Any interior designer would be ecstatic to be one of 15 finalists for the HGTV 2023 Designer of the Year award. But for Jeanne Collins \u201905 MBA,\u00a0the honor is particularly meaningful, as she is only three years into a design career.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019d asked me 10 years ago if I would be an entrepreneur, I would have said, \u2018No! Not me,\u2019\u201d says the founder of JerMar Designs of New Canaan, Connecticut, and the author of \u201cTwo Feet In: Lessons from an All-in Life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins had spent 11 years at a large corporation, working her way up to vice president of East Coast sales, when she was abruptly laid off. \u201cI was burned out from quarterly goals, unrealistic expectations, and travel,\u201d she says. \u201cI was exhausted from the lifestyle, the lack of creativity, and values that didn\u2019t align with mine. I realized I might be dead if I kept doing this. I knew this was a time for change, that I had another 20 years to work, and the chance to make a significant change wasn\u2019t going to come around again.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019d liked doing interior design work for herself and for family, so she went back to school online to earn two certificates in interior design. But she had no portfolio to demonstrate her style \u2014 which uses design to create a sense of serenity and wellness in a home. So she posted to a local mothers\u2019 group in town and offered to redesign a room for free. In 10 minutes, she had 35 people requesting her services.<\/p>\n
Today her work is in such demand that she can choose the projects she wants to work on. \u201cOne of the reasons people hire me is that I will push the boundary of what they think they like.\u201d The Executive MBA alum shared some lessons and tips with us in late 2023, in hopes of a serene and healthy 2024.<\/p>\n