Janna Paulson

What I'm most proud of is surviving 37 years of having my own business. It's about mentoring young professionals, giving back to the community, and serving as a leader in the industry. I've always been someone who goes all in - it's either 100% or nothing for me. My personal philosophy is if you don't try, you'll never make it, so you really have to put yourself out there. Yes, you're going to get dinged, but that's how you grow. I've stayed agile and adapted to whatever markets were emerging, whether it was government, commercial office, retail, or hospitality. Having that interior design backing allowed me to be creative across all these areas. The multifamily sector became my sweet spot because I could control projects from beginning to end - the space planning, lighting, plumbing, flooring, walls, architectural elements, furniture, art, and accessories. That level of control and the ability to see a project through to completion has been incredibly gratifying. I also believe it's not just about transactions, it's about the relationships you build along the way.

The biggest influence on my career was my father, Larry Peel. He was a trailblazer in the industry who built like nobody else would. He challenged society and worked to preserve trees and nature. He would look at a site and say he was going to cut the pad side out for the building, and he originally started actually taking a chainsaw out and doing it himself because he wanted to protect the trees, which were so important to him. His projects were always based on a view - a lake, a natural preserve, or some element of nature, because nature was super important to him. He wasn't the easiest person at all times, because he challenged you. He made you look at things deeper and made you do things five times over before you actually got the insight he was searching for you to attain. That process of doing it over and over again made you learn what was the right thing. He was always looking to do the right thing, and he has always served as an inspiration to me. Another person at a dinner party told me something that was head-turning for me. I was explaining what I did, and he said, 'Janna, you're not just an interior designer, you're a businesswoman.' I had never thought of myself as a businesswoman - it was kind of a revelation to recognize that it is a business, and it's not just a passion and a pastime.

I like forward-thinking people. I like people who are ambitious, but I also like people who appreciate where they are and understand they don't know everything yet, but they're willing to ask questions. Everybody needs to know that we're all learning, and that we all make mistakes, but we all grow from our mistakes. My personal philosophy is, if you don't try, you'll never make it. You gotta put yourself out there. Yes, you're gonna get dinged, but that's how you grow. It's really important to build relationships as well, because this isn't about transactions, it's about the relationships you build along the way. When you work with people - whether it's a warehouse worker, a delivery person, a custom furniture builder, or the people cleaning the unit while you're installing - they are all in it for the betterment of the project. If we can all treat each other with respect and support, then everybody's happier, and the end product is so much better, and the experience is better. Life doesn't have to be a beatdown.

Austin has become such a hot market that all the national architecture and interior design firms decided they need to open an office here. Here I am, a little local person who's been here forever, and I can't compete with the big firms. They're looking for a name, not necessarily the skill. That's why my shift in the last 5 years has been national. I've been marketing nationally, we opened up a Denver office, and we have work in North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and obviously all over Texas. The interior design industry contributes a lot to consumerism because we buy a lot for projects, so there are a lot of people jockeying for us to write the spec that has their product. It's really about choosing the right thing and picking the right solutions, picking companies that align with your own values and keeping that at the forefront of your decisions. There are not that many female-owned small interior design firms that really make it. The sheer perseverance of continuing and still doing it out of passion and love for it is what matters. We all complain about the same things - staffing, clients, the cycle of the economy - but the fact that we can still every day open the door, walk out, and still practice is a big deal.

I think doing good and helping others and being professional and ethical are most important to me. There's a lot of influence in the interior design industry because we contribute a lot to consumerism - we buy a lot for projects - so there are a lot of people jockeying for us to use their product. It's really about choosing the right thing and picking the right solutions, picking companies that align with your own values and keeping that at the forefront of your decisions. Family is another incredibly important element for me. As an empty nester, I'm able to enjoy the best of both worlds. International travel is everything to me - being an artist and seeing things, slowly processing what you're seeing, not just being a tourist racing through and checking boxes. My stepfather was an international artist, and I traveled a lot when I was in college. I had a semester of school in Florence, Italy, and he took us to China, Morocco, Germany, and France. Looking at the world through an artist's eye as a designer has been incredibly inspiring. Food is also a biggie - my father started the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival, so I was always around a lot of food and wine. It's not just about the product, it's about the relationship. When you work for somebody, it's not just a transaction. If we can all treat each other with respect and support, then everybody's happier, and the end product is so much better.