I'm Nicole Fisher. I design spaces for a living, crafting those wow moments our clients get to enjoy every single day. And I've spent the last 13 years figuring out what people really want versus what they think they want. Turns out that applies to basically everything in life. So pull up a chair. This is the interior Perspective. Hello and welcome back to the Interior Perspective. I am so excited. My dear friend Patrick Maziarski is joining us today to. To be real, to just, like, get into it. And you know what? I think that was the. The first thing. I was so drawn to you because it was finally someone who just, like, got it. Although I do feel like I Beeline. Tall, hot, gay men in a room always where. Where. Where he's sitting. But you, you are so tall. I mean, I immediately. Beeline. So you and I met in Orlando. Beautiful Orlando. Yes. Where the best relationships form decisions are made. Absolutely. That's where all the. That's where all the good stuff is. We were at this event for artistic tile, and we just. I don't even think I stepped, like, one foot in the door. Someone handed me a glass of champagne, and we immediately started talking. And then I think I stayed there the whole night. That's all it took. That's all it takes, really. What do you think was our connection in the beginning? Well, my first impression of you was, damn, she's chic. And I personally gravitate towards the chic people in the room, so that was, like, immediately a selling feature. And then we just started talking effortlessly, and when that happens, it just keeps going. So. Yeah, I love that. I love that. And also, like, I, despite my being, like, very, you know, vivacious and for the most part, approachable and conversational and all that stuff, when I go to those events, especially if I, like, don't know anyone and I didn't really know anyone at those events, I can tend to be, like, a little bit reclusive and not be as engaging as I am after you get to know me. So, like, walking into that room, I was very, you know, apprehensive about the personnel there or the. The people would be there. And, like, sometimes, honestly, I'm gonna be blunt right now. Sometimes I hate the people that are at those, like, design conferences. 110. Yeah. Like, it's hard to find really, really good people. That's not to say that they're, you know, everyone is terrible, but it's like, I don't know. I don't want to. Most people are terrible. That's. First of all, first of all in this world. Most people are terrible. Most people all are horrible. But I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, you know? But it's also not. Sometimes you don't find common ground with people because you come from all corners of, you know, North America. And I don't really have anything in common with, like, a designer from Kansas City or something. Like, I don't want to sound like a dick, but I don't. Yeah. So anyways, you can. We're going to leave it, because it's the truth. It's funny. I. I totally agree with everything. And it's. I've never really had designer friends. I've never had people in this industry that I connected with to a point where I wanted to, like, hang out with them. Is that a New York thing? Well, I think I hate almost everyone. I think that's number one. Okay. Okay. I feel very lucky and honored to be in this room. My go. But I, you know, I think the more the business grows, the more I think intense I get and the more determined and really streamlined I get. And I think that window for people who don't kind of fit into that same mold gets smaller and smaller and smaller. That's so true. Because I can't connect with you if we're on, like, these totally different paths. I hear you 100%. And it's so funny you say that, because I've just watched you, like, reinvent yourself and reestablish yourself in New York. I'm sitting in this gorgeous, effing office. She whipped. She whipped out in, like, a month. And. And I'm going through a similar, like, phase of growth where a. I'm, like, trying to just re. Establish my brand and my Persona as a designer and just really lock it in now that I have a team that's kind of doing the minutia and, like, keeping the wheels spinning. Yeah. I can pivot and thinking about marketing and the image and the website and the content. Yep. Which I'm sure we'll talk about in a little bit. But, like, the fact that we're on the. Well, I mean, we don't even have to be on the same trajectory. I think we would have gotten along either way. But it's nice to have the same, like, approach or ethos or drive. Totally. And we are. I mean, we're in such similar places with our business. Like, the businesses are just growing almost parallel, and then you're looking at two inaugural Lux Next designers. It is true. Wait, that we found that out after we met. I Was like, on Instagram, and I'm like, holy, we're both on the same list. And it's like, we're both posting this content. Or are you too? You too? Of course. My God, twins. Love it. She has better hair, though. All right, I'll take that one. You have better height. So I've been thinking about our connection, and I've really come to the conclusion that what I have really been describing is loneliness and loneliness with, you know, I touched on before going in a different direction than a lot of. Than everyone around you, going in a direction that requires more effort, more grit, more ambition than I think most people want to put in. And finding people at that level has been a challenge and a challenge I didn't really know that I was having. And as these. As my team grows, it's as if I get, like, lonelier and lonelier. Took the words out of my mouth and it's. Are you finding the same thing? Yeah. And it's so funny because it's like this cyclical thing where first I was literally, you know, four years ago by myself in a room, you know, like, doing every part of the design process by myself. And that was lonely. I didn't have anyone to, like, spitball with or, like, bounce ideas off of or, like, go to job sites with, and that was lonely. But I did it. And then I hired my first project manager, and it was, like, nice to have someone there. And for a good chunk of time, it was kind of, like, all fun and games. And then as the team grew. This is something you need to know about me. If I have an audience, I'll play to that audience. So if there's people in a room, I want to be the class clown and make people laugh and talk about our day and all this stuff. Hundred percent. And that was fun. And I felt very not lonely in that kind of phase where I was building a team and everyone was getting along, and I was like, look at what I'm building. We're all, like, friends and stuff. But recently I've had this major pivot, mentally and professionally, where I'm like, fuck, I need to tighten this ship if we're going to take it somewhere great. And I can't be Mr. Like, nice, Mr. Funny, Mr. Like, interrupting everyone doing their work. I need everyone to, like, focus. And. And so I've had this change where this is where the next phase of loneliness came in, where I kind of changed my tone in the office. And I, like, told everyone. I was like, guys, I know this is going to Seem weird, but I need to, like, really pivot the way I approach my work, and I need to streamline your work. And so I've been setting kind of, like, these daily workflows in place, and it's so not the type of person I am. I've never run a business or managed a team, and I was having fun with it, but now I'm like, fuck, if I'm going to grow this and make it something I need to change the way I am. Also realized, which you may or may not have noticed, I asked my therapist recently, can you assess me for ADHD? Oh, totally. I 100 have ADHD. Yeah. And I'm like. And dyslexia. I'm, like, convinced I'm dyslexia. And I'm like, I'm not focused on one thing, and I can't finish a email. And then at the end of the day comes. And I was like, did I hit send on that email? I'm literally like, you need to tell me if I have adhd. And he was like, well, he was like, I don't think you have ADHD because one of the big traits is, like, depression or depressive traits, and you don't have that. And I was like, okay. But then I took, like, a little questionnaire, and he's like, you have signs of adhd. So I'm trying to, like, change the way I am in the office just for that fact alone that I'm distracting people, I'm distracting myself. I can't finish a task. The work still ends up being good, but I'm not disciplined about it. So that's where I'm at right now. The last couple months, I've just been like, let's shift, let's shift. Let's shift. Let me ask you, how did your team take that? Okay, again, the loneliness. I got a couple of, like, blank stares. It was like. It was like. And I'm so. You know, I care about them and their happiness. So I kept kind of being the Canadian that I am, and I was like, is that okay? It's like, I know this is weird, like, hearing this. And my youngest designer, Carissa, she turned to me and she's like, pat, this is totally fine. She's, like, so funny. Even though she's, like, total, like, Gen Z. She's, like, my biggest, like, supporter. And then the other two were kind of like, I think, scared of the change. They were like, I don't, like I actually use this phrase because sometimes they get stuck in the minutiae and the detail work. And I'm like, guys, sometimes it's just about momentum, not perfection. We can perfect and finesse everything at the end. And my other designer, Kaz, looks at me and she goes, I don't know if I'm going to be able to do that because of the other designers I used to work for. They demanded perfection every step of the way. And I was like, well, we can't do that here. Like, we're still a small operation. We need to, like, keep the momentum going. We need to keep the clients, you know, in communication, like all that stuff. So you need to know when good is enough. Exactly. And when, when enough is enough. And sometimes, like, I don't, I don't. Like, I will never micromanage, but I can't help sometimes looking over their shoulder and seeing, like, how they're doing their work or when they're in autocad, like, what they're doing. And if you're like trimming things, like on a curtain panel, before I've even had a chance to, like, review the drawing, don't do that. We do not need you perfecting that drawing before we've had a chance to review it. So it's just, it was almost like a reminder to them, like, do it this way. And I kept saying, like, do as I say, not as I do, because I'm the worst example. I'm bouncing off the walls, like, do as I say, not as I do. And thankfully, they've been very receptive to everything I've asked of them. But the mood, the energy in the office is so much more. It's not negative, it's just quieter and calmer and more focused. And I think after a few weeks of that kind of feeling, everyone's settling into it. Everyone's happy to be quiet. Everyone's a little more respectful of the space and time they give to their colleagues and to me. Because, I mean, as you know, all day long, as the leader of a team, it's like, hey, can I ask you a question? Hey, what do you think about this? Hey, can I ask you. And we don't, unlike your office, we don't have all of our own offices or really defined spaces. We have like a big ass workroom, sample library, and then we have kind of like an open pen with all our desks. So it's like, it's so easy to just interrupt someone. Interrupt. Yeah. And I'm like, guys, put your earphones in and just work. And, you know. Anyways, yeah, I'm rambling now. No, I I'm so, like, proud of you for having that conversation because it's a really important one to have, and it's a really difficult one, especially when the relationship. Relationships are existing. It's so hard going from being, like, a solopreneur to slowly start building this team, and then when you have more than two, then that's it. It's like, okay, I have people here. We're growing something bigger. I have to change who I am as a leader, and I need to, like, put CEO hat on when I walk in the door, and then when I walk out, we can take it off, and we have a little bit of fun. But there's, like, there's this level of, you know, respect. There's this level of professionalism. Like, you have to have it. It sucks. It's so hard to, like, change who we are in that way, because I am exactly the same. I am like a silly psycho. I have a terrible potty mouth. Like, I am. But I really have to tame that here, you know? But that's why we have the podcast. So I can be a fucking asshole. Yeah. Yeah. I used to think that you had to be an asshole to be a successful designer in this industry and in this world. And I say that to my team sometimes. I'm like, guys, one day I'm gonna turn into an asshole. Like, that's the only way I'm successful. And they're like, no, don't. Don't turn into an asshole. Cool. I think it's inevitable. Yeah. I mean, that's just what happens. Let's change the word into something else. Or maybe we just use we take back the word. Yeah. Are we cunty? I guess I. I think I can be cunty. I'm allowed to say that word, right? Yeah, totally. Totally. But I'm very. Because. Because they got to know me that way, and we all, like, had this jovial relationship. I can be that way, and they can take it with a grain of salt. But then when I'm stern, I'm like, no, guys. Like, I'm serious. The one who's been with me the longest is the youngest. She was my junior at the previous firm I was at. And then when I left to start my own thing, she would kind of, like, do little. Just help me out with presentations and plans, like, as a side gig for her. And then when we expanded our team, she was coincidentally looking for work, and she came to join me, but she's the one who calls me on my shit the most, and we actually butt heads because she's a great designer, but so am I, and it's my firm. So she'll be like, well, we should do it this way. And I'm like, no, we shouldn't. We should do it this way. And she's like, well, no, we shouldn't. And I'm like, you're 27 years old. What do you know? What do you. I'm Charlotte at the gallery. You're 27 years old. What do you know about life? Excuse me. Oh, my gosh. Okay, so we have this dynamic in the office, and that is more formal. Now you go home, right? And we take off. CEO hat. Are you able to connect with your spouse in the way that he can understand the chaos of your day that just unraveled? You know what's so funny? I'm glad you asked this. My husband is a successful marketing executive at a music label, and he works international. Like, does international marketing. So he's on, like, literally all waking hours of the day. He has to kind of be on. And both of us have very demanding, creative jokes jobs. And I think the biggest takeaway that we don't see. We don't step away and see this as much as we should, is that we don't respect the level of chaos and work that each of us have on our plate. I think we're both these stubborn, selfish, gay guys who are like, you have no idea what my day was just like. And then the other one's like, well, you have no idea what my day was like. So it's like, I want to step. And I've been working on this. We've been working on this in therapy, and I've been working on it in therapy, just, like, taking a deep breath and giving him the benefit of the doubt. And I hope he doesn't listen to this, because I'm gonna say something that he won't agree with. I think I do it more than he does. Like, I don't think he stops and takes that breath and thinks of what I've been through. And, like, we had a real. We had a real bump in the road where he came to a project I finished, like, a year ago. And, like, he did not give me what I needed in that moment to be like, oh, my God, you built a house from the ground up on the side of a hill. What? Right, Patrick, like, yelling from the rooftops. And I called him on it. I was like, I need more. Need a fucking cheerleader. Fanfare. Yeah, I need more of this. And, like, after a lot of therapy and a lot of frank discussions and quite literal fights. We're getting there. We're sort of getting back on track where it's like, okay, wow, you did this. Wow. Oh, my God. Let's take you out to dinner. Like, you just did this. You just did that. Celebrating the wins. Celebrating the wins. And also, like, the thing is, he's also very good. When I'm down, when I come and I'm like, you wouldn't. You wouldn't believe the day I had, like, this person and this contractor, he's there as a good sounding board for the negative stuff. What I need at home is more of the, like, cheerleading for the good stuff I do. Because, a. When we're working alone, we don't get that. Nope. Sometimes I get it from my team. But we're all in there, and it's my job to praise them. It's my job to praise the team for a job well done. I'm the last person to get praise professionally. That's why things like a publication or getting on the Lux list or things like that is so nice, because we don't get it a lot from our peers. It's. It's so nice to sit with you and hear it, you know? Hear how proud you are of me. I'm proud of you. Look at this. Like, we need to uplift each other as designers so much more. But then when you go home, you want your spouse to be that person too. Totally. That's why you're in a relationship with someone, to feel supported in all aspects, personal, professional. Yeah. So I know I struggle with this because my husband is in finance and he works for a corporation. Okay. And has, like, no entrepreneurial bone in his body. Okay. And I. He and I butt heads because I'm like, why don't you understand me? Like, why don't you get it? You know? And I feel like I can't talk to him a lot because it's just, like, kind of going in one ear and out the other. Like, yeah, he's supportive, but, like, you don't get it until you have to think about everything all the time until you are like, we are responsible for payroll. We are responsible for growth. We are responsible for. I think about, like, we. If it's not for us, like, they won't have Christmas gifts under the tree, you know, like stupid shit. And I'm just like, it's so real. Like, it's so much fudgeing, daily pressure. You have no idea how lucky you are to have an HR department bitch. Right? Yeah. And I am But I get it. And that's why, I mean, for. For me in particular, finding someone like you who is just on. I swear to God, I'm fucking obsessed with you. I also am just like, am I coming on too strong? Like, am I telling him, like, I want to be around you too? Yes, I will move to New York. Yes. Yes. Okay. That's amazing, because I do want to. How's New York been? New York's been great, except for the fucking 90 degree weather. I walked into this office sweaty as f and I'm a sweater to begin with, but yeah, it's. It's hot. But I love this city. The energy of the city. I don't know, I was having this thought whilst here, but I'm like, could I live in New York? And I was just out with a friend who's like, originally from Alabama, he's a designer as well. And he was like, I can't stand this city. And I'm like, seriously? He's like, yeah, like, I'm not gonna be here forever. And I'm like, I love coming. I get it in these little bursts. And I love watching your content on Instagram because you are such a lover of this city. Yeah, like, this city will kick your ass for it also. And I'm like, am I ready for that Fucking hustle Culture, baby, is like, so easy that it's never easy. But I. I'm noticing a pattern with you because when you were at High Point, you also were complaining about the weather. I don't think you check the weather before you go anywhere. And I pack incorrectly. Right. That's two. That's like two out of two. I still looked better than everyone at High Point. Damn straight. Damn gay. Damn gay. Oh, my gosh. Okay. Is that a problem? I don't think so, but let's. Great, cool. Just checking. Thoughts. So I want to touch on something that is kind of touchy. I don't know how you're going to feel about it, but I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit about what you've been doing with rebuilding with the wildfires going on in la. Yeah, I mean, it is a touchy subject for everyone involved. When the wildfires hit, I was actually in a. Not like an official partnership, but I was working very closely with this contractor developer that I've worked with for many, many years. And he and I made, like, our relationship a little bit more official. And that was like nine months before the fires happened. And then they happened. And he himself lost his home in the Fires and so lost his home. But he's like. He's like. I don't want to say robotic because he's a very soulful person, but when. When shit like that happens, he puts his nose down and he focuses and he works. He gets, like, real. So it happened. And he, like, you know, no tears. We're going to get this figured out for my family. And then all his neighbors and friends, some of whom he's. He's been a mortgage broker also for, like, 20 years. He wears many hats. He helped some of his friends and neighbors get into the homes that they were in and that burned down. Wow. So because they all now knew that we had started this kind of, like, design build entity together, they came to us and they were like, can you help us rebuild immediately? So within a matter of two weeks, we had signed on. Officially or unofficially? Like, 12 ground up build construction projects. Oh, shit. And. And literally for two months, I was a different person. I was depressed, I was upset. I hated work, I hated my job. But I, not unlike him, put my nose down and was like, we have to do this. Is it. Because it was too much like, what was it? It was a major pivot from the design world that we grow to become accustomed to. It had nothing to do with pretty fabrics or wallpaper or beautiful millwork anymore. It had to do with these people who had lost everything, and they're in tears in these meetings, and we're talking about insurance money and how they're underinsured and how we just want to go back home. I heard that every day almost, we just want to go back home. And it was like, I have chills thinking about it. And then there were highs where we would show them the first floor plan or something, and they'd be like, oh, my God, we can really see ourselves living here. And then it's like Lowe's, where they can't afford board design services, and then it's highs where they get an SBA loan and they have more to work with, and then it's a low. And it was literally for the all of 2025, it was up, down, up, down, up, down. However, in that we were able to scale. That was the other thing. We scaled unexpectedly, and it was so painful to grow the team. We doubled the team, we doubled the office space in Hollywood. And I, all of a sudden, was thrust into this position where I was managing a team. And that was the biggest growing pain I've ever gone through professionally. But at the end of 2025, I literally looked back on the year. And I was like, holy shit. That growth was amazing. I feel so proud of myself and the team. But, yeah, the Wildfire projects, because of the nature of what they are, some people were severely underinsured and couldn't afford to continue working with. You know, I think of myself as a luxury interior designer. And we even like pulled back on our rates and our markup and all this stuff for the Wildfire clients, they still just couldn't afford to continue. So we set them off with like a beautiful drawing set. And my, my, my developer, contractor, business partner is still the one building these homes. So it's still happening. We're still, you know, we're just a phone call away if they need anything, but they really can't afford design services. We. I think during that year, I forgot about how being an interior designer is a luxury service. Yeah. I still have to remind myself of that when I'm dealing with, like, rich, affluent clients. Right. Who complain about the bill every month. I was like, this is a luxury service that you're hiring, so, like, I shouldn't feel guilty about sending you a bill. Right. This is what we cost to think about you and your life and how you live every day. Anyways, I'm going on a tangent now, but the wildfires have been difficult. We have still about half of the ones that we originally signed on are still with us. A couple of them are going to be really exceptional projects. And it still feels really, really good to be helping rebuild a community like Altadena, which is such a special, special place, so resilient. And, you know, I go to design events in LA and I hear other designers be like, oh, I'm look, I'm watching your project, like, because a bunch of designers are doing the work in Altadena. Yeah. Like, I drove by your project the other day. It's looking great. Like, it's. It's a community builder for Altadena. It's a community builder for the design community in L. A. It's a chance to help. So it feels really good. But it is still up and down. Every week a new challenge presents itself. Yeah, it's very interesting. Yeah. I wonder what that did to your team. I don't know how you feel. Did you have that conversation with them? Like, this is the growth we're having. Like, these are the pain points. Or was everyone kind of just head down doing it? So to be blunt, most of the Wildfire projects are not grand, designy projects. And every young designer, especially in like LA or New York, they want to work on the beautiful stuff. Yeah. So I was lucky enough to bring on a designer when we were scaling Dominic, who he's originally from Maryland. I probably butchered that. He's either from D.C. or Maryland, but he's from that area, Baltimore. I don't know. Yeah, same shit. And his father actually worked in like government housing or something back in the day or something. So he came to our firm, he called. He called, DM'd me. And he was like, are you looking for help? And he did that before the wildfires. And I was keeping him at an arm's distance because I wasn't ready to like hire someone or scale. And then the wildfire happened and I was like, are you still interested in the position? He's like, yes. And actually, like, I have like a piece of my heart is with kind of like community building and kind of just like getting people into houses. So I love, I would love to be a part of rebuilding Altadena. I was like, music to my ears. But after a while I could tell that, you know, you're doing kind of basic design work and doing all the technical stuff, but there's not a lot of fun to it. You know, a lot of these people are going back to maybe a really nice kitchen and maybe one of their bathrooms is really nice, but the rest is kind of just white wall with pa And I can tell that it got a little grating for the designers to work on. I don't want to discount what these projects are. They are very special, but they're not. They're not pushing the boundaries of design. They're not inspiring us to like, do something creative and different. They're not challenging the team. They're not challenging the team. And nor can these clients afford for us to be there, like pushing the boundaries. Right. So a couple of them we are, and we're getting creative and we're going to have some like, pretty showstopper things. But that's just a couple of them. The other ones are just very technical, very black and white, very give these people kind of like a really good package and help them get back home. So I think that now in 2026, we are looking. Most of those projects are kind of set and off on their way. And now we're pivoting to like try and get more high end design projects. And luckily enough we had a couple of those throughout 2025 that we're about to shoot. So I'm like very grateful that we still had some consistent, like, high level design projects. But it has Been like, most of the firm has been dependent on the fire projects and I'm looking to pivot and, you know, I want to get the high end design projects and I want to push the boundaries and I want to get creative again and I want the clients who are like, go for it. I want you to do your thing, you know, like, that's what I'm yearning for right now. Yeah, totally. So does that funnel into new marketing initiatives? Like new things that you're interested in doing? Yeah, I haven't had a lot of marketing material for a while. So the fact that these projects are finishing and we're going to shoot them in the next couple of months is getting me very excited to get some, you know, press and get some stuff published and get just new photography. But then I'm working with kind of a freelance person to help with keeping an eye on marketing or, you know, like I was on my first panel like a few months ago in Orlando. Yeah. And I'm like, I want to put myself out there more and I want to do like, I'm so envious of you and the content you're producing because I'm like, how does she find the fucking time? I question for you, how do you find the time? So here's my trick. Yeah. Teach me the main thing. All right. Three years ago, I was like completely underwater. I was working 80 hour weeks. I was like a psychopath. My main person quit. And I was, I was closing. I was like, that's it, I'm done. There's no way I can absorb what she was doing. Okay. My financial advisor told me to read this book. It's called buy back your time. Buy back your time. Yeah, Writing that down. And it literally just teaches you how to hire people for the shit you don't want to do. So and the shit that takes up so much of your time and that doesn't make you any money. So for me, those, like low level tasks where I was spending 80% of my time on administrative work. Right. You know, my first hire was an EA When I started rebuilding this team, all of a sudden I had time. Then you move up to operations, then you move up to marketing, then you move on to sales. I mean, there's, there's a clear as soon as you hit a ceiling where you're like, okay, Patrick, what? How much of your time are you spending on this one thing of this one type of thing? Hire for that person. And then you hire the person who's not only good, but better than you. Oh, for sure. They are exceptional. They are. They've done it. They've proven themselves so they can come in and teach you something. And when you can really formulate the team to be like strategic hires, not like kind of what you think you need, you know, like, oh, no, I'm taking this, like 20 hours off of my week and putting it on you. Yeah. Holy shit. All of a sudden it's like, yeah, I can focus on the things I really want to focus on now. And so we have a. I have a CMO now. We have a content creator. And like, their job is to, like, create a factory for, like, what we're doing. You know, really build a brand, a vision, a name and everything around what we're doing. So, of course, like, what you're seeing on, like, social media and everything is just like exponentially grown. Is because I've been able to bring on the people to make that grow. Yeah. You know. Now question for you. Follow up question. You what, where do you see on the marketing side of thing and like the content creation, all that side of things, where do you see your biggest return on investment? Instagram. Yeah, I vacillate about that. I'm like. But I can't deny the fact that many of my best clients have come from seeing my work on Instagram. Yeah. And I'm so not putting it out there. You got to do it. You have to. Honestly, you have to commit every day. I know it's every day, but what we do is we kind of. We batch content. So, like, would you call me. I called you a batch. I need to batch content creat. So you, you take two hours out of your day and like, you film for like six posts, you know, and then they. It's their job to cut it up. I mean, I hire somebody for 20 hours a week. I mean, it's. Yeah, it's so especially like the gen zers, that's like what they're good at. They know how to edit, they know how to, like, use AI, they know how to do all the things so that they're super efficient. You know, I am like a tortoise when it comes to this. I'm like. And I've had so much false starts with this stuff, though. Like, I have. Maybe I have stage fright or PTSD or something. You don't have stage fright. You're right, I don't. I see the way you hold a microphone. Well, I've got a lot of. Of practice, something like that. But. But no, because, like, at the beginning of the year, so the other thing that happened is that kind of new entity that me and the developer formed, it didn't fully dissolve, but we kind of were like, okay, because of the nature of our projects right now, you don't need me and I don't need you. I don't need a designer right now to design anything, and you don't need me as a contractor because I can't work on any of the projects you're bringing in. So why don't we go back to our original entities and we'll still be, like, working on the Wildfires together. So my brand that I started four years ago and kind put on the back burner for the last couple years, as of, like, January was back at the forefront. And I was like, now I need to take my brand and my firm and re establish it and. And be out there more. And so I had this whole grand scheme and dream to, like, do content creation and shoot these videos. And I had, like, one of my designers who is, you know, so good at the social media. She has the little fuzzy mics and everything. She's like, we got these, like, lights to shoot stuff, and we started off strong, and then it kind of just fizzled and all of our actual work. So it might be a matter of, like, outsourcing fully because I can't rely on a designer to do social media. But then, you know, what was the biggest kick in the ass and the reason I kind of wanted to revise the way we work is when we started losing Wildfire projects. Not that we were doing anything wrong, but there was some feedback we got from the Wildfire projects. Whether it was feeling like our billing was out of whack or something, or the communication was a little fuzzy, or the momentum was not there. All these things made me stop and reflect and be like, I know we're not doing anything wrong, but what if we could do something better? That's what my thought process was, because I didn't want the team to get discouraged because they felt it. If a project left, even if it was for a very simple reason, like we don't have enough money to hire a design team, they're still like, did we do something wrong? Right? Like, they felt it. And I was like, you didn't do anything. None of us did anything wrong. We're doing what we've learned is the process for a design project. And it is hard. Let me just tell you the biggest. The biggest hurdle with the Wildfires was teaching these people who had never thought they'd build a house or Hire a designer, how the design process works or how we were going to do this for them because. And they didn't know, like when, when a, when a person hires a designer, they usually have like a Pinterest board and they know what like certain terms are and they want an undermount sink and like stone and like, like they know certain things, these people. You'll say something like, you'll say something like undermount. They'll be like, what does that mean? Or you'll be like, I don't know, like, like pocket door. And they're like, what's a pocket door? Like, things like that. So you. We had to hold their hands. Yeah. Through every single term and piece of communication, as if they were just born. Like that sounds negative. It wasn't like that. But they're also like, they're not thinking about design. They're thinking, I just want to go home. And they're thinking about money, they're thinking about the insurance. They don't care about pocket doors. Well, you know what the thing is, there's nothing practical about interior design. Right. And that's like the thing. They're only thinking with the practical side of the brain. And we don't necessarily. I mean, there's parts of what we do that's practical. We have to do both. We have to, we have to lead with what's, what's the vision, what's, what's the moment we're trying to create here. And I think for these people, that's just like, so not in their vocabulary. No. And it's the simplest thing, like literally the simplest painted shaker white cabinet in their kitchen will make them happy as long as they're in their kitchen in Altadena with their family. So it was a complete pivot on the way we think about design. I'm glad I went. Like I said before, I'm glad I went through that learning lesson about changing the way I approach design because we're going to still run into different clients and different projects. Not to mention, I learned so much about ground up construction. Like, I know how to pour a case on with my, with a blindfold on. Good for you. Yeah, yeah. But you know what? Those things, even though, okay, so even though your Wildfire projects are not like the ideal Beau Gest client, what you're doing there is so valuable for the Beau Gest client to know that you have that level of intelligence. So, like, that's what your content has to be about. That's what you should be like, focusing on what you just Said with, like, foundation. Like, that's super valuable for a luxury client to come in and say, like, I'm hiring a team who knows their shit. Yeah. You know what I mean? It's not that. That's not, like, the project I'm looking for, but that's the team that I'm looking for. And you just hit the nail on the head because I actually just locked in. It's a. It's a. It's not a ginormous project, but it's a. It's an ADU project in Pasadena. And I locked them in because of the knowledge I gained this year. I knew exactly who to go to to talk about expediting with the city and what they're allowed to build on their property and what the historic overlay would dictate for their project. I would not have known any of that if I didn't go through what I went through last year, you know, so definitely filled me with a breadth of knowledge that I had never anticipated. And it's going to serve me for these bigger and better projects that look like we know every aspect from A to Z, even though I thought I did at the be. I was just talking out of my ass most of the time. And now I know with confidence how to say, I'm calling up Mike to get a read, and he's going to pull the old permits from when they remodeled your home in 1992, and we're going to get this done. Like, it's so great. That is so unfucking believable. Like, that right there is so. That's key. Yeah. Yeah. Like, highlight the shit out of that. I want to, and I will. Excuse me. Don't. Do you have Covid? Yes. Came to New York and I got Covid. You literally need to, like, make that A by the. Whatever. I'll give you to the end of June. Yeah. Find a content creator. We talk in quarters. The end of Q2. End of Q2. At the end of Q2, hire a content creator. Okay, content creator. Find someone 20 hours a week, and they will. I swear. You'll be like, holy. That's all they need. Okay. It's really all they need. Okay. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Next question. Okay, so you said you're moving to New York, so that's amazing. What is, like, the biggest difference between New York and la? I mean, in terms of thinking about the design industry? I don't know how you guys do it in New York. It's so hard. I can't even imagine, like, Hoisting up on the side of a building or like, having to go through, like, every hoa, like, nightmare in every building you work on. But I guess that's only, like, in the city. That's only in the city if you're working in, like, the Hamptons. Yeah. It's much better to be in these private residences that don't have so much red tape. Sure. But the budgets are bigger here. The people have more money, and you have to be really. You have to be really creative in what you're doing, you know, to, like, get into these potentially smaller spaces. But, yeah, you haven't lived until you see a grand piano hoisted up 30 flights. Yeah. You know, Fucking window. You know you've made it when it's like, I feel like, in, like, la. You know, you've made it as a designer when you're, like, in a Range Rover and have a Rolex, but in New York, it's like, hoist a piano on the side of a building, you know you made it. Yeah, a grand piano. No fucking baby grand. No uprights, no shit. In the elevator. Service elevator. It's at the back. Bitch. Oh, my gosh. I'm obsessed. Okay. Well, for me, la, to me, is just so much more spread out, of course, that it feels like I find your community so fascinating where, like, every, like, pocket of this city is so different and, like, you don't really. Do you go to, like, the different spot, or do you kind of, like, hermit into your spot and that's it. I don't hermit because. I mean, I can't hermit because of the nature of our work is all over the city. But, yeah, I don't really cross La Brea. Does that mean anything to you? I don't cross La Brea. No. Is it a boulevard? It's a main. It's a main street. But that's like the joke. Like, oh, my God. Today I went past La Brea. I don't really have projects on the west side. You had to commute to come see me? From Beverly Hills all the way to Highland Parking. Like, hour and a half. But again, like, in New York. Where am I going in New York? It took me an hour to get from. No, not an hour, 45 minutes to get from Lower east side to Javits. That seems like a long time. That is a long time. Yeah. Maybe 37 minutes. But anyways, you took too long. I actually love the subway system here. It's great. So fucking efficient. It's very efficient. Just avoid the crazies when you're on the street or on the streetcar, on the car. It's air conditioned. So on a day like today, I was like, I don't want to leave this train. That's how you know you're a real New Yorker when you feel refreshed in the summer. Oh, my God, I'm a native New Yorker. There it is, there it is, there it is. Showgirl. But yeah, like, it is spread out in la. But I do. This is going to sound so horrible and backwards. I kind of like my car culture because, like, in the car, when I'm driving 45 minutes from our office to a job site or something, I can call the contractor, I can call my team, I can check in, I can call a client, I can listen to a podcast about design. I'm in the comfort of my car, you know, put on that adaptive cruise control and she's just cruising. So, like, there are some perks to it. But it. Yeah, it's interesting again, I don't know, like, I guess in New York, because. Yeah, like, going to the Pacific Design center to get all the samples, you guys go to the D and D, the D and D and like, like carrying all those samples back to the office on the subway seems like torture. Well, yeah, but you can memo them, which is nice. I'm sure the couriers in this city are just like. It's like in seconds, a dime a dozen. Yeah, exactly how quick you can get things. But I had car culture when I was living out of New York, out of the city. But it's. I had such bad service that I would, like, drop calls all the time. Frustrating. And I was like, fucking kill me. Literally kill me. I can't. I can't do. I'm trapped in this vehicle and I can't do anything. Yeah. So. But at least here I feel like every subway stop I can kind of like, answer something. Yep, yep. I was doing that on my way here. I learned quickly. Okay, so you need an assistant and you need a social media content. Yeah. Creator. So perfect two hires for you immediately. End of Q2. End of Q2. End of Q2. Okay, so what are we going into the rest of the week? Like, are you here for how many more days? I leave on Thursday. Okay, so two more nights. Tonight is your big night. Yeah, you're the main event. And then I'm just gonna have dinner with some design gays afterwards. So fun. And then tomorrow I'm going to see Death of a Salesman. Are you really? Yeah. I wanted to see one Broadway play and Lori Metcalf. I'm so freaking excited. Also, tickets to hey Mary or oh, Mary. Oh, Mary. Oh, mary were like, 500. No, I really want to see Meg Salter. She's like, the new Mary. Well, my. One of my friends got tickets for the July performance with her, and he's like, come back to New York. You can have my. My second ticket. I'm like, I actually might make a trip for that. She is so fucking. She's so funny. I'm obsessed with her. Death of a Salesman. And then tomorrow night, just me and my husband and our whole, like, group of, like, non design, like, New York friends are gonna have dinner at this restaurant that I don't know is. Seems fancy. Okay, what's the name of that? Wait, your husband's here too? Yeah, he's here. Is he coming tonight? No. Okay. He's going to a play. Oh, okay. Sorry. He would have if he wasn't going to a play, but honestly, like, I'm really enjoying, like, just doing my own thing in the city. Yeah, no, it's. It's really nice. I'm. I'm also living my single life at the moment, and it's amazing. So I just want to say I am so, so grateful for our friendship. I know that we, like, just met, like, six months ago, but I feel like we're, like, kindred spirits, and I don't often feel that way with other people, and I'm just. I really feel like I found something special in you, and I'm really grateful to have that. So thank you for being here today. This was so fun and a reminder to find your people because it can really make such a positive impact in your life. I couldn't agree more. And I repeat everything you just said to me back to you. He's gonna get a restraining order against me. All right, thanks, guys. We'll see you next week. That's it for today. If something landed, send it to someone who really needs to hear this, like, subscribe. Come back next week. And if you need more in the meantime, you can find me at Nicole R. Fisher and everything. NFI Nicole Fisher Interiors. See you next time.