What does it take to become a C-suite executive before age 30? You might guess that it requires passion, motivation, and an unrelenting quest to learn the ins and outs of your business field. Throw in the constant demands of mothering three young children and running a high-profile, luxury architectural firm with your business partner – who is also your husband. As if life wasn’t complex enough with everything else, try adding a second tech business to your plate. Listen in to hear how today’s guest is truly doing it all.
Lauren Rodriguez is the CFO of IR Architects, an architectural firm that specializes in some of the largest real estate properties in all of North America. Lauren helped her husband, Ignacio, launch IRA in 2012 and has since been instrumental in launching its latest virtual reality division. As CFO, she oversees the finances of both IR Architects and its sister company, AVR Studios. In this episode, Lauren shares how she was able to break into the C-suite before the age of 30, her secret to leveling up her skills to meet the demands of both of her roles, and how she balances marriage, motherhood, and running two businesses.
The Journey to Entrepreneurship
Taking on odd jobs and always looking for another way to make extra money was part of Lauren’s life, even when she was a young child. She never thought of work as a bad thing and even took on three jobs in high school, when everyone around her thought she was crazy. She knew that having her own money meant having control and independence. Her strong personality contributed to her drive to always do positive things, and she left for college with a nice nest egg of $12K in savings. Lauren shares her biggest challenge and her biggest accomplishment along this journey.
Asking Questions to Learn More
After college, Lauren landed a job as Marketing Coordinator at a commercial real estate firm, but she knew she could do more and simply wasn’t satisfied to rest there. In just one year, she became Operations Manager over a staff of 75 people. How did she do it? She kept asking questions to learn the business, speak the language, and earn the respect of type-A male colleagues. She calls it “functioning with preparedness” and being “The Hammer.” Before long, everyone around her realized that she understood the numbers and was worthy of their trust.
The Art of Asking Questions
Lauren had to learn how to NOT “rub people the wrong way.” She was able to be creative in phrasing questions so they didn’t sound like inquisitions or accusations. Leaving her natural sarcasm at home showed her co-workers that she was asking to learn so she could help. They learned to see her as a collaborator and an asset, and not a threat.
Taking the Leap
When Lauren and Ignacio began adding children to their family, she realized that if she really wanted to make money, she needed to stop doing it for other people. About the same time, her husband considered leaving his job, and they realized they could combine their talents and be a powerful force. She was only 27 when they started IR Architects, even though she wasn’t sure about branching into the new field. This fulfilled the part of her that always wanted to control her future and be her own boss, and she says they had a lot of luck to go along with their skill. “We were young and crazy, but we wanted to show our kids that we could do it.”
Big Picture Thinking
Women occupy less than 10% of C-suite positions at the world’s leading architecture firms. For Lauren Rodriguez, the skill set she learned as an Operations Manager gave her the tools she needed, along with her personal initiative and drive. She says you have to be willing to learn and realize that no one is going to “hand it to you.” Being prepared, committed, and driven is what it takes to make big-time breakdowns and projections in the world of architecture. It wasn’t because she was “the wife” that she took on the role of CFO, but because she had “big picture thinking,” which was her trickiest task and biggest challenge.
Finding Help When There are No Mentors
In the world of luxury architecture, there aren’t a lot of women mentors for Lauren Rodriguez to follow. She still feels that there is so much to learn, and she has always found answers wherever she could, never being afraid to ask questions, getting the answers even from her clients at times. Reading online articles helps her find out what’s working (and what’s not) for others, and she says that no amount of schooling can compare with what you’ll learn from life experiences.
When Your Husband is Your Work Partner
It takes a special relationship to handle being together all the time. Lauren says that she and Ignacio have a good dynamic and that each knows their skill set and stays in their lane. They’ve learned to try to leave the office at the office and not take it home with them. Their system for conflict resolution includes looking for the flaws in any plan in order to fix them, make everything better, and move on. Despite their intentionality, Lauren says it takes a LOT of work to separate work life and family life.
Why Virtual Reality?
As if helping to run one company wasn’t enough, Lauren took on the added responsibility of the new virtual reality startup launched by IR Architects. Clients had difficulty visualizing the architectural plans in 2-D, so IRA partnered with gaming experts and adapted virtual reality gaming technology. The process took about two years of research and development, but it adds value for clients and eliminates change orders and some of the chaos of the design process. Lauren had to let go of some control but has learned to put the right tools in the right place to make it work. When people started believing in AVR, it validated their endeavors and gave proof of concept. Lauren Rodriguez remains committed to always upgrading the experience for her clients.
Balancing Career and Family
Lauren Rodriguez and her husband are involved in their kids’ activities both in school and sports activities. It forces them to put work and phones aside for awhile and focus on this time in their children’s lives, which they realize will go by all too quickly. They try to be present with their family time, even though they remain committed to keeping their businesses thriving. Lauren has had to let go of some control and find inner peace. She has found ways to be a good partner at home AND at work for her husband and to create a buffer zone that protects their family. She looks forward to what’s next, striving to take AVR Studios to the next level and into the future with limitless possibilities.
Highlights of the Episode:
- 8:12 – Preparedness and drive
- 9:53 – How to NOT rub people the wrong way
- 11:10 – Joining forces with her husband: the birth of IRA
- 13:54 – Women in architecture
- 18:50 – Learning the tasks of a CFO
- 21:24 – Looking to find a mentor
- 23:13 – Earning her “life-experience MBA”
- 26:12 – Handling conflict and disagreements
- 29:43 – The startup with virtual reality technology
- 36:56 – What changes when people believe in what you do
- 40:50 – Balancing a growing family and thriving career
- 46:53 – What it takes to be a great partner
Resources Mentioned:
- Lauren Rodriguez AVR Studios Website: www.avrstudio.us
- Lauren Rodriguez IR Architects Website: www.irarchitects.us
- Drop the Ball: Achieving More By Doing Less by Tiffany Dufu
The Fem Five:
1.Favorite book for women?
- The Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson (specifically 16th Seduction)
2. Favorite self-care hack?
- “Coffee and coffee and coffee – and a run once a week.”
3. Best piece of advice and who gave it to you?
- “If you think you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re probably not.” – from her husband
4. Female thought leader or CEO you’re into right now?
- Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Carter Fleiss, co-founders of Rent the Runway
5. One piece of advice you’d give your five years younger self?
- “It’s only going to get crazier, but that’s OK.”
Last Time on The NextFem Podcast
A Boys Club No More – Making a Space for Women in NASCAR and STEM Education – with Julia Landauer
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