Arushi Bhatnagar

About Beyond Cubicles

📢 #BeyondCubicles is a weekly LinkedIn series created by Carolina D’Souza, born out of her own experience transitioning from a corporate career to independent consulting. Since its launch in June 2024, the series has evolved into a platform that showcases the inspiring journeys of several founders who have redefined the traditional 9-to-5.

Through authentic narratives, #BeyondCubicles highlights themes of courage, resilience, and purpose. The stories feature individuals from diverse industries—ranging from tech and education to wellness and adventure—who share their experiences of stepping away from conventional roles to pursue passion-driven careers. 

✨ Note: All features in this series are unpaid and shared as a way to honor and amplify real stories of transformation.

The revelation surprised Arushi Bhatnagar.

She loved design, but she loved the business of design even more. For someone raised among drawings and site visits, that realization was difficult.

Her mother’s work exposed her to the creative process, and while she once assumed she would stay on that path, her focus shifted.

“I found myself more drawn to how the business ran and how strategy translated creativity into impact,” she says.

That realization led her to launch webeleaf in 2022, a landscape design studio in Dubai. “Our mission is to create legacy gardens, spaces that outlast trends, outshine design clichés, and outlive us,” she says.

The name was born from belief and rebellion. “Everyone knew what an architect or interior designer did, but when I said I was a landscape architect, the default response was, ‘Oh, so you put plants?’”

That conviction became her anchor as she built webeleaf.

Yet the transition wasn’t easy. “Being young, female, and opinionated often raises eyebrows,” she says. “There were moments when I’d walk into a contractor meeting and feel invisible. I learnt to let results speak louder.”

Gradually, competence became her confidence.

“Your mindset is everything. There will be hard days, really hard days, and how you deal with them sets the tone for how your team will,” she says.

The turning point came when a client told her: “You made this process feel effortless.”

That validation confirmed design could be both beautiful and human. “We weren’t just a design firm anymore; we were a brand people trusted,” she says.

Entrepreneurship reshaped how she saw herself, and her personal brand. “I had to grow from being the designer who does everything into a leader who builds systems, people, and vision,” she says.

For Arushi, clarity came after the leap, not before. “I planned webeleaf for four years before launching it, and nothing is going exactly as planned. It’s better, harder, messier, and far more rewarding.”

Her circle keeps her grounded. “My mom taught me empathy with backbone, my husband’s faith in me, and my coach and accountability group reshaped how I think and build.”

From New Delhi, she moved to Dubai in 2005. “Dubai rewards vision,” she says, adding, “Freedom is walking into a garden and seeing the client use it.”