We recently connected with Marissa Stiff and have shared our conversation below.
Marissa, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
Once I moved to Dallas, I decided to work for a company to gain more experience in retail being that I have started my own pillow line. Early on I was harassed by one of the employees. Our job title was no different. He was instructed to simply train me but it was more than training. I was insulted on a daily basis. Everything I did, from the way I talk, the way I walk, the way I dress etc. I brought this to the owner’s attention on several occasions but I was always instructed to “just look over it.” It bothered me because things that he claimed I was doing wrong, the boss was reassuring me that I was indeed doing them correctly. She claimed she was having talks with him but his behavior continued. I was scheduled to be at work at 10 a.m. I would be on time everyday that I was scheduled. Some days I was left outside in the heat with no explanation or any consideration. No call/text or anything. It got to a point that I became very uncomfortable and I didn’t feel appreciated or valued at all. This experience along has taught me to treat my employees with the same respect as I would a client/customer. I never want any employee of my own to feel the way I felt.
Marissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My interest for interior design comes from my love for fashion. I began decorating homes for friends and not too much longer I was being hired by others to decorate their homes. My work gained a lot of attention and feedback so I took a step out on faith and decided to pursue it as a career. This career alone has taught me so much patience. I never want to rush any job just to say it’s done. I want to curate spaces for my clients that leave an everlasting impression. I’m most proud of my willingness to keep going despite the obstacles I’ve faced thus far. The obstacles motivate me to keep pressing forward. I’m now enrolled in Wade College located in Dallas, TX to receive my associates degree in Interior Design. All while maintaining a 3.5 GPA.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My business partner is my husband. I was actually having issues with finding a dependable/trustworthy contractor. My husband was working full time at the time. He had no prior experience with contracting but he was very good with his hands. At the time we resided in Houston. He took a week off from his job to travel to Dallas to work alongside more experienced contractors. There were times when I would wake up at 2-3 a.m. in the morning and he would be watching videos on how to properly install wallpaper, fill holes etc. This along let me know he was very interested. It has been history since. He’s very tedious, hates mistakes and works until he’s satisfied and the client is impressed.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn being so nice. Being too nice can definitely get you ran over and taken advantage of. I’ve learned this from several experiences that have left me heart broken. I’ve had to put my foot down when it comes to business and I don’t regret it at all.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Mxlluxeinteriordesigns.com
- Instagram: Mxlluxeinteriors
- Other: Tiktok: @mxlluxeinteriors
Image Credits
Shamir Johnson Steven Dewan Thomas