Meet Renee Webley

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Renee Webley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Renee, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.

Believe it or not, but the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey was born in the process of overcoming a layoff. In late 2010, after working just 2 years at my first full-time architectural salary position post graduate school, the architecture company I was working at had company-wide lay-offs. I recall being laid off on a Friday and within a few days of my layoff I received a call asking if I would like to continue my services on a particular project, but as an independent contractor. I was an entry-level designer and had been the Green Building Coordinator at my previous office, a position I volunteered myself for as I had a particular interest and specialized studies/training in Green building practices. This taught me one of my first valuable lessons in the field, which was in the benefit of creating specialties and niches for yourself to stand out from your peers.

Since I was now about to be an independent contractor, I realized I could offer part time services to any of my old bosses in the interior design and architecture space. I started calling head designers and bosses from my previous internships and received positive feedback immediately. By February of 2011, I had officially incorporated my business and was offering design assistance, drafting, and green building certification assistance for several design firms in South Florida.

I kept doing this for almost a year until I was recruited by a commercial curtain wall glazing contractor to work for them as a Construction Project Manager. At this job I gained the experience of managing a large contract at a hospital in Nassau, Bahamas. I worked this job 9 to 5 and then continued doing work for my business in the evenings. After 13 months with this new job, my project finished construction and with the owners knowing I still wanted to be an Architect, I was conveniently laid off. This was the last lesson I ever needed to learn about salary positions, which was to be in charge of your career position and to not be in a position where I could ever get laid off again. I wanted to be completely in charge of my own destiny when it came to work and my career. At this moment, I decided to never work for a company again unless I completely had to and/or if I wanted to be a college professor, one of my potential retirement aspirations. After this I went back to full time design consulting and was an adjunct Professor at PBSC and FAU. Once I started to get enough of my own personal design clients in 2015, I shifted to a full service design, architecture, and engineering services firm.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

RAW Architecture + Design is a full service design firm for the built environment. We provide an array of construction related design services and assist our clients to create brand new spaces or to completely transform an existing space and building.

Our typical clients include developers, investors, private businesses, and homeowners. We help to guide our clients through the design and construction process all the way to final occupancy. Our services start from the initial planning process to construction assistance to interior design and furnishing.

Our specialty niches include custom luxury homes, multi-family residences, commercial spaces, as well as, restaurants, bars, and lounges. As a licensed architecture and interior design services firm with multi-state licensure, we welcome projects in any location.

Interested in additional information about a project, please contact us at architect@raw-ad.com

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three most important qualities in my journey have been: patience, persistence, and staying highly organized.

Patience in trusting the process and always remembering the bigger picture and my ultimate goal was crucial. Learning to lean into knowing that all I seek is coming was a huge factor.

Next, but almost most importantly, staying persistent in my tasks and goals has been a key element. Learning that sometimes you may have to keep trying several times and altering your approach to reach a said goal. It is important to understand that trying again is the only way you will ever accomplish a goal.

As a highly organized individual with Type A tendencies, staying organized has been pivotal in my ongoing journey in life. I have created binders filled with steps and notes for various goals. Today I still use notepads, sketchbooks, an agenda book, along with digital tools like spreadsheets, slides, and online documents.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

An ideal client for us is anyone who needs assistance with any of the following:
– New construction building for any use
– Renovation design assistance for an existing space
– Designer to assist with creating a design to change the look of their property
– Interior Design assistance to transform the look and feel of a property
– Architectural Drawings for construction permits or contractor use
– Engineering Drawings for construction permits or contractor use
– Site Analysis or Feasibility study for an existing or new property or building

Client Types include:
– Homeowners
– Business Owners
– Commercial Tenants
– Developers
– Condominium or Residential Associations
– Property Management Companies
– Design Teams in Need of an Architect and Engineer
– Educational Facilities
– Public Spaces

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Hicaliber Photography

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