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

Alright, Megan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.

I grew up with a dad that owns a car dealership that he purchased from my Uncle. Now my brothers work with him at the dealership. They have cultivated a really healthy atmosphere with great communication and a lot of work.

When I opened my interior design business I went into it pretty blindly – maybe for the best … hahaha. After a couple years with a business partner/ friend we went our separate ways. In 2020 my husband lost his job and joined our team. Though it has had its challenges it has made family life nice. We get to go in more of the same direction with better communication. We have three kids and seem to be going in a lot of different directions, but with working together it seems to help with the craziness.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I always knew I wanted to do something with design. I ended up going to the University of Tennessee to study Architecture. I met my husband in school and we got married shortly after graduating. We felt the world was our oyster so we moved to NYC we zero dollars to start our new adventure. After living in the Big Apple for 3 years – we got pregnant with our first son and decided to move back to my hometown to figure out our next move. Nine years later we are still in Parkersburg, WV, and 8 years ago I opened NorthSouth Design. First, it was an outlet to buy us time… I never wanted my own business. Months turned into years and here we are.

I love the meeting new people or working with people that I thought I new but getting to learn more about them and how they want to live in their space. We have met the most incredible people in this small town. Have gotten to work on jobs that I never imagined we would get to and even do some home renovations of our own.

We love designing spaces for people to live their best lives. The relationships are so special to me – we have gained lifelong friendships through this

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The most effective strategy for growing clientele has been keeping my word and following through with the project. I try to always listen and be a safe place for people to share what they are going through during a renovation or a new build as they can be very stressful. The best new business I get is always through word of mouth / people passing me on to their friends/ family.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel we are constantly pivoting with the business. In the interior design field there is so many things that can go wrong so quickly . We have to find ways to pivot fast without panicking.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: studionorthsouth
• Facebook: NorthSouth Design

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Cassie Hendricks