Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachelle Domingo-Rogers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Rachelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
When I first started my business, I think I felt like this every other day. “I miss working under someone”…The toll that we have to take on as business owners in this industry is we are the ones responsible for EVERYTHING! We’re responsible for when things go sideways on projects even when things are out of our control (governing agencies, consultants, GCs), we’re responsible for project timelines at every phase, we’re responsible for our team, – We’re responsible for everything that comes and goes in and out of our doors. As an architect / designer of a project, we wear many hats, and we are the main umbrella of most all projects depending on its structure. While working under someone still comes with a high level of responsibility, I do sometimes miss just clocking my brain out, going home, & having other activities outside of work, all without the anxieties of what to anticipate the next day, or the next week. Nothing compares to Sunday night anxieties as I prepare my thoughts for the week, and sometimes I feel like weekends or vacations actually stress me out more, because I’m thinking about the business and what it’ll be like when I return. However, I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. The experiences and the knowledge that I’ve gained over the years, and having confidence and trust in a strong and reliable team makes a huge difference!
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
I got into this industry because my dad was a Civil Engineer and dabbled in Structural Forensics. He had his own business, which I spent a ton of my youth-hood hanging out at his office, learning hand drafting and AutoCAD drafting at 12 years old, tagging along with him to project sites, and just soaking it in. On the flip side of that, my mom raised me with drawing and oil painting on her off time, when she wasn’t being an amazing RN at Sharp Hospital, saving lives. I was fortunate enough to be immersed in both technical and artistic worlds, which were both a catapult into Architecture. It wasn’t until one of my dad’s best friends, an Architect, encouraged me to go to Newschool of Architecture, then the rest was history. I worked multiple jobs at the same time – firms, non-profits, had residential side jobs, went to school full time – I was deeply immersed into this world.
Fast-forward to 2015 when I took the plunge to start my own business, all I knew was to push-hard everyday, never sleep, and just get better at my craft. The only way to learn in this industry is through good and bad experiences – despite the loss of sleep, and the constant 7-day a week workload, I knew it was going to be temporary because I was laying a foundation for the future of the business.
My business provides architectural and interior design services for single-family residential, multifamily, commercial, restaurants/hospitality, and government projects – we pretty much do it all, because we love project variety and challenging ourselves. We take pride in sometimes over-communicating and guiding our clients through the process from beginning to end, with professionalism, but most importantly, FUN – we want the entire team – Client, GC, consultants & Architect/Designer to feel the end result as something to be proud of, while enjoying the process together – even through the most stressful of moments! Because, there’s no such thing as a perfect and stress-free project!
Jumping ahead to current day, I’m so proud of where we’re at, and grateful for the people who’ve worked with & for me, trusted me, and worked hard everyday to get to where we are now. Our office culture has always been about working hard and playing harder! This industry is stressful enough, so we have to make sure we’re loving our jobs and having fun too, because that is the only way to provide amazing designs and optimum results for all parties involved. I’ve worked in firms before where I over-committed my time, and felt the burn-out, so as a business owner, I try not to burnout my team, because they are truly the real engine of the business.
I also feed my team – literally I feed them food almost daily – I’ve cooked the night before, because Filipinos don’t know how to cook small portions! When we go through bouts of constant project deadlines, we make time for scheduling Happy Hours, whether it’s just our office, or with our expanded network of fabulous colleagues, where we can all decompress, vent, or even celebrate our successes, then return to our desks the following week to give it our best all over again. Surrounding yourself with positive and supportive colleagues is key for the sanity of this industry!
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Just about our entire clientele for the past 7 years has been word of mouth. I really do suck at marketing/social media, and I recently had one of my clients tell me what a crappy website I had, in which I wholeheartedly agreed with (and we both laughed) since our website was built in one drunken night of feeling “creative” with Squarespace, haha. Myself nor my team can keep up with social media posts because of workflow, and barely any of our posts are professional photography, but rather construction progress or office culture, because that’s just how we roll. I suppose we’re keeping it at a level of authenticity, but perhaps one day we’ll get up to par with all of the rest….One day….
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
When I first started my business, I had only 3k in capital from selling my 1965 Ford Mustang – I’m sure plenty of you are wondering why I would sell a ’65 ‘stang for 3k, but desperate times call for desperate measures! I woke up on a Wednesday and affirmed I was quitting my job, found an office space on a Thursday, and officially quit on a Friday. The 3k got me a solid computer, a printer, a file cabinet, a used ergonomic Steelcase office chair, and the desk came with the office. Been working super hard to make that living from the very first day, and successfully grew & sustained. 7 years later, 6 employees and a larger office within Liberty Station, with more computers and more equipment – this is the life, and I couldn’t feel more humbled, fortunate and grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arch5.design
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arch5_design/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Arch5ds/
Image Credits
@finio.fotographi Fini Orlamunde
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