About Brix & Mortar — Operating philosophy
Most businesses do not need
another agency.
They need someone who understands the problem, does the work,
and answers the phone.
§ 01 — Position
A practice, not an agency.
Brix & Mortar is a small, deliberate consulting practice based in Campbell, California. The work is for owner-operators: multifamily property owners, general contractors, design-build firms, and the occasional independent service business in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.
An agency sells leverage — junior staff, account managers, retainers, and decks. A practice sells the opposite: a small number of people who understand the problem, do the work themselves, and stay on the phone long enough to see it through.
The client list is short on purpose. Most engagements last years. New work is accepted twice a year, when the calendar allows.
§ 02 — Principles
A short list, kept short.
i.
Direct relationship
You write to the person doing the work. Every time.
ii.
Transparent pricing
Published. Written. Honored.
iii.
No retainers in disguise
Month-to-month after month three.
iv.
Small client list
A handful at a time. Years long.
v.
Relevant work only
Multifamily, trades, California operators.
vi.
Local presence
Campbell HQ. San Jose, LA, Sacramento.
§ 03 — Note on the work
The job is not to perform marketing. It is to understand the business and produce a phone call from a prospect who can pay. Everything else is decoration.
§ 04 — The desk
One desk in Campbell.
Baron Van Huisen · Principal
Brix & Mortar is led by Baron Van Huisen. Fifteen years in the work — three inside an agency, twelve independently. The practice exists so the experience actually reaches the operator, instead of being filtered through layers of staff.
The phone is answered by the person who does the work. The email is read by the person who does the work. That is the entire arrangement.