Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeff Li. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jeff, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
My name is Jeff, and I’m the General Manager & Co-Founder at Hanna Li Interiors.
When my sister Hanna and I founded the studio in our early 20s, I was thrilled—but also terrified. I had left a high paying tech analyst role in New York City, and we were stepping into the world of high end interior design in Los Angeles, a space dominated by industry veterans with decades of experience. While my sister had already built an impressive roster of clients with direct industry experience & a robust undergrad in Furniture Design, I on the other hand, had never started a company, knew barely anyone in LA, and while Business School at Berkeley & subsequent firms gave me an resume on paper, applying these concepts in real life to build a company from scratch—is a whole different animal.
Imposter syndrome became a constant hum in my mind, making me question every decision and my place in the industry. I operated from a place a fear, and was a worry mouse all the time.
For at least the first five years, doubt would creep in with every big project. Were we too young? Did we really belong in these high-profile rooms, pitching designs to these clients, some of which were very well-known? The weight of expectations—both internal and external—challenged my confidence daily.
What helped me move past it was shifting my mindset. I stopped focusing on what I lacked and started valuing what we uniquely brought to the table: a fresh perspective, my ability to instantly connect with a wide variety of people, a deep passion for creating livable spaces, and how we’re able to truly listen to our clients and create a story. Experience is earned, not given, and every project became proof that we were more than capable. Mistake after mistake, lesson after lesson, I got better and more comfortable in my own skin.
I’m also not here to toot how easy that journey was. We lost a lot of money in the beginning due to all these trials & errors. But I also learned to reframe imposter syndrome as a sign of growth. Feeling uncomfortable meant I was pushing boundaries and evolving as a leader. Surrounding myself with mentors, celebrating small wins, and trusting my instincts helped me step into my role with confidence.
Now, 8 years later, that hum of doubt has faded. Instead, I hear the steady rhythm of experience, resilience, and the joy of doing what I love.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I came from a business background, whereas my sister Hanna was immersed in the creative arts. Therefore, we have a great left brain-right brain synergy that so many successful duos often share.
At Hanna Li Interiors, my role is relatively straight forward — lead the team on a singular mission to better people’s lives via their interior environment. Of course, there’s the more dissected day to day like sales, marketing, branding, etc. all the standard hats that start-up founders wear, but for me, being able to make an impact and actually see & “be inside” that impact when I go onsite to our projects, is really what keeps me going & never get tired.
Established in 2016, our studio has since served a clientele list of celebrity athletes, Grammy musicians, Hollywood actors, tech entrepreneurs, and top financiers. The studio’s work has been featured in Vogue, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, RUE, Veranda, Homes & Gardens, WSJ, Luxe, NBC, amongst others.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One, how to read the room, whether it’s in person, virtually, or even through the phone.
Two, be selective of the people you surround yourself with. You become them.
Third, no one does it alone. Find a team of people who believe in you, share your vision, and have the same values.
My advice to younger stars who’re early in their careers, is to find their design voice first. What sets their work apart from others, and it doesn’t always have to be the work product, it can be your personality, how you engage people, all of that is part of the overall experience, not just the design work.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Scaling & growth has always been a tricky one for me. As a service-based company, our growth is solely dependent on our manual work output. Thus, the big question is always this: can I do more with the existing team that I have, or do I need to hire more people if I want to grow, given that we’ve maxed out our work output at the current team size?
There are so many ways that you can improve efficiency and drive more output per capita, but of course, there’s certainly also a limit. Being able to gauge where that line is, is the key that I haven’t exactly grasped yet.
Finding the right people to join your team in the design world is also extremely hard, given the work itself isn’t always easily quantifiable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hannaliinteriors.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannali.interiors
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hannaliinteriors
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hanna-li-interiors-pasadena-2
Image Credits
Photographer: Jess Isaac & Sam Frost
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