How to Delegate with Rosa
Episode #81: Welcome to the She Builds Show, I’m your host, Stefanie Olson and today I have a fantastic guest, Rosa Santiago Zimmerman. Rosa is the Founder and CEO of RSZ Design + Development, a turn-key design and development firm whose emphasis is interior design, residential and commercial real estate development, construction, and top-notch project management. Listen in as Rosa shares the magic in staying in your own lane and delegating tasks to others, to free up your time and energy to focus on what you do best.
ABOUT ROSA SANTIAGO ZIMMERMAN:
RSZ Design + Development is a woman-owned, Latina owned firm, and at the helm of our firm, you will find the creative, multi-lingual, and grit-driven Founder and CEO, Rosa Santiago Zimmerman. Her firm is empowered by the diversity, dependability, and talents of outstanding partnerships with our suppliers, vendors, and contractors. Coupled with an outstanding internal team with world-class experience, our firm stands in a lane of its own.
The RSZ team share 25 years of professional experience and collectively contributes a wealth of confidence and knowledge to every awarded project.
RSZ Design + Development creates, develops, and builds with the intentional purpose of creating a WORLD our client’s will love to live in!
CONNECT WITH ROSA:
• Website: https://www.rszdesigndevelopment.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rszdesigndevelopment
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rszdesigndevelopment
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_hGj-_nouGxdE15CcXQDrw
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 those 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 Welcome to the She Build Show.
0:29 I have a fantastic guest today.
0:32 Her name is Rosa Santiago Zimmerman.
0:34 Did I nail it?
0:35 Look at you.
0:38 One for Griffin Lore.
0:41 Ok.
0:42 Well, welcome to the show, Rosa.
0:45 Tell the audience your business and what you do and how long you’ve been in the industry.
0:52 So I’m kind of an OG in the industry.
0:54 I’ve been around for 25 years.
0:56 Actually, this September will be 26 years in the industry and I am one of the very few, I think Latinas that are both interior designers and general contractors.
1:14 And so I’ve been doing this for a long time.
1:16 I know there’s a lot of new girls coming into the industry and it’s so awesome to see.
1:20 But yeah, 26 years in the industry and, and I, I love it.
1:24 That’s amazing.
1:25 Ok, so what’s the name of your business?
1:28 Our business is R S Z design, the Plus sign development.
1:35 And we just went through, yeah, we it’s design development and we just went through a rebranding about two years ago.
1:41 We used to be R S C interiors for 24 years, but we have transition and increased our services and the development side and we needed a new refresh.
1:52 Yeah, little revamp.
1:54 Yeah, a little refresh of the branding.
1:56 That’s awesome.
1:57 Ok.
1:57 And what part of the country are you in?
2:00 So I have been in Georgia and I personally now just moved to Florida, but I still do the Georgia region.
2:09 I do Florida.
2:10 I’ve done Florida forever and now go where my clients are.
2:15 As long as our, they’re the clients I want to work with.
2:18 That’s right.
2:20 As long as you check the boxes.
2:23 Yes.
2:23 And when you’ve been in it for fun clients.
2:27 Yes.
2:27 And when you’ve been in, as long as you have, you get to make that choice.
2:30 So I love it.
2:32 So just tell me a little bit about like your company and like what you guys really focus on.
2:38 Like give me like what’s been the last 23 projects you guys have been doing.
2:43 So, you know, we’ve been turnkey since day one, we’ve been full turn key firms from the design concept to completion.
2:51 I obviously lead and manage the designing of the space.
2:57 Then I lead and manage the project management depending on the size of the project.
3:02 Sometimes I will bring in partners to work with us and we have three different general contractors that we partner with when we have more than we can handle.
3:12 Depending on the project, I will bring them in to kind of be a liaison in the project and deal more with the hands on.
3:19 And then at the end of the day, we obviously, you know, stage the space furnish the space, the core, the space and reveal the space.
3:27 So we, we’re involved in the process from A to Z and we find that our clients love that they absolutely, I’m sure sure just to be able to walk in and have it be completely done and decorated.
3:39 I don’t have like the interior design, you know, finish.
3:43 But I still, you know, like there’s a part of me that’s like, can I put all your things away in the pantry for you and organize them just right.
3:51 But like my little brain wants to like, make it all perfect for them.
3:54 But I, you know, I haven’t gotten there yet.
3:56 So are you mainly like remodels or are you more new construction?
4:02 I am both, I’m not either or I am both, you know, depending I believe at this point in the game in the synergy of the project and the synergy of the client.
4:12 And I honestly think, you know, our clients become family.
4:16 And so if that synergy is in place, then we will take either or I’m gonna say we’re probably 60, 40 where we’re 60% remodeling, 40% new construction.
4:30 OK.
4:30 Awesome.
4:31 So tell me I’m interested because you’ve been in it so long.
4:35 How did you get started?
4:37 Like, what was your path to get your general contractor’s license?
4:41 I know it sounds like you started in interior design.
4:43 Did you go to interior design school?
4:45 Did you just figure it out?
4:47 What was kind of your process for, you know, for you at the beginning?
4:51 My story is quite interesting and the book is coming, the book is coming.
4:55 Oh my gosh, you like totally have to, you literally have to talk to this Julia lady too, because Julia Laughton, she’s also writing a book.
5:02 I’m like, these are the original Gangsters of you guys need to have like an original Gangsters of construction.
5:10 I need a No podcast.
5:11 Yeah, something I’m like, oh my gosh, you guys are like the coolest people ever.
5:16 The book is coming.
5:17 But I actually started my initial, my first education, I was a paramedic firefighter and still in a male industry at this time.
5:26 I just, I just like the boys.
5:29 I know, right?
5:30 They’re great to work with.
5:32 But yeah, no, I, you know, after that, I left that very early on when I realized this is not going to be for me for many reasons.
5:40 It’ll be in the book.
5:41 I went ahead and I established a couple of businesses and in the middle of one of the businesses, I looked at my husband and I said, ok, this is done.
5:51 This is done.
5:51 This is done.
5:52 We can eat right.
5:53 Yes, we can eat.
5:55 We’re comfortable.
5:55 Yes.
5:56 All right.
5:56 I wanna go back to school.
5:58 And so at the age of 28 I decided to go back to school.
6:04 Literally.
6:04 I had just found out that I was pregnant with my daughter who is now 23, 24 about to be 24.
6:12 And I said I’m gonna go back to school and he’s like, what do you want to do?
6:16 Do you know?
6:16 And I was like, yeah, I wanna study interior design and so I went out and I studied interior design.
6:22 Oh, and, and I did it in three years.
6:24 I did it in night school because I was still the CEO of one of our firms and constantly busy.
6:31 Then a brand new mom.
6:32 I mean, you know, all the things when we take it on, we take it on.
6:36 That’s right.
6:37 I’m like, when you find a woman that like you like it’s, that’s what’s so cool to interview and find people like you because you think you’re the only one that’s crazy and psycho going after everything and then you’re like, oh my gosh, there’s other people like me that like want to write a book that wanna like start businesses and help people and be successful that can do it all.
6:58 Like I always was like, yeah, I was, I had the baby and I was working and I was going to school.
7:02 It’s like, yeah, we just got to do it.
7:04 It’s so cool.
7:05 Ok, so continue on.
7:06 So, yeah.
7:07 So, no, so then I went back to school and I started in design and you know, I started working in that but obviously I am Spanish, you know, those of you that can hear my accent and Rosa.
7:19 Rosa and, you know, it was very easy for me to manage the projects.
7:25 So finally I got to a point where I was just like, you know, what, why not?
7:30 Let me just go ahead and get my G C license while I’m in this because I am running these projects anyway.
7:36 Yeah.
7:36 And you know, I got my G C license and believe it or not.
7:40 I mean, getting ready to get it again in Florida.
7:43 Oh, you are?
7:44 Yeah, I, I have, you know, I’ve continued to work and I’ve worked with a lot of clients that are Georgia based that have moved to Florida.
7:50 They have a second home, a vacation home in Florida.
7:53 So I’ve just come over here and done the work but usually worked under, you know, either another G C or something to that effect.
8:00 But yeah, I decided, well, now we’re, we’re gotta go back and retake the test for the State of Florida.
8:07 I’m having to learn new codes and new buildings standards.
8:11 And so, you know, the education never ends but it’s just a, a, to say, an easy segue to what I was doing because I did find that our clients felt so comfortable with me leading the process and it’s just a lot easier also when you’re leading the process yourself.
8:33 Yeah.
8:33 Well, you have much, the project goes so much more smoothly.
8:36 So what was the timeline between like, you know, graduating college with your interior design degree and getting your G C license?
8:44 How much time was in five years?
8:46 Five years?
8:47 Ok.
8:47 And then, so you’ve had your G C license for a long time For 20 years, 20 years.
8:54 It’s OK.
8:55 You’re like, you’re, you’re only 25.
8:57 So.
8:58 Right.
8:59 Right.
9:00 I started when I was five years old as a Boston fight.
9:06 I know I keep on saying O G and then, and it’s like we’re gonna go, how old is this lady?
9:11 Yeah, I always tell people I’m like 85.
9:15 I just really look good.
9:16 Right.
9:19 Yes.
9:20 Yes.
9:20 Absolutely.
9:21 That’s amazing.
9:22 OK.
9:23 So then you got your G C and I wanna know what it was like for you.
9:29 You know, obviously you’re a mom and running a business.
9:33 I’m just, what was the biggest struggle for you in that?
9:39 Like, what was the hardest part about?
9:42 Like either learning the business or running the business or balancing life?
9:47 Like what, what kind of like wisdom from that struggle could you share?
9:52 You know, I love this question.
9:54 I love this question, Stefanie, you know, one of the things that I would tell, especially the newbies that are out there listening to me is get in a position where you can hire the help, stop doing everything yourself.
10:12 Yes, ma’am preach it.
10:14 Yes, I like literally had this conversation with an interior, like my good interior designer friend yesterday.
10:20 I was like, you have got to let go of control like you just have to and we’re not the type of people that do that.
10:25 Well, no, no.
10:26 And I’m a control freak but here’s what I’ve learned throughout the years I need and I love this new trending statement by the new kids of the, you know, new kids on the block is stay in your lane.
10:40 I hate this, like with a passion.
10:45 Anything that has to do with accounting spice it.
10:50 So one of the things that I did was like, ok, I need to make enough money to hire an accountant, whether it’s quarterly or whether it’s, you know, twice a year but or, or, you know, have maybe an A P and A R person that can just come in and do my billing because I despised it.
11:12 That was not my lane.
11:13 It literally wilted me.
11:16 So that’s one of the things that I try.
11:18 And obviously there’s a lot more resources.
11:20 Now, we have these girl Fridays and we have these virtual assistants that people can hire.
11:26 You know, I ended up hiring my mom.
11:28 I call my mom and I said, listen, I need help with accounts receivable accounts payable.
11:32 I do not.
11:33 It just to me, it literally stopped my creativity.
11:37 So that’s the one advice that I would say to people out there is even if you go, hey, three hours a week, listen, it’s three hours a week that it allows you number one to balance yourself in your personal life, but also not to get burned out in the process.
11:54 Absolutely.
11:55 And the other one is, it’s honestly kind of in the same lane is before you go into business because I see it, you know, I’m on a couple of boards that sometimes I’m reading and I’m going, oh my God.
12:08 Listen, school doesn’t teach you crap about the business of the business, right?
12:14 Ok.
12:14 Can I be real about that?
12:15 It does not teach you crap about the business of the business.
12:19 So don’t come out of a design school thinking you can run a firm.
12:23 You cannot until you do your ABC S and your ABC is, get an attorney, get your contracts.
12:33 Yes.
12:34 Get an accountant.
12:35 Get your classifications in order, get, you know, your, how you’re gonna bill, how you’re gonna pay contractors, whatever it is that you’re going to do get all of that and don’t mess with, you know, Uncle Sam.
12:49 Yeah.
12:49 Pay your taxes, pay your taxes those three things because I see so many, you know, and I interview many of them that come out and they’re like, you know, hey, oh my God.
12:59 Yes, I think I can do this.
13:01 And I’m like, It took 10 years for my business to flourish to a level where I could sit back and go.
13:09 OK.
13:10 Now the checks and balances are in place.
13:13 I’m not borrowing from Paul to pay Mary and I’m not, you know, and I don’t see, and, and I don’t know, you know, I’ve heard a couple of your podcasts.
13:22 I don’t see a lot of the designers out there sharing this information.
13:28 Absolutely.
13:29 I think it’s probably like, the hardest part about the business.
13:31 And I, I think, like, that’s the reality of it is that there is just, you know, it’s kind of like out there, like some, oh, wonderful thing.
13:40 And I’m like, no, it’s hard work.
13:42 Like, if you don’t want to do hard work and cry at least once a month, maybe every week over your business.
13:50 Yeah, I know.
13:51 I’m like, I’m pretty sure that happened to me this morning and, like, where you say you want to quit constantly and like, that is the reality of running a business.
14:02 And I think it’s because at least, like, for me it’s people dependent and there are not people that understand that your business is your baby and they don’t treat it like that.
14:15 And it’s so, I think the hardest thing is to find good people that you trust and to train them well.
14:21 And if you are not naturally like a leader or somebody that delegates well and can create systems, you’re gonna struggle like it’s freaking hard.
14:31 Yes, it is.
14:33 It’s extremely hard.
14:34 Those would be the two things that I would is out there listening to us that, hey, get your ABC S in order this business can be very lucrative and very rewarding, you know, both personally and financially and emotionally, but just like anything, this is not specific to just us and our industry and the construction and the design industry, this is pretty much any business you got to do your ABC S, you know, and you do have to put your processes in place in order for you to succeed at that level.
15:10 What do you think was like the biggest thing that you were able like to delegate and let go of control.
15:17 That was maybe like the hardest for you because like I struggle with, I don’t want to delegate it unless I know how to do it and unless I have a process to do it well.
15:27 So I’m like, you know, and I think that there is this mentality that it’s like, oh, I’m just gonna hire, you know, Joe Schmo over here to do it and he’s just gonna create the process.
15:37 And I found out like, that doesn’t work.
15:39 Like you have to know what you want, know how to do it and then, like, pass on the successful system rather than just like, have a body, a war body show up what has been, like, most successful for you in that, like, delegation process.
15:56 Well, you know, I think going back to accounting, that’s a big one because that’s your money.
16:01 Yeah.
16:02 You know, that’s your money.
16:04 And not only that, but there’s also comes in the perception especially in a small firm, you know, and I consider myself 25 years later and I, I mean, I do very projects but I still consider myself a small firm and because I’ve one of the things that I made sure that I had in my firm and it’s both personally and professionally.
16:25 My kids would tell you, my mom’s always saying this quality over quantity.
16:30 Give me one person that can do three things.
16:32 Don’t give me three people that can do half a thing.
16:35 Right.
16:35 Right.
16:36 Yes, absolutely.
16:37 I love that.
16:38 I’m not running the United States government.
16:43 Yeah, we don’t need just bodies, right?
16:44 Like every time I like drive we have like, like you know, the cow like, you know, on the side of the road and there’s always like one dude doing the work in 19 watching them.
16:53 I’m like, oh man, if those are my guys.
16:57 No, it’s no.
16:58 But I would say accounting because obviously, you know, you, you’re bringing someone in and let’s say you have to bring someone in that is from the outside, you’re bringing them in and now they’re looking at the nitty gritty.
17:10 What are you charging?
17:11 What are you billing?
17:12 What are you really paying if you’re marking up?
17:15 What are you marking up?
17:16 And my biggest hesitation as a control freak was ok, this person is gonna come in and it’s gonna be like, well, wait a second, you’re paying me 15 bucks an hour and you’re billing 1 50 or 200 you’re marking up 70% and you’re, you know, getting the paint for, I don’t know, $2 a square foot, you know, whatever it may be and then how they can see all of your information.
17:44 Yeah.
17:45 And so, and, and I had had an experience with a, an employee that unfortunately attempted to, you know, she thought I had the money that I didn’t have.
17:55 Let’s put it that way.
17:56 She wanted some extra.
17:58 Yeah.
17:59 Well, she, she tried to create a, a process to remove it.
18:03 And so long story short I was very, as I was like I kept on going.
18:08 No, I’m not giving this to anybody and until it was ok, can I give it to my mom?
18:13 Yeah, I trust my mom.
18:14 My mom is not gonna rob me.
18:16 Yeah.
18:18 So that’s where I started.
18:20 You know, giving a little bit because then at the very least she had eyes on it.
18:25 Yeah.
18:25 And then she could work with the accountant and then she could work with the other people and, you know, is it my own personal problem?
18:32 Yeah.
18:33 You know, I’m, I’m still a work in progress.
18:35 I’m sure it is still my, my own personal problem.
18:37 But that was a big one.
18:38 And then HR was the other one, payroll payroll and like, man, just like man, oh hiring and firing and all of that.
18:47 So firing, I’m very good at, I got that down.
18:51 I got that down hiring.
18:54 I consider myself to be a leader.
18:56 I am not a manager, I can take you and if you’ve got the mindset, I can make you fly.
19:04 Yeah, not a problem.
19:06 I don’t want to tell you how to do it.
19:09 I don’t want to give you the step by step process.
19:12 I’m a very tell me what you need and I got it.
19:15 So that’s the way that I lead and don’t get me wrong.
19:19 I’ll show you processes, but I am not a micromanager.
19:23 I, I fully agree because I feel like if you have capable people, you want them to think for themselves.
19:30 And I, because I always tell my people like I don’t want to be the bottleneck to make all the decisions.
19:34 Like I want you to have the freedom, the strength, the wherewithal, the wisdom, the knowledge to make a firm decision and be confident in that without me present and if you totally f it up, like it’s ok, like, at least you made the decision and you learn something, you know, like I’d rather you than, than bug me 900 times a day because you don’t know how to make a decision for yourself, you know?
19:55 Right.
19:56 Yeah.
19:56 Have the economy learn and if you make a mistake, we’re gonna sit down and we’re gonna talk about it.
20:01 But hopefully that was it.
20:03 You know, that’s the two by four that hit the dunk key over the head and then now you went OK?
20:07 I got it.
20:08 I gotta go.
20:09 So HR for me was, oh I despised it because I just, like I said, I didn’t and I still did till today.
20:16 I do not have the skill set to manage people.
20:21 So tell me how is that?
20:22 Because I’m just interested like, how is that?
20:24 Because I feel the same way.
20:26 Like I, I’m really good at what I’m good at and I’m good at leading people and inspiring people, encouraging people, helping people.
20:33 But I don’t want to look at your calendar or your to do list like and if you don’t get the shit done that, I asked you to get done, I will know.
20:41 But you know, like I don’t want to.
20:43 So tell me what you, what does your organization look like to allow you to be able to do that because I bet that there’s other people that feel that way that, you know, it’s not your skill set.
20:51 And I think sometimes as the leader, you don’t think that there’s a way out of that HR managing people role.
20:58 So what did you do again?
20:59 Same thing.
21:00 I went out and I sourced somebody that was very good at that again, dear.
21:08 And near like it was my sister.
21:10 No, my sister, but it’s one of my very close friends that is her job in normal corporate America.
21:18 And I literally said, Lynn, can you come in and consult as I need you and oversee this crap?
21:27 Because I swear that the Department of Labor is gonna arrest me.
21:35 I don’t know if they have the power but they probably are right.
21:38 Somebody’s gonna take me away, somebody’s gonna take me away.
21:42 So, no, I really, I went up to her and she is fantastic and I just, I am in awe and it’s so funny because I think a lot of people out there see people like me with my personality.
21:53 I have a big personality and they go, nothing impresses her.
21:58 I am in awe.
21:59 I like literally when I see her having these conversations that I’m going shit, I would never say that I would, those words would never, that patience would never come out of me.
22:13 And that’s why I think that I’m very good on the male side because as you know, in the mail and I’m not gonna try code it.
22:21 Yeah.
22:22 Yes.
22:22 And I mean, I have made men cry what a gift we have.
22:32 But, you know, but that’s not the norm.
22:35 Yeah.
22:35 But no.
22:37 So I brought her in and I said, please help me with this because when I tell you, I mean, and this is no joke.
22:43 There were days that I would get home and I was bawling my eyes out because sometimes we would take up to 21 projects a quarter.
22:53 Oh my gosh.
22:54 Wow.
22:55 That’s a lot.
22:56 1000 4.
22:58 Yeah, that’s insane.
22:59 I can’t even do that in a year.
23:02 A firm of 4, 21 a quarter.
23:05 So I would, and I would be like, you know, the construction side that even, you know, the electrician didn’t show up and the painter has to paint.
23:13 Ok, I can deal with that.
23:14 That’s not a big issue.
23:16 It was just the interpersonal relationship.
23:20 I look at everybody as, wow.
23:23 Yes, you can fly.
23:25 And then I get frustrated when, why can’t you fly or why don’t you wanna fly?
23:30 Yeah.
23:30 Come on, come on, let’s fly.
23:33 Get off the ground.
23:35 Come on, you’re gonna crash.
23:37 So, yeah.
23:37 So I, I removed myself and that’s what I learned and I learned that way later on.
23:42 And again, if anybody’s listening out there, all your people that are listening, honestly, get out of the way.
23:48 Yeah.
23:49 Get out of the way.
23:50 And I need to hear that.
23:52 Yes.
23:53 Well, because like, I don’t even think that that was possible to like, so does she, is she there all the time or is it just like, does she help?
24:00 No?
24:01 Like she did probably about, I’m gonna say probably about anywhere between 10 and 25 hours a week, depending on what was needed.
24:09 Obviously, if she was interviewing, you know, she would sit up and does all your interviewing and hiring for you.
24:15 Oh my gosh, I’m so jealous, Lynn, come to California.
24:21 She’s amazing.
24:22 She really is amazing.
24:23 She’s very good at it.
24:24 And again, it’s just me getting out of the way because then, you know, if somebody needs to be let go.
24:30 Yeah.
24:30 Ok.
24:31 I may need to do that or I may bring her in and be like, hey, do it the nice way here you go, you know, do whatever it is that you need to do.
24:38 But it was me getting out of my own way and it took me a while as an O G to come to terms to come to Jesus with myself on that and just kind of say, all right, what’s your lane?
24:48 What are you?
24:49 You very, very good at anything else?
24:52 Get out.
24:53 Yeah.
24:54 Oh I love that.
24:55 So, yeah, because I think that we get confused when we’re like a semi talented human that we can do a lot.
25:05 Like my father has always told me like your biggest problem, Stephanie is that you can do too many things and it’s like you’re, you know, like, that’s exactly right.
25:13 And I, like, even just like I come from a, have you ever read the book?
25:17 The one thing by Gary Keller?
25:19 No, it’s a good, I mean, it’s a short little book but it’s Gary Keller, you know, created Keller Williams.
25:25 And his, like, focus is like, you’re one thing, like, that’s what you do.
25:29 Everything every single day and everything else doesn’t matter.
25:32 And it’s like the same concept of like, you know, stay in your lane.
25:35 And I just love that you’ve taken it to the point of hiring people in maybe typical, like roles that people just assume that they have to do.
25:45 You know, I think it’s like one thing to delegate accounting and, you know, project management and scheduling and invoicing and all of that and the little things that we just kind of get bogged down with, but like the bigger concepts of managing people and hiring and letting people go and dealing with conflict and stuff that just like, because it sucks the life out of me to like, interview people.
26:07 I’m like, I don’t know, I hate hiring slow because I need you now and I don’t care if you’re right, but then I’m gonna care that you’re wrong in six months from now because I didn’t hire slow and I took, you know, but then it’s like, how do you deal with that?
26:22 And I love that you’ve come up with a solution for that and have like, you know, to get yourself out of that way because I feel like I, I didn’t even think that that could be an option and now I’m gonna have to go.
26:32 There are people out there that are willing to do consulting on the side and, you know, need some extra hours.
26:37 So there are people out there that need some extra hours.
26:39 And obviously I’m blessed in the fact that I have friends that, you know, are very good at certain things.
26:45 And so, you know, and I’m in your lane.
26:47 What?
26:48 Ok.
26:48 So then now I have to ask you, what’s your lane?
26:50 You know, my lane is design.
26:53 My lane is construction.
26:55 My lane is envisioning what people can’t even fathom.
26:59 My lane is managing my contractors.
27:02 I’m very good at that.
27:03 You see, and, and that’s, there’s a difference, there’s a different personality there.
27:08 I’m very good at managing my contractors.
27:10 I’m very good at scheduling I’m having and you know, this having that domino effect in a construction project where, you know, concrete framing, roughing sheet.
27:24 That’s right.
27:25 Yes, I, I like eat, I like eat sleep, breathe the schedule.
27:30 And so I’m very good at that and I am very good at making sure that my contractors understand You’re not wasting your time and I educate them.
27:40 And, you know, that’s where I actually think that I shine is I educating and under and explaining to them.
27:45 Listen, I don’t need to be here three times because let me tell you, you charge me X and if you come here three times now, you just made this.
27:54 But if you only come here this time, you make this.
27:56 So understand that your time is money because a lot of our contractors do not understand that their time is money.
28:02 They can go 20 times to a job.
28:04 We have processes in place where everybody has access to the drive we take before pictures.
28:10 Why?
28:10 So that my contractors are not driving three times to the project to figure out if there was a window or no window, pull up the pictures, pull up the videos, there’s a window, you don’t need to drive an hour and a half to go see if there was a window, right?
28:23 So those kind of processes I’m very good at and I’ve done it.
28:27 I think it’s where I’ve shined.
28:29 I got out of the way of anything else that I’m not good at.
28:33 I love it so much.
28:36 Ok.
28:36 So I do have to ask one more question.
28:39You have a YouTube channel on top of the book that you’re gonna send and I can’t wait to purchase it.
28:45 So when your book comes out, you have to send me an email because I will be first in line.
28:50 But tell me about your YouTube channel.
28:53 And the real reels I’m interested in, like, the episode two where you had a difficult client and like, what advice you have when people are dealing with difficult clients because I have one.
29:08 No, she’s not listening.
29:09 Yeah.
29:10 Hopefully she doesn’t like me enough to listen to my podcast.
29:12 Now.
29:12 I’m just kidding.
29:16 You may have zero now.
29:18 I know.
29:18 No, I’m just kidding.
29:20 I love all my clients.
29:22 I love them all.
29:24 I don’t love them.
29:25 All of mine.
29:27 I know I was lying.
29:28 If you couldn’t tell, that’s why the YouTube is called Rose’s Real Reals.
29:35 OK?
29:35 And that’s why the channel is called Rosa is real real and the Instagram and all of that is literally my real reals, the reality of the industry, the good, the bad and the ugly.
29:48 So about two years ago, I had always had a bucket list item that I and it’s still there.
29:54 It’s still gonna happen or it’s happening, but it’s gonna happen at a bigger scale.
29:59 There has never been a Latina G C interior designer at the helm of any design show ever worldwide.
30:10 Ever.
30:12 Look in Latin America, look anywhere it doesn’t exist.
30:17 And so, and it’s funny, I always tell the joke and Bob Vila does not count.
30:23 I love you too, but you don’t go.
30:28 So I said, you know what I wanna do this, I wanna go ahead and put a show out there, but I wanted to do it a lot different than what it’s out there because those of us in the industry look at what’s out there.
30:40 And honestly, and again, it’s rose is real, real.
30:43 So it gets real here.
30:44 We’re bored.
30:45 23 minutes of, oh, my God.
30:47 You came in.
30:48 You did that?
30:49 Oh.
30:49 Oh my God.
30:50 20 minutes later?
30:51 Oh my God.
30:51 There’s a whole house and we have no idea as a consumer what it was actually the knowledge that we you and I do what it was like that was issue number one for me and it still is issue number two was we did not give the consumer the real information.
31:12 I cannot tell you how many times people will come to me and say, oh my God.
31:15 But Joanna just did this kitchen for 40 grand.
31:19 No, she didn’t, she didn’t.
31:21 And by the way, do you know that by the time she said, cut all that furniture left?
31:26 Yeah.
31:28 Right.
31:28 Yeah.
31:28 And probably 80% of it was donated for the construction, it’s back in the truck.
31:35 Yeah.
31:35 So, so you know, and, and again, it’s not to throw any of these shows because they have created a bigger industry for us.
31:43 And for that, I am very, very grateful.
31:45 However, there’s misinformation.
31:48 The third thing that I really was wanting to see that I had not seen is the show show casing of the contractors because as a designer myself, but having the other side as a contractor listen, I can envision all I wanted and it could be very, very, very pretty, but I’m not building that wall for you and I am not rough that house for you, but I’m not pouring the concrete.
32:14 So, and don’t get me wrong.
32:16 I do some of the work but not to the extent that my contractors do it.
32:21 And so you saw the shows where the contractor was always a pan who you just went right through them and you passed them, they didn’t even have a name.
32:31 It didn’t really matter.
32:32 And so I wanted to showcase all of that and that’s where Rosa’s real reels.
32:39 We also wanted to do a what we call serialized because like, for example, The episode two, you’re seeing four projects that are in the works and we wanted to do something that was, you know, that you could see the process that you could actually see not 23 minutes where you demo construction finish, but that really took 11 months.
33:03 So the projects that you’re seeing from us, I mean, one of them was 18 months, one of them was 11 months to answer your question.
33:11 A difficult client.
33:14 And this is the O G and me talking, you know, I’ve gotten to a point where, like I said, at the very beginning, synergy is extremely important.
33:23 Absolutely.
33:24 I’m blessed in the fact that no matter what, whether I work or not I eat.
33:30 So, and this is different for other people.
33:32 There are other people that are not in this position.
33:35 You know, my husband makes a good living and, and I eat regardless, but very early on.
33:40 I said for me it makes no sense for me, for me to take care of a client and no matter what I do.
33:50 Yeah, I can stand on my head and she or he is going to be unhappy.
33:57 Yeah.
33:58 That is going to be a bad review and here’s a disservice and this is just me from my own values and my, and my own wagon wheel.
34:07 I would hate to walk into my personal home and go, oh, that’s the room that bitch did.
34:13 Yeah.
34:15 Right.
34:16 Yeah.
34:18 And I hate our guts.
34:19 Yeah.
34:20 Yes.
34:21 So I would not want to do that to anybody else.
34:25 Yeah.
34:26 So very early on and this was before I knew I could eat no matter what I decided I’m going to handle and accept clients that the synergy works.
34:38 If the synergy doesn’t work, I’m passing on that client.
34:43 Yeah.
34:43 And that is one rule that I gave myself and like I said, I don’t know what position other people are, but that was something for me that I was just like it’s going to be quality over quantity.
34:55 I’m going to be able to go to bed at night and go, I can sleep.
34:59 Yeah.
35:00 And tomorrow and, and don’t get me wrong.
35:02 Listen in, in that particular project.
35:05 We fired the client.
35:07 Yeah, we didn’t have a choice.
35:09 You know, the tears that you saw that was the back end of the meltdown.
35:16 One of the producers of the show said you have to record yourself.
35:19 And I was like, you don’t understand.
35:21 I can’t, I couldn’t even speak.
35:23 I was like that kind of ugly cry.
35:27 And I need, I may not use it, but I need you to record yourself telling me your feelings about this.
35:33 I was devastated and I’m gonna share something in your show that I haven’t shared with anybody.
35:39 OK.
35:40 So in your podcast, what that client did not know.
35:44 And I’ll say this quickly, it was a situation that it literally pulled up my, at the strengths in my heart, the story that she gave me The project she wanted to do, she could not afford.
35:56 Yeah.
35:57 25 years in the industry, I called in favors.
36:01 Yeah.
36:02 And I got $75,000 worth of labor and materials donated to the project.
36:08 Wow, that’s crazy.
36:11 That’s not on the show that’s ever revealed until this very moment.
36:16 Right now, the client didn’t even know because we didn’t get to tell her.
36:21 It went from great to bad to horrible in literally two seconds.
36:30 Oh, man.
36:31 You know, and that’s when my, as the mother hen and, and that’s your role in your, in your position as the mother hen.
36:39 My role after I fell apart because I am still human was OK.
36:45 What’s my role?
36:46 My role is to protect my team.
36:47 Yeah, I mean, my daughter was so upset about this process that you guys don’t see because again, we decided that we don’t want to show like, you know, like a housewife of whatever we, we have the kind of show we want we could have, but we don’t want that.
37:03 So all of that was cut.
37:05 But my daughter was so upset because she knows I’m a very outspoken and I literally took a back seat to all of it and became an observer because if I would have opened my mouth, it would have been awful.
37:19 And she actually left, she actually was on premises on site in the middle of all this.
37:24 And she said I gotta go, I can’t even, I mean, the word she used is like, I don’t even know how to respect you right now because she was so upset with me because I was what was happening.
37:37 But honestly, after the fact, she realized what I was doing is honestly calming the situation to a point where we’re just getting out of here.
37:46 Yeah, we gotta have at least have a conversation where we can not be screaming at each other out of here.
37:52 So, you know, if you have the opportunity to understand and I know the newbies out there, they get really excited.
37:58 Oh my God.
37:58 I got a new car.
37:59 I got a listen, take a step back and look at that synergy.
38:04 Look at that energy.
38:06 How is this gonna work?
38:08 If this person is going, if you will see this person, it’s not someone you’re gonna be able to please.
38:14 It’s not about you.
38:15 No, absolutely not them.
38:17 Yeah.
38:18 So remove yourself.
38:20 Because why, you know, it’s, it’s kind of like watching a bad movie over and over and over.
38:25 Why would you wanna watch a bad movie over and over and over?
38:29 And then like, and unfortunately, it’s like we don’t learn that by just somebody like you telling us, like we learn it by going through it, which sucks.
38:38 And you know, the thing that I have learned to say to clients at the client meeting, a like initial client meeting is we are like going to be dating and then getting married and if you and I do not get along and you don’t feel connected to me, you don’t trust me, then this will not work.
39:00 And I say this is a mutual relationship and I, and I want you to get your mind away from the cheapest bid and know that that number and the cheapest number.
39:11 If you’re gonna be comparing contractors when you’re deciding on your project is not going to matter six months from now, what’s going to matter is that person communicating with me?
39:21 Do I get along with them?
39:22 Do I feel comfortable calling them?
39:25 Am I ok?
39:26 Communicating my concerns?
39:28 Do I trust them do I know that they have my back in terms of my, my money and my budget like that is what matters.
39:35 And I think that the, you know, the customer and the client has been trained to only go get bids and make decisions on numbers.
39:42 And I’m like, it actually has nothing to do.
39:45 I mean, obviously that’s a part of it, but when you’re in the midst of it, we’ve got to be like on the same page and you’ve got to trust me and I’m like, I have turned clients away because I just, I, I don’t think we’re the right fit.
39:57 You know, that’s kind of how I say, you know, the nicest way possible.
40:01 I don’t like you and I don’t think you’ll like me.
40:04 Here’s another tidbit for the, again, those that are listening, that’s one thing that I do.
40:09 I do a 30 minute call, no charge, 30 minutes, we’re gonna have a conversation And in that 30 minutes, I determined this is gonna work or this is not gonna work.
40:21 You can and I tell them, I said this is an interview and in my email that goes out to them, it says this is an interview of each other as much as it is for you.
40:32 It is for us.
40:34 We are going to determine if we’re going to accept you as a client and please don’t get me wrong to all those listening.
40:42 I have done this from day one.
40:44 This is not now, I’m, you know, 25 years into this.
40:47 And I feel I’ve done this from day one because again, I wanted a business that it was true to me to who I am.
40:55 Yeah.
40:55 And not being able to make somebody happy is the worst feeling in the world.
40:59 And if you have somebody that you can’t make happy, that’s what’s gonna keep you up at night and make you want to quit when you have a client and when like, you experience the opposite where like everything you do they’re grateful for and everything you do, they love.
41:13 And if they have to say something like, hey, could you, you know, do X Y and Z and they’re totally comfortable saying that I always tell my people like, do not be afraid about being anal with me.
41:23 Like I’ve been, I was born that way and I understand that you’re not gonna upset me, but we have that, you know, relationship and that connection and they feel comfortable saying that and when you hold, if you’re the type of person that holds it all in and you can express that to your contractor, then you just like, build on happiness and build on happiness and then it explodes and it becomes awful.
41:42 So it’s definitely a two way street and I have unfortunately also had to learn that the hard way.
41:49 And it is like you said, you know, it’s kind of like with kids.
41:52 My kids are older.
41:53 You know, they’re 23, 31, about to be 24.
41:57 And, you know, it’s kind of like you go, hey, don’t run down the hill, you’re gonna fall, you’re gonna scrape your knees.
42:02 It’s gonna burn, hey, until they fall, they scrape their knees and it burns and then they have to come up here and I have to put iodine on their scrape.
42:09 They don’t learn.
42:10 But we have so much information out there right now is, you know, things that I didn’t have all these podcasts and all these avenues for become educated.
42:21 We need to start instead of just hearing, we need to start really listening because there is a lot of good information out there that can start guiding you.
42:31 But at the end of the day, it’s about you being in any business is being honest to you being true to yourself.
42:37 Absolutely.
42:38 It’s the number one.
42:39 So that’s what Rosa’s real, real is all about.
42:42 I love it.
42:42 OK?
42:43 So you got to share with everybody where they can find you follow you.
42:48 What’s the name of your, you know, your YouTube, your website, your Instagram, all the things.
42:52 So there’s only two.
42:54 And so I’ll tell you R S Z and it’s for Rosa Santiago Zimmerman.
42:59 Yes, we should say it in English.
43:01 We should, we should say it in English, Rosa Santiago Zimmerman.
43:12 OK.
43:13 So it’s R S Z design development all together in on Instagram and Facebook.
43:21 Let me make sure I got that right.
43:23 Yes.
43:23 And then it’s Rosas real reels and it’s real as in being real and reelz with a Z at the end.
43:32 And that is on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
43:37 Oh Yeah, girl, I love it.
43:41 Oh my gosh.
43:42 Well, thank you.
43:43 This has been amazing.
43:44 Go ahead and say what you wanna say.
43:46 No, I said so go follow us please.
43:48 That’s what we need.
43:49 We are, you know, we’ve had conversations with several networks but right now we again, I’m going back to staying true.
43:56 We’re gonna stay true to what we can offer.
44:00 And so so far YouTube is gonna be the way we’re looking at other streaming.
44:05 But you know what?
44:05 We’re getting a lot of great reviews.
44:07 We’re doing a lot of behind the scenes, some of the bloopers of my clumsy self, but go out there and go follow us and tell us what you think is.
44:18 Honestly, that’s what we wanna know.
44:19 We wanna know what people are thinking, what they wanna see, you know, what interest and questions, you know, I, every time we do an episode release, we do a live and actually one is coming, I don’t know the date right now, but episode three is coming out now we do it live.
44:34 We do it all together.
44:35 Everybody watches it myself included for the first time together, I tell people ask me questions about the process.
44:41 You know, what do you wanna know?
44:42 Where did I buy that tile?
44:44 How did you install that hair and bone?
44:46 You know, all the things that could cost you whatever it may be.
44:51 Ask the question.
44:52 So it’s an invitation to all of you to go out there and follow us.
44:55 Oh, yes.
44:56 Follow like, subscribe all the things.
44:58 I love it.
44:59 I love that you’re just going after it.
45:01 And I am so blessed to know you and get to know you and to know that you’re out there and if I ever have a project in Florida or Georgia or know anybody, I’m for sure gonna send them your way.
45:13 Absolutely.
45:14 In same thing in California, I don’t, I haven’t had a project in California.
45:19 It’s not on The rules are so strict.
45:24 Is it?
45:25 Well, you know, maybe if you want to come to Florida, there’s so much construction going on.
45:30 Yeah, I know.
45:30 I don’t know.
45:31 I went to Florida 4th of July last year and I thought I was gonna die.
45:34 The heat?
45:35 My yeah, my hair, my hair was like to Destin.
45:38 My hair was like this big and there was like 300,000 people in one square mile and I was like, I’m never coming here again.
45:47 But when you want to come back, that’s where I live, by the way in Destin Santa Rosa Beach.
45:52 Oh, my God.
45:53 Well, Santa Rosa Beach is a whole other story besides Destin.
45:56 So when you wanna come back now, you know how to reach me and then I’ll tell you when you come back, when you want to come back that you don’t have to deal with any of that because we, the locals, we don’t deal with any of that.
46:06 Oh, I was like, I just want to go to the beach and they’re like, oh, this is a private beach and you have to pay to sit here with all the other people.
46:12 And I was like, I, I just want to go in the water.
46:16 We’ll, we’ll call Santa Rosa Beach is gorgeous.
46:19 We did drive around there.
46:20 That was pretty cool.
46:22 You’ll call me out.
46:23 I will say all the above.
46:25 Oh, it’s a completely different experience, I’m sure.
46:28 Yes, it is.
46:29 All right.
46:30 Thank you so much, Rosa.
46:31 It was so nice to meet you.
46:33 All right, I’ll talk to you soon.
46:34 Ok.
46:35 Have a great one.
46:36 Bye bye.
46:37 You too.
46:37 Bye bye.
46:39 Thanks for joining me today on the She Builds Show.
46:42 My name is Stefanie Olson.
46:43 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.
46:53 And if you can do me a quick favor, please leave me a five star review on iTunes.
46:57 I get giddy over reading the reviews each week and I will choose one special person to win some She Builds swag.
47:03 Make sure you add your name to the review and I’ll reach out if you’re the winner.
47:07 Thanks again for hanging out.
47:08 Be sure to visit me at theshebuildsshow.com or you can ask me questions and share with me what you’re building.