We were lucky to catch up with Marissa Brehm recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Marissa, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
The biggest risk I have taken in my life has definitely been the decision to start my own interior design business. I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2016 with a major in Interior Design and got my start at a commercial design firm and worked there (located in Des Moines, IA) for about 4 years. My husband and I started to have the discussion of moving back to eastern Iowa to be closer to family, so I found a remote design job that would give me the flexibility to move home without having to worry about finding a job when we did so.
Fast forward a few months, we bought our first house in eastern Iowa right when COVID hit. Because of COVID, the remote job I just started, that company started to lose work because of the impacts Covid was having on the industry. They told me it would probably be best to find a different job. I was unemployed for a few months and came across a custom cabinet company in my area that was looking for designers. It was definitely meant to be because I always wanted to be a well-rounded designer and learn about all the different aspects of the industry, so I was excited to gain an expertise in cabinet design. After about a year of working there I was yearning for flexibility in my work life again. I kept dreaming of starting my own business, so I reached out to my past employer to see if they needed me, and they did! I worked for them as an independent contractor while deciding to start up my own design business on the side. I knew it was the right time because of the flexibility I would have. I also wanted to feel out our area to see if interior design would be of interest to people. And to my happy surprise – it was! There weren’t a lot of designers in my area at the time, so people were intrigued at the concept, and I was starting to gain clients of my own and then word spread from there. It helps being in a tight nit community. People will advertise for you if you do good work and show them the value you can provide to them.
After launching my business, and working part time as an independent contractor, I had a feeling hit me in the beginning of 2022, that this was my time to go all in on my business and go full time with it. I gave a couple weeks’ notice to my boss for my remote job. April 28, 2022 was my last day with them. I was so excited to go full time with Ember on April 29th. However, my excitement didn’t last long. Our lives took a turn for the worst when my mom was diagnosed with cancer on April 29th.
I believe that timing is everything, and that God was telling me to take that leap of faith so I would truly have the flexibility to be there for my mom and dad during that difficult time. She passed away 1.5 years later on July 13th of 2023. Looking back, I’m so grateful I took that risk and went full time for myself because I was able to help be one of my mom’s caretakers and never have to worry about a deadline for my boss, or my coworkers. No one was relying on me except for myself.
Don’t get me wrong, because of the emotional trauma I went through for those years as she battled cancer, I was not productive. I mentally couldn’t pour my whole heart into my business because I could only focus on her and my dad and what they were going through. My husband was also so supportive of me taking as much time as I needed to focus on them and to be there for them. He constantly reassured me that we are lucky I am in the position I was because family is most important.
Looking back, I wouldn’t do anything differently – to moving away from a steady job, to working remote, to having to find a new job that wasn’t necessarily in my plan but decided to make the most of it. It all has made me the designer I am today and most importantly the resilient person I am today.
Just like a quote I once read, “I’ll take risk over regret any day.”
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My husband and I launched Ember in December of 2020 because we always had a dream to start a design business together as we both have a creative background. Marissa graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in Interior Design. Ethan graduated from Iowa State University with a double major in Industrial Technology and Ag Systems Technology.
Marissa grew up rearranging her parents’ furniture weekly and redecorated as much as she was allowed 🤪 After taking a design course in college, she knew it was her calling.
Ethan grew up watching and learning from his dad who is a wood carpenter and specializes in custom cabinetry.
We always loved the thought of being entrepreneurs and working together to create cool but functional design solutions for people in our community and surrounding areas.
Marissa is the face of Ember as the head designer with over 8 years of experience. Ethan helps behind the scenes on top of his full-time job as a design engineer.
Our mission is to educate people on the importance of design, which is not just the aesthetics but the functionality of a space as well. We want to share great design with our community by making the process as smooth and fun as possible.
We recently launched our website and are so excited to share our work with the world and meet new people along the way 🙂
www.ember-designs.com
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’d say communication/people skills, sales and time management. Every day I am working with all different types of people, whether they are my clients or trades in the industry. It’s important for me to communicate effectively with all different kinds of people and personalities since my job is to make people happy in the end.
Sales was helpful to learn about in school because I am creating designs from scratch and I have to ‘sell’ my design ideas to people and explain why they should move forward with them. Sales doesn’t always mean you are selling something tangible. Design is intangible until they start seeing the final result. And when they see the final result, you want them to be excited about it.
Time management is huge as well because right out of school, with every job I have had, I have been juggling several projects at a time. There’s been times I’ve had over 10 active projects. Being organized plays a big role in this industry.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is someone who is open minded and trusting in the design process. Without that mindset, it is hard to have a successful outcome in the end.
If someone is indecisive or looking to other people for approval during the design process, they shouldn’t have necessarily hired me in the first place. Getting too many outside opinions can make them more overwhelmed and steer them in the wrong direction. And when they get overwhelmed and make changes, they won’t always be happy with the end result because it’s not usually what they truly wanted in the first place. I see a lot of times people will make decisions based on what others think is the right thing to do instead of hanging in there with me who took the time to listen to their specific wants and needs and understanding their style from the beginning. Every one is different so of course people will have different opinions on aesthetics. But when it comes to someone’s home, I try to ensure the client that it is important that they love it in the end. And not try to please others necessarily.
That’s why my designs are specifically curated for each client, how they function within their space, while incorporating their desired aesthetic as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ember-designs.com
- Instagram: emberdesigns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEmberDesigns
Image Credits
Abbie Leigh Films
Michelle Lee Imagery
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
