From Design on a Dime to Luxury and Success with Cheryl Eisen

The She Leads Podcast: Real Conversations with Women Entrepreneurs

If you believe in yourself, others will too!

A dear friend of the She Leads Media, Cheryl Eisen, is know as 'the celebrity interior designer', and she is a huge supporter of the female founder community and women entrepreneurs everywhere. Cheryl believes strongly in a solid work ethic, resilience, and learning as much as you can as you create your routine and build your business. To become the person you want to become, you have to dig deep and become passionate as well as tough. The reality is that only 2.1% of the total capital invested in venture-backed startups go to women. Therefore, if feasible, self-funding is the way to set yourself up well for the future; a future without debt. Having begun her journey on a limited budget, without fancy degrees, Cheryl deeply understands the scrutiny that women can face. She knows the strength and creativity all women possess and encourages women to go for it, as there is power in knowing that you can do it yourself! Please enjoy the conversation between Tanya Klitch, accomplished editor and journalist, and Cheryl Eisen.

Notes
👠 She Leads Live 2023: Cheryl is a long time friend, supporter and advocate for She Leads Media, and the work we do to help bring visibility to women entrepreneurs everywhere. Cheryl has tremendously supported the conference for multiple years, as well as been a great friend to Adrienne Garland, CEO of She Leads Media. 01:48
🌟 Cheryl has designed interiors for Bezos, Kardashians, and many more celebrities and high net worth individuals. She is renowned both in her industry and within the female founder community. 05:10
✨ Luxury interior design and highest level of real estate properties: IMG is a unique company that takes care of everything needed to sell multi-million dollar properties. . 06:05
👱🏻‍♀️ Cheryl founded her first company at only 24 years old. 07:22
🏡 The challenges faced by being unemployed and broke for years: the move to real estate staging and the triumph of her first successful sale. 08:04
💸 Design on a dime: purchasing items on Craigslist from her own pocket to make properties look great and to get them ready for sale. 09:30
👉🏻 Lesson in organic marketing: boldly reaching out to brokers and offering staging services. Then, Fredrik Eklund hired Cheryl to solve a problem. 11:40
🚨 Fredrik’s listing remained empty and didn’t sell for years: Showcasing the James Bond vibe of Daniel Craigs’ duplex. 13:43
📩 What email marketing was like ‘back in the day’: Cheryl’s pivotal moment that launched her to the stars. 14:59
💣 Cheryl’s Advice: Dig deep to find your story and sell the person that you want to become: if you believe in yourself, others will too. 17:12
📈 Key hires and how to scale: rules of hiring and firing. 18:19
😷 The far and away most difficult time in her business journey: COVID. 21:46
👩🏻‍🏭🪛 New opportunities: When she could not find items she needed for staging, she decided to make them: an additional revenue stream for her company. 26:02
🎯 More great business advice: Figure out your unique selling proposition and strategy: how you market your business or product is the key. 29:25
👩🏻‍💼 While Cheryl has a gentle voice, she is direct and and employs a raw approach to business: When you both make things clear and set high expectations with employees, it may not always be comfortable, but greatness ensues. 30:40
🙃 How to create a company and hire people that match the culture: what happens when things aren’t all rosy with employees?. 31:38
⚠️ Reality check - VCs, the bank, and other lenders may not take your women-owned business seriously: Fact: only 2% of women entrepreneurs get VC funding. The answer: Self-Fund whenever possible. 33:37
3️⃣ Work ethic, passion, and toughness are the three hallmarks of Cheryl’s incredible success.35:52
⬅️ Ladies - Have An Exit Strategy! Selling your business, going public or having a liquidity event is important to operating as a successful entrepreneur. 38:15
🫂 Cheryl allows all of the conflict, the resolution, and the emotions to have space: after all, we are all humans doing business with one another. 39:37
💎 CEO with hands in the creative process: the necessary change in roles when businesses scale. 42:10

We would like to extend a very special thank you to Tanya Klitch, accomplished editor and journalist, and strategic content creation partner of She Leads Media, for her time, thoughtfulness and expert interviewing skills.

Links:
Interior Marketing Group: www.imgnyc.com

Connect with Cheryl: www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-eisen-1a41bb3

Connect with Tanya Klitch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-klich-1950842aa/

Connect with Adrienne: https://www.sheleadsmedia.com

Listen to podcasts for women by women on the She Leads Podcast Network: https://www.sheleadspodcasts.com

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