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

Sandra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.

As an interior designer, finding key sources, top manufacturers and installation/ shipping crews, is everything! You build relationships over the years with vendors and they become intricate part of your business. Without great sources it’s impossible to create and execute your dreams and get them to become reality. I have spent many trips searching for the best of the best. I was in the Phillipines searching for the best rattan manufacturers, in Thailand looking for silk manufacturers, in Mexico searching for wood carving masters, in Guatemala looking for antique hand woven textiles, in France looking for antiques. It’s all about knowing where the best items are made. Locally in Los Angeles I work with custom upholstery manufacturers and high end custom furniture makers. I love to visit the work shops and learn how things are made, or to see how my custom design is coming along. It’s like magic when you create something in your mind, draw it on paper and then get to see it come to life. These sources are part of my success and I count on these vendors as much as I count on employees to deliver on my ideas. Over the years I have even become personal friends with some of them and have enjoyed knowing them as people too. Taking the time to know who does your work is a win, win. My first book “The Well Traveled Home” is all about traveling to seek out these incredible sources and shop for client homes.

Sandra, 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?

Sandra Espinet is an accomplished international interior designer who has traveled extensively throughout her life. She has lived in 9 countries and has experienced most of South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia. Her travels have given her the opportunity to indulge into many cultures and inspire her to create and design.

Sandra received her Associate of Arts Degree in Fine Art from the New England School of Design in Boston. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interior Design from the American College of Art in Atlanta and completed her Masters Degree in Production Design from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Her schooling and extensive travel have given Sandra a unique perspective inn her design work, which has been published in numerous international magazines, including Architectural Digest Latin America. Architectural Digest Latin America, also nominated her one of the top 10 female interior designers in Latin America because of her the beautiful, high-quality work she continually produces. She has made multiple appearances on tv shows for HGTV such as “Celebrity Holiday Homes” and has done guest appearances on multiple Martha Stewart Sirus episodes.

Her first coffee table book, “TheWellTraveledHome” is filled with beautiful photos of exotic pieces found on travels and brought to client homes. Her much acclaimed second book “Barefoot Luxury” embodies the concept of relaxed beach decadence with stunning photos of her work.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I think I took the traditional, old school way of opening my business. I worked for years at other design firms and saved up enough money to open a very small office and hire one assistant. My design firm grew very fast and within a year, I not only had to expand the office space, but also hire multiple other staff members. Within a few years of pulling all nighters, working weekends and everything in between, I was successful enough to open a second location design studio and a retail store. It all happened organically and very fast. All funding came from my earnings and I never owed anyone anything as I moved forward. I felt safe with each expansion knowing that I stood on my own two feet and did not have the stress of payments to repay.

I understand that some industries and some businesses are big, or very cash intensive at the start and require outside funding. But I also see too many people borrowing money for small businesses that will never make it and they get stuck in debt. I would recommend anyone thinking of opening a business to watch a tv show called “Shark Tank”. It gives you a very good insight of the process of borrowing money. People don’t lend you money for fun. There is a repayment and you need to know the terms.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Oh my gosh ! Yes I have been at those moments where I wasn’t sure what to do financially. My business requires clients to make payments for me to purchase their furniture. When clients does not pay on time it stops the entire purchasing ecosystem. I sometimes use credit cards to keep the ball rolling and consider those a line of credit. However I do remember a time that two big clients were on vacation and they both forgot to make their deposits before leaving. It was a tough 6 weeks of barely being able to make payroll. I sweat it out, but finally it normalized once their payments came in. But anyone who has started a small company has these stories. And we all learn from it. My instances were not a lack of work, but a learning curve of how to manage client funding and how to manage credit cards so you are not stuck paying crazy fees that are unnecessary. Most of us creative types, we have these stories to tell since we tend to focus more on design than money.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sandraespinet.com
• Instagram: Sandra_Espinet
• Facebook: Sandra Espinet
• Other: IMBD: Sandy Espinet or Sandra Espinet

Image Credits
photo of Sandra: Sarah Richardson Interior photos: Hector Velasco Fazio