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Every business has a story to tell.
LOCAL STORIES
December 19, 2023 at 7:29:37 PM
Making the difficult and expensive easy and affordable
Import your dreams
Published on:
December 19, 2023 at 7:29:37 PM
Ignite Business Insider shares the stories of businesses that are making an impact in their local markets. We highlight their stories in order to inspire entrepreneurial growth and to let readers learn more about businesses across the world that are growing and scaling.
Thank you for taking the time to sit with us and share your story. Can you share a little bit about you and your company?
After 20 years as owner of an interior design firm in Highland Park, I shifted my focus to the Merchandise Mart and owner of several kitchen showrooms in Luxe home for 10 years. When the Merchandise Mart sold and the momentum shifted with a recession, I was invited to fly overseas and research some products for importing. Following 8 years and many trips to discover sources and products that were difficult or unavailable with the projects I designed for years, I launched K10. We now can import and prefabricate a menu of products for any type of project.
A question so many people are interested in, is how you got started. Can you share a little bit about what you were doing before this, and what that moment was like for you when you decided to start this new journey?
Sorry if a little redundant but I was asked for advise based on my experience and found a world that would allow custom and standard items to be imported, import direct with no distribution network to reduce costs and offer excellent craftsmanship.
Let's take a little bit of a detour, and rewind the clock a little bit. What did you want to be as a kid? And how did that influence the person you are today?
Funny, I was an Iowa farmboy who spent my evenings behind a sketchpad...Until a senior in High school and an aptitude test I had never heard of Interior Design. I followed the test results through college and moved to Chicago upon graduation to pursue the career.
Have you fully let go of that childhood dream? And where do you see yourself going in the next ten years?
My childhood dream was to follow art and see where it takes me. I had no preconceived ideas. Ten years from now I enjoy painting, photography, and working with clients importing.
Now, I have found that with successful people, there is always someone pivotal as either a mentor, parent, teacher, or someone that you look to for advise, that helped set you on this path. Could you share who that person was? And what impact that had on the person you are today?
Being encouraged by my successful clients and showing their appreciation for my talents was always encouraging. Cant say it was a single person.
What was one take away that you learned from that person? And how did it translate into your business today?
Common among all of my clients, they all admit they are not experts in all aspects but they always suggest surrounding yourself with those that are.
When we work with businesses, we focus a lot on their "Why?". What is your "Why"? What is the driver behind your company, and why you and your team wake up each day and give it your all?
I love to create and generate solutions. I always told my designers a great design is one thing but if you don't understand how it is built you will never be able to design on budget or you will design an impossible item to create. Finding and creating product, the creative energy keeps me going 24/7
Let's dive deeper into your products and services. You already gave an overview, but how do your products or services help your customers? And what makes them different from your competitors?
My products are imported directly, utilizing a better labor rate for fabrication, eliminating the middleman fees, and offering custom design. I have the resources, contacts, personnel to supervise, and the shipping network to get the product to the project safely. I add my knowledge of fabrication and my experience of high-end interior design, and architecture. That makes a great cohesive relationship with my clients.
Let's unpack that even further. Let's pick one aspect of your business. What makes it so unique? And how does it change you or your customer's experience?
Architecture: I am now an exclusive importer for a high end window company that has exceptional design and minimal look. By providing this product we can supply a quality design and superior look and achieve budget requirements that otherwise could have been abandoned. I can save the designs desired for the projects without compromising the design or budget.
Let's dive into your customer's journey a little bit. Can you share with us, how do your customers discover you and your brand? What are their next steps? And what is the experience you would like to see your customers go on, when working with you and your brand?
I am networking myself through group architect and interior design networks. Currently, a designer and architect would submit their drawings and I can give them bids accordingly. The joy is when they start to see what we can do it opens their creativity. With a design background, I can make suggestions that may enhance their goals. I am only here to collaborate, its rewarding for both.
Let's rave about your customers for a minute. Can you share a story about one of your clients or customers, that either touched your heart, or made an impact with you and your team?
Finding our Horizontal electric windows on line a customer ordered and installed on their project on the East Coast. When her extensive project was complete and she would walk friends through she would always start by showing them the windows.....
Everyone likes an inside scoop. What detail or secret about either you, or your company, is something most people might not know?
No one would place me from bailing hay and cultivating fields to importing products. They say opposites attract, this could vouch for that. However, the creative problem-solving on a farm has been invaluable to me in developing this business.
Final thoughts. What feeling or benefits would you like your customers or clients to take away when working with you and your team?
I was able to get more than my dreams, product, and designs I never knew was available or possible. Enhancing my needs to a level I never imagined.
Last question. How can people find out more about you and your company?
Website, or email
I currently work on a referral basis.
Thank you so much for sitting with us and sharing your story.
Thank you, it has been a real pleasure and a journey I certainly never anticipated when I started my career voyage.
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Ignite Business Insider is on a mission to share the stories of entrepreneurs across the globe. We truly believe that business owners and entrepreneurs are driving the world's economy and making this world a better place to live and work. We would like to share your story.
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