#1 Where it all Began

November 9, 2008: New York City

Sometimes all it takes is a dinner. And a few good friends.

I found myself out at a ridiculously late weeknight dinner in the lower east side along with some great company. One of whom happened to be in need of an interior designer to furnish his brand new Gramercy Park apartment.

There was only one small problem….I was only two months into the interior design program at the Parsons School for Design with no intention of graduating anytime soon. I asked my potential first client to sit tight for a year - I’m pretty sure he laughed to my face. When you need a bed and a sofa….well, you need a bed and a sofa.

I went home to sleep on it. I stirred all night. See the thing is - It also happened to be one short month after the stock markets and real estate market had come crashing down in the worst recession my generation has ever seen. It was no time to pass up clients.

November 10, 2008 5:00 am - I bounced out of bed and pulled out my laptop. I’m pretty sure my google search was “How to open a business”. This was no time to pass up an opportunity dropped down on my head to start my dream business. And I figured like everything in life, where there is a will, there is way.

Step 1 - create a federal identification number.

Step 2 - Email the family accountant and ask her to keep me from going to jail (tax evasion is a real thing, my friends).

Step 3 - Email my dinner compatriot to let him know I was in business.

And we were up and running.