We were lucky to catch up with Jaime Galapo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jaime, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

I strive to keep my business boutique in that I am able to be present with every one of my clients. I have a job limit, and do not exceed that limit. That enables me to maintain quality control, give my clients the attention they need, minimize issues, and to move from job to job in a timely manner. Some people call this being “controlling”, I call this Quality Control!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jaime Galapo and I’m the owner of Galapo Group Design. I grew up in a home where using my artistic skills were encouraged and embraced. I come from a long line of creatives such as artists and architects. I studied Fine Arts at the University of Florida, and after graduation I was desperately seeking a career that would combine my artistic skill along with a professional career. I stumbled upon Interior Design and fell in love with the industry. I soon went back to school at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, and that is where I gained the knowledge to set off my career. After many years of working with local firms and showrooms, I decided to take it to the next level and open up Galapo Group Design. A design firm located in South Florida. I specialize in kitchen and bath design, as well as space planning, and furniture design. With my strict onboarding process, I set myself apart by not taking on ALL the jobs, but really focusing and giving 100% of my attention to all of my clients.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Upon starting Galapo Group Design, I knew that I would endure growing pains. How difficult these growing pains would be, I wasn’t so sure! I started my company in 2016, all ran very smoothly, until 2018 which was the lowest point of my career. 2018 was the hardest year personally, and professionally. I took on 2 incredible projects simultaneously. Wonderful clients, and great designs were what I had to look forward to. However, I made the very big mistake of using the same general contractor on both projects. Although, he was great on a past project, I kept on seeing red flags day by day with these current projects. False promises, no shows, no workers, nothing. My mistake was not firing him after the first red flag. He completely under bid both projects, and was dealing with extreme health issues. I only found this information out way too late. Although the clients hired the GC directly, this was my referral, and my problem. I knew something had to change, and we had to face a hard reality. We let him go and quickly found other contractors to finish the job. I felt so defeated, not 1 but 2 clients were let down. After completing these projects with success, I hit a restart button on my business. I found a business mentor named Kimberly Seldon from Business of Design. I strictly followed her program. I also decided that I will never put all of my eggs in one basket especially when it came to contractor services. Since then, I do a very extensive background check on all of the people that I surround myself with, and have learned to trust slowly. Since that year, my business has only gotten better by the year.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I work solely off of client based referrals. I do not advertise, or seek business. I’m extremely grateful that it comes to me, and I do not take that for granted. I don’t judge a project by how big or small it is. My main goal is to work with really exceptional people. I look for a client that will trust me, and in turn is a pleasure to work with. I know that if I provide excellent customer service, act with integrity and honesty, that I will set my future for success. With every client that I get, comes my future with others. This is how I maintain my good reputation among my industry, peers and clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.galapogroupdesign.com
• Instagram: @galapogroupdesign
• Facebook: Galapo Group Design
• Linkedin: @galapogroupdesign
• Twitter: none

Image Credits
Dream Focus Photography