We were lucky to catch up with TONYA OLSEN recently and have shared our conversation below.

TONYA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

I feel like I take a more personal approach with my clients. While I have processes and procedures in place behind the scenes, I like to engage with my clients in a more casual way. This approach helps strengthen relationships and foster a sense of rapport. I believe the interior design process is more fluid, comprehensive and personal. The end result is more reflective of what the client envisioned and less about what I’ve pushed on them. I like to say that I have the best clients ever. I think that’s because I genuinely know them, care about them and have gotten to know them during the entire process.

I take my jobs personally. I genuinely care about the outcome. I always have the client’s best interest in mind and want them to have a fun, enjoyable experience.

TONYA, 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?

Some of my earliest memories are of decorating my bedroom when I was seven. My parents moved every three to four years when I was growing up, and my mom encouraged me to make all of the design choices for my room. I was allowed to pick the carpet, paint and furniture. I remember thinking at a young age that I wanted to be an interior designer someday and own my own business.

Fast forward 25 years and I decided to go back to school to get my master’s degree in interior design. At the time, my kids were small and there were no local universities that offered interior design courses. This was also before online classes. The closest college, Utah State University, was two hours from our home. Two to three times a week for five years, I drove back and forth to get my degree.

With my degree in hand, I worked for a small interior design showroom in our hometown. While the business wasn’t a huge success, it also wasn’t a failure. I learned a lot about what to do and more importantly, what not to do when working for a small business.

In 2017 I decided to start my own design firm. While I made all of the design decisions and met with clients, I employed my cousin to help manage the back end of the business. In 2020 I expanded from working at home to leasing my first office space and showroom. My business has continued to grow slowly and steadily with a majority of my work coming from referrals and word-of-mouth. Last year I expanded again. I purchased a 4000 sf building in Heber, Utah. I now have seven employees and will open a small furniture and accessories boutique in addition to my existing design firm.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My business was built on the foundation of word of mouth, foregoing traditional advertising and social media. It is based on genuine connections. My parents instilled a strong work ethic in me growing up. I believe in a whole team approach to each project I work on. My clients homes are as important to me as my own.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

My clients often become my friends. It’s not uncommon for me to go to dinner or hang out at social events with current and former clients. The connections I make during the design process of each project are genuine. As a result, life long relationships are formed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.olsenhomedesign.com
• Instagram: @olsenhomedesign

Image Credits
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