Meet Jeremiah Russell, AIA, RIBA | Architect and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeremiah Russell, AIA, RIBA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeremiah, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
I’m not sure that I could break down the series of decisions before and after I decided to start my own business into a list with one decision at the top. I think there are decisions throughout a career that lead to starting a business followed by decisions that keep you moving forward. But perhaps one decision that I made, or rather a decision that I came to through experience working for other businesses, was to be flexible in my profession. In fact the name of my company, Rogue Architecture, is rooted in this idea that in order to be successful in architecture, and in many creative fields, you have to be flexible enough to move and pivot as challenges and opportunities come along; you can not be satisfied with the status quo. This idea, or principle, of being flexible permeates into all areas of our business: technology, administration, office culture, office standards, design. I don’t ever want to be accused of being predictable or static in my work other than to provide a quality product and service to my clients. There are some old sayings that seem benign, but that I believe are dangerous for business owners, especially artists and other creatives, and have the potential to breed failure into your business model:

“If it aint’ broke, don’t fix it”

“This is the way we’ve always done it”

“Why do we need to try something new when it works just fine as it is”

“We just keep on keeping on”

These adages, these ideas, are dangerous because they are the antithesis of flexibility, innovation, adaptation, and evolution. No business can grow unless it can flex and stretch around challenges, innovate and adapt to a changing environment, and evolve according to the needs of their clients.

What should our readers know about your business?
Rogue Architecture is a small firm based in Little Rock, Arkansas with licenses in 9 other states across the US including Colorado. We specialize in the design of custom single-family homes, multi-family affordable housing, historic preservation, commercial offices, and custom interiors. We believe that good architecture is about more than providing excellent service. Good architecture is about people – understanding how people interact and experience the spaces that we create for them. The process of design starts with getting to know our clients and understanding how a space will be used and by whom. In this we create architectural experiences that positively impact whole communities.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The downtown area has some of my favorite spots. I would take a tour of Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Lodo, Five Points, and City Park. Amazing architecture, museums, the Mint, the coffee, the food…..too much to do even in a week. Oh, and you have to have breakfast at Snooze in Five Points. It’s a must. Every day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my wife, Erin Russell. They say behind every great man is a better woman. And they’re right. My businesses would not be possible without her. She pushed and encouraged me to start my first real business and now we have three. She is more than a spouse, she is my partner and my friend. I love you, baby.

Website: www.roguearch.com

Instagram: @rogue.architect

Twitter: @rogue_architect