Growing up on her family’s V8 Ranch near Boling, Rachel Williams was never far from the show ring or her family’s prize-winning Brahman and Shorthorn cattle.
She now owns a small herd of her own, but her day job keeps the bills paid. Rachel is president and founder of Ranch House Designs, a full service advertising and graphic design firm based in Wharton that specializes in agricultural advertising and website design.
"I really think I have the best life I could ever imagine because I understand this business from the ground up. I have seen it every day of my life since I was born," Rachel says.
A seventh generation cattlewoman, she can trace her roots back to the J.D. Hudgins’ famed Brahman operations in Texas, which she says pulled her to the animal science program at Texas A&M.
But a few early dabbles in web design prompted another calling, one that ultimately led her to seek a master’s degree in communications from Michigan State.
"For me, I have the best of both worlds because I have a 9 to 5 job that’s fun and gives me something to do that I enjoy," she says. "But at the end of the day, I can come here and sit on my porch, watch the sunset and look at the beautiful cattle in the pasture. It just gives you a feeling of peacefulness and thankfulness for all of the blessings that God has given us."
While her business may have started in a spare bedroom in 1999, it’s grown to include clients in 44 states, as well as Canada, Mexico, Panama and Australia. Today, she manages the print advertising needs and well over 350 websites for ranchers the world over, and last year made the Aggie 100, the world’s fastest growing businesses owned by Texas A&M graduates.
"It’s great to able to work with ranchers on a daily basis who are just like my parents and grandparents," Rachel says. "I get a real sense of accomplishment being able to help them improve their operations. Whether it’s helping them to get just one more prospective client to their ranch or a person to give one more bid at their sale, I get a lot of personal pride in knowing that I’m able to help people who are just like me, everyday, at my job."
