We recently connected with Robin Burrill and have shared our conversation below.
Robin, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I always knew what I liked to do, but that didn’t always drive my professional decisions. Early on in my career, when I was working for my most demanding boss, it was my mission to excel. I didn’t take things personally. I just got things done. Often, though, there were things I got done just because someone had to do them. I felt an enormous sense of accountability to my team. It was good work, and I’m proud of my work ethic—but the fire under me wasn’t my passion, it was my integrity.
Fast forward to when I met my husband, Rob Mathews, and we started working together in our remodeling firm. I was able to grow a whole line of service. Everything interior design-related, I took responsibility for. I was able to apply what I had studied and keep myself accountable to what needed to be done for our business, not for someone else’s.
Still, my passion was driving me more those days, but it wasn’t the only force. A huge amount of every day was still taken up with what simply had to be done. We were running a business that doubled year-over-year several times, and there was a lot to take care of.
It was when our company grew to a point that I had a design staff under me that things started to change. I had the support I needed to get out of some of the day-to-day. I was starting to see my own passion more clearly. It was always there, but the never-ending list of what had to be done came first.
Five years ago, we rebranded our firm. We had a new name and three new devoted lines of service. As Rob and I worked on the new brand, I thought back to the best relationships we’d ever had with our top clients. We wanted more clients like them, which was primary reason behind the rebrand. I asked myself: what was it about those relationships that I liked the most? What was it about those projects that I found so fulfilling?
The answer was almost instant. It was when clients told us how they felt so guided, so taken by the hand, so cared for every step of the way…that’s what filled me with pride. That’s what I loved. That was my purpose. I was there to accompany them to every showroom. I was there to help them visualize every selection. I was there to ask the questions they never thought to so we could design something that transformed their quality of life, according to THEIR lifestyle.
We’ve continued to grow our business out of that vision. We are the firm that guides clients every step of the way. We make it simple. We handle all the orders, the scheduling, the subcontractors. We help them put their dreams into words, and then into renderings, and then into the real thing.
I asked myself a simple question to get to the heart of my purpose. I asked what I got out of those top projects. I’m certain that others can do the same. Think about your best clients, and ask what it is you like most about serving them. The answer is probably your purpose!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m the CEO and Principal Designer of luxury renovation firm Signature Home Services. We’re a big enough business that I have a design staff working with me, but my husband Rob Mathews and I are still involved enough that I get to help clients directly with design.
The opportunity to educate clients is never-ending, and I LOVE it. The size of someone’s hand changes which cabinet hardware they might like. A morning routine dictates how a bathroom is laid out. If someone hates cleaning, there are tile selections that are better than others. If someone needs a little more of the outdoors inside with them but doesn’t know how to achieve it, there are more options than it seems!
I’m a HUGE advocate of timeless design. I try to recommend going light on “trendy” selections. Therefore, I am not an interior designer that talks endlessly about trends…I educate about functionality. I walk clients through a showroom of toilet seats and have them sit down to see which feels best! There are so many details that make the difference in our day-to-day…and when they come together in the perfect space, a house becomes a home, and home becomes absolute heaven.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. I am sincerely curious about people. I ask questions, usually direct ones. I learn about people and remember what they tell me. This type of interpersonalibility has helped me guide clients toward truly spectacular decisions around how they use and design their spaces. I advise other designers now to be a little daring with their questions. Don’t use canned questionnaires, and don’t be shy. Ask sincerely, show interest, and show respect. The questions will go down easier that way, and you can get real information that truly allows you to connect!
2. Another value that definitely shaped my skills is my value of timeless design. I open Instagram and I see so much content about trends…it’s fun to check trends out, I agree. However, trends can make spaces look dated so fast that they only make sense if someone TRULY considers a trend their “forever favorite” or if they invest in trendy stuff that can be switched out easily, like throw pillows or small furniture. Because of my strong feelings about timeless design, my area of knowledge in interior design focuses mostly on the practical use of selections. Yes, I know what finishes and materials and styles are trending. But I can also look at a single selection and talk you through every detail…what will be easy to upkeep later, what will be comfortable to use, what will add value to your day-to-day…and THAT is what I believe the most successful designers focus on!!
3. Designers are judged a little by how they dress. It looks odd if someone doesn’t match garments well and that same professional is charging thousands to design a space!! My fashion style has always come naturally to me. I am DEFINITELY someone with my own unique look. I love pink! I love sparkles and sequins! I have never been shy about my style, even in my own personal décor preferences. Clients know that I have personal preferences but that I work with them to uncover theirs. Anyone who hasn’t defined their own style, I suggest you let loose! People feel more comfortable talking about their style if they see you daringly apply yours!
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
For starters, I don’t like the word “overwhelmed.” I do feel the pressure sometimes. I do get frustrated. Sometimes, it is a lot. But I am NEVER bowled over. That, to me, is being overwhelmed. A wave of life comes crashing in and you lose yourself. I don’t let that happen! When I feel the pressure, my response is to act. The problem is, sometimes my action instinct is too REactive…
For example, maybe I’m looking at cash flow and thinking about leads we had a month ago that we could have reached out to again…but last week.
Maybe I’m trying to get through one day without a staff member doing something where a step was missed and I’m needed to clean it up.
Or maybe everything in my personal life — from my cancer to my mom’s cancer to my dad’s, to Rob’s near-death accident falling off a roof — has pushed me to the edge of not thinking about work at all.
My instinct is always to do something. I jump immediately into some action that I can take. I do think this is a good strategy in general terms, because we can’t change the past…I won’t yell at someone to demand “why did you do that?” I’ll look them square in the eyes and ask, “what are you going to do now?”
Sometimes, though, my action comes without taking a breath to make sure my action still moves me toward big-picture goals. If I see something that needs to be fixed in a process my staff is following, hammering out a detailed step-by-step in frustration that very minute isn’t always the solution. Maybe there’s training that needs to be done. Maybe I need to delegate the management of the process to someone else. There are other actions that make more sense, that fix and grow simultaneously. I tell you now, take action, but also take a split second to ensure it’s an action that moves you forward in a bigger way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.signaturehomeservices.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robin.burrill/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1132747927183953
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rburrill/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@signature.home.services
- Other: https://www.guildquality.com/pro/Signature-Home-Services
Image Credits
Gary Logan Photography
