powering small developers to succeed
The organization for small-scale developers creating authentic places, resilient local economies, and diverse housing solutions.
WHAT WE OFFER
Community. Find your tribe and connect with others who are as passionate about Small as you. Be a part of annual Forums, Small PRO field trips, founder workshops, and an online community to share questions, solutions, and passion.
Coaching. Be part of our Foundation workshops to gain invaluable tools for entpreneurial success, then move to 1:1 coaching with our experienced members who are both developers and coaches.
Capital. Through our relationship with the Small Development Fund and others focused on capitalizing Small, we bridge the final gap from idea to reality…money.
FIVE ways you can Build Small:
1
BECOME A MEMBER
WHAT KIND OF SMALL DEVELOPER ARE YOU?
For experienced Small developers and supporting industry professionals actively making Small big. As a PRO you get access to PRO-only workshops, curated field trips, Early Invitation rates for all Forums, an opportunity to be part of our Small Coach team, and preferred access to the Small Fund.
$1,000 per year
For aspiring and emerging Small developers, as well as supporters of our effort. Gain access to unique content on the HUB, participate in Small Steps and Small LAB coaching series, and get advance notice and pricing for the Small Developer Forum. Membership opens 7/1/26
$25 per month or $250 per year.
2
ATTEND THE FORUM
“This is the un-conference conference. Period.”
— Atif Qadir, AIA | NEW York, NY
The Small Developer Forums (SDF) span 14 years and 24 different cities. Each forum offers a unique combination of real projects and lessons, group discussions between developers, designers, policy makers, and capital providers – all within a smaller, noninstitutional format. Expand your network of peers to test ideas or ask for assistance.
Forums typically sell out in a matter of weeks. Building Small members enjoy advance notice and special pricing ensuring you can attend!
2026 and 2027 FORUMS ARE BEING PLANNED NOW!
3
EXPlore the ‘hub’
The HUB is the only online bespoke community of entrepreneurs who are all Building Small. Part social network, part learning platform – at the HUB you will find:
Small Community. Year-round access to new information, discussion threads, tools, and techniques others are using to succeed at Building Small. Join to receive notifications of upcoming Forums, related industry events, and special Building Small webinars, training sessions and our unique Small LAB.
Small Resources. Tools, case studies, and links to like-minded real estate entrepreneurs, designers, and public sector personnel. Webinars, streamed content, and focused discussions on the Small development process.
Forum Files. Over 50 hours of recorded content from our last five Small Developer Forums, organized and searchable for case studies, city introductions, and valuable lessons from experienced Small developers, policymakers, and capital sources.
As a members of Building Small – Small PRO or Small Builder – you get 24/7 access to proprietary features, as well as the opportunity to join the Small community via discussion threads and polls, live workshops, and monthly trainings.
4
GET a coach
“So grateful to attend this master class on Building Small. We got to experience the Small Coach approach, with value-add strategies that make deals WORK!”
— AL Dilorenzo | columbus, oh
Small Coach picks up where other training programs end. More than just teaching process and tools, Small Coach works unlocks your unique skills and personal approach to risk, to help you build successful projects AND the long term capacity necessary for scaling your business and portfolio.
Small Coach uses unique self assessment tools and then draws on our experienced PROs to provide skill and product specific advice for your projects. Proprietary case studies put you in the shoes of the developer, allowing you to experience the realities of the Small development process, to better understand how YOU would navigate risk and project roadblocks.
Get your Small Coach at any of our 2026 workshops; through 1:1 time with our Coaches; or by submitting your project for a live Small LAB review.
5
HEAR the story
“…one of my top book recommendations for anyone who has approached me with interest in development. I’m beyond thrilled for the success of this book. ” — Sam Day | Samuel Day Architects
Building Small. The book that fuels Small Talks provides the What, Why, and How of small-scale, incremental development. Both the book and the presentations champion fine-grained, evolutionary development as a way to support resilient local economies, foster authentic places, heal and grow disinvested neighborhoods or provide a democratic form of community building. Graphically rich, the book and presentations provide insightful thoughts on what is possible along with the tools needed to make it happen.
In 2011, colleagues Jim Heid and Howard Kozloff questioned why our industry’s energy, focus, and capital was so directed toward ‘Big’ projects. Given that finer grained and entrepreneurial projects was where our interest lie, we asked ‘does anyone else feel the same way?’ With that question in mind, the first Small Developers Forum launched in April 2012. Fourteen years, one thousand people and twenty-four different cities later, we’ve learned we aren’t the only ones whose passion lie in Small.
Small Developer Forum #22
Kansas City, MO