25 Jul Principal Architect of Revival Design Collective Featured in Voyage Ohio Magazine
Posted at 14:15h
in
News
by Valerie Post
VoyageOhio: Hi Cally, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I made the giant leap and started Revival in 2010 while working towards my architectural licensure. The first few months were slow. We were in the middle of a recession, and I could only design residential buildings until I earned my license. Once I wrapped up the first couple of houses, the calls came flooding in for new custom home designs. Those projects led to the homeowners hiring me to do their interior design work as well. In the meantime, I passed my exams and secured my license. One of my very first residential clients also happened to own a business that needed a new corporate office building. They called me, the project turned out great, and the commercial design calls started coming in. For the next ten years, we grew organically from there, adding designers, production, and admin team members along the way. In 2020, we expanded our services to include graphic design, which led to the growth of a marketing department focused on brand development, signage design, and environmental design. Next up is building an internal team of rockstars to head up a sustainability department.
I have learned that taking the time to hire the right person up front makes all the difference in the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Ha! Is the road to small business success ever smooth? I’d say we started out on a dirt road, threw down some gravel, and then paved it, but there are still many potholes.
Growing pains are real. After years of doing everything independently, delegating has been a struggle. I must constantly remind myself that I hired great people and need to let them do their thing.
