We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Piasecki recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
My hobby of decorating changed the day I met a Realtor when we were listing our home to sale. He loved how the home was “staged”. I honestly didn’t even know people had their homes staged. I was a new stay at home mom with my son, my greatest blessing.
The Realtor inquired who I hired for the design- I probably looked puzzled and tired (Brooks was a baby and still sleeping in the day, up all night!)
This was the moment I thought, maybe I can decorate homes as a side job while I’m home with son!
My background has been sales since graduating from college. I majored in Communications with a minor in Journalism and a Legal Studies Certificate- I planned to attend law school. After graduating, I decided against law school, moved to Pittsburgh and decided to start working. Well, my degree wasn’t getting me the careers financially I needed to live on my own, until I interviewed for an outside sales job that was 100% commission. This may have scared people (like my parents!) but I saw it as an opportunity to earn the income I wanted! I was given a territory to work and would walk business to business from 9-5 selling products to small business owners. I worked everyday until I made my personal quota to pay my rent, put some in the savings and allow for spending money. After 11 months of cold calling and starting everyday at 0, I interviewed with Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and was offered my first “real” job.
For nine years, I worked in the medical sales arena growing my resume and climbing the corporate ladder.
A reorganization within the company left me undecided on the next step chapter in life. Shortly after, my son was born and I truly enjoyed staying home with him putting my working career aside.
After that first meeting with the realtor who sold our home, I sat at my computer and created my first business card with my new company name and logo. The only thing missing was a portfolio which I knew was the most important part.
I started with before and after pictures of my own home then moved to helping friends and family pro bono. I landed my first kitchen renovation for a family friend and worked with a local contractor for the entire design at a very minimal cost. I spent the next two years learning the tools of this trade from presenting mood boards to laying out new designs in existing structures. I built my book of projects through referrals and showcasing projects on social media. I slowly increased my hourly rate and restructured my install fees per scope of each project.
Once the pandemic hit, my business grew substantially. The most requested projects during that initial time was home bars, adult lounges and a newly designed home office!
I knew to elevate my business and offer a full scope of services to potential clients, I needed a group of contractors that could bring my ideas and vision to life- This is about the time I met T&C Total Interiors on a commercial project. We got to work right away on projects that were piling up in my inbox- it was now time to start executing and we haven’t looked back! There were growing pains and adapting in how we communicate as a team while staying organized and true to our individual businesses. But with hurdles comes strength and we continue to manage a shared book of business as well as our own projects.
Today, my portfolio consists of interior, exterior, commercial, pre-construction and virtual. My designs have reached clients from Texas to Milwaukee to Florida! I’ve also had the opportunity to travel for previous clients who purchase vacation homes. To this day, I have never paid to advertise my work. Referrals and a social media presence have continued to organically grow my business through being relatable, understanding a client’s needs and building a solid rapport.
To say the road traveled was easy is not how I would tell my story- but perseverance and staying the course ahead has been a ride I will continue to enjoy. Every year I am humbled as a small business owner who started out decorating my dorm room with the finest GoodWill had to offer to running a successful interior design company.
I owe everything I am today to my parents and close knit family. I didn’t know when I was a child helping my mom rearrange our furniture and buying new decor for the changing season that I would utilize this innate ability to start my own business. My parents worked for everything we had in turn instilling a sense of pride in working hard as well as smart!
Ashley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started working at an early age- The first business I ran was a newspaper route with my brother when I was 12. We took the time to fold the papers, alway laid them on the front porch and set inside the screen door for the older customers. I knew how important it was to be on time with the delivery and show a genuine interest in our customers needs. We would receive Christmas cards with extra money and the occasional tip for our work.
I understood at an early age the value of dollar watching how hard my parents worked to give us an amazing childhood. From babysitting to working at our local hot dog shop, waiting tables at the country club and interning for an attorney during college, I learned the important balance of life and work.
I started my business on the notion that I can transform your home on a budget- My goal was to decorate with unique finds at a good price. To this day, I still work within a range of budgets because I find great satisfaction in bringing a sense of peace and contentment to one’s home- everyone should have that feeling when walking in the door. Though my projects have evolved to extensive renovations and commercial, I still make myself available to the smaller in home projects that built my portfolio.
My success is earned by being relatable to my client’s, understanding their needs and developing a trust that I will take care of their project like it is my own home!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I decided against law school because I didn’t get into the exact school of my choice. Instead of pursuing my dream, I started applying to any job that fell into the communications bucket- basically anything sales related. Rejection after rejection ensued with each pharmaceutical application. I had no experience that related to a top notch sales job. I considered going back to college for another degree!
This was the first time in my young adult life I needed to pivot and adapt to the change in my mapped out plans for a career.
I took a job that had the highest level of turnover in the sales world. Working on 100% commission without health benefits or any added feature is not for the faint of heart. Every Monday started a new week at zero. That’s how I organized my goals at that time in my life, week by week. I knew how many businesses I needed to visit to obtain the 10 sales I needed a day. If I hit my goal early in the day, I kept going so I had sales that would lead into the next day or week.
When our campaign changed to selling residential, we were allowed to work Saturdays because most people were home. I took that as an opportunity and worked every Saturday to hit my goal. When my friends were sleeping in or enjoying breakfast with friends after a fun filled Friday night, I was up early getting ready for work in order build my resume.
Every interaction with business owners or home owners was not pleasant but I truly would not change a thing about the path I took. Those long days walking business to business help to shape my determination and resilience. I was ranked the #1 sales rep in our office for 10 consecutive months. My eleventh month ended with my first real job offer with Pfizer.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My goal in working with clients is to understand their needs and build trust as I will be working very closely with them in their home! I enjoy adapting to each project and creating a vision for the space that the client will enjoy. I like to keep the design process simple while keeping the client involved so they can see their space coming together. Hard work, determination and being relatable are all qualities that have propelled not only my business but my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.ampstaging.com
- Instagram: @amphomedesign
- Facebook: @AMP Staging
- Linkedin: Ashley Piasecki
Image Credits
Kathryn Stabile Photography