We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ariana Lovato a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Ariana with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Coming from an immigrant family, my mission in anything that I do is to do the very best I can. This can be a gift and a curse at the same time. On one hand, there is a fire that motivates me to continue moving forward against any adversity, and then on the other hand, I am never content and always wanting more. It’s important to find a balance though, because you’ll lead to burn out really quickly.
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?
I’m Ariana, owner and principal designer at Honeycomb Home Design which is a boutique Interior Design Studio located on the Central Coast of CA. I started this company in 2016 with a simple mission of leaving homes more beautiful than when I found them. Over the past several years, we’ve worked on hundreds of custom homes, worked remotely on large projects, launched a non-profit and a cabinetry company. It’s been a wild ride but I wouldn’t change any of it!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Resilience and Persistence: It is soooo easy to give up in those early years. You’re going to experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It’s important to keep moving forward no matter what. Will there be off days? Yes. Will you wake up feeling better the next day? Yes. Be persistent about your goals because no one will make them happen except you.
2. Understand your financials: If you’re not a numbers person, that is OK, but you HAVE to know the basics. You’ll need to understand a profit and loss report and a balance sheet. If you don’t understand it, then you are relying on others to decipher it for you and that’s not a good place to be in. It’s ok to delegate it after you understand, but the basic principles you must know.
3. Gather your tribe: Owning a business is not for the thin-skinned. You’ll need to have a group of people that you trust around you so they can lift you up when you’re down. They also need to be honest with you and help steer you in the right direction with your brand journey.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
“Play like a Man, Win like a Woman” by Gail Evans. This is a great book because she breaks down the inherent differences between men and women and how it relates to the workforce. Working in construction which is a male dominated industry, I used a lot of the lessons that Evans references to heart. Mainly, women want to shift the rules to accommodate others while men play the game traditionally, no matter what happens. It’s also OK to be assertive, it does not mean that we’re being “mean,” it is simply being direct which is a way to get what you want in the workforce.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.honeycombhomedesign.com / www.honeycabinetry.com
- Instagram: honeycomb_homedesign / honeycabinetry
Image Credits
Lisa Maksoudian Photography
