We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Lopez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

My big risk would be leaving my fantastic paying job, with benefits, 401k, and a sense of security, to start my own business and freelance. I am typically a person who chooses the most ethical path that provides the most beneficial outcome, which I did. When I graduated college in 2022, I got a job at a commercial architectural and interior design firm, I left that job because I was doing more drafting than designing, and then I got another commercial design job, where I did exactly what I wanted to do, design. Both jobs served me well and while I learned a lot, I found myself being unhappy. I was receiving great pay and benefits, but I woke up every day depressed about going to do work. I didn’t feel like it was making a difference. I would complete the work and then be shuffled to the next project without being able to communicate or create a relationship with the client, and that crushed me. I would drive my 1.5 hours home and think, “There has to be something better…” I would think, “This 8am-5pm groundhog day can’t be what I do the rest of my life.”

Eventually, I came up with the plan of taking a month off. While not the most financially responsible choice, especially since my wedding was less than 5 months away, we had a mortgage payment, and big trips planned, I knew that my sanity was on the line. So, with the support of my husband and some money I had saved away, I took my month’s break. The plan was to start building my business, brand, and to alert the presses of my corporate jump! For a month, I spent every day working on my business and applying to freelancing jobs. It was terrifying. I knew that if I couldn’t get some momentum within the month, that I would have to find another job where I would once again, be working for someone else on their time. So I kept at it like my happiness depended on it because it did!

As the months continued to pass, my business continued to take baby steps and my freelancing has been taking off! I have a steady trickle of clients and a steady flow of freelancing work. While this jump was terrifying and could have turned out badly, it was the best decision of my life. It has been 7 months since I left the corporate world and I am able to support our life, our cats, and my happiness. I am always having work flowing in, and I feel like I am in control of my life and my time. It’s a wonderful feeling to say “I am happy,” and to actually mean it!

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 am an interior designer who runs on coffee, passion, and a love for design! I started my interior design journey in 2014 when my mom let me design my room for the first time at 20 years old. The amount of joy I experienced having a space that felt ultimately like me was immeasurable and I knew from that moment, that I wanted to help others feel this sense of belonging. Ever since, I have been working on honing my skills as an interior designer and have worked to cultivate my idea of the perfect design and how that can be molded to fit my clients.

I started my design career in residential design which ultimately led me to commercial design after graduation. While both are fantastic in their own ways, my heart was drawn to the connections and joy that residential design provided, so I left my corporate commercial job and started my own design business in residential.

Jennifer Lopez Designs (JLD) was born in February of 2024 and has been a whirlwind of wonderful experiences, growth, and happiness! I started my business without any startup money and was due to get married in a few months, so needless to say, it was stressful and required my full attention to get it making money and fast! I had kept in great contact with some of my previous jobs and knew that I could help fill a void in their services, which got me my first JLD job. From there, I created an Upwork account, which got me even more jobs! I have cultivated my success by word of mouth, company connections, and constantly reaching out to firms where I think my services would be helpful. To say that I am happy with the creation of Jennifer Lopez Designs is an understatement!

When working with Jennifer Lopez Designs, you get interior design services, of course, but you also get a friend who is here to listen to your needs and help you solve design problems. My goal is to help you create a space that has all that you need while making sure we solve current and future problems and to design a space that ultimately feels like a physical representation of you.

Each client gets their own project website where all the deliverables can be viewed. All the inspiration images, space plans, mood boards, realistic renderings, and clickable shopping list are provided here for an easy streamlined process that allows each client to review with ease! Everyone deserves a space that feels like them and makes them want to live in happiness, and my passion is to help individuals discover what that means!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is care, thoughtful listening, and communication. I feel like the relationships I create with my clients are my biggest selling point. I make sure to create time to meet with them, should they want to meet, and really listen to their needs and wants. Not only do I listen, but I also watch. You can learn a lot about a person and what they are passionate about by their body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions. I make sure to pick up on those subtleties and use those in creating their project!

My goal is to make my clients feel comfortable working with me. I make sure to inform them of what I need from them and what they can expect from me so there are no surprises. The open communication throughout the entire project helps build trust and understanding of all those involved and I think that really solidifies a great working environment!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I’ve had to unlearn is that you have to have 5+ years in the industry working under someone else to create your own successful business. An important thing to remember when saying this is to understand what a “successful” business looks like. It can look like a multi-million dollar company that has 60+ employees. It can be a 4 person team in a small office in the middle of nowhere. But it can also be a one-woman company based out of a 588 SF home.

I had to unlearn that if I left my corporate job with less than 2 years of experience, I would be considered unsuccessful. I have always held myself to a high standard, which is good and bad. It’s good because I can push myself without external motivations, but bad because I can push myself too hard. I was extremely unhappy around the time I left my corporate job, so I knew I needed to do something about it. I had to find what my happiness looked like and that was creating my own business with less than 2 years of firm experience. I had to unlearn that my path was incorrect and was ultimately going to be unsuccessful.

Luckily, the high standard that I hold myself to, paid off. I was able to create my one-woman business in a 588 SF home and be successful! Today, I have my own clients, I have consistent freelancing work, and I teach a design class at California State University Long Beach! All this happened within 7 months and while the unlearning was challenging, I succeeded and will continue to succeed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jenniferlopezdesigns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferlopezdesigns