We recently connected with Sheila O’Rourke and have shared our conversation below.
Sheila, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?
I am sure there are others in my industry that share this feeling, but I hear a lot of advice about growing my business, and by that what I hear is hiring more staff. The end goal in interior design seems to be to have a “firm”, a group of employees led by an owner/interior designer. I have my own company and do not have any full-time employees. I have an accountant and I have a great team of subs including assistants for install days, but I essentially do the design, ordering and communication by myself. This means I have very low overhead. I am busy, but not too busy. I make a good living, but not the top that is possible to make in my industry. I have time to do as much I want: for my kids; for myself (I go to yoga everyday); taking days off & trips whenever I want at a moment’s notice. Essentially, working for yourself with no staff means a high level of flexibility. Additionally, there is no one to manage but myself. If I was to hire an assistant, not only would my days be less flexible as I would need to make sure they have what they need to do what I need them to do to justify their pay, but also, I would need to manage them, which means I would be a manager, which I don’t really want do. I would also need a space & equipment for each employee. The increase in over-head is significant.
What I want to do is stay deeply involved in the process of design. This includes intimate, first-hand knowledge of my client’s hopes & dreams for their home, the creation of technical specifications for renovations, design boards, and material samplings. I love all the tasks in the process of design and especially love having a job with so much variety – a palette of brain activity. The only part of running my business I wouldn’t mind letting go of is the bookwork & fulfillment (proposals, invoices, Quickbooks & ordering).
There is a story about a man who lives in a beautiful tropical land and makes his living taking visitors out for a day on the water. An entrepreneur is visiting and, seeing the value of the man’s service, says “You could really build this business! Buy more boats! Hire more captains! It could be an incredibly successful business!” And the man says “Why would I want to do that?” and the entrepreneur says “So you can retire and live in a beautiful tropical place and spend your day taking lovely trips on the water!”
I am approaching growth in my company conservatively and cautiously. I need to ascertain the kind of growth that would allow the flexibility and quality of life I have now AND the parts of the job I love still in my hands. I do have a goal of increasing my revenue over the next few years, and I can see some areas, especially with the office work, where I could offload some tasks and free up some of my time. However, I need to stay true to my values. The idea to “grow your firm” may be too loosely thrown about without enough talk of the cost of growing (money, flexibility, energy). I believe the answer, especially to maintain a high quality of life, is to grow slower and smaller than is typically suggested.
Sheila, 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 spent my childhood drawing house plans. One of my favorite presents as a child was a drafting table I received at age 10. I went to college for architecture but, when I got there, became intimidated by the ambiguity of a creative endeavor (how do you get an A?!). I switched to engineering, where there was no ambiguity! I graduated from undergrad in the 1990s when the software industry was taking off, moved to San Francisco, and started a career in software development.
I weaved my way back towards designing for the human experience as I specialized in the information architecture of children’s computer games and websites. I was the Design Director of a large educational website for a decade. I excelled in the creative science of designing cyberspaces but missed the tactile and personal experience of designing physical spaces. In short, I craved using all of my senses in my work – touch, talk, smell, sight, and sound. Finally, I could not ignore my original calling any longer. I went back to graduate school and earned a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts in Interior Architecture. My sub-concentration was historic preservation. My thesis was on the power of physical space to affect our well-being, based on the belief that the spaces we occupy have profound effects on our physical, mental and spiritual health. After a stint (4 seasons) as a designer for HGTV’s Love It or List It, I started my own firm based in downtown Durham, NC.
My current work is a culmination of three decades of life experience. My superpowers are empathy, spatial geometry, and visual sensitivity, mixed with a strong dose of killer project management skills. Yoga is my church & I have done multiple yoga teacher trainings. I have lived in San Francisco, New York City, Paris, Vietnam, and Durham. I have traveled extensively. I am energized and inspired by the puzzle of discovering my client’s bliss, and then creating a home that manifests that state. I am a catalyst, I am an empath, I am a lover of textures, colors, and story. And I love love love what I do.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
My reputation has been built almost exclusively by satisfied clients. When I meet a client for the first time, I approach them like a puzzle. I gather all the information I can to then ascertain how to serve them in the way they most desire. This includes prioritizing good communication, good listening, clear documentation and transparency. It also means designing for THEM. I am often asked by client’s what my style is. My deeply honest answer is that is irrelevant. I tell them my job is to figure out their style, to help manifest what they always wanted for their home. Client feedback has reported I have a reputation for listening, being patient, and helping complete projects that have been looming but unattainable for years. My client’s tend to like me and I think it is because they feel seen & heard.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of having a creative career is not having to try very hard to be successful. Creativity comes naturally to me. In fact, without a creative career, I still had a lot of creative energy but without a place to direct it. Now, the ideas come and they have a place to go. All I need to do is sit at my computer, or stand at my fabric wall, or go to a designers market, and productivity happens. If my life was a river, being creative is swimming with the current. As such, for a highly creative person, a creative career is an efficient, easeful, lucrative, empowering way to live. And that is really a deeply satisfying way to live.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.littlemangumstudio.com
- Instagram: @littlemangumstudio
- Facebook: @littlemangumstudio
Image Credits
Catherine Nguyen Photography