We recently connected with Jodi Warren and have shared our conversation below.

Jodi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I’ve always been drawn to decorating even as a child, starting out by redesigning my bedroom using “Tiger Beat” posters (I’m GenX!) and have really never looked back. My father owned a construction company and my mom was/is a realtor so I was always surrounded by blueprints and other design/build influences.

I’m not sure why but I didn’t think to pursue design in college. Reading and writing were my strongest subjects so I ended up studying English literature; it’s served me well so no harm, no foul. My inadvertent Art History minor should have been a signal, however; after taking those classes just because I liked the subject, I ended up almost double-majoring.

I landed in Human Resources until I got married and had my first child. Since retiring from the corporate world 20 years ago, I’ve scratched my creative itch by casually helping friends with their design projects, overseeing my own renovations and managing our two vacation rental properties on Long Beach Island, NJ.

My business wasn’t born until the pandemic, strangely enough. We’d just completed a big kitchen renovation with my family’s construction company, now grown to include my 2 brothers in leadership positions. They were rebranding and wanted professional photos taken for their own portfolio. I posted them to my personal social media and received so much positive feedback–it blew me away. I ended up taking my followers on a mini “house tour” via social media which led to me creating a new account that was solely design-related. Since the world was still kind of quiet, the new Instagram account was a fun way to continue sharing design tidbits and stay connected.

I had a little moment when my first “stranger” followed the new account; I hadn’t even considered that people outside of my social circle would find my design musings the least bit interesting. Having someone with no connection to me other than Instagram actively choose to follow me was exciting and a little daunting, if I’m honest. In a strange way, I started to feel a sense of responsibility towards the account and what I chose to share.

While I’d entertained the notion of creating a business over the years, my headspace was occupied by raising my 3 very busy, very active kids. With a husband who traveled a lot for work, managing the home life was about all I could handle at that time. Now that the pandemic was mostly over, my kids a bit older and I had these new followers on an account that was meant to be “just for fun,” I decided to make it legit and launch Jodi Warren Designs in 2021.

My tagline is “big style for smaller budgets” and I think that resonates with a lot of people. Much of my work is with families in transition–some have very young kids, some are becoming empty-nesters, some are managing other life changes. The thing all of my clients have in common is the desire to use what they have first and I’m 100% onboard with that for so many reasons. I’m a firm believer that design should meet you where you are, not the other way around; creating livable spaces that won’t break the bank for real people who also have to pay for things like tuition or orthodontia is my jam! I find the challenge of working within parameters exciting-it forces creativity and I’m here for that.

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?

First and foremost, I’m a mom. Being a design enthusiast while simultaneously raising messy children forced me to find ways to make my home liveable for the small people–and their packs of friends who visited–yet also aesthetically pleasing for me and my husband. I became adept at finding budget-friendly gems at places like Target, IKEA and Home Goods and mixing them with higher-end/existing pieces. This skill has served me well as I’ve renovated my own homes, decorated my vacation rental properties for our tenants and now in servicing my clients.

Decorating your home should be fun! Whether it’s a quick-hit one day refresh or a complete room overhaul, I hope that my easygoing and flexible process allows my clients enjoyment and accomplishment at the same time. As a consultant, I provide advice and guidelines which clients can then implement on their own whenever they see fit. There’s zero pressure from me to purchase or complete a project; it’s a great fit for people who enjoy decor but need a bit of direction.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My business was born on the heels of positive feedback via social media–it’s literally what launched me. There’s a lot of noise out there regarding how to manage and develop an online presence, how to navigate “the algo” or algorithm, how much to post and when. Maybe it’s my age or relative inexperience but I choose not to pay attention to that too much. The main thing that brought me followers initially was authenticity. I was literally and quite simply taking pictures of my home and people responded. Nothing more than a funny quip here and there but mostly it was–and continues to be–my voice. I think just being yourself will draw in the right followers.

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

Instagram continues to be my #1 source of clients with word-of-mouth being a close second. In 2024, I’ll be focusing on using Pinterest in more of a marketing capacity and am also considering creating a “micro-blog” all in an effort to diversify online. My socials were compromised in 2022; that experience has led me to want to develop wider pipelines for content and client leads.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jodiwarrendesigns.com
• Instagram: @jodiwarrendesigns
• Facebook: @jodiwarrendesigns
• Other: Facebook, Jodi Warren Designs

Image Credits
Colin Burkhart Photography, Joe DiDario Photography