From Fulltime Mom to Fulltime Luxury Builder
Episode #75: Welcome to the She Builds Show, I’m your host, Stefanie Olson and this week I’m excited to speak to Sunita Ritesh! Sunita is an Interior Designer and Builder from the Dallas Fort worth area. She is on a mission to establish that a process oriented, trustworthy and committed contractor is not a myth and in fact a reality. She hopes to inspire more women to come into the construction industry and also encourage women who find it difficult to get back into the workforce after they take a break for their family.
Listen in and learn more about this amazing woman…
ABOUT SUNITA RITESH:
Sunita Ritesh believes a building and design process should be enjoyable and a trustful ride. Even though the nature of this business is a roller coaster ride, her zest to keep her clients’ peace of mind and experience first and as uncomplicated as possible, has prompted her to develop excellent processes and communication methods for her company. After taking a break for family and being a stay at home mom for about 12 years, Sunita started her Interior Design Studio in 2019. In the year 2021 the company diversified into building and construction. Being a wife and mother, Sunita’s core of her life is her family. She puts this same passion of family first into her client’s projects and homes.
For all the years of operation, Sunita has earned client’s for her company solely based on word of mouth and client referrals, which she believes is a testimony to the quality of work her company provides. When she is not building or designing you will find Sunita with a book or writing something herself. She is an avid traveler and loves to explore architecture and designs all over the world. She also believes in sisterhood and supporting other woman owned businesses in whatever ways she can. Giving and being involved in the community work is personally and professionally an important criteria for Sunita and her company.
CONNECT WITH SUNITA:
• Website: https://mechkithh.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mechkithhinteriors
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sunita-ritesh
•Twitter: https://twitter.com/_sunitaritesh
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mechkithh_designs_and_decor
WAYS TO CONNECT WITH STEFANIE…
• Website: https://shebuildshomes.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shebuildsbetter
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shebuilds.homes
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shebuildsshow
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
0:01 Welcome to the She Builds Show.
0:03 I’m your host, Stefanie Olson, a licensed general contractor who builds new construction, renovates and designs your vision today.
0:12 More than ever we need raw, authentic women who are willing to rise above society’s norms break though glass ceilings and encourage each other to boldly build the life we were meant to live.
0:24 So honey, what are you building?
0:27 Alright, welcome to the show.
0:29 I have a fabulous guest that has never been on a podcast before so I’m so excited, Welcome to the show Sunita, thank you so much.
0:38 You’re welcome of course.
0:40 Okay, so can you tell the audience just a tiny little bit about yourself and what you do.
0:45 I wish I had like a huge story.
0:47 My story really is a divine intervention.
0:49 I was a stay at home mom for a very long time for like almost 12 years and I wanted to get back.
0:55 I’ve always worked a corporate job and I wanted to get back there and nobody would hire me because I had this long gap and I was really frustrated with it and I remember one of my prayer times, I was like, okay, seriously, like what’s going on?
1:07 Like you could part the Red Sea, you couldn’t give me a difficult dessert.
1:11 I was and I think I found my calling in that prayer time and I was like, well I did do interior designing a long time back when I was in college.
1:21 I did do it back in India and I never wanted to do it professionally like to people’s homes or anything like that.
1:27 But I needed something to do and that’s how I started it just, I did have a plan, I didn’t have like a big huge motivation to you know design people’s homes. I love doing it in my house or my for my friends but nothing professionally like that.
1:42 But I started and I think within a month I found a full service project to do and it was a full paying client and I’m not looked back after that.
1:51 Wow, that’s amazing.
1:54 So what’s the name of your company and how long have you been in business?
1:58 Yes, it’s called Mechkithh Interiors.
2:01 I really wanted something that resonated with me culturally and traditionally, so we started in 2019 I don’t really count 2020 as a business here because I couldn’t do anything that year.
2:13 I like to say I started in 2019 and then there was a gap and then, so we’ve been in business for 3, 3.5 years but it’s been an amazing, I want to say like a very blessed growth.
2:25 Yeah, not something I was prepared to like that after my like six months into business.
2:30 I prepared like a business plan and all of that thing and whatever I had planned for like year three, year five, they all just started flooding in and so I feel like I was unprepared for the growth but we’ve got it all what was like, you know going for that first job.
2:49 What do you think is you know your style and what kind of clients are you doing work for?
2:56 What’s like your primary, you know source of work right now?
3:00 So when I started a major in 2019 it was only an interior design studio like I was designing and then you know get some contractors and finish off my job and stuff like that.
3:11 So primary style would be, I like to increase colors.
3:17 I mean I like all white and gray and everything but I just feel like there has to be color somewhere.
3:21 So you’ll see that a lot in my projects even if it’s modern, transitional no matter what, I throw some color in there and it becomes a very personalized to the clients and the kind of clients I mostly work with.
3:31 They are very busy, high network clients.
3:34 So but they also like to entertain and you know show the influence that they have.
3:38 So there are a lot of antiques going in and stuff like that.
3:41 I like personalizing the designs.
3:43 So when we started out it was though, it was only a design studio, something really bad happened and then I had to take up construction.
3:51 I was like yeah I’m not letting anyone else do this and this is going to be my thing and then major construction was born and we just combine both and now we are completely into construction, new builds and remodels and everything.
4:03 We like to do full house projects that’s like the best thing.
4:07 Yeah just like a full custom, what was the terrible thing that happened?
4:11 Of course I’m going to ask you.
4:13 Yes.
4:14 Yes.
4:14I I have to say that because I like to tell that story because I I feel like it is very inspiring, It wasn’t inspiring at that time, but now very much learning experience, it was, I I took up a full remodel project, it was actually a designer and remodel.
4:31 So the contractor that I was working with, he was not known to me like he was doing a job in my own house so I knew him but I don’t know what you know you never know why people behave certain ways.
4:42 He took the money and he went off and he would not return my calls and then like it was just standing there was me and I didn’t know what to do, I had never, this was my third client.
4:54 Oh my gosh!
4:56 I was like a very high, highly influential real estate agent had recommended me to them.
5:03 So that was another thing and I was forever trying to impress this real estate agent because I I really was hoping to actually get me business and it just happened and I have spent days going back and forth in that house sitting there and just crying like sobbing, I would have my dinner and I’ll tell my husband, I’ll just take a drive and eventually end up at the side.
5:21 I have the keys.
5:22 I would just go in and the whole house is demoed inside.
5:25 And I would sit on the staircase and cry not knowing what to do because I didn’t know what to do.
5:29 And I had to hand over the project and the client knew something was happening and they kept telling me that the contract was not showing up this that and they were not living there though.
5:37 But I knew it was a mess.
5:38 And the thing is I was covered by the contract because I had made a contract and I knew that you know, there was Covid going on and all of that just started opening up.
5:47 And my contract clearly stated that if the contractor goes away because of Covid or something, then you know, the client is responsible to get another contract or we will work with another contract.
5:56 And that is what the contractor had told me.
5:58 He said he got Covid and he left and he never came back.
6:01 So I didn’t know what happened.
6:02 So I was I was okay with the contract.
6:04 You know that thing inside you.
6:05 You know that the guy lied to you.
6:07 I just knew he because even before his phone and I told my husband, he’s going to make this a covid story and he did.
6:13 And I knew he was lying.
6:15 And I just did.
6:16 My good conscience couldn’t tell the client that you know, you have to look for another.
6:20 I just needed to do it myself and it was a big hit.
6:24 Used our personal money and we completed the project.
6:27 Yeah, sometimes it’s so hard, but it’s like you know what, you just have to do the right thing.
6:32 Sometimes I had to do it because that’s the day I started my business.
6:36 I like I said I didn’t have a plan or anything.
6:38 But one thing I was very sure of my clients will never feel threatened that the money is going away somewhere or they not feel valued that the core is them.
6:48 Like I have always kept that in their mind.
6:50 So I never wanted them to feel cheated or anything.
6:52 And so I decided to do it myself.
6:55 And then I hired people and I started interviewing them and I started asking a lot of questions on everything that they were doing.
7:02 I was every day on site and that was the only project I was concentrating on doing nothing.
7:07 End of it, we handed over a completed project.
7:09 It took time they were very patient with me, I’m so thankful for that.
7:13 And we handed over a complete project and even after that the earlier contractor had done some rubbish job.
7:19 So we had to go back to correct it and we did as many times as they called us, we did.
7:23 But from there on we’ve not looked back and we’ve got, I’ve learned so much from such a great team that’s when I designed my company as a construction company, even for insurance and all of that, everything just fell in place after that.
7:35 And I just thought this was meant to be, this was my school.
7:37 I don’t see it as a, you know, a bad thing.
7:40 I mean I know I said that but it’s more of a school and I yes, yes and it’s it now we’re building so many homes and we have a couple of projects this year and I know I’m going to be great at it.
7:53 Like we have a great thing doing it.
7:54 That’s amazing.
7:55 So did you, are you in the place of and I just, I do want to like acknowledge the fact that you could have given up and like tucked your tail and ran because I’ve been in that position before where it just feels hopeless and you have, I think as like women, we have such a desire just to please everyone and take on the burden ourself and feel like we have, you know, we created this, we have to solve it and it just takes so much tenacity to continue on and to then some, you know at this point, look back and be like, oh, I’m actually grateful for that.
8:35 So like you are a very much growth minded, mature person to be able to handle it and be grateful for it.
8:44 That’s what I always say.
8:44 If you go through something terrible and you can look back and have gratitude for it.
8:48 It’s like then that was like meant to be.
8:51 So I applaud you.
8:55 So tell me how the transition went because you know you were just doing interior design and I feel like a lot of interior designers struggle with this is just finding, you know like any client, if they were just trying to go find a contractor, finding reliable people to do work and then you know, they’re they end up coordinating and project managing and doing that type of thing.
9:17 Do you have?
9:18 So when you started the company, did one of you or your husband become a contractor or do you guys partner with somebody?
9:23 Just let me know the structure of how you guys are doing that.
9:26 Yeah.
9:26 So that’s not, I mean my husband has a corporate job and he, I’m gonna call him the investor in my business.
9:32 That’s where recovered the losses from in the first year of this mess that had happened.
9:36 But after that incident, I, so for me I did not want to rely on people as not just processes.
9:44 So now what we have done is we in our company we have, so even if I am not their work can be done.
9:50 So if I hire a team, if I have a team that is dedicated to a project, there is a process.
9:56 I don’t care if this team doesn’t show up tomorrow, another team can come in and take their place.
9:59 So we’ve built on processes more than people.
10:02 So everything like we have a proper schedule made for plumbing, electric foundations, doors, windows, every little thing, like I have personally gone through all of this, I’ve hired some good coaches to see what really works and so we put all of that together.
10:19 So I, I want to say my business is not people dependent as much it was earlier now it is more process dependent, so we take care of that.
10:27 Now how we built, the team was in that same project where I got to work with a lot of subs, I found a lot of good people who were, who really worked for me without taking pay because they just saw what I was trying to do and that one of the guys is the head of projects now for us and he often tells my story and he’ll tell things like, yeah, I started working for her because I know what she was trying to do for the client and that’s something that is very emotional for me.
10:53 So he’s there, he oversees all of about it.
10:55 So that’s how we built.
10:57 So he comes in, he’s the guy who interviews are other subs and we have a little qualification thing that we do for everybody and kept them all on team.
11:05 So the pricing when for example, if we have one client coming in and we’re designing and remodeling or building then we have our price.
11:13 The team that is different and then the team that actually works is different so we do that and right now just as I speak it’s been I want to say like a month my husband has joined us as head of construction to convince him you know that I can pay your corporate salary now And then join us.
11:34 He enjoys it and yeah he’s the head of construction in our business and we also take care take care of all the operations and stuff like that.
11:42 So we are actually now 15 that he does.
11:45 So how many employees do you guys have right now on file we have about three.
11:51 And the rest our 1099.
11:53 Yeah.
11:54 And how many relationships are you you know kind of coordinating and running with your subcontractors.
11:58 Like do you have 30?
12:00 What’s your kind of circle of like contract?
12:04 Yeah I’m just curious.
12:06 Oh no we try to we try to keep so like for electric electrician’s we like to keep like five on five.
12:12 We have plumbers same as five and I think we have six plumbers so we have master and master plumbers and then we have the junior ones and we have tried to do that kind of thing and same with every company or every vendor that we work with.
12:25 We have at least five people on five.
12:28 We definitely work with and if we get more projects than the other.
12:31 Okay, I love that.
12:33 I’m just, it’s just interesting to see how people, you know, set up their business and what’s, you know, working for them.
12:38 So then how many projects are you guys doing at one time?
12:42 So, I mean we wouldn’t, we don’t say no to any project that comes our way.
12:46 We take them up because we do have teams working in four different projects and then we just overseas we believe in hiring people to work more projects than telling no, we don’t have the bandwidth.
12:55 We do have the bandwidth, Dallas is filled with talent and people and we’ve been so far blessed.
13:01 We’re, you know, working with them so we can take as many projects we want and we just hire more people and we work this year.
13:08 We have about, I think we have nine design projects that should finish in the first quarter.
13:13 They’re almost ready to, you know, to be photographed and then we have, I want to say about four new builds that we started from the ground up in the process of civil engineering and city permits and stuff like that.
13:27 Yeah, they’re all in the pipeline.
13:29 Yeah, they’re all custom luxury homes like on acreages.
13:33 That’s amazing.
13:34 So did you plan to try like to try to get into the luxury space or was it just like that?
13:42 Like targeted that.
13:43 No, I didn’t target like I say this with the utmost humility that I have that I have not spent a single time on advertisement for the past 34 years.
13:52 We have been in business.
13:53 It’s always been word of mouth and plant rappers just gotten from one client on the other client and that’s just the way.
14:00 And when we didn’t have any work like one or two months, we don’t have new clients.
14:03 We have work that we finish up and then we work on our business.
14:06 You know, we look at the process and just enjoy the time.
14:09 Yeah, we just enjoyed that.
14:11 So I was just thinking about that like this morning I’m like when we’re done with like the three that we’re working on and like I would be okay to have like everybody have, where nothing happened, you know that yeah we just, yeah, we take advantage of the time and start doing something else.
14:27 So so yeah, no, I didn’t plan to be exactly in the luxury business.
14:32 But our past three or four clients were high end luxury clients and I loved working with them and then you know then you set a certain standard for your upcoming clients and when you’re doing the screening you’re like, yeah, you know that’s so they have been referring us to more clients and you just have worked that’s incredible.
14:50 That is so amazing.
14:52 Like most people don’t just end up there, you know in a couple of years, so that it’s incredible, it’s funny, we were at a Summit somewhere and I don’t remember the coach, she was saying something and I was writing now, so I didn’t, I didn’t pay attention to her face or her facial expression when she was asking this question, she said, do we have any entrepreneur here who just started and everything fell in place?
15:10 And I was writing, she asked the question, I raised my hand and everybody was laughing and I was like, oh that was that was not really a question, she was planning to hit something else, and I’m like, oh I’m sorry, I didn’t okay, you, everything fell in place for you, and I said, I mean it didn’t fall in place, but it was not as terrible as you know, some people would say that entrepreneurship is you just you were just made for it, you just, you just accept and everyone’s like glaring at you like we hate you, it was so embarrassing because I didn’t, I didn’t know it was not really a question, I just raised my hand like, I’m good, I can never forget the moment.
15:50 Okay, have you ever had any client that just like pushed your, like, visionary boundaries, Have you ever had anybody that, like, you know where you’re like, I can’t figure this out, I can’t relate, have you had any experience like that?
16:04 I haven’t had that, I couldn’t figure out a solution and well, I mean, I think we always figure it out but maybe but you know somebody who’s pushed my boundaries was my client.
16:13 They both are in the medical field here and the husband is a scientist.
16:18 This was their second home and they’re from India.
16:22 I don’t know if you know the police Rajasthan but it’s all full of balances and stuff.
16:25 That’s where they come from.
16:27 This was their second home and they’re done having the babies.
16:31 They have three kids, beautiful ones.
16:32 And they wanted to make this house, this is a big house and they wanted to make it as much possible as in that you know cultural, they really wanted that colors and design and everything.
16:44 Yeah.
16:44 That project pushed me to the limit because we are in us and there’s a good amount of availability of decor and everything that I want here but not necessarily the custom look that we were looking for.
16:55 So then managing that project and designing and actually trying to convince them for the schemes that we had here and getting my subcontractors to work on that.
17:04 And I remember my contact when you come up from these ideas right?
17:11 So half like we had one panel to go in and we did that last week and I got a text from her saying that how best our contractors and our designs are just so much in love.
17:22 There’s just one wallpaper before that we need to receive and finish it off And then yeah.
17:28 So that project like how much I could be creative and absolutely well so you do it like you go down to like the pillows, the furniture, you do everything so it’s like their house is complete.
17:40 Yes.
17:41 Everything we do the whole once we finish designing, once all the installation is done that is the, you know the accessories and decor and everything.
17:48 We just order everything and then install it and then they just get to come in.
17:52 It’s like being on a tv show.
17:54 That’s so fun.
17:54 Yeah.
17:55 Surprise walking to your house.
17:57 It’s almost lovely moment at that time.
17:59 Yeah.
18:00 Right.
18:01 How long is like your average project?
18:04 Really depends.
18:05 But if let’s say if it’s like a full house, I want to say 4000 square feet remodel and design takes currently anywhere between 8 to 12 months to finish the backlog and things not arriving on time and all the delays but 8 to 12 months we try to finish it.
18:23 But no, I didn’t finish it.
18:25 If it’s a full remodel?
18:26 Yeah, it takes that long.
18:28 What do you think has been maybe like the thing you’re most excited right now about your interior design?
18:35 Is there like any new thing that’s come up that you’re just like, oh I’m in love with this and I can’t wait to incorporate it and do your clients like allow like do they give you a lot of free rein with your creativity or do you feel more like constrained?
18:49 No, it’s funny this morning in my gratitude journal.
18:52 I was writing that I was writing with my clients and I love them.
18:56 They love me, I know that, but I love them.
18:58 You know, you do form certain kind of a friendship at some level of emotional and personal when working around people’s homes.
19:07 So they give me that liberty, but to take that liberty, I need to first understand really what they want and their vision for the house.
19:13 Sometimes we’ll just walk in and say, oh, you know, if it’s an Indian family, they would say, oh, I don’t want the whole Indian color and everything.
19:19 I just want very modern moment.
19:21 They don’t know what they mean by that.
19:22 So they’re just saying something.
19:24 So they’re just throwing the word modern out there.
19:26 They don’t know it, it’s like, it’s very different.
19:29 Yeah.
19:30 So it’s my job to educate them and then according to their lives and end of the day when they look at it, they’re so happy at the presentation and they love it.
19:36 So yeah, I mean, what I’m most excited about currently is the colors that are coming back.
19:42 I love incorporating colors and I love the whole accent that, you know, in the seventies and eighties back here and I, I think so, fashion and interior both actually, you see all those colors are very excited about, I love how strong wallpaper is going that no, that’s been my thing always and I never found it very difficult to convince people to do that except if they don’t have the budget for that but otherwise I think it’s always been and I love what has come back, you know like bold designs and I feel like they’re not boring, they’re less boring now, they’re not done.
20:19 Yeah, I wanna like desperately do like a monochromatic bathroom or something where it’s just like all one color but with all of like but with wallpaper I just like I want somebody like Stefanie please.
20:33 I feel like I don’t run into a whole lot of people that are willing to take risks like you can hide it in the closet over there.
20:40 Where do you?
20:42 So are you the sole person doing all of the design on every house and picking out every single thing?
20:48 Yes, so I am the principal designer.
20:51 I come up with the palette, I am the one who needs to talk to the client personally and do everything.
20:56 Then occasionally I do outsource or rather I hire someone on project places to assist me but if I have too many things going on then I need someone to do the sketch or you know like a 3-D help me with sourcing but if I’m not doing so much and like I was telling you about a project to finish and these projects the new projects are still in the permit stage.
21:16 So I don’t have designed to do and dying to design something something there.
21:22 So I bought a project, I wouldn’t give it to anyone.
21:26 It’s me it’s me all over.
21:27 I mean I just need to do it, but if I have too many things going on then all the admin sort of things, I can just give it to someone.
21:33 Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
21:35 With, you know, regards to coming up, do you do feel like coming up with ideas?
21:40 Do you feel like the creativity comes easily and you know, because for like, just for example, for me, if I’m too stressed or too busy or I don’t have enough like time in my schedule, it’s really hard for me to be creative.
21:55 You know, you’re also a mom, is that right?
21:58 You told me that earlier?
21:59 So how is that like balancing and getting, you know, I know you’re itching for some creativity right now, but you know, if there is a season where it feels too busy, how are you balancing all of that and how do you kind of get inspired?
22:13 Ok, I’m going to tell you this.
22:14 I don’t know if everybody does this, but when we signed the contract, I am very open with my clients, I tell them that I’m in the business of creating and it is not a line job, it doesn’t happen.
22:31 So if I have told, I mean we have a timeline, of course we have a timeline and then we’re going to do the final design presentation and you’re going to bring samples and all of that.
22:39 But I do let them know that if I hit a block and if I’m not able to envision something, if I’m not able to come up with something I am going to take time it won’t be like forever.
22:50 But I’m going to take time and I have some internal personal schedule is done so that I can work like that.
22:57 But for my client, I let them know this is an artist’s job.
23:02 It’s not something that you walk into an office and you find something. The HGTV reveal moment happens only after too many things.
23:09 It’s not like it happens immediately.
23:11 We have a process and the most important part of the process is my brain.
23:15 And if I’m going to go through something, I’m going to let you know and I’m going to take a break and then have to come up with the design, they are well aware of it by God’s grace so far.
23:24 I’ve never had to use the card.
23:26 So and then when you were asking you would say right mom job and you know everything like we spend a lot of time as family.
23:35 I love to do a lot of other things as well.
23:38 I like to put it in my calendar.
23:39I like to put it in my calendar, like there are two days that is absolutely nothing that we do not expect food from me anyways.
23:47 I don’t think my husband is the one who is so much into the kitchen.
23:49 He loves cooking.
23:50 So don’t expect any mom jobs for me just to hug in a case.
23:53 That’s all beyond that.
23:54 It’s not gonna go anywhere.
23:55 So it’s me in some garden or you know, having a coffee or just reading, listening to music.
24:01 I just like to prep myself a little bit.
24:02 So I keep myself, I have the time for myself and I sit down and I like to go through the notes and look up for inspiration and just think and visualize the design.
24:12 I’m not actually have anything planned, but not just for yourself.
24:16 Yes.
24:17 Yes.
24:17 So I do that.
24:19 My people working on site.
24:21 No, not to call me.
24:22 I will not pick up the phone.
24:24 It’ll go to, you know, somebody else who can handle stuff.
24:26 Everything is done before that so that everybody can give me that time I try to do and sometimes I take the time off and I still hit a block and I don’t get anything and that’s fine.
24:35 But I’ve still done what I’m supposed to do.
24:37 And some days it’s just, you know, I’m sleeping very peacefully at one o’clock in ninth and it’s like, oh my God, I could do this and then come out and just make that note.
24:46 Oh right.
24:50 And then it comes out that’s glorious.
24:52 I love that that you take that time.
24:54 My friend calls it, She calls it in her calendar.
24:56 Thinking time where she just, she just doesn’t plan anything, but it’s in her schedule to go and not have anything planned.
25:04 But she will plans to not have anything planned.
25:06 And I’m like, I think that’s just a beautiful way to allow the creativity to flow and to also just like come up with new ideas and feel inspired and not constrained.
25:17 And I think the part that I when I try to do that, I think I’m really bad about answering my phone.
25:22 I’m like I wanna throw it away.
25:27 So I applaud you for that as well that you could just be like, everybody knows you can’t contact me from, you know, Tuesday, Thursday.
25:33 Yeah.
25:35 Well that takes like self control and to also have the processes and systems set up that they know they can call someone else.
25:42 Yeah.
25:43 I mean I didn’t start out like that, it was like everything needs to be done.
25:46 But I’ve realized doing the job, see you learn so much on your job, right?
25:50 You while you’re doing it there, this is January, right?
25:54 So somewhere last year in October is when I realized there’s a do not disturb more on the phone that I can mine right now.
26:01 So for me do not disturb but I used to get very tense.
26:04 Oh my God if I put my phone on, do not disturb what happens with my daughter calls or what if my husband was trying to read now.
26:09 I know that I can actually, you know you can bypass yeah they can bypass that.
26:14 And so many things you learn these things when you, when there’s a need, there’s a way yeah, there’s an app for that, you know, to add to the point that we were talking about.
26:23 One of the other things that I think everybody should do.
26:26 I do it.
26:27 I’ve started only like recently because I didn’t know many people here in Dallas that we’re interior designers or you know I was part of anything but I have now recently started going out with them like the coffee networking and I don’t mean networking in a way that you’re not trying to pitch yourself or something.
26:43 Nothing like that.
26:44 Just just talking to them because when you’re talking to your same, your colleagues, your peers, I feel that clears a lot of your headspace like solutions and things that you know what you thought about.
26:57 I always, you know, even prospects when they come and I always tell them that they cannot go wrong by choosing anyone in Dallas.
27:02 I feel like we are so tremendously blessed with talent.
27:06 They have some amazing designers here and it’s a privilege to have met them and be in the group and you know talk to them and stuff like that.
27:12 That really helps as well.
27:13 I feel like they understand me better than my own team because they’re doing you know, different work than you are absolutely awesome.
27:23 I think that is another good thing to do.
27:25 Okay, one final question.
27:27 Do you like to read?
27:28 That’s not the question, but I’m gonna ask you a question after this question.
27:32 Do you have any like is there any book that stands out for you?
27:38 Kind of going from like I was a stay at home mom and now I’m running this you know Empire.
27:45 Was there any like one or two books such as kind of stood out to you that really helped you.
27:50 Like this is the systems and processes I set up and this is where I got it is or anything like that.
27:55 So in relationship to my business, the books by luann Najera.
28:01 Well designed business.
28:02 I’m a fan just her podcast and everything.
28:06 Although it’s well designed business.
28:08 Is that what you said?
28:09 Cool.
28:09 Design business.
28:10 I love that and it’s been life changing.
28:13 It’s been very, very helpful to my business.
28:15 Like I know now she has an academy and all that but before that I used to call myself, I just graduated from the academy, I manifested it for her because I would always say I think in one school and I’ve learned this because it’s it’s a really amazing.
28:30 Her books are great, her podcast is amazing.
28:32 And the other book that really helped me change my mindset and you know, work in my business was Think and Grow Rich Yeah, I’m a fan, it’s like it sits next to my bible and I like to refer, it’s like a deep book, it’s a very deep book and like the stuff that he gets into and what he, you know, I am like, such a huge fan, not managing your mind, but being so conscious of your thoughts and what you’re telling yourself and it’s like, I feel like everything comes from there and like the more I can learn about it, you know, like I said, it’s just like bible, you read the same words again and again and you hit something different.
29:13 Yeah, absolutely.
29:18 Right.
29:19 What is it in the, in the, there was like, was it one guy, I don’t know, I read like an interview and he I can’t remember his name, but he has like, read that book like over and over and over for like 40 years and it’s just like, Bob Proctor…Yes, yes, like you just can’t get it.
29:39 Just never ever it’s a book out of style or whatever he says, that’s the only book he’s ever read, he was not into reading, he’s never read anything, this is the only book and every time somebody says, having finished the book, he says, no, I’m still reading it because he’s saying for me reading is reading, like I have to understand it and it just doesn’t, you can’t really keep reading it.
30:00 Yeah, absolutely, I agree.
30:03 Okay, well if you can thank you so much for all of this and if you can just tell everybody, like if they’re looking to hire you and find you or follow you, where can they do that?
30:16 Yes, we have our website, we are uploading some new pictures, so we’ve kept it on hold right now, but we do have a website, it’s called www dot I don’t, I don’t believe I said that.
30:25 WWW, my daughter’s gonna laugh.
30:27 It’s mechkithh.com and we are on social media Instagram.
30:32 You can just search for and they’ll find you absolutely.
30:36 And we’ll have all the link to the show notes in the podcast and everything so everybody can find you and thank you so much for being here.
30:43Thank you so much.
30:44 Your stuff is absolutely gorgeous and more people need to hire you.
30:48 You’re incredible thank you.
30:50 Absolutely.
30:51 Okay, well thanks again and have an awesome day.
30:53 You too.
30:54 Okay, bye.
30:56 Thanks for joining me today on The She Builds Show.
30:59 My name is Stefanie Olson.
31:00 My hope is that this episode leaves you feeling empowered and ready to boldly take that step into building the life that you envision 12×4 at a time and if you can do me a quick favor, please leave me a five star review on ITunes, I guess, get you over reading the reviews each week and I will choose one special person to win some She Builds swag, make sure you add your name to the review and I’ll reach out if you’re the winner.
31:24 Thanks again for hanging out.
31:25 Be sure to visit me at shebuildshomes.com where you can ask me questions and share with me what you’re building.