We were lucky to catch up with Ashleigh Miranda recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ashleigh, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
The ability to take a risk has been a lifelong work-in-progress for me, and is still something that I actively work on. I think as humans, it is in our nature to want to seek shelter and safety, and that means staying within the realm of certainty. However, if you always do what you have always done, you’ll always get what you have always gotten, and I think my fear of not living to my fullest potential superseded my need for safety and stability. I am truly haunted by the idea that I could have had or been so much more if I just took a chance on myself. So after years of staying in my comfort zone, I decided that it was time that I gave myself the chance to make the effort to make my dreams come true!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Of course, I am the principal Interior designer and owner of AYM Interiors. I specialize in commercial and residential interior design. I love what I do, because our environments truly impact our ability to think clearly, act rationally, and ultimately be well. I am passionate about creating environments that my clients love to be in and feel motivated to become the best versions of themselves in. I have learned so much along the way, and I love that I get to grow with my clients– design usually comes about via major life changes, such as buying a new home, expanding the family, downsizing, etc. Interior design truly makes space for growth, and I am here for all of it!
Speaking of growth, I am so excited to announce that I am a designer that was selected to be a part of the 59th Annual Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts this Spring. It’s such an honor to work alongside some of the most talented designers in Los Angeles for a cause that benefits arts programs in Los Angeles. I am so excited to bring you along on what is to come!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, I would say the three qualities that have been the most impactful on my journey have been transparency, empathy, and persistence. It’s important that when you are working with real people that they do not feel as though you are trying to get one over on them, but also are respectful of the fact that you are a professional, and this is how you earn a living. By simply being transparent with fees, production times, etc, it allows your clients to feel at ease and establish trust in you as their chosen professional. Having empathy for your clients is another way to deepen the rapport of trust that your clients have in you. For examlpe, investing in home improvement can be very expensive and stressful to accommodate, so when you are aware of the burden that your client might go through when things don’t go according to plan, it gives you a better understanding of solutions that might ease your client’s stress and remind them of why it is worth it to hire a professional in the first place!
Speaking of hiring a professional, persistence truly is key when you are trying to build something from the ground up. It does get hard when you decide to take the leap, and it feels as though your efforts are going into the abyss with no hope for an ROI–but they do. Every little thing that you put into your business has a return, even if it is 5 years down the line. All of the tiny efforts add up and contribute to the experience and culture that you create and what people know and love you for.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The book that has played an important role in the character development of my company has been “Excuses Begone!” by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I can read that book over and over again and still glean a new nugget of wisdom. The book goes into depth about how the often rational excuses that we make to justify where we are in life are keeping us further from what we WANT in life. It actually is quite a simple concept in a nutshell: either you want it bad enough to work for it, or you simply do not–and there is no shame in not wanting what you do not want. The goal is to become so comfortable and in tune with yourself that you accept what you want, and accept what you do not want– regardless of what you or anyone else thinks that you should want. There are truly no excuses at all, at any time!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ayminteriors.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayminteriors/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleigh-miranda-9724401a9
Image Credits
J. Churchill Morris
