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

Hi Janelle, thanks for joining us today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

We recently became an official sponsor to a local organization called the Mojave Desert Land Trust. MDLT uses donated funds to purchase land in the the Mojave Desert in order to preserve and/or restore the land, protect wildlife and prevent further development of the land. We strongly support the MDLT because we moved to the desert to enjoy the beautiful landscape. In the past 4 years there has been so much new luxury housing development, it feels even more important than ever to protect the land that we appreciate and are inspired by. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful place, and we are thrilled to contribute to the preservation of the environment here.

Janelle, 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?

We formed our home goods brand All Roads ten years ago! For the first 7 years or so, our work was custom. My partner Robert does custom metal work for homes and commercial spaces, and I make textile art. We work a lot with interior designers creating one off pieces. Over the past 3 years we have grown All Roads into home goods with a product line of decor and functional items. We work with artisans in the US, Mexico and India to produce our original designs.

Designing and producing products, in a time when we believe no one really needs extra stuff in their home is kind of funny. However, it is what we get excited about and inspired by. To counter this feeling, we make sure to use the best quality materials we can so that our products last a long time and age well at the same time. We consider each design with color and material choices, and really try our best to offer items that are not found similarly in the market. Robert and I have always felt like outsiders, and we are proud to offer quality home products that don’t follow the trends.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Robert and I were both living in Philadelphia over 12 years ago. He worked as a mechanic in the motorcycle shop, where I took my old Honda CB to get fixed. We met there, and I became his weekend helper. It was a few months later that we decided to hang out outside the shop and go on a proper date. We always say that all the roads we went down, led us to each other at the exact right moment..so a year later when we started making stuff to sell we already had the name for our brand – All Roads.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

We have grown slowly and organically over the years, bootstrapping the entire way. We try to keep little to no debt, as that feels like the true luxury these days. There were times when we wished we were further along than our cash flow would allow us..but I feel much more secure knowing that when times get tight, we still operate debt-free. I recently heard a quote I pinned up on my wall “move at the speed of cash” – I think that is a great rule to try to live by.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allroadsdesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/all_roads_studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllRoadsDesign

Image Credits
Kate Berry Lauren Lemon