Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Riley.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up I noticed early on that I was different than most of the other girls. I was considered a tomboy. I love the outdoors, athletics, and construction. Basically, I liked getting dirty. My father managed a lumber company and flipped houses on the side. I enjoyed working with my hands and seeing how things work.
Once I got to college I leaned towards business, eventually getting a BA and an MBA. I worked in finance, marketing and business development for almost 13 years, but I never truly enjoyed my work. It was just a paycheck. In 2018 I went through many big life changes and I decided that it was finally time to find a career that I love and that I am passionate about.
I had several home inspectors through the years as I purchased different properties and moved from Houston to Austin. All of these inspectors did a great job explaining the home and their findings. They also had one other trait in common. They were all male. I was intrigued by the work involved, so I set out on a journey to obtain my Home Inspector license in Texas.
When I started at the inspector academy, I was the only female in my class. Based on my past, I was not intimidated by being in a male-dominated industry, but it did get my wheels turning. The job of inspectors is to be thorough, have a keen eye for detail and, most importantly, to have good communication skills to translate that information to your clients. My instructors at the academy told me that there are some amazing female inspectors out there, but that the industry was still male-dominated. I started researching this phenomenon and discovered that 3% of all home inspectors nationwide are women and that Texas has 4.5% female inspectors across the state. When researching other male-dominated industries like the military, police force, fire-fighters and even coal miners, all industries had a higher percentage of women. These findings help drive my passion for bringing the home inspection career opportunity to women across the country.
Doyenne is a 19th-century word meaning “a woman who is the most respected or prominent person in a particular field”. I started Doyenne inspections with that goal in mind. We are a women-owned business focused on being the most educated and tech-savvy inspectors in the industry. I started as an individual inspector for the first year. Then I met Heidi Rivera, another female inspector. We decided to go into business together to grow the company. Heidi has been integral to our success as a team. We currently have four ladies on the team and we are still looking to expand. As a multi-inspector firm, we can now serve the greater Austin Real Estate market with sooner availability and great customer service.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started this journey and within 10 months the Covid 19 pandemic hit. Since that first year, the world has changed so much. As a business, it is really hard to have a baseline or accurate first-year numbers to compare to.
Another major challenge has been society’s views of gender norms. I cannot tell you how many people have said ” I didn’t know a woman could be a home inspector”. We love our niche and the clients we help. They typically seek us out because they want a woman-owned or minority-owned business. We also cater to and support the Austin LGBTQ community by sponsoring events and sports leagues. We aim to create a diverse team that reflects our current society so our clients feel comfortable, informed and represented.
Our current challenge is growth. Since female inspectors are few and far between, we have to keep our pipeline full of interested candidates that will need to obtain their licenses. It is hard to find already licensed women in Texas, ready to join our team.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a woman-owned and operated home inspection team serving the greater Austin area. We perform buyer’s inspections, pre-listing inspections and phase inspections. We also perform pool inspections, WDIs (wood destroying insect) reports and sewer scopes.
We are known for our attention to detail and amazing customer experience.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you are buying, selling or building a home, please visit our website DoyenneInspections.com for more information about the services we provide.
If you are interested in becoming a home inspector or joining our team, please contact us at support@doyenneinspections.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.DoyenneInspections.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doyenneinspections/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doyenneinspections
Image Credits
All image credit goes to Doyenne Inspections and Jovana Ivic
