We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Rice-maldonado a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Sometimes I wish I started sooner – but I think my journey took me exactly the way I was supposed to go. I started decorating as a side gig in 2019. It started as kind of an accident. A family friend was admiring my home and out of the blue, I asked if he would be open to hiring me (even though I had no experience). To my surprise, he said yes. From the first client, everything happened pretty quickly. The first one led to a referral which led to another referral and so on. It became clear that this was something I could and wanted to do full time. At that time, my son was only three years old. Sometimes, he had to come along with me to client meetings, shopping trips and installations. He was always such a good sport especially considering he was a toddler at the time. Managing a growing business and parenting provided several challenges. Luckily, I had a strong support system around me with my husband and my family.

I had so many fears and doubts about starting a business and taking on larger projects. Even with all of that, I decided it was worth the risk to keep pushing forward. There are moments when I wish I started sooner. However, I truly am grateful for my journey. Several learning experiences from my past jobs have helped me in the design world and as an entrepreneur.

Sarah, 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?

I am the owner and principal designer at Sarah Rice Design LLC. We are a full service residential interior design firm. We manage everything about the design process from creation to installation. In our three years, we’ve created designs for homes all over central Texas, from Dripping Springs to Georgetown. Our portfolio showcases an array of styles and in-house capabilities. Our team has experience with projects like built in partition walls, wallpaper, and board and batten as well as accent decor placement and floral arrangements.

Our design philosophy is simple – curate a design that is not only sophisticated and intentional, but functional for our clients’ everyday lives. I am especially proud of how hands on we are as a design team. We are on site with our contractors and tradespeople, working side by side, to ensure everything is done right. Whether it’s a custom build, remodel, or a simple room redesign, we deliver each time.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Transparency has been important to building our reputation. Our process is clear and upfront as is our fee schedule. We don’t hide any of that from clients. Additionally, we are honest about where within the design we believe it’s best to invest a client’s money. Depending on the size of the project, the design process can be several weeks to several months long. Building trust with your client is key to ensuring success. And those successful interactions are the foundation of our reputation.

Any advice for managing a team?

I strongly believe in the power of laughter. I think it’s important to have comedic breaks in the day. I find that we are all more productive when we stop and laugh for a moment. Installation days are long and physically draining so taking breaks is crucial to keeping everyone’s morale high.

I also believe in the importance of hearing everyone’s insights and opinions, whether it’s a design issue or an on site issue. You never know who will come to the table with a fantastic idea or who can come up with a solution that you hadn’t thought of. Giving your team members a platform to express their opinions helps them feel invested in you and the company.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarahricedesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahricedesign
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahricedesign

Image Credits

Photos by Artist Couple, LLC