921: TRANSFORMING spaces AND an entire industry at 20 years old w/ Gemma Cullen

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Hey, what is up?

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Welcome to this episode of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.

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As always, I'm your host, brian LoFermento, and we are continuing the trend today of incredible young entrepreneurs doing really cool things.

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Today's entrepreneur is one that I've been so excited to interview because not only does she exude so much passion about what she does with her work, but I actually I'm going to extrapolate that out even bigger she exudes so much joy about not only her work, but also her greater industry and the direction she's going in, and all the people that she gets to serve.

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Let me tell you all about today's guest.

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Her name is Gemma Cullen.

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At only 19 years old, gemma established her own design enterprise form and function while pursuing her bachelor's degree in interior design and holding a position as the president of ASID, which is the American Society of Interior Designers, at Appalachian State University.

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Gemma's passion for design has been ingrained in her since childhood.

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Upon her graduation in 2025, she intends to maintain her business with the realm of high end residential projects, while also studying for her NCIDQ certification which she'll shed more light on that for us today which will authorize her to stamp her own construction documents as an accredited interior designer.

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Not only is this an amazing entrepreneur who's making moves today, but she's already lining up incredible projects now and long into the future for all the impact that she wants to have, not only with her clients, but also the industry at large.

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We're going to talk about so much of that stuff, so I'm excited about this one.

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I'm not going to say anything else.

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Let's dive straight into my interview with.

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Gemma Cullen.

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All right, Gemma, I am so very excited that you're here with us today.

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First things first, welcome to the show.

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Yes, thank you so much for having me here.

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I'm so excited to get to talk to you today.

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Heck.

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Yes, we love having young entrepreneurs here on the show because you are making moves and making changes both now and into the future.

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But first things first, take us beyond the bio.

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Who's, gemma?

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You've had such a young?

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start.

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How'd you start doing all this stuff?

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Honestly, traditionally, right after I graduated high school, I started kind of doing little projects on the side, even just for friends, family friends, redoing children's rooms, or even in our own house, my parents' house.

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We actually did a huge renovation on a kitchen and I was the one to kind of say this kitchen doesn't make sense in this part of the house, but what if we moved it all the way over here to where it serves more function?

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So I've always just been so passionate about it.

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And then I moved to college and, oddly enough, facebook was my way to kind of get into having my own business, as two sisters from Los Angeles were looking specifically for a student interior design student to work on their Airbnbs here in Boone, north Carolina, which is the college town that I live in, and it kind of just went off from there.

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I realized I loved being my own boss.

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So thank you Facebook for getting me all the opportunity.

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Yes, I love that Honestly.

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That's Facebook for getting me all the opportunity.

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Yes, I love that Honestly.

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That's so cool, and that's the thing I love about all of our young entrepreneurial starts is that it's just, it's happenstance there's just different circumstances that for one reason or another, gemma, it spoke to us, and I remember, when I was 19 and I started my first business, obviously you also started at 19.

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And I think, when I was 19 and I started my first business, obviously you also started at 19.

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And I think that's so incredible.

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What was it, though?

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Because it does require.

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When I think back to my college experience, I missed parties, I missed social gatherings, but I don't even consider it missing it for even one second.

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I loved what I did.

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Gemma, you are choosing to be a young hustler.

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What is it behind that mentality?

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Truly, I think all of it has just stemmed from passion.

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That's really all that I can say.

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Your passion really fuels your dreams, and then it fuels that motivation that you have to reach those dreams.

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And one thing that I find to just be so important about this is to not let your age or your education limit you from starting and doing something early on in life, because I've always wanted to own my own interior design firm, but I was like, do I need to wait until I graduate, maybe work for another firm for a while?

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And then one day the switch flipped on me and I was like, why don't I do it now?

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I'm already working on these projects, I'm already building these connections.

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Let's just jump straight into it.

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You know I'm young.

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If it fails, it fails.

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I have a whole rest of my life to live.

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Yeah, I love that and I'm going to publicly call this out.

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Gemma, it's fun having this conversation with you because you get it in so many ways, and part of what I refer to when I say you get it is I remember back when I was in school.

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So many of my classmates so I went to business school, so all of them wanted to work in Wall Street.

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They wanted to work at these huge Fortune 500 companies.

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It just seemed to me something didn't settle right, that they were waiting for someone else's permission, that we had to interview for jobs and be chosen by someone else and, gemma, for one reason or another, you and I chose ourselves.

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I would love to hear your mindset behind that, because even just hearing the way you frame potential failure, it doesn't bother you.

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You don't view that as a potential obstacle.

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Talk to us about that mindset.

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Yeah.

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So I think mindset is really everything, and then also having the confidence to do something when nobody else is it really again comes from that passion and keeping your mind set on the end goal.

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You know you might have an image of something that you want to reach and you're going to do whatever it takes to get there.

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Um, you know, if I happen to fail, I'm going to find a way out of it, and I know that I will, because there's been some challenges in the past and I've overcome them on the other side, and so I think it's really important to keep your mindset equal with your confidence, and with those two and motivation, you'll really have it set up for yourself, where you have enough trust in your gut to reach those goals that you have.

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Yeah, really well said.

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And something that I remember at that time period in my entrepreneurial journey is, I realized well, if I succeed, then incredible things will happen.

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If I fail, I still get to apply for jobs like everybody else.

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So my worst case scenario is the same as their best case scenario.

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So you're not really losing anything and I love that.

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But so many of your answers, even this early on in our conversation.

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It keeps coming back to passion and, gemma, I'm going to publicly praise you.

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In doing my research ahead of our episode here today, I see that you're not just passionate about your business, you are passionate about your industry as a whole.

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You go to events all over the world.

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You are always singing the praises of vendors that you've had the opportunity to work with other people in your space.

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Talk to us about that passion.

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Where does it come from and how have you brought that into life?

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Not just through your work, but how active you are in your industry.

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Yeah, honestly, I think I've always been the type to really network and want to find people with the same interests that I do and just share that and connect.

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And ASID it's a national kind of industry that we all come together and it's the American Society of Interior Designers.

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And we all come together, we network, it's all interior designers.

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We learn about different vendors, different manufacturers, furniture countertops, different vendors, different manufacturers, furniture countertops, appliances, everything like that.

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And we have meetings, continuing education units that we'll take together and something about having a leadership position in that.

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Even just at my school, at Appalachian State University, it's just been so important to me and I've always kind of loved to be in a leadership role.

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I'm very type A, I like to be in control.

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So I think that's really stemmed into my role in ASID.

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And then eventually I do want to be on the state board and I'll be running to be the student representative to the Carolinas board this fall.

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So I'm hoping to achieve that and just raise awareness, even for students getting involved early, because half of this industry is networking and it's who you know at the end of the day, that's how you'll get these clients, that's how you'll get the contractors that you want and it's really just like a snowball effect you know who you meet can get you places.

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Yeah for sure.

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Really good advice, and I'm also going to call out for listeners this early on in our conversation today about self-awareness.

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Gemma, it's so clear in getting to interact with you here today that you talk about being type A.

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You're aware of that, but you also know what to do with it, which I think is important for all of us as entrepreneurs when we're facing challenges, when we're in the good times, but also looking towards the future, when we're growing our teams, when we're in the good times, but also looking towards the future, when we're growing our teams, when we're hiring people, having self-awareness to compliment the things that we're good at and also the things that we're not so great at.

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So I love that self-awareness is already coming up here in today's conversation and I want to expand on that because let's talk about the elephant in the room.

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I certainly felt this when I was 19, when I started, and I know that you for sure feel it.

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When you walk into these.

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Events is you're probably the youngest one in so many rooms that you're in.

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It can be a blessing and a curse in so many different ways of however we want to take it.

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Talk to us about how you address that, because we all have them.

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I want to add this disclaimer, before you share your insights here, is that, listeners, maybe you're not 20 like Gemma is, maybe you are 45.

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Maybe you're 75.

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In one way or another, we all have the things that we feel oh, are people going to look at me because I'm too young or too old, or because I'm too this or too that?

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Gemma, walk us through.

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How do you navigate those waters?

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Yeah.

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So navigating those waters it's, you know it is a hard thing, but again, just coming in with that confidence and also kind of approaching it as hi, you know, my name is Gemma Cullen, I have my own business, I know I'm young, but kind of taking something that you can learn from, maybe that professional, and it creates that connection and it kind of gives them the opportunity to see you as somebody that they can kind of mentor.

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Even though you have your own business and you do have these experiences at such a young age.

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They can often doubt you and be like, oh, it must not be that serious of a thing.

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But once you kind of give them that respect to almost teach you something, then they kind of can get you know on your level of being able to talk to you and respect you at your age.

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Yeah, I love that perspective, especially because so many entrepreneurs we hear it from listeners all the time, of course imposter syndrome it's a real thing.

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We all face it.

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It doesn't go away.

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I'm 16 years into this journey.

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There are times where we all have that thought of who am I to be doing this?

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And, gemma, when I look on your website which we're going to talk about, your website at the end of today's episode I see not only the way that you show up in your brand, but I see front and center the actual incredible work that you do, your amazing projects, the beautiful projects that you've brought to life in the world.

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I mean especially the cozy cabin, airbnb.

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I'm a sucker as a New Englander, I'm a sucker for a good cabin, and so talk to us about that.

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Was there imposter syndrome, when you landed your first few projects, of saying, oh my gosh, I have to deliver on this now.

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What does that look like?

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Take us back to those first few projects.

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Yeah, I mean those first few projects I was like, okay, I got this, so how am I going to make this happen?

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Am I going to get deliveries on time?

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You know what if there's a tip with the contractor, what do I do about that?

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You know there's so many different things that you have to worry about as a designer and doing something for the first time.

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But it's really just, I hate to say it's all up to fate, but at some point you just have to know that you can do it within yourself and that everything will be okay and you'll be able to deliver as long as you have the motivation.

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And then you also have the support around you.

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My parents have always just been so supportive.

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I mean my dad.

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He immigrated here from England and he started his own car business, so I kind of grew up around it and he always said, like you will make it happen as long as you believe in yourself.

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Yeah, it's funny you say that I didn't introduce this into the conversation, but you did, so I'm totally going to piggyback off of it.

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I introduce this into the conversation, but you did so I'm totally going to piggyback off of it.

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I associate so much of my mindset as an entrepreneur and as a person in life to the fact that I come from an immigrant family, so hearing you say that you share the same sort of background really resonates with me.

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Where I want to take that is, for me, my mom, coming from Albania, which is not a developed Western country, I mean, she grew up in the mountains without electricity or running water, which is unfathomable to me.

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I can't imagine growing up that way.

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But for me she always reiterated to me and still to this day she does of saying anything is possible.

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And speaking to your point there, I always have had the belief, whether it's in sports, playing soccer, growing up or in business, of I can and will rise to this occasion.

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I'll always figure things out.

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May not be pretty all the time, but I will always figure something out to get me through that.

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Talk to us about your approach to that, because you mentioned the delivery of a project.

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You had to figure a lot of things out, gemma.

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That's just not interior design.

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That's keeping a client happy, keeping them informed in every step of the way, collaborating with them throughout that.

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What does that delivery process look like for you and it's a two-part question at first, and then how has it evolved in your growth as an entrepreneur?

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Yes.

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So delivery I mean going back to my dad, even when I was in high school.

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He was like, okay, it's time for you to get a job.

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And I was like, okay, I'm ready, and I really just hit the ground running.

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I think I got my work ethic from him and then in projects, just delivering that final piece, there's so many elements.

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I mean you have clients texting you all the time, calling you all the time.

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You have to completely organize deliveries and you know, I've had a couple of clients that are out of state and so you're having to almost find people to sign for those deliveries and make sure that somebody's at the house to sign for it and schedule them accordingly.

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Also, with the contractor is going to install the items.

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So it's definitely managing a lot of people.

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So it's definitely managing a lot of people, and so that's just a really, really important way to make sure that the delivery of the project is just very seamless.

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Yeah, which guests know that part of what we ask?

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Our listeners know that.

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We ask our guests what's your zone of genius and I'm going to read it here because I absolutely love the way you articulated it, gemma you said I believe my zone of genius lies in my capacity to deeply empathize with my clients, viewing a home as a complete narrative and canvas to cultivate a seamless sense of luxury.

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Gemma, that sounds like a polished response from someone who's been doing this for 20 years.

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Obviously, it is rooted in your passion, the fact that you have loved this for so many years already, but that can't be something that immediately came overnight.

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That's something that comes from you being in business and experiencing people.

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Obviously, people are at the root of it.

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We're talking about interior design, but it's interior design for the form and function of people who are going to enjoy those spaces.

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So talk to us about those interactions, because I'm guessing you're naturally a little bit extroverted and so that probably helps.

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But for people who are saying well, gemma, it's not so easy for me to interact with people.

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What are some of those strategies and techniques that you use to ensure that deeply empathetic approach with clients?

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Yeah, I mean with clients.

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It really starts with your first phone call with them and creating that first relationship.

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And something that I like to do to be able to empathize with them is I actually asked my clients to walk through the space or the house that we're going to be working on and give me like a day in their life of how they go throughout their space and then also point out some items like oh, we have this heirloom bookcase that I really want to keep because my grandmother got it from this yard sale years ago, or it was hand carved by a relative.

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Stuff like that is so important and when a client is vulnerable with you, it creates some sort of connection to where you're on the same page and they'll then, in turn, trust you with their home.

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But really taking that walkthrough with a client is so important because even in kitchen design, first you have to ask okay, who's the cook in the family?

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Okay, I need to go talk to whoever cooks in the family and they need to walk me through their favorite recipes, what they gravitate towards in the kitchen.

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Do you like gas, do you like electric?

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You have to really get to the root of who's using that space, how they're using it, what they want to feel in that space.

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Do they want to go into their library and feel very relaxed, or do they want to have this great outdoor space with a lot of energy, where they like to have family get togethers?

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You really truly have to empathize with your client and that's where design stems from.

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I mean, you can walk into a home and feel very unwelcomed, and that's when you ask your question why do I feel so unwelcomed?

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What is off in this space?

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Yeah, looking for those patterns.

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It's so important, not only in design, but in business and especially in life.

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So I love the fact that you can draw on those analogies that we all experience and listeners.

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I think the key thing about hearing the way Gemma thinks about interior design is the question that I ask myself is how can I borrow these principles and apply it to my own industries?

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It's something that we can all lean on and along those lines, Gemma, I think it's fascinating how much you already understand, even this young, in your entrepreneurial journey, how much of an emphasis it is on the clients, and so even when I look at you know your goals are much bigger than what you're doing today.

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You have your goals are on construction documents and exteriors and so much that you're going to be doing in the future.

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But I would imagine the consistent thing throughout all of that is going to be those clients.

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Talk to us about how that has changed over time as far as you finding clients, you nurturing those clients, because sales don't happen overnight.

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This is a process it's surely been one for you so give us some insights there.

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Yeah, I mean so, nurturing clients, that's something that's so, so important.

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I mean so, nurturing clients, that's something that's so, so important.

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I mean One of my most recent.

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She is a real estate agent who moved up here from tampa, has a house in boone, had me Renovate it, and then she had one of her close friends move up here as well and I got a referral and now I'm working on their 7 000 square foot home, um, and she's also another real estate agent and her husband is actually a contractor.

00:18:40.498 --> 00:18:57.603
So I've really gotten to work so closely with them and I've gotten to learn a lot from them as well, and so it just shows that whenever you give that attention and that love to a client and they trust you, they will give you those referrals then to their friends, and they're great friends.

00:18:57.603 --> 00:19:03.063
I mean, I've just learned so much from these amazing clients in my life.

00:19:03.063 --> 00:19:08.964
I'm not only giving them services, but I feel as though I'm learning from them as well at my young age.

00:19:09.767 --> 00:19:13.497
Yeah, gemma gosh, 7,000 square feet interior designing.

00:19:13.497 --> 00:19:15.781
I have no idea how you even start to go about that.

00:19:15.781 --> 00:19:21.741
Obviously you're the expert in that domain, but it does make me wanna ask you how do you stay on top of trends?

00:19:21.741 --> 00:19:23.843
Or is that something that you go about in your industry?

00:19:23.843 --> 00:19:35.865
Because I imagine and just as someone who has seen different relatives or friends or people that I see their houses design changes over time and there's all different aesthetics that people prefer.

00:19:35.865 --> 00:19:39.497
You talked about networking earlier on in our session today.

00:19:39.497 --> 00:19:44.107
How much of that is staying on top of trends or looking at where the market is going?

00:19:44.107 --> 00:19:46.259
How do you tap into the pulse of your industry?

00:19:47.702 --> 00:19:50.028
Yeah, tapping into the pulse of the industry.

00:19:50.028 --> 00:19:56.397
I mean, I feel like a lot of you know the furniture companies and then even you know Arc Digest.

00:19:56.397 --> 00:19:58.304
They're the ones letting out those trends.

00:19:58.304 --> 00:20:11.288
When you have a new piece of furniture come out or a new type of countertop come out, you ask yourself okay, is this, you know, a trend, like a fad type of thing, or is it very timeless?

00:20:11.288 --> 00:20:17.204
I personally go for more timeless, but then I also again back to empathizing with the client.

00:20:17.204 --> 00:20:20.898
What do they want in their home?

00:20:20.898 --> 00:20:26.800
I've done more modern homes, I've done more traditional homes, like the one I'm working on right now, the 7,000 square foot one.

00:20:26.800 --> 00:20:38.281
It's more traditional, leaning a little bit transitional, but I feel like trends are really set by those manufacturers that are giving us the resources to use in our business.

00:20:43.434 --> 00:20:54.919
Yeah, that's a really interesting perspective, and I even extrapolate that into my own industries, where I think about all the different software tools that we're all using those present opportunities for us to leverage them in our projects, whether it's our internal operations or operations with clients.

00:20:54.919 --> 00:21:03.596
And so in your case, looking at the manufacturers, they're giving you things that you can either play with or not play with, but they're all opportunities for you to integrate them.

00:21:03.596 --> 00:21:12.551
But obviously we all, as business owners, as innovative thinkers, we have the opportunities to reject or accept these different things and integrate them or not.

00:21:12.551 --> 00:21:14.196
So I love hearing your perspective there.

00:21:14.196 --> 00:21:20.349
I want to ask you about this because you not only are amazing at interior design, but you're one of us, you're a fellow entrepreneur.

00:21:20.349 --> 00:21:23.838
And I want to ask you about sales because it's something that I remember.

00:21:23.838 --> 00:21:29.180
When I was 19, starting my first business, it was, for sure, the area that I was most uncomfortable with.

00:21:29.180 --> 00:21:33.237
I was very comfortable with the subject matter, not so comfortable with sales.

00:21:33.237 --> 00:21:35.421
What's that process been like for you?

00:21:36.542 --> 00:21:36.864
Yeah.

00:21:36.864 --> 00:21:41.740
So sales and interior design I mean that's a lot of where you get your income from.

00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:44.911
To be completely transparent, I mean every designer.

00:21:44.911 --> 00:21:49.419
You'll get trade discounts at all these manufacturers and you have to really search.

00:21:49.419 --> 00:21:51.480
The market Is Wayfair.

00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:51.840
Selling.

00:21:51.840 --> 00:22:01.849
This Is another furniture brand selling this for less than what I would be selling it for to my client, because, at the end of the day, clients are trying to also get the cheapest price.

00:22:01.849 --> 00:22:17.882
So a lot of it is researching, making sure that you're still competitive but then also making sure that you're getting that markup while being affordable for your client, for your client.

00:22:17.882 --> 00:22:19.450
So that's definitely something that is a little bit harder for me.

00:22:19.450 --> 00:22:21.298
And then also even bookkeeping the accounting side of everything keeping up with that.

00:22:21.298 --> 00:22:31.873
I mean, at the end of the day, you really just want to design, but then you have this whole entire business that's all encompassing that you do need to keep up with and take control of.

00:22:31.873 --> 00:22:34.006
So your brain is kind of always on.

00:22:34.667 --> 00:22:40.893
Yeah, well then I want to go deeper there with you, gemma, because you are not just a practitioner, you also are maintaining.

00:22:40.893 --> 00:22:42.243
You use bookkeeping as the example.

00:22:42.243 --> 00:22:50.000
There's so many more responsibilities that we don't just get to be practitioners, of course, until we get to a certain point and we get to hire different facets out.

00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:57.374
Are you as passionate about the business side as you are about the interior design part, and what have been some of the surprising things in there for you?

00:22:58.779 --> 00:23:10.066
Yeah, honestly, I love the business part, but it's definitely one of those things that I have to tell myself, okay, let's sit down, let's set an alarm, let's do some bookkeeping while we're here.

00:23:10.066 --> 00:23:12.980
But then I'm always kind of in my seat, getting kind of anxious.

00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:16.586
I'm like, can I just go design or I have this project to work on?

00:23:16.586 --> 00:23:24.230
There's definitely things that I would rather be working on than you know, the back of house, things that people don't see and aren't really aware of.

00:23:24.230 --> 00:23:33.826
And then on top of school, it's like okay, I have this school project that's kind of like a fantasy project, and then I have these real projects, but they both have real deadlines.

00:23:33.826 --> 00:23:37.853
So that's also something that I've definitely had to balance as well.

00:23:38.493 --> 00:23:52.288
Yeah, it's funny I didn't even think to ask you about the school side of things, but thinking back about my college days of managing both classes and a growing business, classes sometimes went off the wayside, gemma, so I'd love to hear your perspective.

00:23:52.288 --> 00:23:54.246
How are you balancing the two?

00:23:55.430 --> 00:23:56.815
Yeah, I mean, it is a lot of hard work.

00:23:56.815 --> 00:23:57.636
So I'd love to hear your perspective.

00:23:57.636 --> 00:23:58.420
How are you balancing the two?

00:23:58.420 --> 00:24:01.541
Yeah, I mean it is a lot of hard work.

00:24:01.541 --> 00:24:03.046
Our program at Appalachian State University, it's very rigorous.

00:24:03.046 --> 00:24:08.267
One of our most important classes it's our studio class and that's when you have, you know, your largest projects.

00:24:08.267 --> 00:24:19.505
In the fall semester I did like over 140,000 square foot hotel and I was in the studio at least 12 to 14 hours a day in there till 3am, and I'm not a procrastinator.

00:24:19.505 --> 00:24:23.233
It was that big of a project and it was also a partner project.

00:24:23.233 --> 00:24:30.244
And then I had to go home or wake up early in the morning, work on client stuff, or while you're working on a project you're having a client call.

00:24:30.244 --> 00:24:34.436
You're like Okay, give me a second, let me go out in the hallway and take this Um.

00:24:34.436 --> 00:24:44.788
So that was definitely a very tough semester where I can't say that I had balance in my personal life, but I was able to balance the business and um coursework.

00:24:45.429 --> 00:24:47.093
Yeah, and that's what seasons are for.

00:24:47.093 --> 00:24:53.343
I think, quite frankly, we all just need to admit is that it's not about always having all the things in balance.

00:24:53.343 --> 00:25:17.329
It's about recognizing this season calls for this balance ratio, whether maybe that balance ratio is completely out of balance to others, but it is using and leveraging those seasons to our advantages to recognize what season we're in in our lives and in our businesses and setting ourselves up for success that way, which, for you, you're not just managing the client phone calls and the course load, but also you're building a client roster.

00:25:17.329 --> 00:25:26.686
You're building a brand, and I want to go there with you because I love the way that you personally show up in your brand, but also how your brand has an identity in and of itself.

00:25:26.767 --> 00:25:29.961
It's something that came way later to me in my entrepreneurial journey.

00:25:29.961 --> 00:25:32.403
I found it really difficult to find that balance.

00:25:32.403 --> 00:25:43.967
Talk to me about form and function, because obviously it's something you've invested time and intention into, to how that shows up, from your colors to your fonts, and I know aesthetics are kind of your thing.

00:25:43.967 --> 00:25:46.011
You've got a little bit of expertise there.

00:25:46.011 --> 00:25:48.885
So talk to us about that brand development that you've done.

00:25:50.108 --> 00:26:00.795
Yeah, I mean actually the first brand that I made for myself, it was called Gem Interiors, which I look back at and I just laugh because it's like a play on my name.

00:26:00.795 --> 00:26:29.517
But then you're like, oh, you find a gem, like in a house type thing, and it's just seeing it grow into form and function, which I loved the words form and function because without form and function in a space, you don't have a home, you don't have a functional area to work within, and so that was something that I really just loved, and I'm also very much so like a neutral person with how I dress.

00:26:29.517 --> 00:26:32.483
So it also identifies with the way that I have my brand.

00:26:32.483 --> 00:26:35.191
I wanted it to have a blank canvas.

00:26:35.191 --> 00:26:44.885
I didn't want it to have a certain aesthetic because I wanted it to be able to grow into something else for my clients as more of a blank canvas.

00:26:44.885 --> 00:26:47.412
You know the black and white and kind of creamy tone.

00:26:47.412 --> 00:26:50.224
We can add to that on every project.

00:26:50.224 --> 00:26:54.653
No matter the aesthetic, we can reach our needs for our clients.

00:26:55.220 --> 00:27:01.587
Yeah, I really like hearing that and you say you know you don't want it to have its own identity for your clients, but that does.

00:27:01.587 --> 00:27:03.781
I mean it's just like when we look at Apple, for example.

00:27:03.781 --> 00:27:08.721
They have very minimalist branding, but it speaks for itself and, to your point, we get to fill in the gaps.

00:27:08.721 --> 00:27:11.444
Apple represents for all of us something different.

00:27:11.444 --> 00:27:13.307
For me, it just plain works.

00:27:13.307 --> 00:27:22.465
I never have to worry about my technology because everything in the Apple ecosystem works, so it does allow that opportunity in that room for it to speak to different people in different ways.

00:27:22.465 --> 00:27:29.009
So I really love that perspective and the intentionality behind it and also, finally, how it's a reflection of yourself.

00:27:29.009 --> 00:27:30.421
So huge kudos to you on that.

00:27:30.801 --> 00:27:33.768
I want to look forward with you because I think it's so cool.

00:27:33.768 --> 00:27:39.560
It's right there in your bio how much you're looking forward to a certification, that you're working towards and all different things.

00:27:39.560 --> 00:27:42.407
What does that time horizon look like for you?

00:27:42.407 --> 00:27:44.961
Because obviously you're focused on graduation.

00:27:44.961 --> 00:27:46.906
You're focused on growing your business.

00:27:46.906 --> 00:27:49.560
What does the future look like in the mind of Gemma?

00:27:50.642 --> 00:27:50.982
Yes.

00:27:50.982 --> 00:27:51.943
So the future.

00:27:51.943 --> 00:27:54.886
That is a scary thing but it's also a very exciting thing.

00:27:54.886 --> 00:28:02.615
So I will be pursuing my NCIDQ, which is the National Council for Interior Design Qualification.

00:28:02.615 --> 00:28:11.243
It's currently a certification that's being seen as recognizable throughout the United States.

00:28:11.243 --> 00:28:22.982
It's actual legislation being passed for interior designers to be registered in states Because, as of right now, any interior decorator can call themselves a designer, even though we're doing completely different work.

00:28:23.463 --> 00:28:35.917
Designers, we can move walls, we can make floor plans, whenever you kind of see architects doing that, when they're more trained to see the outside of a home, we are really trained to see the inside.

00:28:35.917 --> 00:28:38.845
I mean codes and everything, and that's what the NCIDQ.

00:28:38.845 --> 00:28:42.192
You study these code books like crazy.

00:28:42.192 --> 00:28:51.343
I kind of say it's like the bar of law school, but for interior design, and I'm just really excited to take these tests.

00:28:51.343 --> 00:29:12.173
There's one that I can take right after I graduate and then I have about, I think, four to five years to complete all of them, but I'm going to try to do it as soon as possible to get that certification under my belt so I'm able to draw up all these documents to hand off to contractors and have them really put them to the test.

00:29:12.875 --> 00:29:20.790
Yeah, that is very cool and I also just want to point out logistically is that you do work with clients all across the country, which I think is really cool.

00:29:20.790 --> 00:29:25.652
A lot of people probably think about interior design and it's limited to their local geographic area.

00:29:25.652 --> 00:29:31.521
Talk to us about the logistics of that and how you're serving people not just close to you, but even far away.

00:29:32.744 --> 00:29:35.108
Yeah, I mean communication is key.

00:29:35.108 --> 00:29:49.537
You always have to have your phone on and a lot of it is the virtual design and I'm going to be launching virtual design on my website in the next couple of weeks because I do want to reach more clients around the country.

00:29:49.537 --> 00:29:55.935
But also even just differences in time Having clients that are from LA.

00:29:55.935 --> 00:30:02.741
They're three hours behind and so I have to be on everything you know before a certain time of day to send out to them.

00:30:02.741 --> 00:30:09.692
Or even with deliveries and with you know, a project in Tennessee or Detroit, michigan, that I've done before.

00:30:09.692 --> 00:30:17.101
You really have to be on top of it, but it's so exciting to be able to see your work in different states.

00:30:17.803 --> 00:30:19.346
Yeah, I can only imagine.

00:30:19.346 --> 00:30:31.942
I remember when I started my soccer blog when I was still in school, I used to love the Google Analytics screen that showed where all of our web traffic was coming from, because that's where you see the global impact that you're making and for you designing these spaces.

00:30:31.942 --> 00:30:41.044
I'm looking at one of the Airbnbs that you designed right now, Like that's a physical space that people get to fly in from all over the world and enjoy something that you have created.

00:30:41.044 --> 00:30:43.332
So that sort of impact is very cool.

00:30:43.332 --> 00:30:55.528
And, gemma, I knew we'd be short on time here today, but I want to squeeze in two final questions with you, because one we have you here and you're a brilliant interior designer, so we might as well ask about interior design, because a lot of entrepreneurs work from home.

00:30:55.528 --> 00:30:59.780
Obviously, there's a big work from home revolution post COVID since 2020.

00:30:59.780 --> 00:31:01.224
More and more people are doing that.

00:31:01.224 --> 00:31:09.833
What can we do from a practicality perspective to make our spaces more set up, not only for coziness, but also productivity?

00:31:11.259 --> 00:31:11.839
Yeah.

00:31:11.839 --> 00:31:18.244
So productivity at home, I think is really important and, honestly, having your desk near a window.

00:31:18.244 --> 00:31:21.607
Natural light really fuels the soul.

00:31:21.607 --> 00:31:41.813
So I would definitely recommend having your desk near some sort of light and then also having a very organized desk that works for you, having all your systems in place, you having all you know your systems in place and then also just being able to look outside for a little bit of a brain break and a screen break.

00:31:41.813 --> 00:31:44.942
I mean, we're on screens, you know 25, eight, it's 2024.

00:31:44.942 --> 00:31:52.671
So it's really important to have that natural light, I would say, in your workspace and also just having that functionality for sure.

00:31:53.680 --> 00:31:55.406
Yes, listeners, I'm a big believer.

00:31:55.406 --> 00:31:58.061
How you do anything is how you do everything.

00:31:58.061 --> 00:32:02.031
If your desk is an absolute disaster, chances are your business is probably following suit.

00:32:02.031 --> 00:32:06.471
So, gemma, I love that call to action from you to all of our listeners worldwide.

00:32:06.471 --> 00:32:20.201
And the last question I always love asking guests this because not only do you get to pull on all of your expert knowledge with regards to interior design and all the great things that you do there, but also as a fellow entrepreneur, I think it's so cool to hear your advice.

00:32:20.201 --> 00:32:24.392
So, with all of the things in mind that we talked about today, what's the one takeaway?

00:32:24.392 --> 00:32:36.997
The one thing that you hope every listener, no matter where they are in their entrepreneurial journey, that they walk away from today's episode with I would just love to say stop waiting and start doing.

00:32:37.798 --> 00:32:41.747
Never think that you're too young or you're uneducated to do something.

00:32:41.747 --> 00:32:47.469
When you have that little voice in your head saying oh, I just want to do this, you already know how to do it.

00:32:47.469 --> 00:32:49.842
It's just taking that step forward to do so.

00:32:50.604 --> 00:32:52.186
Yes, amen to that.

00:32:52.186 --> 00:32:54.411
That is such a good piece of advice.

00:32:54.411 --> 00:33:00.718
It's a really important piece of advice for every single one of us, and it's not advice that we just get to do just once.

00:33:00.718 --> 00:33:03.388
It's something that we always have to remind ourselves for.

00:33:03.388 --> 00:33:07.884
So, gemma, I know that listeners are going to be super keen to see your work in action.

00:33:07.884 --> 00:33:11.492
Especially, I've been tooting the horn of those two cabin Airbnbs.

00:33:11.492 --> 00:33:17.030
They're right front and center on your website, and I know there's so much other good stuff there, so drop those links on us.

00:33:17.030 --> 00:33:18.554
Where should listeners go from here?

00:33:19.859 --> 00:33:24.529
Yes, so you can see a lot of my up-to-date things on our Instagram.

00:33:24.529 --> 00:33:31.029
Our handle is at formandfunction, underscore CO, and we would love to see you on there.

00:33:31.029 --> 00:33:35.403
We do stories all the time so you can kind of see the behind the scenes of everything.

00:33:35.403 --> 00:33:41.653
And then our Facebook is also the same and then our website is just formandfunctioncocom.

00:33:41.653 --> 00:33:47.211
So we would love to just see you guys kind of come in, explore with us, contact us.

00:33:48.099 --> 00:33:50.130
Yes, listeners, you already know the drill.

00:33:50.130 --> 00:33:54.605
We are making it as easy as possible for you all to find those links down below in the show notes.

00:33:54.605 --> 00:34:05.625
Wherever it is that you're tuning into today's episode, you'll find the link to formandfunctioncocom that's down below in the show notes as well as a link to all of Gemma's socials, including her personal LinkedIn.

00:34:05.625 --> 00:34:17.094
So if you just want to reach out to her and continue the conversation or thank her for sharing so transparently her experience, her perspective, all of the lessons that she's picked up along the way, then feel free to reach out to her there.

00:34:17.094 --> 00:34:22.387
So, gemma, on behalf of myself and all the listeners worldwide, thanks so much for coming on the show today.

00:34:23.501 --> 00:34:25.248
Thank you so much, brian, it was great.

00:34:26.601 --> 00:34:32.000
Hey, it's Brian here, and thanks for tuning in to yet another episode of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.

00:34:32.000 --> 00:34:36.110
If you haven't checked us out online, there's so much good stuff there.

00:34:36.110 --> 00:34:45.365
Check out the show's website and all the show notes that we talked about in today's episode at thewantrepreneurshowcom, and I just want to give a shout out to our amazing guests.

00:34:45.365 --> 00:35:01.804
There's a reason why we are ad-free and have produced so many incredible episodes five days a week for you, and it's because our guests step up to the plate.

00:35:01.824 --> 00:35:02.527
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00:35:02.527 --> 00:35:03.108
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00:35:03.108 --> 00:35:04.393
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00:35:04.393 --> 00:35:12.240
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00:35:12.240 --> 00:35:20.719
So thank you to not only today's guests, but all of our guests in general, and I just want to invite you check out our website because you can send us a voicemail there.

00:35:20.719 --> 00:35:22.083
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00:35:22.083 --> 00:35:25.911
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00:35:25.911 --> 00:35:28.103
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00:35:28.103 --> 00:35:36.958
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