Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dana Nuesca . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dana, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I am who I am today: adventurer, go getter and entrepreneur because of my parents. They divorced when I was two years old and my sister was in utero. This was back in the 60s, so it wasn’t common to have a single mom or dad. Because the divorce was due to infidelity, my mom had to change her life, go back to work to put food on the table for two small girls. My dad provided, but now there were two households and they were both young. Dueling households was very confusing for a young child. My dad remarried right away. His new wife had two children of her own, so we became an instant family of four girls when with my dad. My mom, on the other hand, was quite an adventurer, free spirit, extreme extrovert, non rule follower. When she wasn’t working, we were camping, rafting, and spending time with all kinds of sorted characters (the hippy life). It may not have been a safe upbringing, but my mom instilled a love for all things RISK. As long as it isn’t morally wrong, I will say yes to most things thrown at me.

My dad, on the other hand, was steady and planned. He and my stepmom provided the stability that I did not have when with my mom. It may not have been the most conventional upbringing, but I would change a thing!

Dana, 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?

In 2011, the government contractor I was working for at the time found themselves in hot water and quickly started reducing the ranks. I was caught in the reduction and provided a severance. Instead of jumping back into the same field, I decided to look at becoming an entrepreneur and felt that franchising would be a great start since all the systems are laid out for you. My husband and I happened upon Tailored Living featuring Premier Garage when looking at many different franchise options. We felt this one would suit our personalities and really shine a light on our personal strengths. Tailored Living featuring Premier Garage is a custom closet and garage business, transforming a dull, builder grade closet into a work of art. We also provide cabinetry and epoxy flooring for garage spaces. As of November 1st, we are going through a brand shift. Our new name will now be The Tailored Closet and Premier Garage. Adding closet to the name will allow those searching for us online to find us with ease.

Over the years, we’ve built a positive reputation on social media. We have over 200 reviews and 99% are 5 stars. The other 1% were from clients that were not actually ours but disgruntled with the fact that we either decided not to go forward with their project for style differences or we parked incorrectly in their neighborhood. We always tell everyone: we are perfect but we will work to make it right if you let us.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like everyone in 2020, Covid caught us completely off guard. Yes, we all saw it coming, but we had no idea the impact it would have. The day that California officially shut down, I laid off all of my employees. The very next day, I was told that construction was crucial so I called them all back and said, ‘Guess what? We are free to work!” That did not go over as planned and 5 of the 10 employees did not return. Three were key employees. I scrambled to find workers as clients started calling and wanted every room in their home organized with one of our systems. Home offices became all the rage as people settled in to working from home. At the time, my husband (business partner) had taken a job with our franchisor as the lead cabinet installer for the US and Canada. He took the position because business had been hard on our marriage, and we did not want it to fail. So I felt all alone at this time.

I had hired a consultant when my husband left the business, and he helped me hire the right people. It took time and lost revenue. Our wait times were 12-15 weeks out which had never happened. And we hadn’t even started into the supply issues. In the midst of reinventing our business during one of the busiest seasons of all we did AND when the government was paying more in unemployment than I could offer.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Prior to owning a business, I frequently told people I was not creative…don’t have a creative bone in my body. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Honestly, I am sad that I didn’t figure that out until I was in my mid 40s. All those years of wasted energy believing I was uncreative. I deemed creative people as those who could paint, mold clay, draw, and craft. Now that I own a business, I’ve discovered that I see things differently than my non-entrepreneur friends. I’ve always been a big picture person and business ownership allows me to dream big…there are no limits. When I worked for corporate America, I was constantly pivoting to meet their demands which were always financial. Yes, business ownership requires a level of responsibility, especially as employees are added, but it has been well worth it. I won’t say never, but I doubt I will ever go back to corporate life. I love the freedom of entrepreneurship, even though I work long hours.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tailoredliving.com; www.hotmesstonotmess.com
• Instagram: Tailored Living North County and Hot Mess to Not Mess
• Facebook: Tailored Living North County
• Linkedin: Dana Reed Nuesca
• Yelp: Tailored Living North County San Diego
• Other: Tik Tok: Hot Mess to Not Mess

Image Credits
Portraits of me were taken by Marcy Browe Photography.