Trade Tales: Heather Fujikawa on Always Putting the Business First
Podcast: Trade Tales
Host: Kaitlin Petersen, Business of Home
Date: October 22, 2025
Guest: Heather Fujikawa, Interior Designer & Co-Owner of House Sprucing
Episode Overview
This episode explores designer Heather Fujikawa’s journey in building and scaling her design firm while balancing creativity and business acumen. Host Kaitlin Petersen delves into Fujikawa’s approaches to leadership, team-building, branding, and the importance of running her interior design company as a business first. The episode provides candid insights into blending entrepreneurship, family life, and the evolving definition of success in the design industry.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Early Influences and Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Heather's Design Roots: Grew up assisting her mother, a talented interior designer. Early experiences sparked her passion for design and entrepreneurship.
- Quote: “I literally got put in the front seat of her car, you know, holding accessories, pillows everywhere and I was her little worker bee that she so thankfully took me along on the ride of her design career.” – Heather [02:59]
- Entrepreneurship Began Young: Launched a lemonade stand at 7, and later a successful fashion accessories line with her twin sister post-college.
Defining Moments & Business Launch
- Pivot Points: Moving abroad (Italy) rekindled her love for design. A challenging IVF journey and focus on family led to launching Heather Fujikawa Design, which gained traction and led to the HGTV show “Design Twins.”
- Quote: “I remember holding my newborn and just having these big dreams about design and just being like, I know I could do this. And I just remember a stop sign just like, stop. Just enjoy this moment…” – Heather [04:51]
- Scaling with Family: Launching and scaling her business happened in tandem with growing her family.
Branding & Business Evolution
- Name Changes and Team Focus: Moved from “Heather Fujikawa Design” to “Habitat Studio” and eventually to “House Sprucing.”
- Quote: “It started Heather Fujikawa Design, and then I was like, whoa, this is bigger than one person... I didn’t want … people that were working for us to feel... like they were working for a person versus an organization that they’re helping build…” – Heather [06:52, 17:30]
- Strategic Acquisition: Acquired another Dallas firm, House Sprucing, for its systems, processes, and brand clarity, which accelerated business growth.
Building and Empowering the Team
- Early & Strategic Hiring: Hired a content creator and designers immediately, focusing on top talent and trusting team members with real responsibility.
- Quote: “You have to empower your team and trust them. They then get to go be the creative. They then get to go have more creative control, be themselves, use their talents...” – Heather [00:02, 13:38]
- Team Size Today: 9–10 core team members, with up to 15 including contractors and freelancers [11:35].
- Culture: Values connection, warmth, grace, and supporting each team member’s growth and career within the company.
Operations, Scaling, and Profitability
- Project Volume: Runs 60–120 client projects simultaneously, across 25+ states and Canada [12:13].
- Accepting All Projects: Unlike many firms, they continue to serve both small and large projects—and find profits in both by systematizing onboarding and leveraging a diverse team.
- Quote: “Sometimes your heart... turns into your power. And so it’s actually turned into a power for us where we know how to run small to big projects and how to be profitable.” – Heather [13:39]
- Profit Engines: Revenue through hourly billing, product markups, and their furniture showroom [34:01].
- Showroom Impact: Opened a 10,000 sq. ft. showroom in August 2022 as a “strategic risk” to support scaling; provides a tangible experience for clients [34:56].
Client Experience & Matching Designers
- Client Matching: Assigns designers based on a deep understanding of client needs and personalities.
- Quote: “We select the designer based off of so many factors... we're just trying to get a really great fit for that client.” – Heather [26:49]
- Design Process: Streamlined onboarding, strong communication, clear agreements; presents curated options tailored to the client’s decision-making style [26:49].
- Business First Philosophy: Branding, billing, and agreements are handled with professionalism—setting client expectations up front.
- Quote: “When I tell clients that they love that because... they don't know are they going to get a bill at the end, the beginning, the middle, what's it going to be?” – Heather [22:55, 29:36]
Leadership, Delegation, and Growth
- Leadership Team: Heather focuses on creative direction and culture; her husband Tyson leads day-to-day business operations and project management.
- Quote: “Tyson is the CEO... all the day to day. He is the secret sauce. With the talented team, they make everything happen.” – Heather [22:55]
- Letting Go for Growth: Emphasizes trusting others with authority—letting team members and Tyson handle operations enabled exponential growth and better client service.
- Quote: “We want creative control... But what if someone can do it better than you? … When relinquishing... it is so much better.” – Heather [42:11-42:42]
- Balancing Roles: As co-owner, Heather manages creative leadership, marketing, collaborations, and home life; Tyson ensures project delivery and business structure.
Navigating Burnout and Rediscovering Passion
- Coping with Burnout: Creativity in business and brand collaborations (notably with Jaipur Living for rugs) provided renewal during exhaustion.
- Quote: “I was in a business burnout of sorts... I remember thinking that the J Por Living collection was the light for me…” – Heather [38:16]
Success Redefined
- Internal Success: Empowering the (mostly female) team to achieve dreams, provide financial security, and maintain work/life balance.
- Quote: “Success looks like... empowering women to provide for their lives, for their goals, their dreams, their families…” – Heather [43:51]
- External Success: Creating spaces where clients can thrive, finding joy and wellness at home.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Team Empowerment:
“You have to empower your team and trust them... They then get to go have more creative control, be themselves, use their talents, grow and have a career in your company. Don't be scared to give that to them.”
– Heather Fujikawa [00:02] -
On Changing the Business Name:
“The problem with branding with your name is they're always going to want you. And that scared me... I also didn't want to have a situation where people that were working for us felt like they were working for a person versus an organization.”
– Heather Fujikawa [17:30] -
On Accepting Small Projects:
“We love helping people. We. No matter your budget, you deserve some help... Everyone deserves a home they're proud of and that they can find tools and resources to help them fill their home.”
– Heather Fujikawa [13:21] -
On Letting Go and Growth:
“I know it's so hard to think that someone could do it better than you, but what if they had that as their full focus, and they were there in person doing that?... It is so much better.”
– Heather Fujikawa [42:20, 42:42] -
On Redefining Success:
“Internally, that is what success looks like to me... empowering women... to be able to make those things happen or have balance.... Externally, for our company, success is definitely having clients walk into a room and feel like it's a space that their life can thrive in...”
– Heather Fujikawa [43:51]
Important Timestamps
- [02:59] Heather reflects on being raised in the design world by her mother
- [04:51] Shifting focus to family, pausing career dreams, and eventual business launch
- [06:52, 17:30] On the evolution of the firm’s name and scaling a team
- [11:35] Current size and structure of the House Sprucing team
- [12:13] Managing a high client volume and project diversity
- [13:21] On why the firm continues to accept smaller jobs and how that’s a business strength
- [22:55] “We’re a business first and we love design”—philosophy and impact on clients/team
- [26:49] Designer/client matching and creating a thoughtful client journey
- [29:36-31:48] Professionalism in billing, agreements, and client communication
- [34:56] Opening and scaling the showroom—a pivotal moment
- [38:16] Sharing about burnout and the healing nature of creative partnerships
- [42:11-42:42] Trust, delegation, and the impact of letting go of day-to-day control
- [43:51] What success means for Heather and the company
Tone & Language
Warm, candid, and empowering—Heather is open about her vulnerabilities, driven by family values, a desire to serve, and an intuitive but well-structured approach to business. She’s chatty, encouraging, and passionate about empowering her team and clients alike.
For Listeners
This episode offers actionable advice and inspiration for anyone balancing creativity and entrepreneurship—whether you’re scaling a business, negotiating work/life balance, or redefining what success means for you and your team. Heather Fujikawa’s journey illustrates the power of trust, adaptability, and building a business with heart.