We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica (Jessie) Braverman, AIA a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jessica (Jessie) thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my career was starting my architecture firm in 2020. I went to architecture school because I wanted to do residential architecture, but the year I graduated, was a terrible year for residential architects. The economy was just starting to pull out of the recession and getting an entry-level job at a residential firm was nearly impossible, so I took a job with a commercial architecture firm. I wasn’t miserable, but I quickly realized I didn’t feel any sense of purpose or excitement about the work I was doing. I stayed because I was learning a lot and it paid the bills.

For nearly 8 years I told myself being underwhelmed in my job was ok because I was continuing to learn new things and progress in my career, but I was steadily more dissatisfied with commercial architecture as a profession despite changing firms. To scratch my residential architecture itch, I started taking small renovation design jobs on the side, but as the primary breadwinner in our family with a small child and a husband in school it was too risky to leave the stability and benefits of a large firm. I was also personally terrified of going out on my own. I felt like I couldn’t possibly know enough to do a good job. Why would anyone hire me? Where would my work come from? Despite coming from a family of entrepreneurs, I had no idea how to start or run a business.

In the fall of 2019, I got pregnant with my second child and my husband got a job at a large corporation that provided good benefits. That was when I began to think maybe the pros of taking an entrepreneurial risk outweighed the cons. I had come to terms with the idea that I was never going to be happy doing commercial architecture. I am a person who thrives on big-picture thinking, constant project variation, and close personal contact with project stakeholders. Unfortunately, commercial project architecture and project management do not align with those skill sets. In January of 2020, I made the decision to start my own residential architecture firm and began the required paperwork, intending to leave my firm after my second child was born later in the year.

And then the pandemic hit.

In March of 2020 I found myself suddenly working from home at eight months pregnant with a 4-year-old out of school. It was an insane time to have a baby and an insane time to leave a job to start a new firm, but I wasn’t given a choice because the week I gave birth I was laid off from my company. Suddenly that risk I’d been so hesitant to take was my only lifeline for an income. Life didn’t give me a choice to take that leap, it threw me headfirst off the cliff without asking, and in August of 2020, with a 3-month-old and 4-year-old at home, I set up a desk in my living room and took on my first client as Braverman Design, PLLC.

The last 4 years have been incredible! Who knew a global pandemic was actually a great time to start a residential architecture firm. My business has grown steadily and provided me with a much better work-life balance. I am so happy that I can finally say I genuinely love what I do every single day. The reward has far exceeded the risk.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jessica Braverman, and I am a Registered Architect and the owner of Braverman Design, PLLC. Braverman Design is a partial-service architecture firm offering architectural design and permit drawings (in North Carolina) for renovations, additions, and residential new construction, as well as residential landscape design. I love renovations and additions that require the creative reuse of an existing space to create a home that is comfortable, beautiful, and works for the whole family. I am a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist, I work with private clients as well as developers, and I offer custom home design as well as pre-designed single-family homes and accessory dwelling plans.

Like many architects, I have been designing and building things since I was a little kid, but I found it hard to commit to architecture as a profession. I danced between wanting to do architecture, medicine, or veterinary medicine most of my life and ended up with a degree in Anthropology with a minor in Art from the College of William and Mary. I have an intense interest in people and problem-solving. I love delving into how our built environment both mimics and influences our cultures, family patterns, day-to-day behavior, and our health.

After working for a few years in various adjacent jobs (interiors, furniture, and real estate), when the recession hit in 2008, I figured it was a great time to finally go to architecture school. I chose North Carolina State University’s School of Design because it has a Master of Architecture program for people with a degree in another field, and most of my extended family lives in North Carolina.

After graduating in 2012 and eight years working in commercial architecture, I started my residential architecture and landscape design firm, Braverman Design, PLLC.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Initially, word of mouth and having friends within my profession were by far my most effective strategies for growing my clientele. When I started my business, I told a few of my old professors from school who were my mentors and had firms of their own. I also let my friends know, many of whom had picked my brain for years about solutions layout problems in their own homes. My first four clients were personal friends, friends of my husband, friends of friends, and a referral from a mentor. Having those first several clients helped me make contacts with contractors whose clients needed design help, they gave me built work to put on my website and Instagram, and they spread the word to their friends. Happy clients and a beautiful built product are the best ways to ensure I get more clients. Initially, over 90% of my business was through word of mouth. I have recently been getting a lot more clients directly from Google searches because they read my client reviews, check out my website, and decide I am the person they want to work with. I think a good website, Google business site, and excellent reviews are essential for growing or continuing a business long term, but in the first few years word of mouth is priceless.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspects of being a creative is finding an elegant solution to a complex problem, and knowing I’m making a difference in peoples’ lives. Sometimes I need to try out four, five, or six different design options to find the best one, and there are days when it feels like my brain just isn’t going to get there, but eventually the solution comes and it’s so exciting when everything clicks into place. Even better is the look on my client’s faces when they fall in love with a design. Their delight really is the best reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessicabravermandesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravermandesign/?hl=en

Image Credits
Catherine Wilborne Kevin Smith