We recently connected with Bryan Abdallah and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Bryan , thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Most of my work is in the construction / building and design industry. I started off in the industry in bidding software sales, then as an analyst for aggregates, which led to manufacturer sales, and transitioned into marketing and building a brand community. That’s over a 10 year period. I focused mainly on building the brand not only through the products the company was selling, but really showcasing the people using the products. Most building manufacturers focus so much on their products and push products all the time that they forget about people.

My work with brands and construction companies in the space is all about people. The people behind the brands that put in the work and create lasting relationships. That includes, the everyday working brand reps that travel 3 days out of the week to the everyday installers that build, create, and design these amazing homes we see everywhere and I love to share their stories and perspective.

I want to share people that super passionate about what they do everyday and that are good human beings.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I got into the building industry doing the normal corporate thing. I did inside tech sales, and then a construction bidding software job and then I quit my job because I just knew being inside sitting in front of a computer and cold calling people was not for me. I wanted to interact with people, and make big money moves just like the movies. But the movies made it look super easy. In reality, I was in between jobs, hustling and trying to survive through the obstacles of what life gave. Companies I interviewed with didn’t hire me because I didn’t have outside sales experience, but I just kept it moving trying to gain knowledge and experience.

I worked for this start up company for 3 months and got paid 200 bucks. I was at this college job fair for this start up trying to sell our services for the startup. I hit up every booth trying to introduce the startup and this one HR lady at a company I approached was like “hey, you seem like you would be a good fit, you want to apply to this sales analyst role? It’s in Baltimore.” I was broke as hell and I was down for new experiences. The role needed a Master’s Degree, and I didn’t have that. I told them I didn’t have a Master’s but I’ll figure out anything and will learn it. 2 months later they offered it to me and I moved to Baltimore and became the Mid-Atlantic Sales Analyst for that company. Made pretty good $$ as a 25 year old, and I just couldn’t believe it. That was a great experience, short lived but I actually really enjoyed it. That’s how I really got into the industry and started to really understand how business and operations work. From there the company got acquired and I was back on the hustle and tried to find ways to make $$. I watched dogs on Dog Vacay, drove Lyft before people knew what it was, and sold stuff haha, this is making me laugh as I think about it. What was I thinking!

From there, I was interviewing for work and got a job selling fasteners like screws for decking and structural screws for framing. The pay was terrible and the hours were a lot. I enjoyed talking to people though. They had us set up pointless tabletops at Home Depots at 6:30am. The best part about this job was finding people to talk to. I would pull up to jobsites, people’s offices, if I saw that you are building a home, or a builder or anything with building you bet I was stopping you to say hi. I met so many amazing people in the DMV and Baltimore area. I didn’t know anyone out here in the DMV area. So this was a treat, I literally was trying to make friends!

From there, I met this awesome guy that approached me to work with his company and that’s another story to tell but I said yes let’s do it. Worked there for about 7-8 years and in 2022 I started soshelBUILDER – a creative studio.

I knew I needed to do something for myself in the creative space and connect with people. That’s where the relationship architect comes from. My wife Amanda, who is an interior designer herself has always called me a relationship architect. I always it was a goofy title to give me but I liked it. I love bringing amazing, good human beings together to collaborate, create and make something special. That is what I try to do with clients. I work with them to build their brands. I want them to be comfortable with me and I want to share a side that many people won’t be able to see or even know about. I truly enjoy the people I work with, it’s really a collaboration of growth for both sides. I want my clients to see growth, and gain value, confidence when working with me.

I love seeing people grow and be successful. I enjoy that process. I love it when people have impossible ideas, and I help bring those impossible ideas to life.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was to work hard. I know it may seem contradictory. I used to wake up before anyone else, and work as late as possible because I thought that is what success was. My last roles in the companies I worked with; I put in insane hours of work and I don’t even think people realize how much work I did. My wife can tell you how late I would stay up putting things together and bringing ideas to life because she literally was my creative team. She helped me so much! So, thank you Amanda. You are the best! I can complete tasks incredibly fast and try to be super efficient. I was doing sales, marketing, architect presentations, managing influencers, manage a scholarship program, create regional events, etc; it was a lot and I didn’t have a team. I look back at it and reflect and if I can do all that; then I know I could start something special for myself.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My goal is to never get big. I contract out help if I need an extra hand in anything for video, audio, editing, etc. I don’t really want to work with everyone because some may not be a good fit. The type of content I bring to the table isn’t for everyone. I want to share the realness of things and bring stories to life. I want to share real convos. Not a fan of scripts unless it’s for a movie, a tv show, or an all out production with a crew.

My strategy has and will always be about meeting people and create genuine relationships. I’m out and about constantly and engage with people everyday in DC. Whether it’s walking outside or stopping someone because they have cool sneakers, or helping out someone; I will always be connected in the community somehow. I love supporting small businesses, meeting creatives, and people that are passionate about what they do.

Contact Info:

• Website: soshelmag.com
• Instagram: @soshel and @soshelmag
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanabdallah/
• Youtube: @soshelmag

Image Credits
Amanda Schwab (Designer Soup Studio) and Amira Holland