We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brittany Hancock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brittany , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I love this question! Usually I say yes without thinking. But there are days when it’s harder to answer. What’s coming to mind is a one particularly difficult day a year or two ago. The answer that day would have been a flat out NO.

It started with cabinets. The kind of mistake that makes your stomach drop before your brain even catches up. The cabinets we ordered were not the correct height. Not “a little off.” Not “we can make it work.” Just flat-out wrong. Which meant delays, fixes, and—surprise!—me eating the cost to make it right. A couple thousand bucks gone before lunch, all in the name of doing right by my client.

Then I found out my car had a major issue. The kind that comes with a repair estimate that makes you briefly consider whether walking everywhere is a viable lifestyle choice.

And because the universe clearly felt I needed a full experience that day, I was also dealing with a serious health issue. The kind that doesn’t let you compartmentalize or “circle back later.” The kind that follows you quietly, relentlessly, through every phone call and email.

By the time I got home that night, I sat on my couch staring into space and thought, “Is any of this worth it?”

If this is what my worst days look like… do I even want to keep going?

For the first time in a long time, the idea of a 9-to-5 started to sound… comforting. Clock in. Clock out. Leave work at work. Major holidays off. Evenings that belong to you. Problems that stop being yours when they’re above your pay grade. A manager to call. HR to email. Sick time. Paid vacation. The luxury of not being personally responsible for the outcomes of people’s home remodels and the hundreds of thousands of dollars they’re spending on them.

Because when you own the business, the phone calls start at the crack of dawn and the emails don’t respect weekends or holidays. There’s no calling in sick. No handing something off when you don’t have an answer. You are all things, all the time. And some days, that weight is crushing.

That night, exhausted and overwhelmed, I seriously asked myself what else I could do.

And then, it hit me like a train. I remembered.

I remembered every job I had before I worked for myself. Every time I couldn’t fix a problem because it “wasn’t my call.” Every time I cared more than the system allowed. Every time I had to sit with a bad outcome because accountability lived somewhere above me. Somewhere unreachable.

And I knew immediately: No way.

No way could I go back to not steering the ship. No way could I be in a position where I couldn’t fix the problem the moment it arose. Where I couldn’t take accountability, make it right, and treat my clients with care, concern, and respect, even if it meant taking a financial hit to do so.

And beyond that? You can only ever go so far in a company that isn’t your own.

In my business, I am the only limiting factor. And I find myself to be limitless, at least most days.

So there it was. My worst day on record as a business owner. And the only thing worse I could imagine… was not being one.

Brittany , 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’m Brittany Hancock, founder and principal designer of B Home Design, a San Diego based interior design and remodeling studio specializing in quality-focused residential renovations. At its core, my work sits at the intersection of thoughtful design, clear communication, and deep respect for the people who live in the homes we touch.

I didn’t arrive in this industry by accident or by aesthetics alone. I was drawn to design because it is deeply human. Our homes hold our routines, our memories, our stress, and our joy. When a home does not function well, it quietly creates friction in daily life. When it does, it supports you without asking for attention. That is the kind of design I am interested in. Spaces that are beautiful, yes, but also intelligent, intuitive, and enduring.

At B Home Design, we provide full-service interior design and remodel oversight, guiding clients through complex renovations from early planning and layout decisions through material selection, construction coordination, and final styling. Most of our work involves kitchens, bathrooms, whole-home remodels, and major updates for clients who want their homes to feel elevated, timeless, and deeply livable. Not trendy for a moment, but right for the long haul.

What we really solve for our clients is overwhelm.

Remodeling is emotionally and financially significant. People are often investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into spaces that need to work flawlessly for their families, their future, and sometimes even their aging parents. My role is to be the steady hand in that process. To anticipate problems before they happen, to make confident decisions when things go sideways, because sometimes they do, and to protect my clients from costly mistakes, unclear communication, and design choices they will regret later.

What sets B Home Design apart is accountability. I take full ownership of the outcome. If something is not right, I do not hide behind process, contracts, or finger-pointing. I fix it. I believe trust is built not when everything goes perfectly, but when challenges are handled with integrity, urgency, and care.

Design-wise, my aesthetic leans toward bold but timeless. I love rich materials, layered neutrals, thoughtful contrast, and details that feel intentional rather than decorative for decoration’s sake. But style always comes second to function. A gorgeous kitchen that does not work for how you cook, gather, or age in place is not good design in my book.

One of the things I am most proud of is how much of my work now intersects with future-focused living. In addition to B Home Design, I co-founded The Safety Sisters, an educational platform focused on aging in place and helping adult children support their parents through smart, proactive home decisions. That work has deeply informed how I design. Thinking not just about today, but about mobility, safety, adaptability, and dignity over time.

I am also proud of the relationships I have built with clients, trades, and collaborators. Remodeling can be adversarial in this industry. I work very hard to make it collaborative instead. Clear expectations, honest conversations, and mutual respect go a long way, and they show up in the finished product.

What I want potential clients and followers to know about me is this. I care deeply. About the details. About the outcome. About the people trusting me with their homes and their money. I will tell you the truth, even when it is not the easiest answer. I will advocate for you. And I will never treat your project like just another job.

B Home Design is not about chasing trends or volume. It is about doing meaningful work thoughtfully and responsibly in spaces that truly matter. And if there is one thing I believe wholeheartedly, it is that good design is not just something you see. It is something you feel every single day you live in it.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I met my business partner, Letia Young, at a moment when I was seriously questioning whether interior design was the right path for me at all.
At the time, my experiences with other designers had been… discouraging. Interactions felt guarded, competitive, and anything but welcoming. I was new, eager to learn, and increasingly unsure if there was room in this industry for someone who genuinely wanted to collaborate and do things the right way.
Then David Aguirre of The Paint Guru introduced me to Letia.
She offered to meet with me at her home and told me to bring any questions I had. I took her up on it, showing up with pages of handwritten notes and equal parts hope and nerves. What I did not expect was to sit at her table for nearly two hours while she patiently answered every single question. Nothing rushed. Nothing held back. Just generosity, openness, and genuine encouragement.
Before I left, she casually offered to let me redesign her fireplace for my portfolio.
It was such an unexpected kindness that I almost did not know what to do with it. At that point, I had been conditioned to believe that this kind of generosity came with strings attached. So instead of pursuing the fireplace, I simply thanked her and walked away deeply grateful for the time she had given me.
A few months later, she reached out again. She was incredibly busy and had two bathrooms she was wondering if I could take on. I was thrilled and terrified all at once. I remember asking her if she would be willing to be a lifeline if I got stuck. She didn’t hesitate.
Those two bathrooms became so much more than projects. They became the foundation of our partnership and eventually led to a Houzz Bathroom of the Week feature. More importantly, they marked the beginning of a professional relationship built on trust, respect, and mentorship.
Letia has since retired, but her influence on my career is immeasurable. I know with my whole heart that I would not have survived my first few years in business without her. She made me better in every way. I still hear her voice in my head when I am working through a challenge. And when the challenges are especially challenging, I hear her voice on my phone.
That is the kind of partnership you do not plan for. It is the kind you are blessed enough to be given.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The year that tested my resilience more than any other was 2024.
It was my first full year in business after my partner retired, and everything seemed to fall apart at once. Work slowed to a crawl. Over the course of the entire year, I completed just three projects. I had never struggled like that in my career as a designer. Not even close.
I did everything you are told to do when business dries up. I ran ads. I doubled down on social media. I said yes to everything. I tried to be louder, more visible, more anything. None of it worked. It felt like screaming into the void.
As the months went on, I burned through my savings just trying to stay afloat. Eventually, I had to move simply to keep my head a fraction above water. By the end of the year, continuing my business felt less like a dream and more like a risk I could no longer afford to take. I was not questioning my passion. I was questioning survival.
What kept me from walking away was my family. They would not let me quit. They saw how deeply my work mattered to me, how it filled me in a way nothing else ever had. When I could not carry the weight alone, they stepped in and helped me stay standing while I kept pushing forward.
That year also gave me something else I did not expect. Perspective.
A great friend and industry colleague, Dana Nuesca, invited me to attend an event with Connect For Success, a women entrepreneurs’ mastermind. I went reluctantly, unsure if I even belonged in the room. But something snapped into place that day. For the first time in a long time, I was surrounded by women who truly understood the realities of running a business. The pressure, the isolation, the fear, and the responsibility.
I met with the founder, Kara Horat, and despite having very little money left, I joined that same day. It felt risky, but it also felt necessary. That decision gave me a community that became my board of directors. Women who challenged me, supported me, and helped me think differently about how I was building my business.
I was no longer networking randomly or hoping something would stick. I was building relationships intentionally, with the right people, in the right ways. That shift changed everything.
The year that followed became the strongest year my business has ever had. Not by luck, and not by coincidence.
Resilience, for me, was not about powering through alone or pretending things were fine. It was about asking for help, staying open when it would have been easier to shut down, and continuing to move forward even when the path looked uncertain. That year nearly broke me. Instead, it rebuilt me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bhomedesignsd.com
• Instagram: @bhomedesignsd

Image Credits

Nicole Smith