Tiffany Rafii’s marketing empire now spans a massive influence over architecture and design, which has its origins in the humble college dorm room back in the days of the 2008 financial crisis. The uncertain economic times during those days saw Tiffany and her childhood friend Sarah at the receiving end of a whole lot of uneasiness. And it is within those uncertain economic times that they started sketching the roadmap for their future business.
Reflecting on her early years, Rafii remembers how she and Sarah always wanted to do something together, even as their paths diverged. Soon, they identified a significant gap in the public relations market, particularly in the architecture and design sector, which was largely underserved compared to industries like fashion, lifestyle, and finance. With a keen sense of opportunity, they opened their PR firm geared towards helping small businesses grow and thrive despite shrinking budgets.
Just shortly after graduating, they found an opportunity to attend the Hospitality Design Expo. As fresh as they were, compared to other more seasoned competitors, it was all about pure energy and drive; they connected with everyone, and they finally got one of their very first big clients. That event turned out to be one that would push their company through the stratosphere into those years to come.
In 2011, Rafii and Sarah took a giant leap by moving their operations to Manhattan, where they expanded their team and began carving out a niche as the leading PR firm for businesses within the built environment, including architecture firms, real estate companies, interior designers, and prop-tech startups. With the evolution of their clients’ needs, Rafii’s firm adapted by incorporating digital marketing services. This was further solidified in 2022 when they acquired Epiphany Studio, which allowed them to offer integrated marketing, creative, and web services alongside their traditional PR offerings.
Today, the company has grown drastically, particularly in the past two years since the acquisition, and is still on an expansion spree to build its presence in the realms of architecture and design. Rafii and Sarah have also recently started a podcast, The Design Board, which increases their outreach to the overall architecture, design, and AEC communities. Although their roots will always be in architecture and design, the company is beginning to expand into various marketplaces such as women’s healthcare, pet products, and manufacturing.
Rafii expresses immense pride in her team’s achievements over the past 15 years, crediting their collective contributions for shaping the company’s success. Looking forward, she remains committed to fostering professional growth and building new relationships as UpSpring moves into an exciting future.
