Today we’d like to introduce you to Margo Tantau

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I’ve been interested in creativity and have been one to notice details all my life. My mom was an interior designer and brought her work home in a good way- she included us in her thoughts, projects, designs and ideas. I think this definitely planted the seed of thinking about the many elements of design early on. I was fortunate as well to have a dad that was an airline pilot, so that too was a gift, as we could travel for next to nothing, and we did.
I always dabbled with drawing, painting and making things, and when it came to school, I got a design degree, although it wasn’t very specific. My parents encouraged me to get a broader education instead of, say, attending an art school, but I wish in hindsight that I had gone the art school route and had more focus in one area.
After graduating I worked in interior design showrooms, and then in retail, focusing on home decor, and learning all the while. I then turned my hand to making my own artful product, and had my first success with a line of hand-twisted wire chairs. I learned about wholesale, licensing, and a bit about what it takes to get product out the door by doing that! I also discovered that I didn’t want to sit at a table making wire chairs for a living. My mom & I then opened a retail store and focused on handmade, creative things for the home. The store had a great run, and I learned a lot about working with and encouraging artists. I turned that into my own wholesale business where I represented other small makers, and that venture was a great success. We sold worldwide, made great friends and connections, and I discovered that I much preferred to promote other artists rather than counting on my own two hands to earn my rent.
Eventually, wanting to learn more about manufacturing on a broader scale, I dipped my toe into corporate life. And 20 years later, I’d added millions of miles, factories, product designs and stories to my repertoire. Now I take those experiences and continue to focus on connecting people, products, and creativity. My favorite thing to is to help artists discover how to get themselves further than they knew they could. My podcast, Windowsill Chats has been a great platform for connecting people over the past four years, and I now am adding to that a membership and an artists licensing agency. I don’t get bored with what I do.. I love it!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

It has been relatively smooth.. I’d say the bumps come when trying to figure out what’s next, if I want to work for someone else or myself, and how to follow the threads of all of the things that interest me. My Uncle used to tease me about the shifts in my career path, but honestly, each step has lead to the next, and my winding path is exactly the right one for my interests. I’ve loved the learning, really, almost every step of the way. I’d say the most challenging chapter was the corporate years. I thought I’d be learning so much from these companies, and I did, but often it was more about politics and peole-pleasing, instead of innovation and direct decision-making. I am definitely an entrepreneur at heart.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I really specialize in people, in finding the right artist to create a product that doesn’t yet exist, and then bringing it to fruition and putting something new and interesting out into the world. I love that intersection of vision, talent, and production. Magic happens when they all align.
I think my varied layered experience sets me apart. There are certainly people that focus on one aspect or another of the things that I have done, but I have manufacturing, retail, creating, ideating, pricing, making, negotiating, leadership, innovation and peace-keeping all rolled into my suitcase of skills that I’ve collected along the way. Pretty handy and multi-faceted, if I do say so. So now, I get to take all of that and pour it back into the people that I work with and who’s skills I choose to champion.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?

Ask. Ask the question, strike up the conversation, reach out. People are friendly for the most part, and they like to share their expertise, especially with someone who is interested and interesting enough to want to figure things out. Collaborate. Two heads are often better than one, and it makes asking questions easier, too.
If there is someone you admire or would like to get to know, you can do so in a non-creepy wany, just by following them on social media, interacting with their posts, and consistently showing up. Or take the old fashioned way and drop a letter in the mail! Include pictures of your work! If you choose to send an email, don’t think they don’t want to talk to you if you don’t immediately hear something back. People are busy, but they are also kind and interested. Keep reaching out. It will pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tantaustudio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windowsillchats/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067934685072

Image Credits

Elise Giordano, Justin Hackworth, Wendy Yalom