We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mandie Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mandie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I never thought growing up that I would one day own my own business. While I was in design school, I decided to attend a vision board workshop and the idea of owning my own design firm kept coming up so I put it on my board. I knew nothing about running a design business and they really don’t teach you that in school. I decided to follow my intuition even though I didn’t know what I was doing and I started following a couple of design coaches on line. I listened to all their podcast, joined every free webinar, and really dove into the inner workings of a successful design business. Eventually, I even ended up hiring on of the coaches and worked with her for six months during the beginning of my venture.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My whole life I grew up moving every five years, and then my husband was in the military so we continued to move every couple of years. During that time, I always loved the challenge of decorating a new home. And when I was a kid, I was constantly moving furniture around and redesigning spaces. It was just something that I naturally gravitated towards. When I was nearing the age of 40, my kids were getting older and I knew it was time for me to figure out what I was going to do once they were out of the house. So after about a year of thinking about it, I decided to go back to school and get my master’s degree in Interior Design. I really love the challenge of renovations and new builds. How do we make this space as functional as possible for the homeowner as well as making it beautiful. Space planning is definitely my super power. I also love color! I am most proud of the improvements I am making in people’s lives. We spend about 90% of our time indoors so it’s important to be in a space that is functional, calming, and representative of who you are as a person. I want people to know that I take my job very seriously. I realize you are making an investment and that this is your home and I don’t take that lightly.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I always say Google is my hardest working employee. I get the majority of clients from Google and I managed to rank high in my area because I consistently post monthly blogs on my website and social media platforms. I let Google know I am a real person and that I am active.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Seeing my vision come to life is the most rewarding aspect for me. I can walk into a room and instantly know what it needs to function and look better. So when I get to actually make that happen it’s amazing. I love seeing the smiles on my clients faces and knowing that I have made a positive impact in their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mlrinteriordesign.com
• Instagram: @mlrdesign20
• Facebook: MLR Design
• Linkedin: MLR Design
• Youtube: MLR Design