Latest / Really Renée / Ep.1 - Who the Hell Is Renée?
Transcript
- Sam Struck: Okay, it's here. It's time to do it. I've been telling myself this like all morning, time to shitter get off the pot. And so we're doing it. Today is the day I'm officially recording the first few episodes of Really Renee, the podcast, where we talk about all the real things behind the interior design industry. So my name is Samantha Strach, I'm the owner of Studio Renee. And I'm so excited to get to share kind of my musings and what's been going on in my mind the last couple years. This has been literally two years in the making, and I cannot wait to show you what we've got in store. We're dreamers. Don't care what other people say. We're dreamers. All right, so episode one. I can't believe we're here. ⁓ I wouldn't consider myself like a public speaker or anyone that would enjoy kind of putting myself out there. So you're gonna be along the ride of some of the discomfort, vulnerability, truth behind who I am and what I've got to say. So if you're tuning in, I'm super flattered. Thank you so much. ⁓ this has been honestly just on my heart for the past couple years because I think that there is a ton of industry perspective, knowledge, information that just isn't getting shared. So ⁓ for those of you that don't know me, my name is Samantha Struck. I own Studio Renee in Hood River, Oregon. It's a seven-figure interior design studio that's currently operating with just me and one other employee right now. and I really just wanted to create a space for designers to talk about the challenges in the industry, to talk about how we can elevate the experience in general, both for our teams, for the company culture, and then also just for projects. So If this is of interest to I can't wait to hear everyone's perspectives, what their thoughts are. We really wanna bring some controversial topics to the table and talk about all the things that people are might be a little bit uncomfy talking about. So it's been fun to just kind of like dream, think about all those things, but I'm gonna be super transparent up front. I do not consider myself comfortable in any sphere. of communication in this way. So I have notes in front of me. You're gonna see me look down at those. And you're also gonna see me just like fly off the cuff depending on what we're talking about. So I think that's part of the honesty and rawness that is beautiful in this kind of industry and sector. And I look forward to just like bringing more of that out and just creating a space where everyone feels welcome to just be themselves. So Just wanted to put that out there. ⁓ for this episode in particular, I kind of wanted to give a little bit of a brief of the history of Studio Renee, how we got here, who the hell we are and why it matters and why it should matter to you. ⁓ I feel very, very fortunate and grateful to have been able to grow our business to where we are. But if you look at us on social media, you look at us on line, our presence is super small. We do not have like a big following. We're not like featured in all of the like main magazines or things like that. ⁓ so it's it's kind of like what is what is this chick doing? And what would she have to say? So ⁓ this episode is really just to like get you familiar with who I am, what we do, that kind of thing. And then from here the hope is that each episode gives you a little bit more information around business strategies, marketing. ⁓ nuts and bolts about business, ⁓ client management, things like that. We're gonna have some really great guest speakers on that I am just like thrilled to be able to hold space for conversations that people are not having. So ⁓ teaser, one of the big conversations coming up will be about AI in our industry, and then also just pricing, ⁓ pulling back the curtain on pricing and profitability. So some of those conversations I think are gonna be really interesting and fun. And I'm hopeful that it will start inspiring conversations in the industry. So ⁓ all that to say, me, my background, my bio, how I got into interior design. I went to college for interior design. I have a Bachelor of Science from Oregon State University. in interior design, I also have a business minor in a merchandising marketing. Merchandising marketing? Yeah. Merchandising. Merchandising management. Wow, it's been a long time. So ⁓ it's one of those. Business and then merchandising management. There we go. ⁓ so the background is really heavily on business skills and things like that. I personally got into interior design before my call college journey. ⁓ because I grew up with a stepdad who is a TIG welder and he would bring home plans and he has draftsman handwriting. And I just really fell in love with drafting in particular. I took drafting in high school. I was fortunate to be in a high school that had a drafting trade program. So did four years of drafting and then ⁓ kind of wanted to further that and decided to ultimately go to college for interior design. ⁓ I love design. It's been one of those things that I would say for the first 10 years of my career have been like, ⁓ I'm an interior designer. I love it. But as time has gone on, I think that interior design is the vehicle that's helped me get to where I am. And I love design and I'm good at it. But I also ⁓ consider myself more of like an entrepreneur, business owners, I love the business aspect of ⁓ our studio. So all that to say ⁓ went to college. And then I, as I've been kind of deconstructing and processing the last couple of years of my life, which that's going to be a whole nother conversation. one of the things that came out in that journey is that I did grow up in a house with domestic violence, and I was constantly redefining my space, my bedroom. I love to play with things, I love to move things, I love to paint, I love to change the color scheme. And I think that. Honestly, a lot of that came from that being my environment that I could control and feel safe in. And so I started playing with spaces on an unconscious level because of that history. And then it's just been one of those things that has kept me rooted in trying to like create spaces that feel safe, create spaces that feel welcoming and peaceful and always just provide respite for the homeowners. So ⁓ I think that that's just like a side of how I just fell in love with spaces in general and couldn't really name that until, you know, a couple years ago in terms of processing and whatnot. So post-college, I lived overseas. I lived in Singapore for a year and a half and did interior design there. ⁓ I worked for a company and it was just like a wild journey. We had to, you know, switch from imperial to metric system, and we were heavily invested or involved in Feng Shui. And so working with Shifu's and understanding birth charts and maps was like a whole new world, but really fun and interesting. ⁓ and then from there came back to the Portland area and just started freelancing as an interior designer for other interior designers. So I was mostly doing drafting and detailed CAD work for another designer in Portland. Before moving to Hood River and then eventually moving here about I want to say it's like eleven e eleven years ago, and just so happened to be situated in a market with a high level of affluence, but underserved in terms of design resources and whatnot. So navigating how to leverage that and whatnot was different ⁓ and challenging, but Also, I recognize being situated in a market where there is an abundance of funds, but there isn't design resources made it easy for us to kind of capitalize and cash in on that. And we'll talk about the ways that I was able to leverage that in later episodes when we talk about marketing and strategy and things like that. But for today's purpose, really understanding that I'm situated in a town of 10,000 people in the summer that fluctuates significantly, doubles. ⁓ And 99% of our work is done here in this cute little town. So for context, I think it's helpful to understand that you can have a successful interior design business that, you know, reaches that seven-figure mark in a small town, in a small group of people, if you understand the dynamics at play and how to leverage those accordingly. So ⁓ yeah. So and then in terms of like nuts and bolts, pre-COVID, I did interior design. just by myself. And I was making kind of right at that six figure mark, just as a solo designer working out of my house. so it was me. I think we I would like had just hit kind of the $120,000 a year mark, obviously before taxes. ⁓ and that felt like a big deal. That was like, ⁓ my gosh, I've I've like done it. I've hit six six figures. I have steady income. You know, I remember like growing in this small town from like making $3,000 a month and being like, ⁓ my gosh, that's amazing. And then getting to that kind of $10,000 a month mark and being like, whoa, this is incredible. ⁓ and then kind of wondering what's next. So then COVID hit and there was a significant amount of money that moved into our area and several ⁓ people were selling out of the Bay Area and moving money into the gorge because it's always listed in the top ten places to retire. And ⁓ in that season we grew over three years from $120,000 just myself to a team of five and hitting one to one point two million in the within that three year period. And then the following year we did one point seven. So It's been like a qu like wild, crazy journey of just like growth and understanding business. ⁓ I did not work in a design studio prior to this point, other than the one in Singapore, which I consider kind of an anomaly because there are so many differences in terms of culture, design, the way businesses operate over there. So I didn't really have any American experience in terms of standard business culture and business ideologies and operations of an interior design studio. So to go from just like it being me out of my house to renting an office and then hiring was a very stressful and crazy journey. And in the middle of that I had my second son. So ⁓ I can honestly say that I've like experienced every high and low as a business owner. After we hit that kind of $1.7, $1.7 million ceiling in the business, ⁓ the market stalled. We hit the election cycle, and super normal for the markets to stall anytime there's an election cycle, because there's usually angst around, you know, tariffs or interest rates, things like that. ⁓ this one in particular definitely shifted the climate in our area significantly. So We went from, you know, being super profitable and having enough work for five people to me needing to do layoffs and scale back the team and then really just to start to get clear about what it would take to pivot and rebrand. So ⁓ so all that to say, I have ridden every wave. I've been through really big highs and I've been through really big lows. And I can say this year we're on track again to break hick that. seven figure mark and then ⁓ we're doing it with just me and one other person. So taking a year to just like pause, reevaluate, ⁓ really look at what we were doing when we were in that million dollar mark and how we were doing it. And then as we rebuild how to become even more efficient and optimize that and do it with less ⁓ manpower has been part of the strategy. So it's ⁓ fun. I won't say I have all the answers. I certainly don't think I know everything about business or design. But I also do think that I am somebody that operates fairly transparently. I love to share knowledge with people. I love to you know, educate. I love to just, I don't know, just like share my story. I feel like it's important that we all feel comfortable doing that. So ⁓ this industry in particular is known for very secretive business practices. I am somebody that has put myself in spaces. I've paid for Anastasia Casey's and Lind Lindsay's ⁓ design camp, which was phenomenal and great and super helpful. ⁓ and then I've also been in other courses and classes throughout the years to just again try to get more information around business knowledge, strategies, things like that. And I still think that there's like a truth gap somewhere in there, despite how good all of those things are. I think it's very hard to find designers and people willing to say, like, yes, I hit this mark. And then we went down a step and then we rebuilt. And here's what we did, and here's what worked, and here's what didn't work. ⁓ it's very hard for transparency in this industry because we are an industry that is focused on perfection, performance, and obviously supreme competition. So ⁓ if you are somebody that is like in that middle zone in their interior design business where you've maybe made six figures. Not quite sure how to get to seven, or if you want to get to seven. I'm just here to talk about like what I've done, my experience, bring some guests to talk about their experiences that are willing to talk about it, and just share what that journey could look like if you are. So ⁓ my hope in all of this, honestly, is just to like start conversations within within the in industry that I would have hoped would have been there. When I was in a season of like really rapid growth and unsure how to navigate it. I certainly am not perfect. I've made mistakes. ⁓ and I'm human, but I think being able to own that and like share that information is so cool and fucking awesome. So that's what I'm just wanting to do. So some of you that have been with me on this journey knew us as structured interiors. ⁓ that was actually the business name. Whoops. ⁓ that was the business name for literally 10 years. I just rebranded this year to Studio Renee. And there's a few reasons why we did that, but I really wrestled with structured for many reasons. Number one, it conveyed a sense of rigidity that I don't think that we actually are as a team. ⁓ number two, it had my ex-husband's last name on it. And although that is my kid's last name and is still my last name right now, ⁓ in a small town, the nuances around like people walking in your studio and being like, ⁓ are you related to this family? And that being like the entry conversation of like, ⁓ that's my ex's family, just did not sit well. So I just needed some space from that. And I really wanted to, as we talked about and thought about the idea of where structured or my interior design studio was going to go in the future and how we were going to leverage that success to be able to bring conversations to the table. It just didn't feel like it was the right name to carry forward. ⁓ I am somebody that if you know me closely, you know I don't love like putting my personal name or face on a brand. I I tend to be somebody that likes to fall behind a team Or like the business name. And so it's really taken like a couple years of just like identity work to get to the point of like, no, I have this really cool information. I would love to share this with people. ⁓ but I just don't know how to do it and I'm not sure I'm comfortable. So ⁓ when I was thinking about renaming the business, I really had to sit with it for a while and I like went through this I many ideas around the concepts of what it means to be reborn or rebirth. I don't know, like self acceptance, Phoenix Rising type stuff. And nothing just felt like it fit. and then I kind of was just thinking about names and different plays on word play on words, and the name Renee just kind of like came up. I it was literally just one night I was thinking about my mom, and I was thinking about how my mom only uses my middle name when I'm in trouble. So I just could hear her say, like, Renee. And then whatever I got in trouble for. And I was like, that is such an interesting name because it's, you know, historically for me meant I'm in trouble. And then I, you know, Googled, what is the meaning of Renee? And it's French for reborn. So it just like clicked in that moment. Okay, we want to be an industry disruptor. We want to be. A little bit rebellious in terms of conversation and what we're willing to say and dive into. And that's just who I am as a person. So ⁓ as we go on this journey and you get to know me, you will find I literally just had an email this morning with a client where I was just like, you don't get to talk to us this way. And no, ⁓ the customer is not always right. And honestly, like I'd rather get fired than not speak up about this. And so I am somebody that's like fairly direct and willing to be a little bit. ⁓ I won't say I'm professional because ⁓ my definition of professional is being able to speak my truth to my clients openly. ⁓ I will say ⁓ our my nature is slightly rebellious in the industry. And so ⁓ Renee felt like a good fit. We also dropped interiors ⁓ just as a side because We do full architectural planning and permit sets in our office. So we just wanted to be named a studio to encompass the breadth of services we offer. And then ⁓ I wanted to be able to use a name that I could carry forward on the podcast and like the other ventures we're thinking about. So it's really just Renee. I'm Renee. I'm Samantha Renee. If I'm in trouble, you can I you guys can all call me Renee. And that's where the name came about. So it's it's been fun to kind of reclaim that and stand on that. And my hope is that as you guys get to know me, as people get to know me, they can see that like little spark of sassiness that's in there. ⁓ and that the name fits. So there's that. ⁓ okay. Lastly on our journey for today, I want to talk about what this Podcast is and what it is not. So this podcast is not going to exist as like a space for platitudes that you're gonna just hear the fluffy bullshit in the industry that's like everybody's doing a great job or tariffs are hard and meh, I don't know. And I I think that the goal is for this podcast to have substance. I want you to leave every episode. With something that you can do, think, interpret, apply to your business so that you can hopefully navigate where you want your business to be. Not everyone wants a seven-figure interior design business. You may listen along and be like, nope, that's not for me. And that's totally fine. ⁓ but my hope is that there's enough substance, meat, realness in the conversations. That you could stop and think, hmm, huh, okay, that's cool. ⁓ because you know, like my for me, my goal isn't to be on Arc Digest or ⁓ be featured or have like a million followers. Those things are all super great. And if you want those things, we'll certainly talk about the strategies to do that, marketing, ⁓ things like that. But if that's not the goal, if the goal is like To run a seven-figure interior design business where you still have weekends off and you get to enjoy time with your kids and you get to prioritize clients that like respect you and can't you can hold boundaries with them, then this is your jam. So I I think that, you know, if nothing else, the goal is to just have conversations, be open about what's going on in the industry, talk about the hard things. ⁓ we'll definitely be talking about our contracts, ⁓ our pricing strategies. So if you're a client watching, you know, hopefully that that's all stuff that you're chill with me talking about. I'm not gonna name any names. ⁓ but we're gonna talk about how we deal with clients, how we, you know, how we get through the hard days. Yesterday was like such a shitty day of just literally one sub, one contractor, one client after the other just being pissy. And so we're gonna talk about how we cope with that. What do we do? At what point do we fire a client? How do we have those conversations? So ⁓ it like I said, if you're a client watching, like welcome. I think you guys probably know all of this about me actually because I am fairly transparent even with our clients but ⁓ even more so so we'll be talking about profitability procurement things like that that those numbers aren't explicitly listed inside the business to a client so yeah you guys will all hear it so ⁓ if you've got any comments questions I think I would love and it would be helpful to hear ⁓ where your struggles are like Send me a DM, write a comment, tell me where your struggles are in your business. What's got you stuck? And I would love to address those things with you guys and be able to work those into the strategies and plan for the podcast. So like feel free to send me a note. I will be looking at them and I want to hear from you guys. And I can't wait to talk about things a little bit more in depth. This particular episode is gonna be shorter, obviously, because it's kind of an intro. I just want to keep it light. But ⁓ when we start getting into strategies, nuts and bolts, things like that, expect them to just be a little bit longer. So, all right. Well, thanks so much for tuning in. We're dreamers. Don't care what other people say. We live it like this could be a fun day. We're dreamers.