do almost everything themselves: with freedom comes responsibility.

• Know your client. As Lear puts it, "You have to unravel the needs of a client" and "You have to figure out what will make them happy."