Name: Gisela
City: new york
State: ny
Country: usa
Comment:
Dear Vicente,
First of all you’re an inspiration! Just finished reading your candid interview in House Beautiful and it made me think:
This is my awkward dilemma: At the behest of my very good and close friend of almost 10 years, I’m in the midst of making the transition from Fashion Editor to interiors and partnering up with her. The transition to me feels seamless since its all under the umbrella of style, but I’m a bit nervous of the following and I’m hoping you would be kind enough to provide us some guidance:
-going into business with a friend? I would not want to ruin the relationship..
-our styles differ slightly: where I am more serene, love simplicity and starkness, she prefers color, patterns and embellishment but we concur on our love for exotics. Could this cause conflict when dealing with potential clients?
-She’s an idea person, I’m an executor of ideas, which makes me feel like we can balance each other, or could this cause conflict as well?
-We both have no formal interior design education, would that hinder us in the future?
We’re so excited to begin on this venture together but I can’t shake the notion that perhaps we would do best individually, but then I think, this can be a brilliant move since we compliment each other quite well and we fill each other’s gaps.
I’d love to know what you think.
Sincereley,
Gisela Castillo
Vicente Responds:
Talk about three strikes against you! Partnership at its best is a difficult situation. It works best – in my opinion – when each person does a different type of task. And you should always have a ‘oneness of thought’. I had a partner for 18 years and we thought alike, yet it still was conflicting at times.
While you don’t need to have gone to interior design school, you do need certain tools to become a designer – do you know how to draft, how to design? How much training do you have? It’s one thing to be an editor and select from other people’s ideas and another to be the creator of ideas. You need the tools to be able to produce and execute concepts. Would this be the blind leading the blind, is this Absolutely Fabulous?
The other issue is that you say your styles are very different. Personally, I would certainly not want to work with somebody who was not in sync, creatively, to my point of view. Yes, two heads are better than one, but when both heads are heading in different directions, I think it can create a great deal of conflict. How about if you each start your own businesses and help each other out – give support to one another, but do it as separate businesses. It could be confusing to prospective clients when such different points of view come from the same office.
Whatever you decide, be sure you have the right tools to give it your best shot and deliver your best work. Good luck.
#1 by abbeyk on May 14, 2010 - 1:23 pm
I would suggest creating a legal partnership and making sure there’s an exit strategy if one decides to get out. Business first.
#2 by Laurel on May 14, 2010 - 9:07 pm
I’d like to jump in, if I may. Ugh… This business is so fraught with so many pitfalls, it isn’t funny. My biggest concern is that neither of you has any experience actually working in this field. It is not just about style. My husband once said that it is 5% creativity and 95% aggravation! Yes, of course, style and an innate talent are important (and cannot be taught either!) and I think that having slightly different view points may work to your advantage as you may attract a wider selection of clients.(and you sound respectful of the other). Personally, I love working in different styles, but often, I am reigned in somewhat, by the client.
I am concerned that going into business with a close friend, however, could be a source of friction and not just from a stylistic standpoint.
There is just so much to learn and so much that can go horribly WRONG, its not funny!!!!!!
Do you understand about CFAs, COMs, COLs, dye-lots, unprotected leathers, knit backing of certain fabrics, UV protection of windows, when to walk away from a job?
Do you know how to do estimates, coordinate jobbers, contractors, etc. so that things are done in the proper order?
Do you understand how and what to put in your contract, incorporating your business, pricing, billing, deposits, residential delivery, vs. common carrier?
Do you look at every door way and stair case if something larger than an end table is coming in?
Do you know the differences between nylon and wool carpeting and understand shading?
I could go on and on and on…… and every one of these things is an area that either I made a mistake in, or someone I knew did, and this is just the tip of the proverbial ice berg! We could have a whole topic on our worst mistake. The point is that these mistakes could put you out of business your first year and ruin a beautiful friendship!
If the 150/yard chenille or silk splits open because you didn’t have it knit backed, who pays for this to be corrected? You do– It was up to YOU to understand that this fabric required knit backing and lets see— 18 yards for the sofa, plus the knit backing and reupholstery and pick up and delivery— You’ve just had to cough up 4,000 of your own money to fix it!!! (you might’ve gotten away with just the seat cushions, but now the fabric’s discontinued or the dye lot is different…)
I once heard of someone who ordered 80 yards of $125 fabric for drapes and it was the wrong color way!!! and the drapes were delivered AND installed.
oops.
check, double check, triple check — everything.
A bit of OCD is a good thing here.
There is so much to learn and it is ongoing. I would recommend that both of you, get a job working for someone else, (even if its just office work) for at least one year, before embarking on your own.
Sorry to have to be so scary, but its reality. The shows make it all look so easy, but its not–
Its a great business, once you learn the pitfalls. (and even then, there are always new ones!)
Problem solving skills are essential!!!
All the best!!!
#3 by melissa on May 16, 2010 - 3:49 pm
WHY NOT INTERN WITH SOME ONE FOR A FEW YEARS LEARN THE BUSINESS INSIDE AND OUT THEN HEAD OUT ON YOUR OWN.. IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO LEARN FROM SOMEONE FIRST, AS IT BUILDS UP YOUR CONFIDENCE AND THEN YOU HAVE THE TOOLS AND THE PERSONAL STYLE TO LAUNCH YOU…. THAT IS WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST..
I KNOW THIS AS I WENT TO 3 SCHOOLS AND HAD A PERSONAL TEACHER FOR 8 YEARS BEFORE THIS LAST 2 YEARS HEADING OUT AND DOING MY HEALING WORK ON MY OWN… MAINLY IT TAUGHT ME WHO I WAS AND HOW I COME TO MY PROFESSION AND THE VALUE OF MY STYLE OF HEALING…
XXOO
MELISSA
#4 by Gary Nelling on May 17, 2010 - 2:16 am
Well said Laurel. A friend of mine who likes poker metaphors used to say: “Don’t deal the cards if you can’t afford to lose.” – Gary
#5 by Paola on May 18, 2010 - 9:11 pm
As an interior designer, I find it shocking how so many people think interior designing is something you can just pick up & do. While it requires style and taste, it also requires an incredible amount of precision & attention to detail – in drawings, purchase orders, invoices, finishes, etc. etc. There is so much to know & be aware of, I can’t imagine how anyone could just start a firm w/ no experience. If anything, I would say go to school, work for someone else for at least 3 years. Otherwise, start your firm but hire someone who is much more experienced than yourself to help you along the way.