Meet Emily Roose

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Roose a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, 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.
Throughout school I always enjoyed and gravitated towards creative subjects. My dad use to buy me floor plan books and I would take graph paper and draw different layout possibilities. After graduating high school, I decided to pursue marketing. I worked in radio for several years then I was laid off. So, I decided to go back to school. Since I had an interest in architecture and enjoyed watching shows on HGTV I decided to take the intro to interior design class. By the end of the semester, my professor encouraged me to stay in the program because she felt I had a natural talent for it. I completed the program and then started working in the industry. I worked for some very talented designers, showrooms, an architectural firm, and two custom home builders. Interior design became a passion rather than a job. I love that it constantly changes, and no two projects are the same. I have been able to make people’s lives better with homes that are customized to them or an office space that is more productive and comfortable for the employees or a hotel that people love to visit and stay at. Interior design is an interesting career because there are so many different avenues you can pursue rather than just one. After 14 years I believe that interior design as well as designing products like furniture and lighting have become my purpose and I hope that it continues to morph and grow well into the future.

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 am an interior designer as well as a furniture and lighting designer. I specialize in residential new construction and remodel projects, commercial, hospitality, multi-family developments, and home staging. It is exciting to create new spaces that people get to experience and enjoy every day. I am hoping in the coming years to create a furniture and lighting collection and to partake in some more speaking engagements either at events or on podcasts. I have been a contributing writer several times, I have won numerous awards for both my interior projects and furniture designs regionally, nationally, and internationally as well as have had my work published regionally, nationally, and internationally. Currently, I am working to expand my brand into Nashville, Tennessee and the surrounding areas and I am open to working on projects in other locations.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back on my journey so far, the three things that stand out the most are being willing to fail, being willing to readjust and look at other opportunities, and getting back up when you don’t want to. I took plenty of business classes while pursuing a degree in marketing prior to my interior design degrees. The classes were a great foundation to start from but living it and doing it are the best teachers. Every business is different and the same. We each have a voice and something we are trying to sell. It is rare to get it perfectly right out of the gate. Failing is not fun, but it is necessary so you can learn, grow, and adapt. I love Thomas Edison’s quote: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” You just keep going until you find the right formula. I have hired two great business coaches and have talked with PR professionals over the years and have gained valuable knowledge from each that made me reevaluate how I was running my business and have restructured a few times to work on getting to the right formula for me and my business. This is something that is necessary even on a small scale to keep a business viable and growing. Being willing to readjust when plans do not go your way will help you to keep moving forward. Looking for any opportunities no matter how big or small will keep you moving as well and allowing you and your business to morph as needed. I took one of Grant Cardone’s courses and asking yourself “who has my money” stuck with me because we often think that our businesses and our opportunities come from only one direction or source. If you realize that there are lots of possibilities to make money you can open yourself up to multiple streams of income and find a way to continue to make your voice unique and an expert in your field that will have more options. Getting back up when you don’t want to is really important. Don’t let defeat keep you down. This goes back to Thomas Edison’s quote in looking at failures as opportunities to know what does not work and you are on your way to the right answer. Prior to going back to school for interior design I was in radio for Clear Channel Radio. I started out in sales before ending up in promotions, live events, and websites. Sales was tough, but one of my co-workers had a great attitude about it. Every time she got a no, she would do a little celebration because she knew she was getting closer to a yes. That has always stayed with me. Instead of letting myself get down and feeling like a loser I think about her and tell myself I am getting closer to my yes. I sit down and start a list of any ideas I can come up with to help bring in new business and then implement them and see what works. Business is an ever-evolving journey. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help or advice. Self help books and podcasts can be another great source for help. Keep your drive and passion and that will excite others and make them interested in what you do and what you know.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes, I am always open to partnering or collaborating with others. Some great people or companies to partner with are those involved with furniture, lighting, accessories, and décor manufacturing that are open to collaborating with interior designers for product design as I am looking to eventually create my own collections, but would love to partner with other companies to make that dream a reality. I have done some speaking design panel discussions, so I am open to more of those opportunities or podcasts. I am also interested in continuing to be a contributing writer for all things interior design for publications whether printed or digital. Lastly, I am open to being a brand ambassador or product spokesperson. I work with so many products for each project that I can speak about quality, function, aesthetic and can showcase products in my work. I have been featured by several product lines after tagging them in my social media links over the years and some of my work is showcased on a few manufacturers’ websites with their products that I used.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photographers: Katey Hamill, Paul Hamill, Vance Fox, Rob Retting

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