We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Hunte And Becca Frasier recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley Hunte and Becca Frasier, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

From the moment we conceptualized Casa Sisu as an interior design firm, we knew that we needed to establish a formal set of processes and standards. Even though it was – and still is – just the two of us, we knew that if we didn’t dedicate the time to that task upfront, it would be exponentially harder to catch up as the company scales.

We both previously worked at companies that experienced rapid growth seemingly overnight. Coming in as new hires and being forced to figure out undefined processes, styles, tools, and expectations created an enormous amount of stress that made it difficult to focus on our core job responsibilities. As creatives, we need time to be alone with our thoughts and ruminate on what’s best for our clients. It’s nearly impossible to achieve that headspace when you exist in an environment of daily chaos and spontaneity.

By establishing our processes and standards upfront, we’re set up to rapidly scale when the time is right. Future hires will know exactly what it means to be a Casa Sisu team member, how to deliver to our standards, what we stand for, and how to use the tools we have in place to make our projects successful. Some may think it’s silly to follow formal processes when the co-owners are the only two employees, but removing the need for imagination in those areas allows us to funnel all that energy into where it’s needed most: our designs.

Ashley Hunte and Becca Frasier, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Casa Sisu is founded on three core principles: beauty, functionality, and adaptability. We create spaces that are not only visually stunning but also improve our daily lives and contribute to our overall well-being. A Casa Sisu space is a tailored balance of not too little and not too much.

In residential design, we often see two extreme ends of the spectrum. Affordable projects risk being so streamlined that they are stripped of any personality, and high-end projects can be so bespoke that they become inaccessible to average homeowners. We have found a nice balance of being able to provide a blend of bespoke, high-quality design at accessible prices. Our past experience in the design-build world gave us first-hand knowledge of what it takes to build our designs, which enables us to keep the cost of construction in mind when designing a space.

As a brand, we are extremely proud of our technical documentation. Our drawings are far more detailed than what is typically provided by interior design firms, which has helped us build strong relationships with general contractors. We strive to proactively address any questions or issues that may come up, leading to shorter construction timelines.

We chose the name Casa Sisu as a tribute to where we came from and what we stand for. Sisu (pronounced see-sue) is a Finnish word that lacks a direct translation in English, but it can be summed up as steadfast determination even in times of extreme adversity. It’s a deep-rooted drive to overcome any challenge. We paired this word with “casa” not just because it’s fun to say; it’s also a representation of our unflinching dedication to solving the challenges our clients experience within their homes.

Ashley has a BFA in Interior Design from a CIDA-certified program and has worked at high-end, world-renowned design firms spanning from Boston to NYC – and now Austin. Her in-field experience includes luxury residences, mixed-use residential buildings, historical preservation remodels, and more.

Becca worked as a copywriter and creative director for 15 years before she jumped at a rare opportunity to begin a new path as an interior designer. Since then, she has remodeled dozens of gorgeous homes throughout Austin and won multiple local and national awards for her designs.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Casa Sisu was launched by contributing $1,500 each from our personal savings, giving us an initial cash investment of $3,000. From the start, it was important to ensure we had sufficient cash flow to cover essential startup expenses, including company formation, website and digital presence, business cards, marketing materials, trade membership programs, and more. We each brought in our own equipment and software, which significantly reduced our startup costs.

We understood that addressing these foundational expenses was critical for establishing a strong brand presence that would ultimately attract clients. With our initial capital, we focused on building a digital presence and creating professional marketing materials to share with industry professionals during coffee meetups where we introduced our company.

Our $3,000 investment proved worthwhile, as it enabled us to secure our first clients and quickly triple our initial funds, setting the stage for the growth of our company.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

As a Scandinavian-inspired design firm, we wanted to incorporate more than just Scandinavian aesthetics into our company’s ethos. We strive to be more like European companies in how they handle work-life balance: less stress, more flexibility, generous observation of holidays, and a focus on how family and personal needs play into our overall business goals. Casa Sisu is a partnership, and with that, we understand that one of us may need to jump in for the other at times. There is a natural ebb and flow that occurs when a team understands – and most importantly, respects – that each individual contributor is part of a whole, working toward a common goal yet sharing a compassionate empathy for needs that may arise outside of the workplace.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.casasisu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casasisuatx
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casasisuatx
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casa-sisu
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/casa-sisu-austin
• Other: Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/pro/casasisuatx

Image Credits

Wes Ellis, Cate Black, and Tobin Davies