We were lucky to catch up with Jodi Sanchez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jodi, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

As a rule, the interior design/home styling/personal styling world is one of luxury, and for good reason! Having the ability to allocate finances to beautifying your home or updating your personal look is an enormous privilege. Soon after starting in this industry I realized that while I got to spend my days at design centers surrounded by immeasurable artistry and beauty, creating the most striking mood boards for clients consisting of high end products and materials… I would switch from business mode to personal and there weren’t many people in my day to day life who would ever be able to afford to hire me.

I’m a mother of two, a wife, a PTO member, a school field trip volunteer, dedicated girlfriend in the group chat, newly minted Mahj player…I have so many incredible social circles. I’m blessed with friends and family being in and out of my house all hours of the day. I knew that for most of these people I adore, a price tag of $150-$200+/hour for design services, a thumbing of the nose at budget retailers for sourcing, very little if any trade discount pass through – many would have to pass. I hated that!

I looked into more budget interior designer options – and there are some concepts out there that were interesting! Things like fully remote design websites, in-house designers at various retailers – those sorts of things. But none of that really encompassed what I was looking for, which is why I decided to find a way to create it myself.

Now – don’t get me wrong. I’m not “cheap” and don’t wish to portray myself as such and as always, design work is a luxury and certainly an investment regardless of how big or small the project might be. But – in building my business as I have, I’ve made styling and design services more accessible and within reach for many more people, and I’m so proud of that!

I built my business model with a slightly lower hourly rate than most luxury design firms charge, unlimited pass through discounts, and not only a willingness to source from budget retailers but with a preference to mix high and low in order to get the gorgeous, luxury finished look while staying in a reasonable price point.

As an example of how this recently played out for a client – I did a full primary bedroom remodel and styling and when I sent the final invoice it calculated out to where the total trade discounts that were passed through *surpassed* what they spent on my design time. So in this case, my client benefitted from a professional designer making every decision alongside them, they have a gorgeous space they now love, and they spent about what they would have had they paid retail prices and without a designer. Win-win-win!

Jodi, 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?

I grew up in Houston as a first generation American. My entire family is South African, my parents immigrated about two years before I was born. Growing up in an immigrant family was interesting to say the least – my parents instilled an incredible work ethic in both my brother and I, and without a doubt the most important thing they taught me is that family comes above and beyond anything else. If you’ve ever seen the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” that’s a pretty accurate depiction of the closeness (and craziness!) you’d find if you were to come over for dinner.

My mom was a wedding planner before she recently retired, and every single bride and groom she’s ever worked with still to this day goes on and on at any opportunity to sing her praises. She truly loved what she did and it showed, which was a huge inspiration for me. My dad is a serial entrepreneur with the last 25+ years of his career being in developing and managing a commercial real estate portfolio, both personal and investment properties. (Which is also why I have the best electricians, carpenters, painters, etc. on speed dial!)

Upon graduating from UT Austin I moved to LA to work in entertainment public relations. I had the most incredible opportunity come up to work at one of the most prestigious celebrity PR firms in the country and I jumped at it! While there I was assigned to work a national fashion show tour for a celebrity client’s clothing line. While traveling the country with an incredible team, I got to know the ins and outs of the production element to the project and realized that while PR was a strength, production and aesthetics were where my passions lay.

Once we wrapped the tour I decided that I’m just a Texas girl at heart and moved to Dallas where I started an event production and consulting firm. During my time running that business I was lucky enough to sign some incredible national clients. I was designing event spaces and experiences and loving it, but something was missing for me. In 2018, now married with two children, my husband and I decided that even though Dallas would always hold a special place in our hearts, being near family outweighed just about everything we could think of as reasons not to move back to Houston. So, I completed my client contracts and closed up shop not quite sure what my next move would be, but knowing that it was somewhere in the design/aesthetics space.

When I moved into the world of interior design I never intended to start my own business. In fact, I was pretty dead set against it! I was far more interested in the collaborative environment a bigger firm would offer and the ability to focus on what I loved most which is the design work, being creative, and interacting with clients. I did *not* want to deal with the back end elements to running my own firm! Well, we make plans and God laughs right?? Turns out running my own design and styling firm was exactly what was meant to be – I love having the flexibility to take on any size project that interests me, make adjustments and be flexible in order to ensure my clients have the best possibly experience, and truly customize this journey for both those I work with and myself.

Another huge benefit to being able to create my own brand is that I get to incorporate additional elements to the styling world that I love, one being personal/family styling. I’ve always loved working with friends and family on a good closet edit, a capsule wardrobe creation, helping with pulling outfits together and packing for a family vacation or photo shoot, wedding weekend, business trip – those sort of things. I apply the same theory to personal styling as I do to interior design – a solid mix of investment pieces with budget friendly options is key to investing in yourself in a way that makes sense and carries longevity. And honestly, beyond all of that, when I mention to my mom-friends that not only will I make sure they feel like a million bucks on a big day, I’ll also come along to take the kids shopping for Bat-Mitzvah outfits, graduation dresses, a suit for their cousin’s wedding…you’d think I’d just handed them a winning lottery ticket with the reaction! Those little things can be so stressful OR they can be fun memory making opportunities and I love being involved to make sure it’s the latter!

I also sometimes delve into consulting on vacation planning and boutique events, once an event producer – always an event producer! In all seriousness though, being able to offer a variety of concierge services is the cherry on top of getting to work in an industry I absolutely love.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Without a doubt the best source of new clients is word of mouth from existing or past clients, and that word of mouth seems to be the strongest in the wonderful world of Facebook mom groups! It’s been unbelievable to see the power of the social media referral – I’m so grateful to have clients who are always willing to take a second and comment my name, tag my instagram, or post my website!

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I have a dear friend who also happens to be an absolute Houston boss babe, Jenny Sanchez, founder of Slā by Jenny Sanchez (the *best* cardio dance studio I’ve ever been to.) She made a totally off handed comment years ago (I bet she has no idea the impact it had!) where we were talking and I mentioned someone who I had met through business and had become a close friend. She said, “Well of course, who do you meet that doesn’t wind up being your close friend?!” I’ve thought about that comment often since she said it when I think about the relationships I’ve cultivated from being in this industry. I talk about my handyman like he’s a best friend, during Hurricane Beryl a client texted me asking if she could have us over for dinner since she had power and knew we didn’t, and I know all about the ins and outs about another client deciding to take the leap to move her kids to a new school next year. While all of this is a natural part of what goes on in my day-to-day life, it took hearing Jenny say it for me to take a step back and realize how unique that really is! I believe it’s my innate ability to connect with the people I cross paths with that has contributed to clients being loyal to me, referring me, and truly enjoying a friendship that comes from working together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.styledbyjodi.com
• Instagram: @styled.byjodi

Image Credits

Connect Media Firm