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How To Host A Successful Family Thanksgiving With Designer’s Brew Founder Brett McPherson
148 Plays2 years ago
Join us as we meet Brett, an Oklahoma native with over 17 years of professional styling experience and a design degree from Oklahoma State University. Discover how Brett's unique approach to design has earned her features in notable publications like Cowgirl Magazine, Architectural Digest, and more. This episode is a must-listen for those looking to add a touch of Western, Ag, or Rodeo charm to their spaces. Brett shares with us the secrets to hosting a successful family Thanksgiving. For a full episode transcript, visit our website at www.justinboots.com/en/kick-your-boots-up.html.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Background
00:00:02
Speaker
You're listening to the Kick Your Boots Up podcast, where we swap stories of the West. Whether you're just waking up or getting in for the day, come on in and kick your boots up. Hey everybody, and welcome back to the Kick Your Boots Up podcast. Thank you so much for listening week to week. This week's episode is a big one. There's a lot in store, but before we get into it, I've got to remind you to like, subscribe, leave us a review. Again, this sounds like a broken record, but
00:00:28
Speaker
We love listening to your feedback. We want to give you more and more of what you want to listen to and who you want to meet. So feel free to continue sharing your thoughts on the reviews. And without further ado, let's get started on this week's episode. None other than Brett McPherson from Oklahoma is the designer and founder of Designers Brew based in Oklahoma.
00:00:51
Speaker
And there's a lot in store here, but I've got to give you a little bit of background on this wonderful, wonderful woman. More than 17 years ago, she started her styling career and she has a design degree from Oklahoma State University. Go Pokes! I'm loyal and true to that as well. Of course, like I said, she's born and raised in Oklahoma, currently lives in Arcadia, Oklahoma right now.
00:01:10
Speaker
And she's always had the dream of owning her own interior design firm. So I know there's a lot of ladies out there that can relate to having a dream and a goal of owning your own whatever one day. So you'll have to hold on to every word she says. She's actually been featured in several publications across the US, including Cowgirl Magazine, Architectural Digest, Western Runway. She's been also on the Cowgirl Confessions podcast with Dakota Don Johnson. Shout out Dakota, love you lots.
00:01:40
Speaker
She's been featured in Rural Revival, and this is Oklahoma.
Balancing Work and Family Life
00:01:44
Speaker
Lots and lots and lots to talk about here, but really, the design is everything about who she is. She believes that injecting her soul into every project is the way to do it, whether it's home or office, and then design is a core part of who she is. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, meet Brett McPherson.
00:02:03
Speaker
Hi, everyone. I am so honored to be on. I was very taken away whenever you emailed. So thank you so much. I'm excited about today. Of course, Brett. Thank you again for being here. I know I saw that off camera, but I'm so appreciative of your time. And something that we should say early on is you're actually, I just learned this before we got started. You're actually on location at a house right now at a, you said a five day install.
00:02:28
Speaker
Yes. So I blocked off five days and I'll see how long it takes. But I am in Westlake, Texas. This is like a perfect clip of our life. So we left last Friday to go to a Martha Josie clinic for the weekend. So we were in Duncan, Oklahoma until Sunday. And then my husband
00:02:48
Speaker
shout out to him. He is like the best. He took all three of my kids back home. And then I left for there to come to Keller, Texas. And so we're staying here through the week. And then I'm packed through next weekend because I'm meeting him at another rodeo on Friday. So we are just that's just how we roll.
00:03:08
Speaker
Brad, I'm so inspired by you right there because currently right now I'm a stay-at-home dog mom or I'm not a stay-at-home, whoa, a single dog mom. My husband's out hunting and I am stressed and worried about one dog, just doing all of that. So kudos to you for relying on your husband and
00:03:25
Speaker
Being able to be like a, you know, a travel away life mom, but then also I'm sure your guys's roles, swift, very frequent, a switch very frequently. So, um, shout out to you guys. And I just got to ask, how do you do it? You know, balancing the crazy schedule and the constant changing and all the plans with, with the moving factors, the kids and animals and everything else to take care of.
00:03:44
Speaker
So I am a planner. I plan ahead, but I do have awesome helpers.
Career Journey and Education
00:03:50
Speaker
So I always tell everyone, you can do everything, but you can't do it alone. And so you can have big dreams and big goals and accomplish big things, but you have to have people behind you to help. So my husband is also an entrepreneur. He runs his own company. I run mine and we collaborate on a lot.
00:04:09
Speaker
So we have a lot of balls in motion. And then we have three kids. Their ages are four, six, and eight. And all three of them rodeo. And my husband has been teen ropes. And so it is just kind of crazy a lot of the time. But I'm also very protective of our time. And so we say no to a lot of things. We don't go to everything we get invited to. We miss a lot of the kid birthday parties, for instance.
00:04:37
Speaker
I mean, before we left last Friday, I packed for nine days in anticipation that it, I might not get to go home. And then I already pre-packed them for next weekend, but then we have an awesome nanny that comes and she picks our kids up from school. And then in, she doesn't always do this, like if I'm home, but she's helping like get dinner prepped before she leaves for the day. So Trey can come home, take care of the animals.
00:05:03
Speaker
And then he doesn't have to wear it like just we took that off his plate, you know, so it's just a team effort. It's a lot of communication and a lot of planning and
00:05:14
Speaker
It's a little bit crazy, but I tend to like it that way. Oh, yes. And I am just commending that all the way around. It seems like you guys have got it figured out. And when you don't, you still, you make game time decisions and it all works out anyway. So that's really cool. And I'm, I'm thankful that you shared a little bit more about your personal life. So we get to know a little bit more about you too. And I think that's really relatable. A lot of women out there have the same, you know, questions, concerns of like, how do you also be a super awesome boss babe and keep life and balance that the two so very
00:05:43
Speaker
Very, very good. And I guess I want to back up just a little bit to kind of get more into this interview part. Tell me about your degree and how hard you had to work to get there and everything, maybe even leading up to Oklahoma State and everything at Oklahoma State. Just talk about that a little bit. Did you always know that you wanted to be in design?
00:06:02
Speaker
I, I knew from the fifth grade on so very early. Um, I just, I had a small time in high school where I thought maybe not designed, maybe I want to do, um, be an attorney. So I went to work for an attorney and then I went to work at the courthouse for a while and I worked in the court clerk's office. And through that experience, I went to work for an attorney that he went to our church and
00:06:28
Speaker
I learned very quickly that that was not the lifestyle I wanted to live. And so I switched right back to design. So I had a small hiatus, but it's pretty much always been my plan.
00:06:42
Speaker
That is actually so relatable to me personally. Um, I wanted to be a news reporter and then I learned, whoa, I could never do that. Actually, I could never ask people about traumatic things that happen. So same with you law is very different from design, even though it might seem similar to some people talk about the differences there and how you made your decision.
00:07:01
Speaker
I don't really know what peaked my interest in law. It might have been just working at the courthouse. It might have been, I'm not sure where that little seed got planted for sure. I think I probably thought it could be a nice way to provide for my family, but it really just wasn't me. The attorney that I worked for, he did divorce and criminal law. And so I think specifically I,
00:07:30
Speaker
I think specifically working with those two particular types of law was, it just wasn't the lifestyle I wanted. So design, I chose Oklahoma State at the time they were in the top 10 rated schools for design interior design in the whole nation at the time that would have been in 2000. I went to college on a scholarship on a,
00:07:57
Speaker
academic scholarship. And so my first year I went to Southwestern. My dad was convinced that I should be a school teacher. I was raised in a household. My dad was a farmer and a rancher and my mom was a school teacher, which was a great childhood for me. And then he just really thought that's what I should do. And so after one year of school there, I was like, dad, this is
00:08:22
Speaker
I'm going to Oklahoma State. So then that is a four-year program. So I, you know, I squeezed four years into five in school. That was good. Yes, that's totally worth it. And I did the same thing. Exactly. It always takes us a little bit longer, right? You got to, you got to take time. I blame it on my dad because I'm like, if you would have let me do this my freshman year, then I would have, you know, I would have finished in four, but that little victory lap, I wouldn't give it back.
00:08:49
Speaker
without a doubt, and there's so many times I'm sure you do the same thing, like homecoming just happened not long ago. You want to go back and you think like, man, I should have enjoyed those times in college, no matter the college, of course, both of us was OSU, but yeah, you definitely want to, because at the time you think that you have responsibilities and adulting is hard, but then you go to the real world where actually it is hard. I was probably, I wouldn't trade this for anything, but
00:09:16
Speaker
College was a very stressful time for me because I did go on an academic scholarship, but everything outside of that I paid for. And so I had three jobs throughout college. And so I feel like I didn't really get to experience a lot of that because I was working like a lot. And when I wasn't working, I was in the design lab and.
00:09:39
Speaker
I wouldn't give that work ethic back for anything though. And there was no paved road for me at all. And my parents, they bought my books, they gave me about $400 a semester for books. And my dad always let us raise cattle and then
00:09:56
Speaker
that provided us with a vehicle. We sold our cattle and bought a vehicle when you're 16. So I had a car to drive, they paid for my insurance and my books and everything outside of that
Building a Design Career
00:10:06
Speaker
was on me. And so, I mean, that's a lot of waiting tables and a lot of, you know, working here and there to provide that. But, so college, I'm not saying I didn't have a lot of fun in college, but looking back, I'm like, I really don't know how I did all that.
00:10:23
Speaker
Oh yeah. And you know, it's, I'm actually really glad that you said this about the cows because that is the most Oklahoma thing. That's so relatable again, Brett. It's so crazy how much our lives are lining up because mine, our parents, we didn't have, it wasn't to save up for the car. It was to pay for your college, to pay for your education or whatever. And based on, you know, whatever scholarships didn't pay for. So, um, it was a huge relief to know that there is always a savings account until of course the money ran out at the end of your senior, you know, when you're like, okay,
00:10:52
Speaker
Okay, this is getting really hard. But anyways, yeah, it's just anyone out there. If you're ever wondering about what it's like to live in Oklahoma, that's exactly it. You just explained it, working all the time. I joke about it a lot with my parents, but they really were like the humble beginnings growing up and going through college and the beginning part of
00:11:14
Speaker
but becoming a career woman before that, before that happened. And so I just, I'm curious to know about your humble beginnings too. So tell us about your first few designs, maybe even outside of college, like you're now a big girl, you made it. What did you learn? What are you not going to do next time? Tell us about all that stuff. So I would say whenever you're starting out in design, I mean, right now I'm on a, I don't know, like a 6,000 square foot install and I had
00:11:43
Speaker
a very healthy budget to furnish this house, but it did not start there. So my first designs were, I mean, people would give me, you have to think this is 17 years ago, but I would take a job with like a $2,000 budget. And so if you gave me a $2,000 budget now, I would say, I'm so sorry, we're not quite a fit. But when you're first starting out,
00:12:06
Speaker
girl, I would take anything. If you trusted me to do your job, I would take anything and I would take it and I would stretch those pennies as far as I could. And I mean, I did that for a long time. It takes a lot of years to build up to the clientele that I have now. And I have worked hard at it, but it's great though. It's great. So people wanting to start out in design,
00:12:33
Speaker
It is not gravy for a lot of years, you know, and there are a lot of things that you have to do that you don't even like. Um, but it's not about you. It's about the client and what they like and what makes them sing and what they want. So, um, that part's kind of fun though. Oh yeah. And you're kind of, you have a front row seat into people's lives because if you're designing their houses, their offices, whatever it may be, that's where they spend most of their time. So do you ever feel the pressure there?
00:13:05
Speaker
feel the honor. I don't really feel it as pressure. I feel it as an honor that they've chosen me to really like get inside their head like really get to know them and learn what makes them tick in a way that they might not even know. I always say that design school should come with a psychology like minor because you are really
00:13:30
Speaker
If it's a business office, you're, you're kind of tapping into, okay, what makes you perform the best? Like, what is your surrounding saying about you? Um, I recently had two instances where I had older women, their husbands had passed away and they both moved from a dark
00:13:51
Speaker
I would say I will call it cozy, dark, cozy spaces. And we moved them into taller ceilings, light, bright, and airy. And in both of those cases, it has just turned on a light bulb for them. Like their depression has lessened. They're getting out more. They're just more active. And the space that you surround yourself is it's, it's important for your psyching for sure.
00:14:18
Speaker
Oh yeah, I'm so glad you kind of tied that together because I couldn't agree more. There's a lot of careers out there that like my sister is a cosmetologist, for instance, and your hair, your image says a lot about you. So I love that you tied that back into, you know, the design in the home because yeah, you can definitely have an impact on somebody's.
00:14:34
Speaker
life and world and headspace and you don't even realize it when you pick the color that you pick or the picture on the wall that you pick. I am just so intrigued by you. It seems like you're the Oklahoma version of Joanna Gaines. That's a huge compliment. You can take something and make it into, I don't know,
00:14:52
Speaker
Everyone out there, I encourage you to go look out at breadth social media because it just feels like you step into each person's situation, each person's livelihood, each person's story immediately through some of the designs that you've been able to do. So I'm curious as a storyteller myself, I know this wasn't a question that I had kind of talked to you about, but tell us a little bit about the storytelling side of it. Like you get to step into people's houses and now get to kind of narrate their story just based on what you've been given them with the interior design. So talk about that. That's got to be so fun.
00:15:22
Speaker
right? So are you kind o I kind of tell their stor Yeah. Okay, so I have a pe
00:15:34
Speaker
more often than not it kind of surprises people but the husbands are pushing for their wives to hire me like a lot of times a lot of times the husbands it surprises people but men like to have nice clothes cars homes you know as much as us women do and
00:15:54
Speaker
When I break it down, people are like, oh, but typically if women are really into interior design, they don't hire a designer, you know, they might appreciate it, but most of my women are more hands off than you would expect. So a lot of times that is the way it goes. But I have one particular case. Her husband was like, this is dumb. This is a waste of our money. Like I never met him through the whole process.
00:16:22
Speaker
And he was just like, do it. I don't care. Just, I don't want to hear about it. So it was kind of weird to work in their home, like knowing that. And then we got the home done and she said, okay, I want you to do the show, Cal barn. And I'm like, uh, does your husband know this? And he's, she says, I don't care. We're doing it. And I'm like, okay. So he was.
00:16:46
Speaker
not rude at all but he was not welcoming for us to be in his show cattle barn working but she's like this is where our clients come like they they don't need to come to a barn that looks like we don't have our act together you know like this is important for our business in our livelihood so against his wishes we did the show cattle barn and she has told me time and time again like
00:17:10
Speaker
he smiles when he enters that room, I mean I took all of their trophies and all of their banners for the last 20 years and we showcase them which it kind of might feel weird if you're doing that like promoting yourself, but for somebody else to come in and say you have something to be proud of like let's showcase this and it has just that that is one instance that it just made me feel good because it's like
00:17:37
Speaker
He didn't really know he wanted that, but he appreciated it when it was done. Oh yeah. And I know now that he's probably, I don't know, but I would imagine him talking to all of his buddies now, like, look at this statement piece that's now here, you know, um, based on everything that you did. So good for you. That's the, that's the way to do it. I mean, really, um, nobody really knows what they're, especially if they don't have the vision or the interest that you mentioned, you know, if they're hands off on their interior design stuff.
Thanksgiving Hosting Tips
00:18:01
Speaker
Um, that's so cool that you, you just nailed the head, the peg on the head and.
00:18:05
Speaker
Um, you, you got it done and, and now I'm sure they're telling all their friends about you and you're probably getting more clients just based on that story. So that is awesome. Um, and that kind of goes into my next few questions for you. I thought that you would be a perfect guest for this week's episode because it's, um, we're running on Thanksgiving and, um, what better way to.
00:18:24
Speaker
host a holiday event than to talk about the preparation beforehand. There's a lot of people out there, us ladies included, that host parties. It doesn't have to be Thanksgiving for your family, but it's maybe a friendsgiving or a Christmas thing or even New Year's going into the new year. I guess I'm curious. Tell us a few of your favorite things that are stables at your house or stables at your client's houses for Thanksgiving.
00:18:55
Speaker
Okay. I've struggled with this question because I'm like, how honest am I going to be? So I told you, I grew up in Western Oklahoma, like out on a farm ranch.
00:19:06
Speaker
And we're just not fancy people, you know, and we have our immediate family is 14. And so when we have extended family, I mean, we're feeding 45 to 60 people easy. That's like on my dad's side of the family, my mom's side, we could really have like 100, you know, if we're going to be entertaining. So
00:19:32
Speaker
the whole like beautiful tablescape with like the chairs and the linens, that's not a reality in the home where we celebrate Thanksgiving. And so I was contemplating this question and I'm like, I just think that we should talk about what's your style, what's your personality like, and maybe like three different ways, because it is a dream of mine.
00:19:54
Speaker
to have this beautiful tablescape, use the china that we got in our wedding. And I think it's important for my small children to grow up having those memories like, hey, this is a special occasion. So one thing that is important for my husband and I,
00:20:11
Speaker
we always get dressed for Thanksgiving dinner. We don't come in sweats, we honor the day in that way. I know that going to church casually dressed is totally acceptable and I am on board for that. But for us personally, we get dressed. We get dressed like we're going to church in the 80s. It's like that is our way to respect the church and we feel that about Thanksgiving.
00:20:37
Speaker
You can have paper plates, you can do whatever that makes your house sing, but I think preparing food in advance is so important to make the stress of that day less.
00:20:50
Speaker
Um, friend skimmings are so popular right now. So I am an advocate for the dollar store, five below family dollar. Like it's amazing what you can find there. So, you know, go get some candles. You can get dollar candles. You can get an expensive candlesticks.
00:21:11
Speaker
candles and like little pumpkins go a long way. Like if you don't have a lot of money to spend, go get the pumpkins that you put on your front porch, wash them off, put them down your table with some topiary candles, and it will look so cute. So you don't have to spend a lot of money for it to be cute. You know, even if you're going to get like the basic paper plates, go get fancy cute napkins, you know, go to TJ Maxx, their home goods, you don't have to spend a ton of money, but you just
00:21:41
Speaker
You can't make it, I think it's so important not to make it such a stressful day. And some people are very concerned that their house is all put together for people to come over. Nobody cares. Like we're all just living, like getting by day to day. I mean, nobody is gonna judge you for that. So just open up your doors, have people come in and just make it about congregation and don't stress about the small stuff.
00:22:09
Speaker
I don't know if that's very Joanna Gaines advice, but that's my advice. Well, you're the Oklahoma version, so it's the best. And yes, say it for the people in the back. I'm so happy that you said that and that you were real about it. There are so many people out there, myself included, my family included, that we're just focused on the people because we don't get to get all together very often. That's what it's about. Yes. And so even gratitude, you know, like have gratitude, be thankful those people are there and
00:22:38
Speaker
Nothing else matters.
00:22:40
Speaker
Yes, girl. No, that's that I completely agree, especially I'm so glad you brought in the TJ max and the home good stuff. I was just there the other day and was like, do I really want to spend $4 on these cute little napkins? And then I was like, $4. Yes, I do. Let's do this. Um, I really love that. And I guess I got to ask you then too, because you said that you have a bigger family naturally just with your immediate family. Um, so would you do anything different for like a big family versus a small family? Is there, is there anything that you could talk on there in terms of like,
00:23:09
Speaker
I know that you'll relate to this too since rehab is a very relatable upbringing, but whenever the family does come over, you start pulling chairs from everywhere. You pull them from the shed, they're folding. It doesn't really matter what they look like. So I guess tell us a little bit about your opinion there, small family versus big family, things you would change, stuff like that.
00:23:29
Speaker
So if I were entertaining just for my personal family, like I said, I would probably have a more beautiful tablescape. And, you know, I would, I would focus more on what that looked like. But when we have our whole family, it is like BYOC. Okay. Like bring your own chair. Okay. Like we don't have enough chairs for all of you. And that is the actual truth. I mean, we might have, we did it in our barn alleyway one year and we literally,
00:23:59
Speaker
said bring tables bring chairs we're going to pop them up and then I had like cheap tablecloths oh another tip is to go to party city because even though they don't cost a lot you can just get orange or
00:24:12
Speaker
brown or whatever you want to do, like solid paper plates with matching plastic silverware. It just kind of, it doesn't really cost more, but it just looks prettier. So if you did that with some TJ Maxx cute napkins, it's like, oh, this is cute. And you didn't spend a lot of money.
00:24:31
Speaker
I am just a wing it girl, I just I don't over plan, I don't ever think I'm always I always have this dream of this beautiful friends giving and I like rent the pretty chairs and the tables and the land ends and all the things that maybe I'll do that someday, but it is not going to be while my kids are 4, 6 and 8 because there's just not time for that. Oh no, you guys are rodeo and you're here, they're everywhere.
00:24:55
Speaker
i mean i'm at the point in life i'm like where can i order a turkey i don't have time to cook a turkey you know what that's actually we're going to talk about that a little bit too since you brought that up it's actually becoming a thing now to have maybe a non-traditional thanksgiving i know a lot of families out there are having like multiple thanksgiving dinners you got to go to his side her side all the things
00:25:15
Speaker
Um, and so a lot of people now are even doing like, um, um, a Mexican themed Thanksgiving or a Italian dinner. And so I love that too, the flexibility there. Um, and I feel like you mentioned winging it. I feel like that's kind of what you have to do when you're in a creative space, when you, when you're given something, like you're given these four walls and then told to run.
00:25:35
Speaker
So I guess, but as we tie up the whole Thanksgiving questionnaire, what's your number one best piece of advice to leave us on in terms of for Thanksgiving? The one thing that if nothing else works, when all else fails, this is what you need to remember for Thanksgiving. What would it be? Enjoy one another. That's good. Just enjoy your company.
00:25:58
Speaker
Yeah. But I don't think you can have Thanksgiving without stepping. That's just me personally. My mom's is the best. I don't care who you are. Is it homemade or is it out of a box? Oh, nothing my mom does is out of a box. I mean, not even her mac and cheese. So I am all for flexibility. It's not really about the food, but I also, my dad, my dad, one year we did have like a Mexican themed Christmas dinner.
00:26:27
Speaker
He was salty about it. Okay. He's like, um, no, I get turkey and breath thing twice a year. And me that this was a miss. And so, um, I'm all for it's not about the food, but I do think it's worth that extra effort. And even if you don't love the kitchen, just creating those memories. And I do love tradition and.
00:26:52
Speaker
I just think it's, you can make your own tradition, whatever that looks like for you, but just gather, enjoy one another's company. And if it makes it too stressful to do all that, just don't. I mean, a couple of years ago, we went to my mother-in-law's and she does not enjoy cooking. And she called, I think it was one of the grocery stores in Dallas, but you could order like the whole Thanksgiving dinner for like 200 bucks.
00:27:21
Speaker
And it was great. I mean, we still got all of the things, like nobody stressed about cooking. It was kind of nice actually, but we still had traditional Thanksgiving dinner and she didn't do something she hated and lived in the kitchen. And my mom's different, you know, she, she's like cooking for a month ahead and freezing it. So it's just like easy and done. And, um, I would say, just don't fight who you are and just don't, don't overthink it. Don't stress.
00:27:49
Speaker
So well said. And your obsession with stuffing is so, um, agreeable. I mean, it's probably one of those controversial topics actually, actually, cause people either love it or hate it, but around our household, um, our aunt Stacy, I've got to give her a shout out to, um, she always makes or made growing up, um, like a sweet potato casserole. And so as now that my sister and I are, you know, older, we have, my sister has her own kids. We're just able to start contributing to dinner. I've kind of made it like, okay, I I'm going to make aunt Stacy's sweet potato casserole. And last year,
00:28:19
Speaker
I bombed it and my sister called me out. So that's when you say, when you talk about the seriousness of the stuffing, it's so true. You might need to practice ahead a little bit. If you're going to, if you're taking a dish that important, you're going to need to do some test trial runs. Okay. Because you just, you can't disappoint on that day.
00:28:38
Speaker
Well said, I couldn't agree more. You know, I'm going to be testing it out and trying all the things before we even get to Thanksgiving. I'll be sick of it before it even starts, but that's okay. Everyone else will love it. So I can't talk to you or I can't not talk to you or talk to you and not mention Designers Brew and your business.
Business Philosophy and Financial Advice
00:28:54
Speaker
I mean, anyone who's followed you for a while understands how much love and
00:29:00
Speaker
I would say joy and passion you put into every project. In the beginning, tell us about the scope of your business and what you get to do every day and what it all entails for everyone out there listening. My assistant will tell you, Britton Wallace is my assistant. She's great. She says, I love my job because we never do the same thing two days in a row. It is always different.
00:29:29
Speaker
And I love that it really depends what stage of the process, because we a lot of people think that we just kind of pick out furniture and wall color. And that is probably or i've had assistance come on board and they think that we just do installs all the time. Well, that is not the case, like when you come down to an install i've been working on that project more than likely for two years or more.
00:29:53
Speaker
And it's like, what, like how? But people come to me before they ever have floor plans. And I work with them through what's important to you. How does your laundry room function? How does your office function? How does your, you know, bedroom situation function? And so I'm really getting to know them before we've ever put a floor plan on paper.
00:30:14
Speaker
to help that lifestyle that works well for them flow. And you know what's important for a kids area, what's important for an office, like all of those different things. I'm just like asking questions that they're like, why are you asking me that? And so we work to get the floor plan perfected.
00:30:33
Speaker
And then through a lot of times I'm in the process of helping pick their builder, or in this particular case I just do all of this builder stuff here in Texas and he's great and we just work well together. So, but that's not always the case, but.
00:30:50
Speaker
I'm here from floor plan stage through the entire selection process through building through all of the furnishing stage. And I really, I used to do a lot of new construction that I didn't furnish the homes, but I really love to see a project through the very end, like through drape install, bedding down to every last detail. So I really try and not take projects that I don't get to see all the way through. So.
00:31:19
Speaker
I love that part, that last final part, because if you don't finish that part, it's just not done. Yeah. And I can really tell that that's really your signature. I would say your secret sauce. Um, it's something that you definitely pour yourself into and the little finishing touches. I mean, literally that you've been able to picture from the very beginning, they do pay off in the end. It does make the look more finished.
00:31:43
Speaker
But I'm curious too, because I remember you saying during college, you worked so hard, three jobs, you got yourself through it. And then whenever you graduated, you got to start your own business and all that stuff. So tell us about how you started your business. Because a lot of us listening out there are just right there in that stage where we're either trying to buy homes or about to buy homes, starting our own businesses. We've maybe worked in corporate a while and now we're ready to go on our own. Just tell us about your best advice and how you did it there.
00:32:11
Speaker
Um, I would say, um, if you've ever listened to my podcast, you've heard me say it before, but just don't live above your means. Um, don't drive a fancy car. Don't overcommit to a house. Just, just don't live above your means because I took a job out of college and this was a long time ago. This was in 2005 and I was making well over a hundred thousand a year.
00:32:41
Speaker
selling houses. And I was good at selling houses, but I didn't like it. I mean, I did not like it. And I just knew I could make really good money. But that doesn't mean that I would love what I did. And I just, I felt like I was selling my soul every day that I went to work and hated my job. I mean, life's just too short for that. So
00:33:03
Speaker
I just, I had bought a house, but I bought a very affordable house. And whenever I bought the house, I had a new car. It wasn't a fancy car, but I had a new car. I had a house payment and I had a Chihuahua. And whenever I made those choices, I knew someday I wanted to quit and do my own design thing. And so
00:33:24
Speaker
I always kept my balance sheet to where if I had to go away tables again, like I did through college, I could make my bills. And so that's what I did. I went to work at the Lazy E and the Cantina and I worked there for events.
00:33:38
Speaker
And it was the perfect gig to start your own business. Cause I could work nine to five Monday through Friday. And then I could go and work up in the Cantina like Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Um, and I still to this day, I'm like, go work at the Cantina because you can make some really good money. So I could go and work there two weekends a month and pay all my bills and then just focus on growing the business.
00:34:07
Speaker
And I just, I think you need a backup plan to do that, like to jump off and just totally commit to, you know, your business and just give it, give it your all. I think you have to financially know you can make it, you know, but I think I probably did that for two or three years. And then I was able to give that up, but just make smart financial decisions because you are, you are not going to make it overnight. So that's my advice.
00:34:37
Speaker
I am in awe of your advice and so appreciative because finances are a big part of it and they're a big part of everything right now. I mean, interest rates are just soaring out of the roof when it comes to purchasing a home and everything, it just seems to be going up. Everything with inflation is just getting more and more expensive. So I know that's a big topic right now, especially for us young ones that are just trying to get started, you know, twenties, thirties, forties, even with houses and careers and
00:35:05
Speaker
All of that. So thank you for taking the time to pour yourself into that answer, because I think that was really big and a bunch of us are able to get more from that. But I'm genuinely curious. I know we're almost out of time, but I got to have some fun too. So I'd love to know, have you ever designed for anyone famous? And if you haven't, who would you like to design for? I wouldn't say I've designed for anyone famous.
00:35:32
Speaker
I did get a fun call, but it didn't go anywhere. Co wetzles manager called me to do his house and I was like, his real estate agent connected us and it didn't end up going anywhere. And I just prayed about that because Cohen, I don't really see eye to eye on a lot of like, you know, parts of life. And so I'm like, God, if this is your will, let it be done. But it didn't. So anyway, that's totally fine. But that was kind of fun to get that phone call. Um, so no, I haven't overdone anyone. I would, uh, no.
00:36:02
Speaker
I did someone that owned a really large restaurant chain and it was kind of silly. Like they kept his identity secret.
00:36:13
Speaker
It was kind of dumb. And I was like, okay, you just owns a restaurant chain. Like it's not like it's Garth Brooks or something. So, so no, I haven't yet, but I, I do believe I will someday. I definitely too. And I'm cheering for you in that direction. Who do you think, I mean, one thing that I always did as a dreamer, you know, as a little girl, I'd be like, I'm gonna, if I don't become a celebrity, I'm going to drive the bus for someone that's famous or something like that. You know? So who is your, who is your like?
00:36:39
Speaker
dream like tomorrow if they called you would do it and love it and you guys would just vibe really well your styles would mesh. Who would that be? Would that be like a Miranda Lambert type? A Carrie Underwood? Someone different? Oh so I'm gonna kind of take it a different direction but I really think that Reed Drummond and I could have a lot of fun together. I think that I just think that we would
00:37:04
Speaker
have a blast and whoever she uses for her design does a great job like I don't know who she's using but I'm like
00:37:12
Speaker
Y'all are doing great. You're killing it. But, um, I do think that we would have a lot of fun together. Obviously George straight. I mean, George and I, we could totally make some cool things happen. We'll get his life involved. And like, I just think that that would be obviously a bucket list item for sure. Um, but some of these, you know, red, red dirt guys up and coming and, um, I mean, Trevor Brazil, that would be cool.
00:37:42
Speaker
That would be really, really cool. Dale Brisby, I'm like, Dale, I've seen your studio. Let's like, let's up that a little bit. We can do better, you know? Like Dale, it just fits his persona though, you know? You can hear those people that I'm not really a fame person. I'm not just, that doesn't really get me giddy, but those people I listed, I'm like, I know we would get along.
00:38:09
Speaker
And you listed real people too. That's what I am learning about you, that your personality just goes along. I mean, we got to go back to Ree Drummond, the pioneer woman for those of you out there that aren't familiar. Us Oakies were like, yes, Ree. And it's really cool now being in Texas, having everyone that's like, oh yeah, I went to Pawhuska the other day. And I'm like, yes, you did. That's my backyard. And so yeah, I really agree with you there. I think.
00:38:30
Speaker
So kind of going back to the beginning when I talked about telling people's story, I think Ree is a perfect example of like telling a story through interior design. She creates like this homey mommy feeling. And I think I agree. You'd be really good at that. So if anyone is listening with any of the people that she mentioned, if you're listening out there, please call her.
00:38:52
Speaker
And speaking of that, where can people find you? Tell us all your social channels, your website. How can they get to follow your story more? All of it. Plug yourself away right here. Okay. So it is simple. We keep it simple. It's designer sprue. So Instagram and Facebook are our most common channels. I just don't have time to keep up with all of them. So Instagram and Facebook are really our two babies. So designer sprue is our handle on both of those.
00:39:22
Speaker
that's designers with an S. And then our website is just designersbrew.com. So you can find us any of those ways. We just launched a private furniture line. And so you'll see lots of kinks being worked out of our website. I'm starting that business from the ground up simultaneously, which has been so fun.
00:39:46
Speaker
I'm so excited. I'm just going to throw this out there. We just learned today that one of our custom Ottoman designs, I think it's slick by design is what we named that one, is going to the NFR and it's going to be in the bloomer trailer booth. So if you're going to Vegas,
00:40:04
Speaker
go by the bloomer trailer booth and you'll see one of our brand new pieces it's got like this custom. cactus design, all the way around it is so fabulous in person, so i'm that's one of our partnerships that we did it was a collaboration design with Riley at savannah sevens and.
Exciting Projects and Collaborations
00:40:23
Speaker
Um, I'm super excited about that. So if you're going, go see the bloomer boost. I can't wait. You know, I'll be texting you pictures too. I'm so excited to go see it in person. And, um, well, I was going to say something else too, because, um, speaking of that, you have the opportunity to do all kinds of things with furniture too. And I think people need to understand that too. Like, so for instance, I fell in love with, I mean, naturally since we're a boot company, I love boots. I fell in love with your bar stools that have the like boot bug on the back.
00:40:53
Speaker
I think that was such a good western touch, so keep doing that. That's awesome. I think that was also part of Savannah Sevens too, wasn't it? Yeah, see, there's just all kinds of cool stuff, and so you're not just interior design. You also get to have really big parts of the conception, like you said, of the house building and the floor plans and everything that's working functionality-wise, but then also you have the opportunity, if you work with Brett, to have
00:41:16
Speaker
that collaboration of designing a new whatever that one, whatever you need, whatever you want it to be. So that's very, very cool. Brett, I am so in awe of you. I'm so in awe of everything that you do in the industry. And I cannot say thank you enough for being on this podcast and taking the time out of your busy day that you've set aside to finish this, this install. So thank you again so much.
00:41:38
Speaker
Thank you for having me. It really means a lot. Thank you. Thanks for joining us on Kick Your Boots Up. I'm your host, Taylor McAdams, and we can't wait to share the next story of the West. Until then, feel free to like, subscribe, and leave us a review. Follow us on social media at Just In Boots to keep up with our next episode. And we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up.