1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 Let's talk about Elizabeth Aaron Design. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,200 Tell me more. 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:05,700 Sure. 4 00:00:05,700 --> 00:00:07,860 So the first question people have usually 5 00:00:07,860 --> 00:00:10,800 is if my name is Jodi Peterman, where did Elizabeth Aaron 6 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:11,800 Designs come from? 7 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,120 Is it a franchise or something? 8 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:15,240 And I'm like, no. 9 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:16,760 I was literally trying to come up 10 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:18,280 with the name of the company. 11 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:20,700 And I had two little girls that were three at the time. 12 00:00:20,700 --> 00:00:22,120 I had just taken the company over 13 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:28,880 from my co-person that was working with me, my business 14 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:30,240 partner, I guess you would say. 15 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,240 And the girls were driving me crazy. 16 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:33,620 And I needed to come up with a name. 17 00:00:33,620 --> 00:00:35,880 And I said Hannah Elizabeth and Sydney Aaron 18 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,280 Stop because they were just being normal three-year-olds. 19 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:40,820 And I was like, huh, Elizabeth Aaron Designs. 20 00:00:40,820 --> 00:00:42,640 I think that'll work. 21 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,760 So that's how we came up with the name. 22 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:45,520 I love it. 23 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:46,800 And it's beautiful. 24 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:48,040 It has a ring to it. 25 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,240 And it's so funny. 26 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,840 I'm just going to disclose in transparency. 27 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:52,880 I was reading it. 28 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,160 And I was like, who am I meeting with? 29 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,840 And then I was like, oh, I get it. 30 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:00,240 But it's beautiful. 31 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:01,640 And it has a ring to it. 32 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,400 So that's definitely heaven sent. 33 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,080 So what does Elizabeth Aaron Designs do? 34 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:13,600 So we are a nationwide interior design company, full service. 35 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,680 So we do a lot. 36 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:20,120 A lot of what we do across the nation is multifamily projects. 37 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,760 We'll go in and take a D or C class multifamily project 38 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:26,920 and get it to an ARV. 39 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,640 We also do brand new reconstruction multifamily. 40 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,360 And we just finished up a spa. 41 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:39,240 We also do residential remodels and new construction as well. 42 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,040 You kind of have to be good in being able to pivoting 43 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:43,880 is one of my things. 44 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:45,520 So you have to be able to pivot in this game 45 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,560 because 2024 was a show, a show of all shows. 46 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,440 And a lot of the commercial, a lot of the people 47 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,720 weren't investing in those multifamily properties. 48 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:57,120 So if we had all of our eggs in that basket, 49 00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:58,520 we probably would have been cooked. 50 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,640 But we started, because we have the other facet, 51 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,840 we were able to keep everything going by doing the remodels. 52 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,360 Because a lot of people didn't want to sell their home 53 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:10,760 and move to a new space where they'd have to pay higher 54 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:11,280 interest rates. 55 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,880 They just wanted to invest their money into their home 56 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,800 and create it, make it the way they want it. 57 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:18,600 Wow. 58 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:24,400 So commercial, residential, and new homes. 59 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:25,200 Wow. 60 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:26,960 We do new construction on multifamilies. 61 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,240 In Des Moines, Iowa, I think I don't even know. 62 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,320 I lost track after 10 new construction projects 63 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:33,120 multifamily. 64 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,080 We handle everything from working with the client 65 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,240 when we're just looking at the architecture plans, 66 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,000 all the way up until they give me a $500,000 budget 67 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:45,600 to go buy pool furniture, all the furnishings, 68 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:46,640 all of that stuff. 69 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:49,480 And then we take care of the installation, the ordering, 70 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:51,640 and procurement, and all of that. 71 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:52,920 Wow. 72 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:54,600 Wow. 73 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:55,800 When did you get started? 74 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:56,720 I'm blown away. 75 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:57,880 So yeah. 76 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,160 So we lost. 77 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:01,520 I had a business partner. 78 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,160 And then in 2003, I decided to take over the company. 79 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:06,880 She wanted to go in a different direction. 80 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,240 So I just decided it was the pivotal point. 81 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,960 Do I take this over, or do I just go find a 9-to-5 job 82 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:13,000 and work for somebody? 83 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,120 And I had two little girls that I needed to take care of. 84 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,640 So I was like, I think I'm going to try and make this work. 85 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:19,640 This is what feels right. 86 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:25,760 So I just took the company over and came up with that name. 87 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:27,640 So that was in New Jersey at the time. 88 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:29,400 And then 9-11 happened. 89 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,360 And we're just going through trying to get our lives back 90 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:34,960 together after being in New Jersey during 9-11 91 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:37,320 and seeing everything that happened. 92 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,760 My brothers ended up being in the National Guard in Iowa. 93 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:40,800 And they got called up. 94 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,440 So I told my husband, I'm like, maybe we 95 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:45,880 should think about moving back there. 96 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:47,080 And it took us a little bit. 97 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,960 And in 2007, we made the decision. 98 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,760 In 2009, I think we found land. 99 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,840 And we started to build our own home in Iowa. 100 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,800 And it was a horrific process. 101 00:03:58,800 --> 00:03:59,720 And we moved there. 102 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:01,440 It was gut wrenching. 103 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,560 It made me become the worst version of myself. 104 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:11,440 It completely changed me. 105 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,080 It changed me because it changed how 106 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:15,960 I do business as my company. 107 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,760 I decided that there had to be a better way of doing this. 108 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:20,300 And when I was talking to my lawyer, 109 00:04:20,300 --> 00:04:25,600 because, yeah, it got that bad, yeah, she said, well, why? 110 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,320 Because I said, we've got to change this. 111 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:28,360 It shouldn't be this way. 112 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:29,600 There's a very simple fix. 113 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,140 And here's what I think we should do. 114 00:04:31,140 --> 00:04:34,520 And she's like, 40% of lawyer businesses in this area 115 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,000 comes from disputes with homeowners and contractors. 116 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:38,920 Nobody's going to help you. 117 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,240 And I decided that I was just going 118 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,120 to try and change it by myself. 119 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,120 What could I do? 120 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:47,800 If you look at the problems as a whole, 121 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:49,880 if you look at the problems of the entire world, 122 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:51,720 it's like a huge elephant that you can't eat. 123 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:55,800 It's like, where can you start small and local? 124 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,800 So I'm like, what can I do to help? 125 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,080 And so I came up with, OK, I backtracked 126 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:00,960 through my project. 127 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:02,600 What would have made this project better? 128 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,400 What would have made this a better experience for me? 129 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:07,640 How could I have done due diligence and found 130 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:09,560 a better contractor and things like that? 131 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,560 So I kind of value, reverse engineered, I guess, 132 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:14,760 is the best way to do it. 133 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:16,200 And then came up with this process. 134 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:17,880 And then I've been doing it. 135 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,760 But everybody's like, your process is not brain surgery. 136 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:21,800 And that's what I say. 137 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:22,720 It's not brain surgery. 138 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,920 But it is unique because not very many people are doing it. 139 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:27,680 And so they're like, you need to term it. 140 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:28,520 So I'm like, OK. 141 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,640 So I came up with the EEV process, the Insured Ease 142 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,960 Design process, playing up EE and Elizabeth Aaron Design, 143 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:36,560 just changing the thing. 144 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,320 And so then I'm like, OK, I'm doing it. 145 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:39,480 And I'm showing my clients. 146 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:40,720 They're like, yeah, you're doing it. 147 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:41,680 And you're showing your clients. 148 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:43,320 But how can you get this out there? 149 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:45,920 How can you make it an even bigger impact on it? 150 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,160 And so now I've started my podcast. 151 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,760 My whole business model has changed around it. 152 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:54,680 And yeah. 153 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:55,960 Wow. 154 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:56,680 OK. 155 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:58,240 So you have. 156 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:03,280 And rightfully so, it's been 21 years, right? 157 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:03,800 Yeah. 158 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,600 Yep, 22 and January 3rd this coming year. 159 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:08,280 Wow. 160 00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:10,880 So I mean, you've had that experience. 161 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,200 And you've had that time to be able to adjust. 162 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:15,160 And it's so funny. 163 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:16,040 We have land. 164 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,000 And we're soon to build in probably the next five years. 165 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,800 And it totally, I was like, oh, no, she's had something to say. 166 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:25,720 But there's a plan for it. 167 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,160 When you created this and you began this, 168 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,120 please tell me about your vision. 169 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:35,000 My vision was really working with the clients. 170 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:36,960 I couldn't articulate it back then, 171 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,440 because it has to evolve. 172 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,680 But right now, as I'm sitting back and looking back on it, 173 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:45,400 I just wanted to be the bridge between contractor and client. 174 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,520 I thought that there was a better way to communicate, 175 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:50,600 because the contractors do these things all day long. 176 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,320 And generally speaking, most of the contractors are male. 177 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:59,760 So they've got a certain set of God made them their brains one 178 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:00,260 way. 179 00:07:00,260 --> 00:07:01,800 And it doesn't always communicate 180 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:06,240 to women who are kind of put in charge of the house building. 181 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,960 I mean, a lot more husbands are getting involved, obviously, 182 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:09,280 with it. 183 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:10,360 They want it to function. 184 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:11,920 The women want it to look pretty. 185 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:13,480 So the function part comes first. 186 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,200 And the looking pretty comes later. 187 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,360 And the main issue is, and I know 188 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:19,800 I'm going away from the bit. 189 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,200 This will tie back to my vision. 190 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,680 But the main issue is that contractors want clients 191 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:25,960 to work off of allowances. 192 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:27,040 So you're building a home. 193 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,540 The first thing they tell you to do is go pick your appliances. 194 00:07:29,540 --> 00:07:30,460 Here's your allowance. 195 00:07:30,460 --> 00:07:32,960 Well, your allowance is $5,000, but the appliances you want 196 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:33,920 are $19,000. 197 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:34,800 All right, you're over. 198 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:36,400 There's money in the budget to go over a little bit. 199 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:37,040 You're fine. 200 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,080 Then you sign off on it, and they get those ordered. 201 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:40,480 And now you're going to look at cabinets 202 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:41,720 and work with a cabinet side. 203 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,120 You're picking things one at a time as the contractor needs 204 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,440 it, not seeing it completed as a whole. 205 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:48,920 And you're working off of allowances. 206 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,520 So as you go over and over and over to get the function part 207 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,680 done, by the time it comes to light fixtures, plumbing, 208 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:56,400 your furniture, your window treatments, 209 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:58,840 nobody thinks about putting that in the budget. 210 00:07:58,840 --> 00:07:59,360 You know what I mean? 211 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,240 You're coming to the middle of your project, 212 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:02,880 and now you're way over budget. 213 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,560 And now to cancel anything that you've ordered. 214 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:07,200 For example, one of my clients ended up 215 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,120 doing this glaze that she loved on every one of her cabinets. 216 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,500 And it was probably an extra $35,000 to do this glaze. 217 00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:16,240 Had she known she couldn't get the light fixtures 218 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,640 and the plumbing fixtures that she wanted, 219 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:20,720 she wouldn't have gone over, because she 220 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:22,760 was on a decent budget. 221 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:25,520 But it was over, and it was very frustrating for her. 222 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:29,480 So I feel like I've always seen myself 223 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:31,080 as bridging the gap of communication 224 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,480 between the client who doesn't do this every day 225 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:36,320 and the contractor does, and being an advocate for both. 226 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:38,560 Because I can explain to the contractor 227 00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:40,800 in terms that they can understand what the client's 228 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,960 feeling and going through, and I can explain to the client 229 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,920 what the contractor's doing and why they're doing it that way, 230 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:48,800 where it makes sense to the client. 231 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:50,000 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 232 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,560 And bridging that gap. 233 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:53,560 Superhero powers. 234 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:56,080 And bridging that gap makes all the sense in the world, 235 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,040 because you have the language of a contractor, 236 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,560 but you also have, not in a negative way, 237 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:07,080 but the human language to actually have 238 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:08,720 that discussion with your client, 239 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:11,760 to share with them what it means. 240 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:16,080 Because of course, at that point, money is a big deal. 241 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:20,080 Well, yeah, because 80% of all projects, new construction 242 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:24,160 or remodel, go over budget by 22%. 243 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:25,400 That's a lot of money. 244 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:26,960 On a new construction home, if you're 245 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,200 talking like a $700,000 or $800,000 or a $1 million house, 246 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:31,960 that 20% is a lot. 247 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,760 And the problem is working off of allowances. 248 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,760 So the other way, besides being the bridge of gap 249 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,080 of communication, that's a vision I have. 250 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:43,880 The other thing is to actually bring that vision to life, 251 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:46,560 to show people all the things that we're selecting 252 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:49,760 before they even dig a hole in the ground. 253 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,680 My whole thing is everything has to be designed. 254 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,760 I've dotted T's cross every product selected, 255 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:59,720 the grout color, all the things need to be done. 256 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:01,560 And we do it the way the client wants it, 257 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:03,400 knowing that we're going to be over budget, 258 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,320 because what people see on Pinterest and Instagram 259 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:07,720 is going to take them over budget. 260 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:09,920 But I tell them, let's just get it basic, 261 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,520 design the way you want it, and then we'll value engineer it. 262 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,920 Not cut it all out, but by the time 263 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:17,760 we get through the two rounds of edits, 264 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:20,640 we make documents that the client or the contractors then 265 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:21,140 get. 266 00:10:21,140 --> 00:10:24,080 The contractor takes and gets bid on actual things 267 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:24,960 that the people want. 268 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:28,400 Because what's important to you might not be important to Jim, 269 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,600 or what's important to Jim might not be important to you. 270 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,200 You might not care if you don't have the most beautiful 271 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,080 chandelier or whatever. 272 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:37,960 You really want geothermal in your house. 273 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:39,720 So you want to put more money into function. 274 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,160 So it all weighs, and there's this one pot of money, 275 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:44,840 but we can move that pot of money 276 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:46,960 and redistribute it in different ways. 277 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,160 So if we have the whole design up front, 278 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,080 and we think about all the things, 279 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:53,900 and we tell you how much it's going to cost to do that 280 00:10:53,900 --> 00:10:56,360 and break it all down with the contractor, 281 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:58,040 then the contractor and my design team 282 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,840 gets together and says, OK, the budget's 283 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,560 $400,000 for this rain model, and right now we're at $475,000. 284 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:07,680 What are some ways we see that we can value engineer this? 285 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:11,060 OK, they don't have to go ahead and get the new HVA system. 286 00:11:11,060 --> 00:11:14,200 They could do a mini split in the new addition, 287 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:15,680 and we could save money that way. 288 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:19,200 We could not tile, fully tile these beautiful two guest 289 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:20,920 bathrooms that nobody's going to use. 290 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:23,200 We'll do their primary bathroom, because that's 291 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:24,440 the one that's going to get used, but the other one, 292 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:25,760 let's just do some fiberglass. 293 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:27,360 That'll save them $30,000. 294 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:30,760 So we come up with ideas, because we're working as a team, 295 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:34,440 and then we meet with the client and say, OK, client, 296 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:35,880 here's where your budget was. 297 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:37,440 Here's where we came in at, and here's 298 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:39,560 where we think we can get you closer to your budget. 299 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:42,520 So we can't get you all the way to $400,000 with your vision, 300 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:44,600 but we can get you to $425,000. 301 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:45,440 Is that OK? 302 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:47,760 And some people are like, I just love it the way I want it. 303 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:50,120 I'm going to figure out how to get the extra $75,000. 304 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:52,640 And other people are like, no, let's cut back as far as we 305 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:55,720 can, and then maybe they'll go so far as one of my clients 306 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,640 and say, OK, our budget was $300,000, 307 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,080 and what we want is $500,000 with everything involved. 308 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:03,860 Let's break it into two phases. 309 00:12:03,860 --> 00:12:07,200 Let's do the first phase before we sell our home, 310 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,120 and then let's work on once the home sells, 311 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,760 then we can work on phase two, when we break it down together 312 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:16,280 as a team as to what makes sense with the least amount of angst 313 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,680 or inconvenience to the client to have people come back 314 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:21,040 and do stuff while you're living there, if that makes sense. 315 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:23,920 So that's kind of like my vision. 316 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,000 And our whole tagline is achieve your vision, 317 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:27,760 and that's how we achieve your vision 318 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:29,920 by being part of the team. 319 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:35,360 And it takes a person-centered individual, such as yourself, 320 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:39,600 Jodi, to be able to do that and to have that conversation, 321 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,440 because people want what they want when they want. 322 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,480 Interesting enough is I'm a full-time real estate agent, 323 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:49,920 so you're speaking the language that I hear very often. 324 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,120 But again, people want what they want, right? 325 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:57,000 And it's up to you, as it has been in my field, 326 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:01,040 is to make sure they get that in a budget that fits them. 327 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,640 So you're right, achieving their goals, 328 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:08,760 but having it make sense in the knowledge and in the money. 329 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:09,600 Exactly. 330 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:13,240 Well, that's why you can say, I'm working on this little 331 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,280 cabana right now, and we did this beautiful tile. 332 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,640 And I'm like, you can take the tile accent wall off. 333 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:22,240 It's $6,900, but you're going to want something there. 334 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:24,320 We either need an accent paint color, 335 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,760 or you need wallpaper and an artwork. 336 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:30,920 So if you take off the tile, you'll save about $2,000. 337 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:33,600 So is it worth to take the tile off because it 338 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:34,800 does such a wow factor? 339 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:36,880 Is there something else we can remove so that you 340 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:38,280 can keep that tile wall? 341 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,000 But until you have numbers and until you have a design, 342 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,280 you have no idea. 343 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,920 One of my clients, we were doing a show home one year, 344 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:47,400 and they had a 22-foot wall. 345 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:52,280 And we did this beautiful 3D textured geotile all the way 346 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,280 up and down as you're going down the stairwell. 347 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:56,160 It was beautiful. 348 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:59,960 And then another thing that we gave them, 349 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:02,680 an option we gave them was, we don't have to do the tile. 350 00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:05,120 What if we did this trim accent wall? 351 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:08,000 It would have saved them like $6,000 or $7,000. 352 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,000 And they're like, no, we really like the tile. 353 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:11,880 But they were able to make those decisions. 354 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:13,680 And so we cut back in some other places 355 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:16,440 so that they're putting their money where they want to put it 356 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,520 and what makes sense to them and what they really gravitated 357 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:20,160 towards. 358 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:21,480 Yes, yes. 359 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:23,440 Makes all the sense in the world. 360 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,120 You sound so passionate. 361 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,160 You have a passion in this. 362 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:30,840 And yes, anyone that's in business for as long 363 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,600 as you've been, there is a passion. 364 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:34,800 How did you get started? 365 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:36,600 I understand 2003. 366 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:40,120 But where did this love come from? 367 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,280 Since I was a little girl. 368 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:43,760 I know a lot of people say that. 369 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:45,600 But I was literally seven years old. 370 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,880 I remember, I don't know, some family event. 371 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,080 But all my family was gathered in the kitchen 372 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:52,760 with my grandparents and everything. 373 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,280 And I said, I'm going to go to Iowa State University. 374 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:56,400 And I'm going to graduate. 375 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:57,240 I'm going to go to design. 376 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:58,240 And I'm going to go to New York City. 377 00:14:58,240 --> 00:14:59,560 And they're like, ha ha, whatever. 378 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:01,320 I was on a farm in Iowa. 379 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:03,160 I literally lived little house in the prairie. 380 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,000 I had got up at 5.30 in the morning 381 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,640 to go get the bucket cows fed before I got on the school bus. 382 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:12,880 So I'm literally grounded that I can put on a ball gown and heels 383 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:14,640 and go. 384 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:16,920 I think that's another unique thing about me. 385 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:18,680 So it kind of got started back then. 386 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,640 My grandma, Charlotte, was a beautiful seamstress. 387 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:26,920 And she had her own company called Rich Chardon Designs. 388 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:30,720 And she made clothes for people. 389 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:32,040 She was a seamstress. 390 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:33,480 And she taught me how to sew. 391 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:35,920 And of course, I had my Barbie house 392 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:38,360 that they had, I think, an Amish person make. 393 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:39,400 And it was all wood. 394 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:40,360 And there was nothing in there. 395 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:42,080 And I was like, well, this is beautiful. 396 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:43,560 But it's boring. 397 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,160 I was constantly cutting up scraps of fabric 398 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,200 and taping them to the walls as wallpaper, 399 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:51,840 cutting different, they look like bedding 400 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:53,160 and different things like that. 401 00:15:53,160 --> 00:16:00,160 So I've always been very creative in a very family that's 402 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:04,240 a little creative, but more so like we don't leave Iowa 403 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:04,800 type of thing. 404 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:05,300 Right. 405 00:16:05,300 --> 00:16:07,920 You got to stand out. 406 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:12,000 And you actually, you did exactly what you set out to do. 407 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:12,880 I did. 408 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:14,880 I graduated from Iowa State University. 409 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:15,880 I went to New York City. 410 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:17,760 I did an internship there. 411 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:20,760 I'm like checking all the boxes. 412 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:21,520 Yes. 413 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,880 And that's determination. 414 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,800 It's an inner knowing, I guess. 415 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:28,680 Don't fight it. 416 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:31,960 Just be led where you're led. 417 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:32,480 Yeah. 418 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,020 And when you talk about your vision 419 00:16:36,020 --> 00:16:38,880 and how long you've been in this business, 420 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:44,520 I definitely want to know what was your most significant 421 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:46,200 learning experience. 422 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:47,000 Oh my gosh. 423 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:53,520 It would have to be pivoting and trusting myself. 424 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:54,640 Right. 425 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:56,840 You have to be able to pivot. 426 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:01,040 I mean, I went through a move from New Jersey 427 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,960 where women would go upstairs and hand me $80,000 428 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:04,960 to do one room. 429 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:06,920 Then they put part payment on a credit card. 430 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:08,080 And then they give me a check. 431 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:09,600 I called it the husband payment plan. 432 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:14,760 So I'm like, they're spending $100,000 on one room. 433 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,600 So I went from a situation like that to, 434 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:20,920 are we really moving to Iowa? 435 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:24,120 Because I was out of Iowa longer than I was ever in Iowa. 436 00:17:24,120 --> 00:17:26,080 And yes, it was Des Moines. 437 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:28,320 But I'm like, OK, I guess they're 438 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:30,040 building a new Walmart by my house. 439 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:31,640 So that's my backup plan. 440 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:33,240 I can always go work at Walmart. 441 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,080 How am I going to take what I know about design 442 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,240 and what I started this business in New Jersey 443 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,520 and translate it into Iowa where women are strong. 444 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:42,560 They bake their own bread. 445 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:44,080 They have their babies by the tree. 446 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:45,600 They don't need help from anybody. 447 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:47,640 That's what I knew of Iowa. 448 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,920 Far from the case, Des Moines, Iowa 449 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,760 is probably one of the most hidden best kept secrets. 450 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,120 And even though I'm in Florida and the weather's amazing, 451 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:56,200 I miss Des Moines. 452 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:57,720 I came back this fall. 453 00:17:57,720 --> 00:17:59,960 And my heart was aching for it. 454 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:02,720 It's just so beautiful with the bike trails and everything else. 455 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:04,840 Not so much now that they have snow on the ground. 456 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:06,120 Right. 457 00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:07,640 It is a very cool place. 458 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,760 So yeah, so just pivoting. 459 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:12,720 I had to pivot there. 460 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,000 I had to pivot when I got a new person. 461 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:17,880 I had to pivot when I hired my first employee because that 462 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:21,600 meant relinquishing control, which is not easy for a type 463 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,320 A person who's had to control everything. 464 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,920 I pivoted during when we got our new storefront. 465 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:29,840 We grew so fast. 466 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,640 We're all working out of my house, which was insanity. 467 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:34,440 I cannot believe it lasted as long as it did. 468 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,400 Until I trusted myself enough to pull the trigger 469 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,480 and get a storefront. 470 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:40,480 And I had that. 471 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:41,640 Then COVID happened. 472 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:42,960 I had 14 employees. 473 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:47,360 And 14 women in one space is quite a lot of hormones. 474 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:49,160 And so that was a learning experience. 475 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:50,440 Don't grow too fast. 476 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:51,960 Too many too fast. 477 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:53,160 So then we pivoted down. 478 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:56,720 And now we're at a nice, even, beautiful seven. 479 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:00,200 And we're nationwide because COVID taught me 480 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,080 that I can trust. 481 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:03,240 And we will get work done. 482 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:05,240 And we will make it work. 483 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:07,280 Just trust the process a little bit. 484 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:08,480 And trust where you're led. 485 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:11,600 And don't be fear-based. 486 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,760 Anything done out of fear is just going to hold you back. 487 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,400 Just listen to your heart, pivot, and move forward. 488 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:23,720 And thank you so much for saying that, Jodi. 489 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:24,560 It's not easy. 490 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,600 I tell everybody entrepreneurship, 491 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,280 having a business of your own isn't easy. 492 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,280 As you stated before, you acquired this business 493 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,840 from a business partner that wanted to go separate ways. 494 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:38,800 However, you decided to keep going. 495 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:42,520 And now look at where you are. 496 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,840 We know, and I'm sure it hasn't always been easy. 497 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:47,760 It could not have always been easy. 498 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:48,280 No. 499 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:48,800 No. 500 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:49,480 But you know what? 501 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:50,760 I was getting in my own way. 502 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:52,120 It was all me. 503 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:54,760 I mean, the spiritual journey that I have been on, 504 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,840 I can totally see I was getting in my own way. 505 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:02,040 And I was leading with fear instead of being like, 506 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,040 what literally it took me, like just three years ago, 507 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:07,040 I was like, OK, we moved to Florida. 508 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,440 And I felt like God wanted us to be like I 509 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:11,640 was supposed to be in Florida. 510 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:12,920 Like everything just worked out. 511 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:13,960 There was no fighting it. 512 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:14,720 It just happened. 513 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:15,920 It was beautiful. 514 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,320 And I'm like, OK, this is where we're supposed to be. 515 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,360 What's happening? 516 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:22,400 Why is there no business? 517 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:23,440 Why is this not happening? 518 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:24,480 What am I not doing? 519 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:25,760 I don't get it. 520 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:28,360 And then everything just had to slow down 521 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:31,960 so that I could focus on myself and get 522 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:36,640 myself to be a better employer, to be a better business owner, 523 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:37,960 to be a better everything. 524 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:43,120 So I have a feeling 2025 is going to be pretty amazing. 525 00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:45,600 I am super stoked. 526 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,120 As I mentioned before, I was super excited to come on 527 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:52,800 to talk to you about it because reading everything, one 528 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:55,040 of the biggest things about Vision Pros Live 529 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:59,120 and how I co-host is truly understanding the person 530 00:20:59,120 --> 00:21:00,800 behind the website. 531 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:06,000 And I tell you, you marry the two. 532 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:07,280 You marry the two. 533 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,880 And Jodi, for what it's worth, I'm super proud of you. 534 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:12,560 Oh, thank you. 535 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:13,640 You made me cry. 536 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:16,320 Oh my gosh, that's so sweet. 537 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:17,840 How far you've come. 538 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:21,000 I mean, you've made it through some situations 539 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,240 that most people didn't. 540 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:23,920 It could either make you or break you. 541 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:25,240 And it didn't break you. 542 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:26,440 It only enhanced you. 543 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,200 And in 2020, you became nationwide. 544 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,800 And now you have moved from state to state. 545 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,520 But you still have this joy and this love 546 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,560 for this passionate design. 547 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:40,000 And you're expanding. 548 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:41,360 Super proud of you. 549 00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:46,040 And I cannot wait to see where this goes. 550 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,480 I'm super excited as well. 551 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:49,200 Yes, yes. 552 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:52,160 So 2025, that's your year, Jodi. 553 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,400 I feel like it's all like how you have missing pieces 554 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:56,040 of the puzzle. 555 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:58,760 And you're like, I just want to put this puzzle together. 556 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,480 I did a spiritual retreat just like a few weeks ago. 557 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:02,680 I went to Costa Rica. 558 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,240 And I feel like I'm figuring out it's 559 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,160 being revealed, the missing pieces, 560 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,360 so that I can put the puzzle together to be whole. 561 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:13,680 Thank you for being here today. 562 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,200 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. 563 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,360 I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions as these 564 00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:21,120 episodes continue to move forward. 565 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:22,800 This is going to get more and more fun. 566 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:24,640 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 567 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,760 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 568 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,120 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 569 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:31,840 Have an excellent time building out your vision 570 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:57,600 and becoming a Vision Pro yourself.