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

Hi Elise, thanks for joining us today. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

It is so important when running your own business(you are all the moving parts) to take a step back and relax alittle.. Burnout is so real in any industry where you are running on all cylinders, all the time. Eventually things will slip through the cracks and you will make mistakes because you are worn down and exhausted.. You’re a better business owner when you take a break to recharge.. even if for a few days on being unplugged. When I take longer vacations (7+ days) I will take my laptop along and check emailed every few days so I don’t get backed up too badly and to keep things moving smoothly upon my return but I will still take time and disconnect completely because like I said, it’s important for your mental health.

Elise, 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?

I did a complete career switch three years ago from healthcare to a trade.. Wallpaper Installer. Another installer intially pulled me from healthcare and while I learned from that installer, I truly learned a lot when I went out on my own. You really don’t learn until your hands are on the paper and you make mistakes. I had many other installers thank you social media to lean on for advise when I had issues. I could have never succeeded as well as I have in such a short time without my network of installers all over the world with many more years of experience.

What sets me apart from others is I will be very vocal about brands of wallpaper I find to not be worth the price tag as well as very cheaply made while I don’t think others are.. I will tell clients what they would be getting with particular brands and that they shouldn’t spend their money on them while others won’t do that. I will always put my clients first and have full transparency with them and I think that is one thing they really like about me. They can ask me anything and I will respond with complete honesty, always.
I also share bits of my personal life on my social media pages so people can get a sense of the person I am as I am not just a wallpaper installer. I feel that making yourself appear human makes others enjoy your posts more.

I am most proud of how much my business has grown in three short years while I do all the work myself. I reply to all emails, texts, instagram inquires, facebook inquires, and voicemails myself. I don’t have a team(yet!) I did the work the first year and hustled, finding all the groups on social media pages to post and get my name out there. I didn’t take many days off in the first year but that paid off as I am currently booked 12+ weeks out at all times. I owe everything to people that took a chance on the new girl on the block.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My best source for new clients is still word of mouth. I don’t do any paid marketing with the exception of a $15 instagram post occasionally. My clients get my name because of the great experience I have given their friends or family. I truly take the time to learn about my clients and try to make them feel heard and seen. I remember their dogs, their babies.. Things that matter to them also matter to me and when you make people feel that you care, they take that with them. People might not remember what you did but they will remember how you made them feel.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I truly believe transparency and helping clients in the journey of picking the best wallpaper brands is what gives me the reputaton I have. The cost to install wallpaper isn’t inexpensive so I want them to have the best experience from start to finish. Picking the best papers, working with me to ensure it’s the best install, and everything in between. I would rather be too honest than have any surprises with clients that would ever make them judge my integrity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/eapentz
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/pasteandpaperCLT