We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julie Kreager . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julie below.
Hi Julie, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Receiving a regular paycheck for over 25 years was a comfortable fairly low-risk work life. But I could not deny that for at least half of those years deep down I had an entrepreneurial creative yearn. As a former Global Program Management Executive in the Tech Industry I solved client problems and juggled several projects. I was also active in my community volunteering on a couple of non-profit boards including serving as Board Chair of the Austin YMCA. What I did not realize at the time was both of these work and volunteer experiences prepared me to take the biggest risk in my life; leave Corporate America and start my own business. In 2017 the paychecks and company healthcare insurance ceased.
As they say and I can now attest, desperation breeds innovation. Fear of failure was now an option and squarely on the table. On the positive side I was good at solving problems and had a strong business & financial acumen, but also wanted to provide a service that helped people. Chris, my husband, and I bantered around a few ideas. Then I decided to take the second biggest risk in my life; go into business with my husband. It could either go two ways great or horrible. So in 2018 we formalized Designs By Jujubz LLC that initially provided moving & organizing solutions for seniors, professionals, families & small business in the Austin Metro area. A key organization that significantly accelerated our learning curve is the National Association for Seniors and Specialty Move Managers (nasmm.org). Designs By Jujubz is a Senior Move Manager®-Certified (SMM-C) company from NASMM a certification program designed exclusively for Senior Move Managers®. The SMM-C is the only credential based upon both knowledge and experience. Which means we had to have forty invoiced projects initially and complete extensive on-line training. A Company requires continued learning to maintain their certification.
Like any new business, the first couple of years was like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what stuck. E.g., experimenting with pricing models, researching the competition, refining service offerings, differentiating our brand, developing marketing materials, networking, building a website that resonated with potential clients, hiring and so much more! Additionally, lots of missteps (mini fails) helped us improve our hiring process and client screening to ensure a good fit for everyone. COVID fortunately did not significantly impact our business as the moving industry was not on the Government shutdown list.
Six years later my husband and I are still married, we have built a talented, compassionate team and launched Designs By Jujubz Interiors in 2023. Our interior design service offering was a natural evolution to our existing services portfolio including move management, decluttering, estate clean-outs, packing, unpacking, organizing, new home set-up and “lite” staging services.
One of the most rewarding parts of our business is helping families transition loved ones to their next chapter of life. Whether that is sorting through 40 years of life, coordinating estate sales, online auctions, consignments, transition assistance to a senior community, new-home set up, age-in-place accommodations and of course listening to the wonderful stories our senior clients share with us. We have also teamed up with other local senior specialists that offer adjacent senior services e.g., senior community relocation advisors, realtors, and age-in-place CAPS contractors to educate seniors. Our team of senior specialists offers free senior downsizing seminars informing seniors and care-givers local resources available as they downsize their lives.
While Designs By Jujubz LLC continues to be a work in process we are proud of what we have created and are most importantly thankful to all of our clients and team that helped shape who we are today. My entrepreneurial and creative dreams have become a reality and I thank my husband for his continued support and knowing who’s boss 😊
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Due to the type of services that we provide especially on the move management side of our business, the Designs By Jujubz team quickly develops a professional trusted advisor client relationship due to our access to client intimate contents and conversations. As such to ensure a good outcome we practice high integrity, confidentiality, and treating clients items like our own.
Our website reviews pulled from various review platforms reflect these values and is always one of the deciding factors on why a client decides to select us for their project. We also have several clients that are not on-line and/or would prefer for confidentiality purposes not to write a review. However, they are quick to refer us to a friend, family or business partner. Referrals are currently 50% of our new client base. The 3rd source is our SUV. We wrapped it in 2021 with our logo, website, social media, services offered. It’s paid for itself 10x.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Designs By Jujubz sends Holiday cards to all of our current and past clients every year. 10% of our business is repeat clients over the last 6 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: jujubz.com
- Instagram: letssimplify2gether
- Facebook: letssimplify2gether
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jkreager