IAM959- Principal Runs Residential Design Firm Based in Washington, DC

Tricia Huntley is the principal of Huntley & Co. Interior Design – an award-winning, boutique, residential design firm based in Washington, DC. Tricia received her master’s degree in interior design from George Washington University in DC and has worked in the industry for over 20 years. A natural aptitude and extensive work experience led to the launch of her own firm in 2006. However, it’s her Midwest upbringing with an ambitious father, conscientious mother, and three rambunctious (i.e. wild!) brothers to which Tricia credits much of her success.

• CEO Hack: Doing things on spreadsheets
• CEO Nugget: Trust the process, know where you are, lean on people and realize you're going to gain knowledge as you go
• CEO Defined: Being coach, the quarterback and cheerleader

Website: https://www.huntleyandcompany.com/

http://luxeandlucidblog.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huntleycodesign/

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Transcription

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[00:00:15.19] – Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

[00:00:42.60] – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Trisha Huntley of Huntley and Co Interior Design. Trisha, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:51.20] – Tricia Huntley

Thank you so much, Crash. I appreciate it. Happy to be here.

[00:00:53.79] – Gresham Harkless

Definitely. Super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Tricia so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Trisha is the principal of Huntley and Co Interior Design, an award-winning boutique residential design firm based in Washington, DC.

Trisha received her master's degree in interior design from Georgia Washington University in DC and has worked in the industry for over twenty years. A natural aptitude and extensive work experience led to the launch of her firm in two thousand six. And, however, it's her Midwest upbringing with an ambitious father, conscientious mother, and three rambunctious, aka, wild brothers to which Trisha credits much of her success. Trisha, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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[00:01:30.70] – Tricia Huntley

I am. Thanks.

[00:01:31.70] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So to kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit and hear a little bit more about how you got started. Could you take us through your CEO story? We'll let you get started with the business.

[00:01:39.90] – Tricia Huntley

Sure. So, all I've ever done is interior design. So, I graduated from college, and within a year of working, I decided I wanted to go to grad school for interior design. So I came to DC when I was twenty-five. I went to GW for my master's degree. And right away, I mean, right when I was graduating, my, mentor offered me a job right at my master's degree presentation. So right away, I was immersed in the design field here in DC. And I did work for many years for other people, which is a little bit unusual for my industry, which sounds strange, but it is. There are a lot of people who decide they wanna be a designer and they go hang a shingle out. But I did work for ten years for other people.

So I worked for a hospitality firm, BBGM, for a few years, and that's designing hotels. And that was a really good experience because it was sink or swim. You know, they just sort of throw you in it, and here's a six-hundred-room hotel. You've never done it before. Figure it out. That was a really good, learning experience. And I also had a couple of people who I worked there with who were great in that one of them I remember her saying to me, you know, don't ever come and just ask me for an answer. Try and figure it out on your own. And then if you can't, come with a very thoughtful question about how I need to answer that.

So I learned early on to problem solve on my own and to be a very thoughtful problem solver, just very good training for being a CEO later on. And then I also worked for, a small residential firm named Solis Bettencourt, which is located here in Washington DC, very high-end. And the exposure there was great because those gentlemen and still are just they just have so much integrity. And it showed me how to run a business, but always doing so with the utmost integrity. Gracious, thoughtful employers, and bosses, are extremely gracious with their clients. So that was also really important for me.

So after ten years, I decided to open up my firm in two thousand six. And it was interesting because if you may not even remember this, but that is just about when the great recession hit. I was probably working a year and just killing it and working crazy hours and then the recession hit and it took a while for it to catch up to me. There were a lot of people being affected sooner than I was. But it was just it was very interesting in that, you know, this high peak, and then suddenly the recession hits and then learning how to pivot and manage that, which is another thing you have to learn with being a CEO is highs and lows, they do happen.

[00:04:33.39] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That makes so much sense, and I appreciate you for sharing that with us. Because I think so many times, it even sounds I don't know if you would use this word, but sounds like you were, an entrepreneur in in those jobs. Because a lot of those things that you were talking about that you learned from those experiences being thrown in the deep end, so to speak, and having to have thoughtful questions and try out, what could potentially be the answer before it kinda prepared you from the ups and downs, the highs and lows that you said so well that happened in the business. I almost feel like it sounds like your experience in those ten years allowed you to be even better when you decided to put out your shingle.

[00:05:04.30] – Tricia Huntley

For sure. And that was part of my plan was that, you know, I sort of have a perfectionist side, and I just didn't want to be winging it. I just never understood that. I wanted to be the master of everything I could be a master of before I hung up my shingle because I wanted to produce and provide a quality product. And I wanted to have confidence in what I was doing. I knew that I wouldn't have an answer for everything, but I knew I would have an answer for a lot of things.

And I was confident enough to say, you know what? I don't know the answer to that right now, but we'll figure that out and we'll get back to you. Versus when you really don't know what you're doing and you're kinda you have this you have to come up with this whole sort of facade of I know what I'm talking about. I wanted to be very authentic.

[00:05:45.00] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That makes so much sense. And I feel like even at the heart of business and maybe in entrepreneurship, but definitely, business is mitigating risk, lowering the amount of, you know, risk that you're taking. I think one of the best ways to do that is to have that experience and knowledge, so that when you are making those decisions, you don't know everything, but you know as much of everything as you can get to so that you're able to make those calculated, risk.

[00:06:06.50] – Tricia Huntley

Absolutely. And that's an important thing in design because there's a lot of risk. You know, we're purchasing products that can be in the tens of thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars sometimes for clients. And if there's a mistake and it's your fault, you could end up owning that. And that if someone's maybe new to the business or doesn't have someone backing them, that could kill them immediately and also run their reputation.

[00:06:32.50] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah.

[00:06:33.30] – Tricia Huntley

So mitigating risk is a big thing for interior designers.

[00:06:37.00] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And so, I know I touched on a little bit when I read your bio and you did as well. Could you take us through a little bit more on what you do and how you serve the clients that you work with?

[00:06:46.00] – Tricia Huntley

Sure. So, this is something that you'll hear a lot when someone says high-end residential design firm, full-service design firm. So what that means in terms of full service is that we're creating a design. We are implementing the design, and so on the design. So we take it from the very beginning to the very end. So versus, like, consulting. Like, I don't just go to someone's house and they ask me questions. That's maybe what you would consider a consultation. For our firm, it's all about creating a concept and a vision that is based on the architecture of the home, where it is, the client's lifestyle probably their aesthetic. It's coming through our aesthetic, but it's sort of this formula, that generates a design.

And we present that to our clients and then we build budgets, you know, how much this is all gonna cost, what the timeline is gonna be. We present that to them. They approve it. They just approve it always the first time around. Often they do, but sometimes there are some revisions. And then we go about purchasing everything on behalf of our client and some of that's custom fabrication of things, you know, dealing with work rooms, furniture makers, etcetera. We purchase everything. We install, you know, one-time installation. There might be a little bit of you having to do wall covering and some other things first, but we install it so that it's just one installation. It's a big wow factor, and then the house is done, and then we complete the project.

So it's from beginning to end. We just wanna handle all of it for our clients. One is because we have the know-how on how to do that. You know, I've dealt with logistics. It's been a lot of logistics in my business, for a long time, and managing all of that, behind the scenes. And, you know, that's another thing is that with design and I'm sure a lot of businesses, the idea of doing everything with your client and everything being transparent and having them being part of the process.

And one of our points of why we're there, what we do is you don't have to you don't have to deal with all that stuff. Believe me. You do not want to be dealing with trucking companies who will reschedule three times, show up, not show up, or things that go wrong. We'll handle all of that behind the scenes, but when we see you, we're gonna give you a really pleasant experience. So that's a big part of a full-service design firm handling all that logistical stuff.

Because as much as we're trying to create a perfect product, it's a very imperfect process. You're dealing with a lot of different types of vendors, all sorts of levels, and managing that all behind the scenes and then delivering your project when you said you would. That's the trick. So I kind of like that part. I like that part of the puzzle. So I think being part type a and part b, type b is important for a designer. It's not all creative. That's like this much. And then this much is logistics.

[00:09:49.50] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Would you consider that to be what I call your secret sauce? This could be for yourself or your business or a combination of both. What do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique? Is it that ability to decipher and have those things come to fruition?

[00:10:01.50] – Tricia Huntley

That's probably my secret sauce for sure. I'm very sensitive and intuitive, but there's that Taipei part. So it's the ability to see sort of inside people and get the essence of who they are, but then being able to break it down into something that I can then create. That is the secret sauce of Trisha Huntley and Huntley and Company.

[00:10:26.60] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And so I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this might be an Apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:10:36.10] – Tricia Huntley

I don't know if this is a hack, but as a designer, people probably think it's strange, but I love a spreadsheet. Like, I could be doing spreadsheets all day long. That sounds very uncreative. But listen. If you don't understand something, just start breaking it down. You numbers, a schedule, Whatever it is, just get it down into something that's sort of organized, systemized. That's a big thing for me.

[00:11:04.70] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And so, you might have already touched on this as well too, but I want to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget, which is kind of a word of wisdom or piece of advice or something you might tell your younger business self. Is it a reminder that even though the things that you think that you're going to aren't in alignment with what you'll be doing, you know, ten years or whatever down the line, is that something that you would consider to be, like, your CEO nugget?

[00:11:25.20] – Tricia Huntley

Yeah. I would say that is my CEO nugget. I think there's there's a there's there's lots of nuggets. There I probably could give nuggets all day long. But one thing is to trust the process. You can't know everything at first, and it is intimidating. It's intimidating when you don't know everything. But trusting the process and realizing you're gonna gain the knowledge as you go, I think, is a big thing. And also just leaning on people. When it comes to things like you know, we didn't have a podcast when I started. We just had to call people up and ask them for coffee. So, asking lots of questions.

Also, I would say this is another big nugget know your place. Like, know where you are in the timeline. I say this to interns who are starting with me. Like, don't pretend that you're a CEO. Like, don't pretend you're a senior project manager. Sort of lean into the novice part of where you are in a timeline because that way people will be helpful to you. Just say I don't know, it's my first week. I don't know what I'm doing, but I wanna ask the right questions or, you know, maybe I don't know what questions to ask.

Can you help me make sure I get the information I need? I think that's very important for young people instead of trying to pretend you know everything because there's you're just gonna put up a wall then, and you're not gonna get the answers that you need for your career.

[00:12:48.70] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. That's huge. And I feel like that goes hand in hand with respecting the process, understanding the process, and maybe even loving the process. So if you aren't that senior project manager and you're the intern or whatever the title you might have, it's respecting that that's where you want to go and that's where you will be, you know if you put in the word, but this is where I'm at right now. And I think being present and understanding and enjoying that present moment is really, one of the best gifts that we have. And so many times we're trying to Zoom past it or Zoom before it, it seems like.

[00:13:16.10] – Tricia Huntley

Yeah. And there's something to be said for being, you know, new to the field and young and excited. I mean, the ambition and the passion and the joy, that it doesn't get used up, but you do have to start once you gain enough knowledge and experience something becomes a little bit more it's more of your life's work versus something that you're looking forward to. Like, don't don't leapfrog over that. That is such an amazing time. I mean, even when I was not sleeping and working such crazy hours, I mean, what excitement. That was it was an amazing time with everything ahead of me. So don't leapfrog over that. Just enjoy that learning experience and knowing everything in front of you.

[00:14:02.29] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And so, now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're open to different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So, Tricia, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:14:13.60] – Tricia Huntley

Being CEO is there's a lot to it. But in a nutshell, it's being a coach, quarterback, and cheerleader. That's kind of how I look at it. You're wearing lots of different hats, and it's a team effort, but you have to be all three of those roles, for your team, for your clients, just in the industry in general, knowing that you have to lead the team. You have a vision for the team. You are the one who's responsible for everything that's happening like the quarterback is. But then you also have to be the cheerleader who's always keeping everyone excited, giving them reasons to be part of your team. So I think that's how I look at it coach, quarterback, and cheerleader of a team.

[00:15:06.50] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I love that perspective and, you know, understanding the interchangeable roles and all the different aspects you kinda have to sometimes cover and how each of them helps the engine to run the team to move forward, so to speak. So, I truly appreciate that definition, and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know, and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and to find out about all the awesome things you and your team are working on.

[00:15:32.10] – Tricia Huntley

Sure. So, as you mentioned, my firm is Huntley and Company or Huntley and Co Interior Design. We're based in Washington DC, but we do work everywhere. We've done work, in New York, Florida, Charleston, Arizona, Minneapolis, London, and Switzerland. So that's been an exciting part of what I do. And you can find us at www.huntleyandcompany.com. Our, social media is at Huntley Co-design, but mostly on Instagram, so you can find us there. And I would love to hear from anybody in your audience who'd love to talk about design.

[00:16:09.89] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I truly appreciate that, Trisha. We will have the links and information in the show notes as well too so that everybody can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things that you're doing and the work that you're creating. But I appreciate you for the words of wisdom, the the work that you do as well, and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

[00:16:23.79] – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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