We were lucky to catch up with Byron Cordero recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Byron thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

How did you actually start?

It all starts with listening. Listening to the world around you. You will start to find a pattern in peoples’ complaints. The more you listen, the more you develop an ear for what’s needed. If you have the solution to that problem, then you know that that is your calling. If you become the solution to people’s problems, then you know that it will be successful.

what was the process of going from idea to execution

Empathy. Understanding. Solution.
Why is it that we sleep better in hotels than our own home? It’s because of the experience. Think of how many times you wanted to recreate that experience in your own home? Call the front desk. No one knows where any material is from, its provenance, or where to point you towards resources. (It’s not their job)

Shop your stay. Hand selected provides that solution.

The idea really took off in Venice during the Biennale. Owning a PR firm and producing events for clients all over the world from Paris, to Milan, Venice, and trips to various countries (Guatemala, Mexico etc) it was a common need in the design world. People stay at hotels and want to bring the decor with them.

After that it was about getting the right group of visionaries, who see the vision, the need, the problem and…. the solution.

Building a business plan for financial forecasting, setting up teams needed, and the funding all were the next step.

Launch phase will be cake. A boutique hotel in Europe, during a major trade show, full of American buyers.

Byron , 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?

I’d always had a natural interest in the world around me. Trying to make sense of the colors, patterns, behaviors, and rhythm of things allowed my curiosity to turn into a type of mental currency. By observation, I was able to develop a knack for for the arts: fashion, design, music, books, poetry and I was able to translate that to people. My parents, friends, teachers, always seemed to find an interest in my curiosity and were impressed by my ability to interpret the world around into something digestable. And so they asked me “what should I wear? Where should we go this weekend? What’s there to do?”

Ironically, I’d never asked for it, but people saw something in me. Fast track to my first job in fashion, I learned that art history majors make the best fashion editors, because they can speak to the provenance of design, techniques that mimic ancient rituals, or tropes of seasons past. They’re able to dissect design in a way that makes it human and also adds purpose. And that is the key to all success. Purpose.

Up until that point, I was a student in the school of life learning to take this knowledge, and transferring into a career – which started my journey in Public Relations. Public Relations is the ability to guide a creative into getting outside their head and into a comprehensive language that anyone can understand.

Since then, I climbed the ladder from junior, to manager, director, Vice President, and now business owner. It is funny how being a business owner can at times feel like you go back to being the assistant, intern, manager, and boss all in one. It’s because the best business owners become the vehicle they are driving.

I’ve learned that there are companies that do things better, quicker ,faster, sexier than you – but they one thing they dont have – is you. I recently read that in the book “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann and it revealed so much to me about these patterns of success, and more importantly, the thing you should always focus on is your position in this world and how you relate to others. Serving others specifically.

I am most proud of finding my faith journey again in Christ and allowing it to magnify and cast a spotlight on the voids I had been trying to fill, and the aspects of my life that had been missing. A psychologist recommended my first church to me (as an adult) which I found ironic. Science and faith can coexist (who knew?) My faith journey has allowed me to be vulnerable and seek in a way that I had not before. By virtue of the journey, I am able to view my business, myself, others, in a new light.

We are in a place where we are able to offer everything that is needed to story-tell, (visually, audibally, written) in order to match humans with the things that make them nostalgic of their experiences, and also remind them of who they are. Shop your stay.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Facetime. In a world where the digital age has maximized quantity, society is yearning for quality.
I cannot emphasize the importance of a 4 person padel game, or a well curated intimate dinner, where conversation happens amongst all guests. There is a lot more value in learning about someone’s family dynamic and heritage, than there is in their 8 second elevator pitch.

Invest in the people around you. Time is the most valuable asset we have.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

Matthew 5:8 “Freely you have received; freely give.” The best advice I can give someone is to offer your talent to someone you know that needs it. Think probono. Go into it with zero intention and zero expectation. That is not to say that you should do it forever, set a boundary, but offer your value to the world and you will see.
It will change your life forever.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://handselected.co/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/corderoconsulting
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byron-cordero-a4910252/