We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandy + Rick McLain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brandy + Rick, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?
At the beginning, it was just the two of us working our full time jobs, making numbers and shipping orders on nights and weekends. In 2012, swamped with orders, we hired our first two staff members. We started by recruiting close friends with experience in design who shared our love of craft. They were instrumental to the development of a positive and collaborative working environment, and to the fine tuning of our process, products and services.
In our 14 years, we’ve grown from two to 30 staff members. We’re very intentional about hiring folks who fit well within our existing culture. We have a multi-generational staff with a wide range of talents and experiences. From high school students and retirees, we’ve got folks with different strengths and interests who share our enthusiasm for customer care and the quality of our products. We’ve fostered a supportive and mentoring working environment where learning and leading is encouraged. We believe that the more diverse our team, the better the ideas and solutions that emerge.
From the start, we’ve avoided titles and hierarchy. We work together as equal partners. Every voice and idea is important. We always encourage questions and suggestions. It’s how we’ve been able to manage growth and to consistently improve. Our annual staff retreat generates an incredible list of ideas, opportunities, and solutions far beyond what we could come up with on our own.
We’re fiercely loyal to our team and to our customers. We wouldn’t change a thing about our values, our business model, or our culture.
Brandy + Rick, 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?
We live in Tucson Arizona with our three children. We’re both trained as architects and have always shared an entrepreneurial spirit and passion for design. We started Modern House Numbers after making a set of address numbers for our own home in 2008.
At the end of our renovation project, we wanted a set of stylish numbers as a final touch. We couldn’t find anything we liked. Instead of settling for something lackluster, we decided to make our own. Immediately after installing them, a steady stream of strangers, friends and neighbors started knocking on our door to ask about our new numbers. We realized very quickly that other people were craving this modern detail too. We jumped at the chance to help.
We created a collection of numbers, letters, and plaques in modern fonts and timeless finishes that look fantastic anywhere you choose to install them. We also offer mailbox decals and curb in the same modern fonts. We’re most proud that everything we make is still handcrafted by our team in Tucson, Arizona. At least five sets of hands touch each item during the process, before being carefully wrapped and shipped. We are very hands on. We don’t mass produce or outsource to another country. We’ve used our knowledge and expertise in design and construction to think through every step from ordering to installation to make it easy and fun for anyone to add this modern detail to their home or business.
What people might not know is that our products are made to order. They arrive with a drilling template that our designers create individually for each customer. The first step we take after we receive an order is to design a digital layout where we evenly space each digit to ensure a professional looking final installation. Then we create and print a drilling template. Then the order moves into manufacturing. This process ensures that the products you receive will look beautiful when you’re done.
You can have the best numbers in the world, but if you can’t install them successfully you’ll be disappointed. Our customers tell us every day their Modern House Numbers make them smile, and are their favorite exterior detail. We think that’s because our products allow you to express your personal style and you get incredible satisfaction from the installation.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Rick and I both have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and starting our own business had always been our dream. Our home renovation in 2008 was the spark that inspired and motivated us to go for it. We realized after making our own house numbers that we had a fantastic opportunity to use our expertise in design and construction to help other people add beautiful, modern details to their own homes.
In the beginning MHN was our side hustle. We were willing to work hard and do whatever it took to make MHN successful. After three years of grinding on nights and weekends. In 2011, Brandy took the risk to leave her full time position to manage the daily operations. In year five, we were fairly well established but wanted to grow. We knew that by expanding our team with the right people that we’d achieve our goals. Our team is the heart of our operation.
Our key milestones:
– Hiring our first employees in 2012
– Transitioning to Shopify in 2014
– Purchasing our own building in 2015
– Expanding our team over 20 members in 2019
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
When we decided to make our own address numbers, we experimented with several prototypes. It was natural for us to use principles of design and sustainability in our process because of our background in architecture. We used technology to create efficiency, to reduce material waste, and to achieve consistent outcomes.
We make our numbers from recycled aluminum for its durability, and because we can recycle all the scraps. We use a waterjet in manufacturing for its precision, the lower energy usage, and for the quality of the product it produces. The edge quality we can achieve is far superior to the alternatives.
From the start, we wanted to make our products in Tucson, one order at a time, so we could be hands-on every step of the way. We’ve never wanted to mass produce or outsource to another country. At the time we launched there was only one vendor with the waterjet technology we needed. We’ve developed an incredibly close working relationship that continues to emphasize quality and minimizes waste, even as our volume has exploded.
We’ve created a hybrid manufacturing model where we’ve become experts in mass customization. Our core principles of style, quality and sustainability guided our decisions at the onset of Modern House Numbers, and continue to inform our decisions today. It feels good to have been able to scale our production while maintaining high quality and customer satisfaction.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.modernhousenumbers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernhousenumbers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernHouseNumbers
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-house-numbers/about/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@modernhousenumbers/featured
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/modernhousenumbers/
Image Credits
personal photo credit: Gerry Loew