How Hema Persad built ‘the smallest, most efficient’ team

Summary

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Trade Tales: How Hema Persad Built “the Smallest, Most Efficient” Team

Podcast: Business of Home — Trade Tales
Host: Kaitlin Petersen
Guest: Hema Persad, founder of Sagrada Studio
Release Date: May 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this inspiring and candid episode, Business of Home editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen sits down with Hema Persad, principal of Sagrada Studio, to explore Hema’s unconventional path from law to fashion styling to leading a boutique interior design firm. Hema shares her philosophy of efficiency, creative leadership, building a nimble team, and working with high-profile (including celebrity) clients. The conversation covers business model pivots, maximizing creative fulfillment, strategic use of PR, lessons learned from the worlds of law and styling, and how AI and technology are integrated into her design practice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Discovering Her Path: From Law to Styling to Interiors

• Hema’s early exposure to environments and aesthetics (“It very much mattered to me how everything looked,” [02:27]) and the entrepreneurial influence of her immigrant family.
• A disillusioning stint as a lawyer during the mortgage crisis left her feeling unfulfilled:

  “I then spent the next five years basically, like, my entire law career, just representing big banks, muddling through the mortgage crisis. It was miserable.” [03:39]

• Transitioned into fashion styling after moving to LA, working with celebrities including Kate Hudson and the Kardashians.
• The accidental beginning of her interior design business:

  “One client came back, and she was like, hey, I got a new apartment. I just trust you, and I like your house, so can you just decorate mine?” [04:48]

Translating Stylist Skills to Interiors

• Celebrity clients in styling often want things fast, shaping her pace for interior projects.
• The leap into interior design leveraged her stylist’s sense of efficiency, goal-orientation, and aesthetics.
• She self-educated by “going back to school” on design industry podcasts and entrepreneurship books because “there’s so much out there that you could sort of listen to or access in order to figure out how to build your business.” [07:28]

Unlocking Profitability & Business Model Pivots

• Early reliance on peer learning and entrepreneurship literature.
• Getting PR early—even before paying herself well—was transformative for growth:

  “What I did know from being a stylist, too, was the power of PR and photos... Everything is based around PR and photos when you’re a stylist.” [09:22]

• Honest takes on the illusion of instant business from press:

  “People think that you get, like, published, and then all of a sudden, your phone is ringing off the hook, and that's not true at all.” [11:08]

• Importance of balancing projects for both cash flow (quick-turn projects) and portfolio/marketing needs (large, slower new builds):

  “You have to have the right mix of projects you can show quickly and projects that you can collect money on quickly versus those big behemoth projects that are great and lucrative... but things move slower.” [13:21]

Team Structure: The Smallest, Most Efficient Team

• Hema prizes efficiency in her firm and team structure:

  “The team is small... there's four of us.” [16:07]

  • Hema (Principal Designer/Creative Director)
  • Designer (drawings, technical tasks)
  • Lead Project Manager (procurement and execution phase)
  • Her husband (procurement, hourly billing, vendor relationships)
• Husband’s role was tried twice—initially failed due to a lack of processes, succeeded later with clear duties in procurement and billing ([17:45–20:17]).

  “It bought me back, like, I don't know, hours a month so that I could go market and do all the things that I needed. Design, you know, the high value things that I should be doing...” [18:46]

Relationship-Building with Vendors

• The value of personal connection in vendor relationships:

  “A lot of vendors sometimes don’t feel like it’s also transactional, that if I have somebody on my team who’s dedicated to the relationship with the human being... they make or break our client experience.” [20:25]

Adopting Technology & Change

• Hema is a fast adopter, especially for AI and rendering tech:

  “If I see something that can make the business more efficient, like, we're doing it tomorrow, I'll try it.” [22:25]

• Each team member is expected to use AI in ways that suit their roles.

Leadership, Self-Awareness, and Team Size Philosophy

• Leadership didn’t come naturally; she sought out coaching and personality assessments to help manage her team effectively.

  “Each person needs to be managed a different way based on their individual personality type.” [24:37]

• Her view on team-building has shifted:

  “A year ago...I want to mentor young designers. And literally today, that could not be further from the truth. I no longer want that. I want the smallest and most efficient team possible. Because my superpowers are not people managing.” [25:41]

• She is intentional about hiring only those who thrive in a fast, self-managed environment.

Ideal Clients, Process & Business Models

• Selective about clients: must fit the studio’s process, aesthetics, and profitability standards.
• Clients who object to the procurement process/pricing model are not a fit:

  “If they’re not going to let me fully lead them, they’re not for me.” [28:50]

• Hema has tried every business model: hourly, flat rate, day rate, but landed on a hybrid (flat fee for design, procurement as a percentage, hourly for admin) for best workflow and client transition ([31:31–32:48]).

Working with Celebrities and High-Net-Worth Clients

• Differences in expectation and needed polish:

  “You can’t come at them with like average shit or average behavior... You have to look the part, sound the part and provide a true white glove service.” [35:01]

• But now attracts mostly successful entrepreneurs and culturally nuanced/interracial couples, primarily via referrals.
• Word of mouth and reputation remain critical:

  "I know that every entrepreneurship book and all these podcasts tell people like, well, you can’t rely on word of mouth. I don’t know what that really means because yes you can. And you should nurture those connections.” [33:18]

Maintaining Creative Spark, Defining the Studio’s Aesthetic

• Inspiration from travel, hotels, retail, fashion; places herself in stimulating environments to reset ([47:01]).
• Distinct “saturated color in a minimalist way” look for Sagrada Studio:

  “If there was a way to use saturated color in actually like more of a minimalist way almost, I think that’s kind of what we do.” [48:21]

• Every project is narrative-driven, built from the clients’ memories, nostalgia, and milestones ([50:12–51:41]).

Client Relationship & Presentation Process

• Strong boundaries, leadership, and a “trust-the-process” mentality:

  “If you show them things along the way, you’re transferring leadership to them in the process rather than retaining it. It’s up to me to guide them.” [51:58]

• After a comprehensive intake, Hema presents a full package at once; clients review independently, then regroup for productive feedback ([52:28–53:48]).
• Actively reassures clients their feedback is helpful, not hurtful; manages emotional reactions to critique:

  “Sometimes I send things and I'm like, oh, I love this so much... But that doesn't mean I'm not going to love something else, too.” [55:26]

Redefining Success

• Success is a combination of creative fulfillment and financial health:

  “I was making great money [as a lawyer], but the work itself was draining to me. So I think success looks like whatever that balance is of financial and creative balance. Success looks like balance.” [55:52]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On efficiency and team building:

  "I want the smallest and most efficient team possible. I think that people should be spending most of their time doing the things that feel effortless. And managing people does not feel effortless to me." — Hema Persad, [00:02], [26:06]

• On press exposure:

  "People think that you get, like, published, and then all of a sudden, your phone is ringing off the hook, and that's not true at all." — Hema Persad, [11:08]

• On preparing clients for big changes:

  “People need time. People, especially if you’re doing a renovation in a house they’ve lived in for a long time, they need time. Like, I try to send it on a Friday, and then they have all weekend to spiral about it, go through all the emotions. I don’t want their first reaction ever, ever, because it’s never honest.” — Hema Persad, [52:34]

• On business sustainability:

  "I'm always willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that we're, like, financially healthy. But I think for me personally, success looks like fulfillment. Like I'm always chasing fulfillment creatively." — Hema Persad, [55:52]

• On her experience as a stylist shaping her approach:

  “The way celebrities want things done is fast. That was the only way I knew how to work at the time, because styling is very fast.” — Hema Persad, [06:12]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:02 — Opening mindset on team size and effortlessness
• 02:27 — Hema’s childhood influences; journey to law, fashion, then design
• 04:48 — Accidental start in interiors; from styling to design firm
• 09:22 — Importance and function of PR, and aligning for business growth
• 13:21 — Cash flow, project type balance, and marketing pipeline challenges
• 16:07 — Team structure and current project pipeline breakdown
• 17:45–20:17 — Working with her husband: challenges and ultimate success
• 22:25 — Embracing technology, fast adoption, and using AI as a team
• 24:37 — Leadership: personality-driven management and shift to a minimal team
• 28:50 — Client fit criteria and the necessity of process compatibility
• 31:31 — Business model experiments and lessons
• 35:01 — Working with celebrities/high-net-worth clients: uniqueness and expectations
• 48:21 — Sagrada’s approach to color and narrative-driven design
• 51:58–53:48 — Presentation process and philosophy on client feedback
• 55:52 — What success means today: balance between finance and fulfillment

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Conclusion

Hema Persad’s Trade Tales interview is a masterclass in intentional entrepreneurship, creative leadership, and self-awareness. With candor and a touch of humor, she lays out an actionable blueprint for building an interior design practice rooted in efficiency, clarity of purpose, and personal fulfillment—proving that the smallest, most efficient team isn’t just possible, but optimal for those who know their strengths.

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For more insights into the evolving world of design firm leadership, process innovation, and creative fulfillment, listen to the full episode or visit businessofhome.com.

Transcript

[Hema Prasad]

I want the smallest and most efficient team possible. I think that people should be spending most of their time doing the things that feel effortless. And managing people does not feel effortless to me.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Hi, I'm Caitlin Peterson, the editor in chief of Business of Home. Welcome to Trade Tales, where I'll be talking to interior designers about the challenges, pivots, and perspective shifts that come with growing a design firm. My hope is that you hear your own why echoed in these stories, or an idea that sparks your own breakthrough.

[Caroline Burke]

I hope it helps you realize that

[Caitlin Peterson]

even when entrepreneurship feels lonely, you're not alone. My guest today is a designer whose experience as an A list stylist taught her what the 1% is looking for in the design process and inspired her to build a firm that's uniquely structured to help her meet those needs.

[Caroline Burke]

I can't wait to share it with

[Caitlin Peterson]

you, but first, a quick word from our sponsors. This podcast is brought to you by lightovation at Dallas Market Center. Looking to elevate your lighting selections for clients? Lightovation offers 1 million square feet of lighting encompassing all categories for homes and hospitality environments, including brands you won't see anywhere else. Find out why lighting lives in Dallas June 24th to 27th, as well as a Design plus build day for trade professionals on June 23rd. Visit dallasmarketcenter.com lightovation to learn more today. This podcast is sponsored by Kohler. Kohler has always embraced the belief that design is more than aesthetics, it's a powerful force to shape experiences. Kohler Smart toilets are proof of the power of design and its ability to elevate how we live and feel. The kohlervale Smart toilet with its sculptural curved silhouette is nothing you might imagine when picturing a toilet. And that's the point. Transform a bathroom and the everyday routines within it into something extraordinary. Discover Vail and all the Kohler smart [e-mail].

[Hema Prasad]

When I was very little I was obsessed with like how my room was arranged. I shared for a long time with my sister and I think I got my own room when I was about 8 or 9, something like that. And the first thing I did was get the Sears catalog at the time because that's where we bought our bedding. I was like mom I need this set and it was like this quilted heart ruffle business or whatever. So like it very much mattered to me how everything looked. And then I think about my parents house too. They built this house and it was very like designed. My parents liked to shop for furniture when they were fighting, My dad would buy her a chair that was like, here's a chair. Let's make. I don't know. I think it's just always been in my. My life, but, you know, look, they're immigrants. Nobody ever says in our community, like, yeah, go be an interior designer. That was not a job that I knew about. So I went to be a lawyer instead.

[Caitlin Peterson]

That's Hema Prasad. At First Law felt like a promising path. She got her degree in 2008 and began working for a firm specializing in commercial litigation. In reality, the career itself wasn't everything

[Caroline Burke]

she thought it would be.

[Hema Prasad]

I then spent the next five years basically, like, my entire law career, just representing big banks, muddling through the mortgage crisis. It was miserable. By the time I was 30, had two daughters. They were both under the age of three. And I remember coming home and, like, wanting to play with them, but also just feeling like I could not disconnect from everything I had dealt with during the day. So I knew I had to change something. My husband's like, well, what do you want to do? Like, what would make you happy? And I was like, I don't know. I've always wanted to work in fashion. Rachel Zo was on TV at the time, and I was like, I think stylist. That sounds good. I feel like I know what that is. I could probably do that. We were living in Florida at the time. That career doesn't really exist there. Or it didn't at the time. Not the way that I would be able to be successful. So I was like, I think we have to move to either, like, LA or New York.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Hema's husband got a job in Los Angeles, and the family moved across the country. Within a year, Hema started getting steady styling work, and she went on to collaborate with everyone from Kate Hudson to the Kardashians. Then, quite unexpectedly, a new opportunity presented itself.

[Hema Prasad]

February 2021. One client came back, and she was like, hey, I got a new apartment. I just trust you, and I like your house, so can you just decorate mine? I initially wanted to say no, because I had never done that for someone else before. Like, my house always looked cool and great. Like, I loved doing it for myself. I never kind of done it for anybody else. And I. I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna do it. And so I decorated it. We worked with a furniture company to get free stuff. She did a vlog. Like, you know, it was a whole thing. And then all of a sudden, all my other clients, my styling clients, were like, oh, are you decorating now? Well, we just got a new house. Do this. People kept asking. So by the end of the year, I was like, I'm just going to lean in. And I told all my clients that I was, you know, done styling as of December. And then they were like, okay, great. Well, keep working on our houses.

[Caitlin Peterson]

In 2022, Heima's firm, Sagrada Studio, was officially open for business. I wanted to talk to her about why she's been a fast adopter of AI tools, what to expect from celebrity clients, and how managing a team has shifted her perspective on business growth.

[Caroline Burke]

What had to change about the way that you worked with your clients? When you went from styling to even just the home styling component, how quickly did you have to shift the way you were working with them?

[Hema Prasad]

I was very similar, to be honest, because when you're a stylist, they're hiring you to sort of tell them what to wear based on their goals, right? Like, they've got PR goals and there's a publicist, and they're promoting something, and they want to look this way or that way or whatever, right? So I was already used to working with them in that capacity. So transferring it over to their homes, it wasn't that big of a stretch. And then on some level, it was instinctive on my part. I would look at their spaces, which I'd already been in regularly, and be like, okay, I see where you're trying to go. Let me go find the stuff and I'll just do it. And so at first, it was a lot of, like, big box stores like CB2, Crate and Barrel, and whatever I could buy quickly, because that's the thing with celebrities. They. They generally want things done fast. And that was the only way I knew how to work at the time, because styling is very fast. Sometimes you might get a call on a Monday that they have a thing to go to on Wednesday, and you gotta have a fitting. So I was already working at this, like, crazy pace, and so I just did everything for their home the way that I was doing it for their outfits.

[Caroline Burke]

When did your business model as a designer start to shift towards maybe a more conventional design industry cadence or approach?

[Hema Prasad]

So I started listening to all the podcasts because once I decided that December 2021, I, you know, I told everyone I'm not a stylist anymore. Now I'm doing interiors. I was like, it was almost like going back to school. And what I love about the interior design industry, that fashion is severely lacking, is there's so Much for people to listen to and learn, and everyone shares. So I discovered. I think I discovered your podcast, Luann's podcast. So I just started consuming as much knowledge as I could from what was already out there. I didn't really have any other interior design friends or anything like that. It was just like, there's just so much out there that you could sort of listen to or access in order to figure out how to build your business. So that's what I started doing.

[Caroline Burke]

How long before you realized that there was a better way to sort of unlock profit in this business?

[Hema Prasad]

Quick. I think, really, I actually, I did have one interior design friend. She. I did a little stint at Nordstrom as a stylist. There was this, like, digital styling program they tried to launch in the Pandemic. I don't think it exists anymore. But there was one friend who was in interior design school and was just doing that on the side. And so when I initially started taking on larger projects, like a kitchen remodel or something like that, I would ask her to do the CAD drawings. And so through that friend, I realized, like, oh, trade discounts. Like, we would have these conversations about it. So she kind of, like, opened my eyes to how things kind of worked, you know? But then a lot of it came from me just being an entrepreneur. So at that time, I was reading a lot of entrepreneurship books and mindset books and kind of cobbling it all together into something that felt like a sustainable business.

[Caroline Burke]

What was the most profound pivot that you made that has really put your firm on the trajectory it's on today?

[Hema Prasad]

Getting pr. I got PR really early. So Poorna, who was one of my clients very early on, she was introduced to me by a friend. She's an actress. Her house was coming out really nicely. And I think, yeah, I got pr, I would say, within the first year. I don't even know how I afforded it. I wasn't really paying myself that much, but I was used to being kind of poor at the time, right from being a stylist. So I was like, well, but what I did know from being a stylist, too, was the power of PR and photos. Like, that I learned from fashion. Everything is based around PR and photos when you're a stylist. So I was like, no, no. Like, I need. I need pr because I don't know how to get more people to see this work that I'm doing. Because, again, I come from a world. I probably have done, like, I don't know, 700 photo shoots or something. Over the course of my styling career. And I already knew how to cheat things and make them look good in a photo. We did that all the time. People's outfits are always clipped in the back. You know, like, nothing f the way that it needs to in real life, but who cares in a photo, right? So I just took that mentality and was like, maybe as a whole, this room is kind of boring, but if I throw these throw pillows here and hang this art here and do all this stuff, like, I could make a cool photo out of it. So, yeah, I. I still look back at those photos, and, yeah, they're, like, a little bit boring, but they still look professional, and I think they still look at the top, like, for what was kind of in style at the time. Like, I still think that they work because they were professionally done.

[Caroline Burke]

What moments or what. What press moments? What Internet moments helped you get the next job along the way?

[Hema Prasad]

That's an interesting question, because I think people think that you get, like, published, and then all of a sudden, your phone is ringing off the hook, and that's.

[Caroline Burke]

That's not true. Yeah.

[Hema Prasad]

True at all. I know you talk about this a lot, but, like, it's really not true. Definitely. The arc digest feature. So Poorna's house ended up in print in arc Digest in March 2023. And then they named me A new American voice in July of 2023. But that project got picked up in 2022. Like I said, I had to sit on that project for nine months. So basically, we finished that project in early 2022. Christina pitched it. They were like, love it. Publishing it next year. And I was like, what? Are you serious? They're like, take everything down, and we'll see you in March. And I was like, are you serious? And Christina's like, it's going to be worth it. I'm like, it better be.

[Caroline Burke]

She's your PR person. I want to say, yeah, yeah.

[Hema Prasad]

She's like, no, no, this is gonna be worth it. And I'm like, are you sure? Because, like, what am I supposed to show?

[Caroline Burke]

Because that was it for you, right? That was like. That was a big thing. That was what was supposed to get the next job for sure.

[Hema Prasad]

And then I couldn't show it, you know, so then I just made myself content, you know, at that time, too, I was working on the property brothers show as an art director, and the way it works with those, I think directed four episodes. An art director just means you designed it. Like, they. They call you an art director, but, like, you. You Design the house. Right. So you're allowed to use those photos on your portfolio, but you can't market them in the media at all. So you can market it on your social media when the episode comes out and you can put it on your website, but I can't pitch it to any publications because it belongs to Jonathan and Drew. So actually it kind of worked because TV timelines are fast. Like, we finished four projects in three months.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Months.

[Hema Prasad]

And I photographed every single one. And so while I'm waiting for the ad thing to come out, I'm showing these projects as they come out, like on. On social media and our website. Like, not every project needs to be published. Like, I think you have to. One thing I've learned, and I made this pivot actually recently, is like, you really have to balance the projects you can show on your social media with the ones you have to sit on for publication.

[Caroline Burke]

And just knowing that kind of both have to exist in your pipeline at the same time.

[Hema Prasad]

Yes. And that was a hard lesson I kind of learned because last year I made this big sort of push to getting all these big new builds and hospitality and projects that take a long time. And then I quickly realized, like, oh, wait, this creates a cash flow problem and a photo problem, like a marketing problem. Right.

[Caroline Burke]

I'm out of pictures to show people

[Hema Prasad]

I'm out of pictures. And the cadence of payment on those is also slower. Right. Because you do the design and then you're. You wait a while and then it's procurement and at least the way we work. You know what I mean? So lessons learned there that for cash flow and marketing, I think you have to have the right mix of projects you can show quickly and projects that you can collect money on quickly versus those big behemoth projects that are great and lucrative and excellent for the portfolio. But things move slower how?

[Caroline Burke]

As you kind of take those learnings and apply them to your business now, like, are you assigning, okay, you're a portfolio project, you're a quick hit project from the outset, or does some of them end up sort of surprising you and switching categories? Like, how does that actually work in practice?

[Hema Prasad]

Well, the goal for me is always I should be able to show this somehow. I guess where I draw the line is like, I look at a project and I'm like, what do these clients want? Is it something that's going to benefit us from a marketing standpoint or is it, are we just not compatible in that regard? So I guess that's the delineation, right? Some projects are quick Turnaround. And they're great for publication and then some. Not every big project, like We've got an 8,000 square foot home we're doing right now here in LA, in the LA area. And the design is gorgeous. Is it the most groundbreaking esthetic? No. Is it great for the portfolio? Yeah, because it's a nice, big, beautiful house. Is it going to get published? I don't know. You've seen this house. You know what I mean? It depends what I can do with the photos. Right. But like the house itself, you've seen it.

[Caroline Burke]

Does that change your experience of working on it, knowing that it might not be the next, you know, feature in whatever magazine?

[Hema Prasad]

No, because I've got others that I feel that way about. I like the clients. It's a lucrative project and I think it's an important project for us, for our portfolio in the sense that it's like a giant new build. And so it shows a capability for me and my team that I think is important for people to see. So it's not always about like our aesthetic and like, you know, whatever. Sometimes it's about showing what you can do in another way besides the aesthetic.

[Caroline Burke]

I want to take a step back for a second.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Can you tell me what your business looks like today?

[Hema Prasad]

So the team is small. It's myself, I'm the principal designer. I've got a designer who helps, you know, she helps me with all the drawings and like technical things and, and things like that. Then we've got a lead project manager. You know, everybody who comes on signs on with us. They meet the whole team from day one. But who they're interfacing with can change. Like in the design phase, they're interfacing with me. And then once we turn it over to procurement and execution, they're interfacing with our lead project manager. And then my husband came on last year and he does all of our procurement and hourly billing. So it all funnels through him once we're in that phase. So there's four of us. We have right now, I think 12 to 14 projects, all various sizes. We've got a hospitality project in the works. We've got a lot of new builds. And then we have some smaller. When I say smaller, I mean like five or six room decorating or, you know, heavy finishes. Like if it's like a first floor and there's like a kitchen, you know, those quick turnaround ones. When I. And again, when I say quick, it's like three to six months kind of thing versus like two years. We're building a couple of vacation homes in Florida. So it's a good mix of things we've got. You know, anytime an old client comes back and wants new spaces addressed, I will never say no. So we have a couple of those, and I like having those because, again, it's like cash flow. We've already touched part of the house. We know what we're getting into in terms of, like, how we work together and the aesthetic of things. So it's like a good mix, really.

[Caroline Burke]

I want to know a little bit more about working with your husband. What inspired bringing him on board?

[Hema Prasad]

Well, we tried it in the beginning, and it was an epic fail.

[Caroline Burke]

Okay, this is round two.

[Hema Prasad]

Yep, this is round two. So when. When I first started the studio, his old distillery that he used to work at, they got sold. And so he got kind of a payout and he was trying to figure out his next move. And I was like, well, I need help, so come help me. And he was like, okay, yeah, great. And it was an epic fail because I. It was too new. I had no systems, I had no processes. Every day was a fire drill. And it was like, do this, do that, do this, do that with zero structure. And so we were fighting a lot. And finally I was like, go get a job. This isn't working. I choose our marriage, right? Not this business. So he did that. And then last year in May, he got laid off and got a severance. I think he had hit his ceiling with corporate America, too. I mean, he'd been doing it for a long time, you know, and we're both kind of. We come from entrepreneurial families. And I think he. He was sort of like, not looking forward to going into another corporate structure. And so I was like, well, maybe we should try this again. And he was like, I want to, but, like, how are we going to do it differently this time? And I said, I think here's where I need help. And it was very specific. It was procurement and hourly billing, because those were the things that everybody was. I was drowning in the hourly billing because we have a bookkeeper, but she wasn't doing that. And then my team was drowning in the procurement. So I was like, if you can take these two things and just do them every day, I think that would be a great place to start. And that's what he did. And then it really did. It bought me back, like, I don't know, hours a month so that I could go market and do all the things that I needed. Design, you know, the high value things that I should be doing the team, then was able to focus on servicing the clients. And he's more of a backend person. Like, clients don't really interact with him ever. Who he does interact with now are all of our vendors. Because he's, like, a little, you know, look, he was in marketing at Moet Hennessy for a long time, and he's like a schmoozer. I have this joke that, like, everyone loves my husband more. More than me.

[Caroline Burke]

Okay?

[Hema Prasad]

I'm like, use that. Do that. And so that's what he does. He manages our outside vendor relationships. And he does. Which, you know, goes hand in hand with procurement and then also does our hourly invoicing every month.

[Caroline Burke]

Do you feel a difference from having someone with that approach and personality in touch with your vendors?

[Hema Prasad]

Yes. So, like, the other day, I was like, we're looking at ordering some tile. And I'm like, what's our discount on this tile? And he's like, 10%. I'm like, go ask so and so. If we can do better than that. He's like, yeah, I'm going to. And it was very easy. They were like, yeah, here's 20%. And he's like, okay, you know what I mean? Like, he does that every day. Literally every day. He builds those relationships. And then when it comes time to be like, well, our margins on this job are tight because of whatever. Can you help us out on this one? Or whatever. Like, I think a lot of vendors sometimes don't feel like it's also transactional, that if I have somebody on my team who's dedicated to the relationship with the human being. Yeah, it's like contractors, right? Like, they make or break our client experience. So if. If I have somebody who is willing to bend over backwards for us in times where we need it because we've been kind to them and, you know, we've been respectful to them and, like, treated them like a person. Like, that's been a huge benefit.

[Caitlin Peterson]

This podcast is sponsored by Kohler. New technology can be intimidating to clients, and smart toilets are no exception. But the experts at Kohler have developed a product with intuitive and thoughtful design to improve and elevate the everyday experience in the bathroom. With touchscreen controls, customizable cleansing features, comfort and convenience, you can transform a bathroom and the everyday routines within it into something extraordinary. Discover Kohler smart [e-mail].

[Caroline Burke]

You told me earlier that you like to act and that that's your toxic trait, that you're a fast mover. How has that shown up in your Business for better and for worse.

[Hema Prasad]

Well, I think for better. So I'm a fast adopter. Like, if I see something that can make the business more efficient, like, we're doing it tomorrow, I'll try it. It. Yeah, we're literally doing it. And I think anybody who works with me has just gotten used to that. Like, the big conversation these days is AI and how are. How is. I've sat everyone down. I've been like, how are you using AI to make yourself more efficient? And it's different for each person because based on the way our team is structured, my AI usage looks very different from like our, our project manager's AI usage or my husband's AI usage when it comes to procurement. Right. Like, we're all using it in a different way, but the point is that we're all using it. So I'm like a fast adopter. I remember when I first started as a designer, I saw renders were starting to be a thing and I was like, we're doing this. Are you kidding me? If I can show a client a realistic picture of what they're going to get, that's efficiency. They're going to decide faster. We can move through the project faster. I don't need to convince them as hard to choose something or to pick something. Like, I'm all about efficiency. And I think sometimes where that shows up in a way that is detrimental to me is I'm trying to work on it. I have a business coach, but it's. Maybe it's in the way that I handle my team and people because I work at a pace that is not sustainable for most people that I know. And I've had to remind myself of that and give people time to process what I'm asking them to do. So I want results yesterday. And that's not realistic for a lot of situations. So I've had to learn how to be more patient about results.

[Caroline Burke]

How do you think about managing a team in general? Have you. Has that been a positive and like, additive experience for you?

[Hema Prasad]

It's been a roller coaster for me. So when I was a stylist, I never had more than like one or two assistants on a freelance basis. And so leadership was not something that I ever developed until I became like. Until I started this firm and, and realized, like, I had to lead this team. So then I got a business coach and was like, how do I manage people?

[Caroline Burke]

Yeah.

[Hema Prasad]

So it's been a work in progress. I think one thing I had to learn is that each person needs to be managed a Different way based on their individual personality type. And we've done disc assessments and, like, all these things for me to understand, like, how to relate to, including my husband, how to relate to each person, get the best out of them, because that's what you're trying to do. At the end of the day, it's not about me. It's about. Or what I have to say, it's about how is this person going to hear me? Which was a very big mental shift that I had to make. Because if anyone knows anything about me, it's just. It's. It's that, like, I don't mince words, I just say things the way that they are. I'm like a very honest, brutally so sometimes person. And a lot of times it's good, but sometimes it's not if the person you're talking to is taking it in a way that you're not intending. And it does become exhausting. Which is why a year ago, if you had asked me this question, I'd be like, yes, I'm growing a team and I want to mentor young designers. And literally today, that could not be further from the truth. I no longer want that. I want the smallest and most efficient team possible. Because my superpowers are not people managing. It's called what, like, to be a good people manager, I have to flex really hard. And by flexing, I mean, like, be, like, try really hard. It's not effortless.

[Caroline Burke]

Yeah.

[Hema Prasad]

And that's kind of. It takes up too much of my energy. I think that people should be doing. Spending most of their time doing the things that feel effortless. And managing people does not feel effortless to me.

[Caroline Burke]

Did that changing perspective on what you want a team to look like force you to change kind of what you want your business to look like as well then?

[Hema Prasad]

I think I'm experimenting with that now. Hence the recent shift back from a pipeline full of giant projects to a more mixed pipeline. Yeah, I think that's been one thing I've had to, like, really address in terms of, like, hey, Ma, what do you want? Like, what do you even want to be working on? You know, and then, you know, pushing everyone to maximize their own individual efficiency. I've looked at personality types and, you know, honestly, I've let people go who, while they were very kind and wonderful people, they didn't fit the bill in terms of being able to self manage more, you know, in terms of being able to move quickly, adapt to change quickly. It had nothing to do with personality. It had more to do with this is the culture, this is the environment that I'm cultivating. As lovely as you are, it's not for you.

[Caroline Burke]

How will you know that you're kind of. You've arrived at the kind of. Or how will you know you've sort of completed this arc that you're on right now?

[Hema Prasad]

I think when I find time to pursue the next thing. Yeah, I'm a psycho right now. I have lots of ideas of other streams of revenue that I would like to explore, but I do not have the time to explore them because we're not. Like, I'm doing a lot of things right now in the interior design business, like, if I want to expand into more product collaboration, you know, which I did enjoy, like, I've done it and I want to do more of it or whatever this next stream of income is that I want to pursue. Because I think another realization I've made recently is that, like, okay, great interior design. Got it. Love it. It's working. It's not enough for me. I need to make more things. I need to create more things and do more things, and right now, I don't have the bandwidth to explore what that is. I think I will feel like the design studio is arrived at, whatever the right mix of people and projects is, when I find myself with time to do other things besides be an interior designer.

[Caroline Burke]

What are you looking for in the clients and projects you say yes to today? I mean, we talked about the marketing piece early on, but what makes something the right fit for your firm today?

[Hema Prasad]

Aesthetic, for sure. Profitability, for sure. And then I do, like, sort of. And I think most designers do this, like, as you're getting to know the client, like, are they ready for our process? Because I've compromised on our process in the past, you know, to get the client, and it's a horrible idea. And we always end up stressed. I always end up irritated. So if we've gone through the whole thing and I've explained how we work and they're already trying to negotiate with me on parts of our process so that it better suits them, and we can't get over that hump, I think it's no matter if the money's good or no matter if the project is going to look great, if they're not going to let me fully lead them, they're not for me.

[Caroline Burke]

Where people. Where do you find people are trying to change the process that early on.

[Hema Prasad]

Procurement.

[Caroline Burke]

Oh, just like the money piece or, like, they won't buy stuff.

[Hema Prasad]

Yeah, yeah. That. That they get really hung up on the freaking trade discounts.

[Caroline Burke]

Okay?

[Hema Prasad]

They just get very hung up on the pro because the way we do it is like, you know, it's in phases. So the design phase is. Is a flat fee based on all my data that I have from previous projects and whatnot. And then we move into procurement, and that's a. Of the materials purchased, and then construction administration and management. That's hourly because I can't predict it. So they know they're going to get billed hourly for any sort of construction management and project management that we do. And they're usually fine with that and they're fine with the design package. But I always get the most sort of pushback on the procurement because they feel like they're. I don't know, they read this or they heard this from their friend and like they just. For whatever reason, not everyone, by the way, we have some clients who have worked with designers before and they get it, and they're like, yeah, great, we get it. You know, but if I do get pushback from people, it's always like this idea that we shouldn't be making money on products. You know, even if I explain it like, well, this is, you know, procurement covers, like, all the work that goes into actually procuring your items. And yes, there is a markup because that's how this business makes a profit. And I'm very transparent about it. But a lot of them are like, well, can we do procurement hourly? Or, you know, can we buy things ourselves or whatever? Because they just seem to somehow think that. That we're going to be making all this money off of them in procurement and it bothers them. So I'm just sort of like, okay, well, if you don't like that, then

[Caroline Burke]

you're not my people.

[Hema Prasad]

Yeah, this is how we work.

[Caroline Burke]

That's really interesting. Have you played with other business models? Not necessarily around procurement, but just around the way that you bill for the work?

[Hema Prasad]

I played with every business model under the sun. Every single one. Like hourly the whole way, flat rate the whole way. Like I said, I started with like a day rate. That was ridiculous.

[Caroline Burke]

We skipped that one.

[Hema Prasad]

Yeah, skip. Don't even talk about that one. I've. I've done everything hourly except the design package. So just like hourly procurement and hourly construction administration, I've done it all. And to me, this one, this combination works for many reasons. It works both so that I can hand the client off to someone else when the phase changes, which is very important to me because it's just not. I don't need to be involved in procurement and I don't need to be involved in what's going on at the job site every day. I have qualified people who can do that. And so I think it's like a mental shift for them. Like, okay, billing's gonna change now. So now you're dealing with this person kind of thing and it makes it an easy transition for them. Like they don't feel like they're being passed off. So yeah, I've experimented with it all. I think hourly billing is so tedious and nobody likes surprises at the end of the month. And then flat rate, you just always lose money. So I can't do that.

[Caroline Burke]

Can you talk a little bit? You know, so much of your early pipeline was with the clients, the styling clients that you had. How has your pipeline evolved since then? And can you talk a little bit about working with celebrities?

[Hema Prasad]

Oh, well, the pipeline has evolved to now it has changed more towards just like kind of people like me, but who have a lot more money. Like just regular entrepreneurs.

[Caroline Burke]

Yeah, yeah.

[Hema Prasad]

You know, like I have to. I really believe that you kind of attract what you put out. And I get a lot of very successful self made people, which I freaking love. I just, we're so, they're so relatable to me because they're running a business, I'm running a business. We all like beautiful things, like, let's make it happen, you know, and it's nice. I, I really enjoy our clients. We also get a lot of sort of. Because a lot of our work is sort of culturally nuanced. You know, it's just who I am. Right. And, and bold and a lot of saturated colors and, and references from like around the world and kind of things. So we get a lot of like interracial couples who want that mix of like, you know, culture and American lifestyle and things like that. And I think the pipeline has evolved that way just because of what I put out probably in, in the world in terms of our marketing and social media. Like, it's a very direct message, I think, or at least I try. And it's still a lot of referral business because that's the way ultra high net worth people operate. They have a good experience. They, you know, kind of run in tight circles and then they tell their friends and then their friends come find you. I know that every entrepreneurship book and like all these podcasts tell people like, well, you can't rely on word of mouth. I don't know what that really means because yes you can. And you should nurture Those connections. Connections, right. Like, I think it can't be the only thing you do. But I think for most designers who work with very wealthy people, your referrals are, you're not getting good referrals from Instagram. That's a different audience. They're not coming to you that way.

[Caroline Burke]

Right.

[Hema Prasad]

Celebrities are, I would say, more complicated than, than the average client. And, and not in the way that you think. Like they're people. They're not. I haven't had celebrity clients. Right. Are particularly, I mean, they are particular. They're genu. Generally. The ones, the ones that I've worked with, they have a point of view about aesthetics because they are exposed to a lot. I think you have to consider that, right? Like they're exposed to a lot. Like the best of the best. They've seen a lot, they've seen it all. So you can't come at them with like average shit or average behavior or the same behavior and experience that, that, you know, you might give somebody who hasn't been on the Ritz Carlton yacht or whatever. You know what I mean? Like, you've really got to think about how you fit into their world and it has to be seamless. You don't want to be the hiccup. You don't want them to be in this, you know, like a five star hotel somewhere or being catered to, you know, on a, in a first class cabin on Emirates Airways. And then on you, the designer, are providing them a different experience and you have to look the part, sound the part and provide a true white glove service. And a lot of times you're not interacting and that goes to everyone on their team you're interacting with. Right? Because your time with them is going to be limited, but your time with the house manager, with whoever else is managing things for them, the accountant, the book, the business manager, you've got to interact with all those people in the same way too. It's a lot of moving parts, usually in terms of who you're interacting with. And you've got to provide that same experience to everybody on the team because they all talk and you want to make sure that they're getting the same consistent level of service from you and every single person on your team that they're expecting to match all these other service providers that they're working with. Because you have to consider like they work with so many service providers, so many of like the best service providers in every industry usually is what you know, hair, makeup, styling, house stuff. So you have to look at yourself and Be like, am I ready to provide that? Do I know how to provide that? And luckily for me, again, being a fly on the wall as a stylist and then eventually getting my own clients, that was definitely something that I already kind of had exposure to. Yeah, like, you know, you would think, okay, I was an attorney for a decade. Like, I should know how to provide a service. Sure, I do. But not to this client. It's different. It's very different. So you have to be conscious of what else they're experiencing and make sure that what you're offering matches that. And then I would say, too, that they kind of move fast in. In the sense that, like, they're used to things happening very quickly around them with very little B.S. you know, like, they just want to hear it's handled. And I think most clients are this way. You could. You could treat every. You should really treat every client this way.

[Caroline Burke]

I was just gonna say, how much did this inform sort of your overall

[Hema Prasad]

process for all clients? Yeah, I think everybody kind of gets this treatment from us. And of course, we've made mistakes along the way and, like, whatever. But I think one thing I've learned is that most clients, when they're paying you a lot of money to do something, they don't want a million explanations. They just want it done. You've got to be discreet about, oh, well, this happened with this vendor and that they don't care. No one cares. You know, like, they're nice people, but, like, why is that their problem? It's not. It's my problem. So you just take accountability. You let them know it's handled, you apologize, and you handle it. That's kind of what you need to do. But I think with respect to celebrities, there's an added layer of, like, you've got to feel like all the rest of their service providers.

[Caroline Burke]

You don't want to be the outlier.

[Hema Prasad]

You definitely don't, because you'll. You. You know, then. Then you run the risk of them not telling all their other friends or worse, telling all their other friends that they had a bad experience, because that

[Caroline Burke]

word travels fast, too.

[Hema Prasad]

Very fast. And think of all the people they know. It's not just other celebrities that they know. You know, they know other wealthy people. They are very connected people, and they have influence. That's why. That's why these magazines want to put them on the covers and in the. You know, that's why everybo so interested, because there's a lot of eyeballs on them. So you gotta be conscious of that.

[Caitlin Peterson]

This June, Dallas Market center hosts Design plus Build Day at Light Ovation. I'll be there moderating a designer panel about how to fine tune your processes to be a better partner for builders and contractors. The talk is part of a full day of dynamic programming, especially for trade professionals. Light Ovation is the largest lighting show in North America and runs June 24 to 27, with Design Plus Build Day taking place the day before on June 23. Register today at dallasmarketcenter.com Lightovation.

[Caroline Burke]

So much of the early phase of a project is building trust, getting clients comfortable, talking to you about their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions for their home, their budget. And you know, you mentioned that you are direct. You don't necessarily, like, have a filter or a poker face. How do you think about fostering that trust, having those early hard conversations with clients? What works for you and what, what makes for the right client for you?

[Hema Prasad]

Well, that's the better question. Because if, if, if they don't like my direct communication like in the first meeting, if they don't want money and it makes them feel uncomfortable, then I don't think we're going to get along. If they're not willing to hear that, I don't think that this light fixture they found at, you know, CB2 is the best move, then we're not going to get along. They're. I'm going to hurt their feelings all the time just by saying I don't like, like that idea and vice versa, you know. But I do tell them up front, I'm like, hey, this is your house. I'm just here to make it what you want. And again, a lot of times, like, I think aesthetically what we're putting out there, they already know they like it. So it's not like I'm having to sell them on what they're aesthetically gonna get. They, they know they're gonna get some version of the type of work that we do. That's why they're here with us. So I definitely think putting out the type of work that you want to do is the most important thing. You can't be ambiguous about that. Like, I'd rather have. We've done a lot of projects, but if you look at our website, there's like, I don't know, 12 projects and they all kind of have a look to them, right? Like, I don't put every single project on our website just to have volume up there. I put on our website what I want to get more of so that the aesthetic part doesn't Even come into the conversation. I think by the time they're talking to me, they kind of want to understand how our process works and how much it's going to cost them. Because also what I put out on social media, on my personal account, which they've already googled and looked at, and I just say, say things pretty. I mean, you follow me? You know, it's like I'm, I say whatever I want pretty much. So they've already kind of done that digging and so they know what they're going to get. Like, I think good marketing is putting out there a message and information that, that so that people, when they interact with you are not surprised. You don't want to surprise them. I think it's a miss. And I regret not putting myself out there sooner, even as a stylist because, God, that was a huge mess. I never shared myself on my Instagram, only my work. Like this celebrity on a red carpet, that celebrity on a red carpet, or whatever. Right. But obviously, if you are a creative person being paid to, you know, share creative ideas, like, shouldn't you be part of the marketing? I, I think so.

[Caroline Burke]

Have you had challenges getting your work photographed or using, you know, like getting the marketing assets out of some of those high profile projects?

[Hema Prasad]

Yeah, definitely. But I'm okay with it. Like, it was an up. It's been an upfront conversation and I'm okay with it. Yeah. I'm not going to force somebody, even if they're not a celebrity. Like, if I want to take the project, I don't believe in, I've heard people charging like some kind of penalty.

[Caroline Burke]

Oh, to not be able to photograph.

[Hema Prasad]

Yeah, things like that. I would never do that. Like, you negotiate all that up front before you take the job. And if the client is like, I really don't want this photographed and you're not okay with it, you can't take the job and that means something to you. Like you, you, you really want to photograph the project, then your only choice to me is like, you take the job, you don't photograph it or you don't take the job. That's the only choice. To me, this is someone's home. It's a privilege to be able to share it, I think. So I can't force somebody into that and I have to be okay with that.

[Caroline Burke]

We talk a lot on the show about how a principal's role evolves as their team grows. And it sounds like you have been in this period of evolution thinking about where you add the most value to the process. Where do you hope to land in that journey?

[Hema Prasad]

Yeah, I hope to land squarely in the role of creative director and final say of anything aesthetic and visual that goes out of our studio, out of Sagrada Studio. Like, it is where I shine. A lot of our concepts and a lot of our work starts percolating in my head, and then I rely on everybody around me to get it done. I don't feel that I need to be in the weeds. Like, I trust people, you know? Like, if you tell me you can do something, I'm going to believe you can do it until you show me that you can't, you know? So if I haven't built a team where I don't trust them to take our design direction and concept and run with it, then I hired wrong. So I really hope to land in the realm of, like, whatever creative visual project I'm working on, whether it's a home or a. Or whatever, a design project or if it's, like, a product or whatever it is. Like, I have to be able to count on the people who are better at executing those things than I am. Like, I hate being in the weeds of grout and freaking which direction the floor should lay. Like, you know what I mean? I'm not gonna go police that on site. I. That's a waste of time. But I have a lead project manager who loves that. Like, she loves going on a job site and being like, oop, tile's crooked. Redo it. You know, like, she sees all that stuff. Or she'll go and do a window treatment installation and be like, oh, nope, take it down. There's holes in it. It. Take it down. You know, I don't want to do that. What a drag.

[Caroline Burke]

To me, I love that you were like. To me, like, but you're glad to have it in the. In the universe of your project.

[Hema Prasad]

Yes. And it took me a long time to realize, like, just because I don't like doing something doesn't mean that someone else doesn't like doing something. Because, like, when I was starting to hire people, I was like, nobody's going to want to do this job. You know? Like, I'm just doomed. Like, nobody's going to want to come on and do freaking any of this. Sit in front of AutoCAD all day. Who wants to do that? But guess what? Lots of people want to do that because they don't want to do what I do.

[Caroline Burke]

Right?

[Hema Prasad]

So I had to learn how to, like, understand that this is the job. You want to do this job? Absolutely. Have at it. I don't want to do it. You're better at it.

[Caroline Burke]

How do you keep your creative spark alive? Where does inspiration come from for you?

[Hema Prasad]

A lot of it comes from, like hotels and travel and I like to go shopping and look at still fashion. Huge is. Is huge for me. And I don't mean shopping like, oh, I go spend a bunch of money. Like, I really love window shopping and I always have. Even as a kid. I love window displays. I love pretty retail environments. I love being in nice smelling places. I like pretty environments. I don't care what it is. So I'll. If I'm feeling stuck, I will literally put myself in an aesthetically pleasing environment, whether it is a coffee shop or a museum. And luckily in LA we have a lot of that. So I don't always have to travel to do it, but I physically will put myself in a sensory stimulating environment of some sort to like, get away from the computer and get out in the world. It's not enough for me to just look at pictures and look at books. And although that's important too, I think that design is like a holistic thing in terms of how people experience it. So I go put myself in a new experience.

[Caitlin Peterson]

How do you think about kind of

[Caroline Burke]

the aesthetic evolution of your work? What defines your studio's look and feel?

[Hema Prasad]

I think what it boils down to and what people keep coming back to ask us for because they always say, I love color and you guys do color. And I'm like, yes, we do color, but we do it our way, right? And it is. It's always saturated and there's earthy undertones. And our print use is selective because I've been told that we're maximalists, but I don't think we are. I think if there was a way to use saturated color in actually like more of a minimalist way almost, I think that's kind of what we do. Like, I don't use. I use crazy silhouettes and I don't pattern mix a lot either. So I would say if you're coming to us, you're expecting a really saturated sort of deep hue jewel tone world where there might be some worldly patterns thrown in that enhance the color palette. And then there's breathing room. Because I like white. I talk shit about white walls, right? But I do think they're necessary for breathing room and for artwork. So, you know, it's also very rare that you walk into a project we did and every single surface is covered in something, unless it's like a restaurant. Or something, in which case that's a different thing. Right. But in people's homes, you've got to have that balance between saturation and breathing room. You want some spaces to feel like a relief and some spaces to stimulate you, and you want the whole thing to be an adventure. And there's a lot of nostalgia in what we do, because I. I firmly. Each project looks different because it's based on the memories of that person and, like, their best experiences. And a lot of times, that is a place they went or a place they grew up, so that it feels familiar when they walk in, but also exciting and escapist and sensory. Like that same retail experience I'm sort of trying to give myself. Right. It's like a feeling of relief.

[Caroline Burke]

What questions are you asking to tap into someone else's nostalgia?

[Hema Prasad]

Oh, everything. I get deep. I'm like, where'd you grow up? Like, tell me about, you know, have you gotten anything? Like, tell me about your parents. Like, I. I like to find out, like, oh, my God, tell me about the best vacation you've ever had. Like, where do you love to go now with the kids? Like, show me their artwork. Like, show me things that mean something to you. I don't care if you think it's ugly or tacky. I. I want to see it all. I. I think that people, over their lifetimes, collect memories and things and then just put them away instead of translating it into something that reminds them of something. Like, I don't want you to feel like you live in Epcot Center. You love Italy, you know, but there are things about it, right? Like, there are things about Mexico or wherever, whatever you love. We're working on a Palisades rebuild right now, and the clients have traveled a lot. And so the brief when they came to me was like, we came to you because we want you to meld all the things we love about Mexico and Paris and Tulum and Provence. And I'm just like, okay. And so we did a lot of work. Yeah. That really. What that really means to them is not what they initially thought. You know, like, what clients tell me they want is never. They don't have the words for it. So I have to learn about them and then create a narrative for the house that all makes sense. And a lot of this work goes on in my head.

[Caroline Burke]

Does all of this get shown to the client at once? You know, in a presentation, are you kind of stress testing these ideas along the way, or what does your presentation style look like?

[Hema Prasad]

I don't show them anything along the way.

[Caroline Burke]

Okay.

[Hema Prasad]

I firmly believe that I'm being hired to lead them. And so if you show them things along the way, you're transferring leadership to them in the process rather than retaining it. It's up to me to guide them. So I do all the intake, I ask them all the questions. We do a round one design package where it's like renders and items. And so they log in and they see their full set of renders, and they can click through the items, and I give them a few days to digest it, and then we have a review.

[Caroline Burke]

So you let them look through it without you for a few days?

[Hema Prasad]

100%. Yeah.

[Caroline Burke]

I don't care. Yeah.

[Hema Prasad]

Okay. I think people need to absorb because it's like, I'm very conscious of most people's. I move through information really, really fast. That's the lawyer thing. They teach you to do that in law school. You know, like, you have large amounts of information that you have to move through quick and absorb and digest and then spit it back out. That's not something that everybody can do. People need time. People, especially if you're doing a renovation in a house they've lived in for a long time, they need time. Like, I try to send it on a Friday, and then they have all weekend to spiral about it, go through all the emotions. I don't want their first reaction ever, ever, because it's never honest. You know what I mean? Like, it's never. Even if they're like, I love it. No, you don't. So just take a minute. Or even if they're like, oh, my God, I hate it. I'm like, no, you don't. You don't hate it. You're just not used to it. So, like, spend some time with it. And then we reconvene, like, usually about a week later. They've gathered their thoughts, they've looked at it about 27 million times, and then we can have a less emotional conversation about what they like and what they don't like. It's way more productive that way.

[Caroline Burke]

What kind of feedback are you ideally looking for in that conversation?

[Hema Prasad]

Well, if they really hate something, I want to know. Right, right. Like, I'm looking for the extremes, for sure. Love it. Great. Not touching it. Hate it. Great. Redoing it. And then it's the in between, where I'm just like, well, I don't. Like. Sometimes they'll be like, I like. I don't love. Or, you know, and then that's a larger conversation. Okay, tell me what you like. Well, why don't you like it? Like, I really want them to just tell me. And I'm like, you're not gonna hurt my feelings, I promise. I reassure them every 10 minutes. Like, just tell me you're. I promise you're not gonna hurt my feelings. Because they're not. They're not saying they don't like me. They're just saying they don't like this light or whatever it is, and that's okay. They're entitled to not like it. So then we go back and we revise. We do around two. If I'm doing my job right, there's less revisions on round three. If I always tell them to upfront. I say this to every single client. Like, if we're getting. I want to reassure them. Like, if we're getting to round three and we're still not close. I'm not listening to you. That's. That's my problem. So I think that saying that helps them feel like they can tell me whatever they want because it's helping me. Me. They don't want to hurt me. And I'm, like, trying to make sure they know that whatever they don't like, it's helping me. Has.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Has the design ever felt personal to you? Have you ever felt like, oh, that.

[Caroline Burke]

That critique hurt a little bit, or how do you separate yourself from the work? Yeah. Okay, so it does secretly hurt your feelings?

[Hema Prasad]

Secretly, for sure. Up front, first. Okay. Like, at first. But then I'm like, Like, don't be ridiculous, Hema. Like, it's just a design. Because sometimes I send things and I'm like, oh, I love this so much. You know? Like, I do. I love it. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to love something else, too. Yeah, I love a lot of things.

[Caitlin Peterson]

What does success look like for you today?

[Caroline Burke]

Oh,

[Hema Prasad]

I thought about this because I knew you were going to ask me today. I think success looks like financially being able to provide for my family and the employees who rely on me and just make sure that, like, we're a very healthy financially, you know, company, whatever that means. And I'm always willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that we're, like, financially healthy. But I think for me personally, success looks like fulfillment. Like, I'm always chasing fulfillment creatively. I think I'm getting to a point now where I'd like to pursue again, more sort of creative endeavors outside of interior design, but linked, you know, linked to interior design. I like fulfillment in my work, and some of that is financially driven. Like, I'm not fulfilled if I I learned from styling. Like, while that work was fun and exciting and I love fashion and all these things, like I wasn't fulfilled because I wasn't making money. And then I had the reverse experience as an attorney. I was making great money, but the work itself was draining to me. So I think success looks like whatever that balance is of financial and creative balance. Success looks like balance.

[Caitlin Peterson]

That's our show for today. Thank you so much for listening. If you'd like to keep up with the latest design industry news, check out new products or browse job openings, head on over to businessofhome.com and if you're enjoying Trade Tales, please leave a review on Apple Podcast Podcast to help others discover the show.

[Caroline Burke]

If you have a note for the

[Caitlin Peterson]

show or a story of your own to share, I'd love to hear from you and you can email [e-mail] Trade Tales is produced by me, Kaitlyn Peterson and Caroline Burke. This episode was edited by Caroline Burke and Michael Castaneda. Our theme music is by Kyle Scott Wilson.

[Caroline Burke]

Thanks again for listening and I'll see

[Caitlin Peterson]

you back here next week.