APRIL: On this episode of Fanatical DreamHer, I feel fortunate to spend time today with Naomi Brown, founder of Nest New Interiors in Longmont, Colorado. Welcome to Fanatical DreamHer, the podcast that celebrates the unstoppable spirit of women who dare to dream big and make those dreams a reality. I'm your host April Kemp and each week I have the honor of sitting down with incredible women of all ages who have faced challenges head-on and emerged victorious.

APRIL: Through their stories of resilience, passion, and triumph, I hope you'll find the spark to ignite your own journey. This is your time. Let's dream, believe, and achieve together.

APRIL: Welcome, Naomi.

NAOMI: April, thank you much for having me.

APRIL: Honey, I am excited about your story. What got me when I kept hearing about it and I called you is you are what I call a true jumper. You just did it.

APRIL: You followed your heart just to get our audience and in our community up to speed here real quick. You were in corporate and small businesses for 20 years, not interior design, but now you are the founder and CEO of your own interior design company because you jumped and followed your heart. I just want to jump in.

APRIL: How old were you when you knew that design was your thing?

NAOMI: gosh, what a good question. I don't know. Well, I would say that I always knew that houses or something to do with homes, it had to have been my passion because I never wouldn't we had downtime and you were just drawing.

NAOMI: I have a little boy who never draws. it's hard to imagine. But yes, as a little girl, I drew all the time.

NAOMI: And I would just sit and doodle and I, some people do spirals or this and that. And I was drawing floor plans. And I was always working on my dream house and what it would look like.

NAOMI: And I was doing floor plans and elevations and just weird things. And I say all this now, not that I can draw even though I do have an art degree. It was that was where my head would go.

NAOMI: I feel if I could just let my mind go anywhere, it was into a beautiful space. And I've always been taking notes of why do I a room? What stands out to me in a room?

NAOMI: Why does this work? And yes, I just I always knew that it was something I was going to get into. But oddly enough, I had the opportunity when I started college to do interior design as a major.

NAOMI: And I don't know if it was in my head or something someone put in my head. But can you even make money doing that? Oh, let's not safe.

NAOMI: Why don't you go into fashion styling? Because surely you'll be a success there, even though it's such an incredibly competitive field, and such a small niche of a field. And I, I made a different path choice with college, I think it has served me well in the long run.

NAOMI: But yes, not being formally trained, I still am able to have my own company. And that is one of the many benefits of being in interior designs, be to say in a long big story of a world to get back here and to get back to my passion.

APRIL: I love that. Tell me what led up to you doing what you did by jumping and creating this amazing company. The few years before, did you prep it?

APRIL: Did you prepare it? Did you have testimonials or clients before?

NAOMI: Yes. Yes. I took an odd path.

NAOMI: I was miserable at a job and I was commuting 40 minutes into work and then I would get there and then it was just yucky. The whole thing was yucky. And during my commute time was when I was change this to do something different.

NAOMI: And I started, this is how I came up with the name of Nest new because I was daydreaming. What on earth can I call it? And I knew I just wanted the name Nest something cozy and warm and welcoming.

NAOMI: And in my mind, that's what a nest is. And I decided, okay, this is what we're going to do. And I started the company.

NAOMI: I quit my job. And I did this in 2013. over 10 years ago, I take this leap, but I was really not prepared.

NAOMI: And I had a mortgage and all by myself and I had no support or savings. And I got to try it out for a couple of months, but I took some side jobs and did commercial work, but it was very clear, I have to keep this roof up in my head and I need to eat. I, then I got another job.

NAOMI: And the job that I got was on Craigslist and it happened to be in barcodes, which was super random, but it was a cool job because it was down the street from where I was living and it was an easy job. I was able to still do this on the side. for a couple of years, I continue to take on projects on the side.

NAOMI: I think I've always tried to just continue to learn about running the business and interior design and look how the process works. And I always knew I wanted to get back to it, but then that company got bought out. My role became really big and I had to got to fly around the world and I, but I just did not have time for my own company.

NAOMI: I let the company sit for about 10 years. And then this last year, about in June of 2024, I was told that they were closing the office location that I was working at and they gave me a six month heads up and they were going to give me some severance. I said, holy moly, what a dream come true.

NAOMI: Thank you. I don't know that was the reaction they were expecting, but that was my reaction because I always said, this is what it's my passion. This is, I I light up when it comes to interiors and there's nothing I'm more passionate about.

NAOMI: I love all the aspects and I knew I needed to get into it, but I thought you can only do it once your mortgage is paid off. I was going to wait another 10 years and started a life shift in my senior years, but I had this opportunity and I said, I have just got to jump and I am lucky enough that my husband and family and friends are all just been supportive because they see that this is what I love to do. great.

APRIL: All tell us a little bit more about your passion and how it influenced your journey. We know you've always been into interiors, but what are some other little moments that it's when you're tapped on the shoulder throughout, before you, you jumped and sense that your passion carries you through?

NAOMI: I go back to my, my mother moved from one from Arizona to meet me here in Colorado. And when that happened, of course, she was can you help me decorate? And I think when that happened, I really realized what are you doing?

NAOMI: This is what you're meant to do. why are we talking about barcodes and analyzing people's barcodes, what you're meant to do. Right.

NAOMI: I think that was a very pivotal moment. And that happened about a year before all of this shifted. And I was I can get my business back going.

NAOMI: But what's cool about it all, and I would just encourage people if they're thinking about making a jump, is that don't ever feel you've wasted time in different avenues and that they weren't the avenues. sure, maybe don't spend a lifetime in it. But I do think that every chapter that I've been in has made it to where this time it's going to work.

NAOMI: Yes. This time it's going to be right. I spent my early years doing marketing and PR for couture jewelry designers.

NAOMI: And I've got a marketing background now because of that. And then that experience, doing the jewelry thing then led to me doing sales a little bit. I love it.

NAOMI: Inside sales and business development, getting new accounts. I've got sales experience now, and you do a lot of selling with interior design, not just selling the furniture or telling someone that this design is great, but you also have to sell yourself, right? Because completely.

NAOMI: Why are you trusting me? Right. But it is a very intimate experience to come into someone's home and transform it.

NAOMI: they are selecting you, not just your design. And yeah, I've had that background and then also just managing a product line. And then I've got a more business background because of that.

NAOMI: I'm grateful for all of that.

APRIL: Tell us how pursuing your dream has changed you personally. this is still, you jumped what, about a year ago, two years ago?

NAOMI: Yeah, it's new, right?

APRIL: which I love, but tell us, how has it changed you personally?

NAOMI: I've never been happier and lighter. I'm stressed in some ways because it's I cannot fail. I cannot go back to a corporate job, but I'm seeing the traction.

NAOMI: I keep putting things out there and it's coming back. And that is incredibly rewarding. I wake up every day thrilled and I honestly could work 24 seven.

NAOMI: If I didn't have kids, I just, I love it. I don't know how to describe it. It was a weight has been lifted.

NAOMI: It's I feel the, the cogs have been aligned. I am where I'm supposed to be. And I, especially in an industry that's creative and, and very competitive, interior design, I think it's easy to have imposter syndrome and say, am I really can I do this?

NAOMI: Should I be doing this? What makes me qualified to do this? And when I start to have this doubtful moments, I just look back and think, okay, well, what was I doing a year ago and look how far you've come.

NAOMI: just, it's happening. And I got to say, even having you do the intro today and you said, oh, she owns an interior design company. It just, I just want to pinch myself.

NAOMI: I can't believe it. It's true. Yes.

NAOMI: just yesterday I was doing school pickup and a lady at the park said, Oh, I, I, do you own an interior design company? I saw you online and I just yes, it's me. I do own an interior design company.

NAOMI: And I, I sometimes have to just say it over and over again. it's real. I'm an interior designer and it's very cool.

APRIL: Well, and you're passionate about it. Obviously, I get to look at you while we're recording today and the audience doesn't, but just full of joy from the moment I reached out to you, just the energy level. And I think it speaks to true, authentic passion.

APRIL: Naomi, this is fantastic. And also what I love about this particular interview, obviously we have younger audience, we have older, a mixture of all women. But you really jumped and I call them jumpers.

APRIL: Okay. I have a name for what you did. I did it.

APRIL: my daughter just did it. I know a lot of women and I will tell you the jumpers are the happiest of all, because they just, there's no looking back, right? And I just love that you've done this.

APRIL: Tell us about some milestones far that have stood out along your path to success. What are some of your favorite milestones far?

NAOMI: Well, I have to say, I think, first of all, the industry in general is amazing. It's supportive and I did not expect that. Anytime I say I'm a new interior designer, I expect someone to roll their eyes at me.

NAOMI: And they don't. They're congratulations, welcome, you're gonna love it. And I think that is, it's just amazing.

NAOMI: I've been in different industries and that's certainly not the vibe you get. And I think with your saying being a jumper and stuff, the second I said, I'm gonna do this and I started to tell people, friends or acquaintances, it was all these other women came out and they're yes, let's do this, let's help you, let's make it happen. And I have to completely shout out my best friend, Amanda, who runs a nonprofit.

NAOMI: And she has been my biggest supporter and she helped me get my first client, which has definitely got to be my biggest milestone. She was what, I'm doing this charity gala, why don't we just auction off your services? And she is constant and someone bid on it and that was my first client.

NAOMI: And I love the way the project work and happened to be an older gentleman who was single and just had money, it was perfect first client. And he was let me do whatever I wanted essentially. And I know all clients are not that way, but that was a great first client and he was really patient with me.

NAOMI: That was a huge moment.

APRIL: I love that story because the creativity involved and I think you and I discussed that a little bit together that you are definitely open and out of the box. And I think that when it comes to sales in general, it's good to be that way. But I would think in such a creative industry that you're in that is the name of the game.

APRIL: I love that.

NAOMI: I think so. Yeah, I'm in an area where people to paint their houses all gray and I am just not that gal. it works out well for me because people do keep calling and they're I want a house that's different and I appreciate that.

NAOMI: And I have to say just as I forgot to mention this and this is a huge milestone. I did, I have gotten to meet some incredible people in the industry. I did get to meet Corey Damon Jenkins.

NAOMI: Oh my gosh, I'm messing up his name. Corey Damon Jenkins, I think is his name. Yes.

NAOMI: I got to meet him. And then I just recently went to design camp, which I highly recommend if anyone is thinking about doing interior design and it's put on through the interior collective. And it's a gal that does a podcast, the gal that runs an interior design company and they break down everything.

NAOMI: It's fabulous. Best investment. It was better, I think, than going to college.

NAOMI: And it was four days. Anyways, while I was there, they had Jean Stauffer and Grace Star. I don't know if you guys want to establish.

NAOMI: They weren't there. And I got to meet them and take a photo with them. And I thought that was the pinch me moment.

NAOMI: And then we went to sit down at dinner and I looked at the table listings and I was what? I'm sitting at their table. And then I got to the table and I was what?

NAOMI: I'm sitting next to Grace Star. And I have had just much, I don't know what I'm just fangirl. I've always really enjoyed their show and, and love her style.

NAOMI: it's really reflected been impressionable on me. And I couldn't believe that I got to sit there. And one of the biggest reasons why I signed up for the design camp was I just wanted to meet them for a second.

NAOMI: But I never thought that I would get to sit at a table and have conversations with them and get design advice from them, show them the project I'm working on. it was incredible.

APRIL: fantastic. And what a way to show ongoing mentors, even though they're many and they're micro, right? They count.

APRIL: I love that. Tell us a little bit about the moment. This is my big question is, tell me about the moment when you realized you're going to make this happen.

APRIL: there's usually a moment. Okay.

NAOMI: I think I'm still waiting for that, but I just, I'm determined. Yes, you're very determined. I have not gotten a book deal just yet, but it's going to come.

APRIL: Yes, it will.

NAOMI: But I don't, every day I think with business and the way business works, do you ever really think this is it? I think you're always going to be striving for more. Of course, you're a true winner.

NAOMI: I think it's good to reflect back. Yeah, I think it's good to say you've accomplished this, this, and that. We still want to accomplish that.

NAOMI: And I never want to stop growing and I never want to stop pushing myself. I think that in just in general, that's such a bad habit to get into, right? There's always new things to learn.

NAOMI: There's always bigger goals to achieve. And if you just stop and you become complacent in, why not go shoot for more? I don't know that I have a specific moment.

NAOMI: Yeah, but it's, it's every day. I have to tell myself every day we're doing this. It's going to get bigger.

NAOMI: It's going to get better. We're going to make more money.

APRIL: Absolutely. And that goes to the major obstacles far. What was the major obstacles far that you faced and how do you feel you've overcome it?

NAOMI: Getting new clients is difficult. And then just going through the process. And I've made a lot of mistakes with my pricing, where I know I've left a lot of money on the table.

NAOMI: going back and refining my process has been really helpful. And I can't say that it's perfect. And it was cool to do where I got to meet a bunch of other senior interior designers.

NAOMI: I feel everybody still says this. They're no, I'm still working on it. I'm still one of perfected.

NAOMI: It's not ever going to be this is it. you're going to get better at it. But you should always go back and look at it.

NAOMI: And maybe I should be charging more. Or maybe I should change the way I charge for something else. And I think the biggest obstacle has got to be feeling a real business and that the processes are set.

NAOMI: I had one client that didn't pay me the amount that they signed they were going to pay for their deposit. And now I'm OK, wait, I waited too long to be you signed this. You said you were going to pay me this, and you didn't pay me this.

NAOMI: Little things that or, yeah, way undercharged for the amount of time that I put into this. I put two months in and I charge what I would make in two days, things that. I've made that mistake several times.

NAOMI: And I'm still working on it. I think everything is just a work in progress.

APRIL: It is and it's a journey and I love that you're honest about that because there is no ever perfection in a small business. You're wearing many hats, but I love the excitement that you have with what you do. Talk to us a little bit, speaking of positivity, your go-to self-talk on a tough day because you're exceedingly positive.

APRIL: You and I discussed this early on, which drew me to you as well, but talk to us a little bit about that self-talk on a tough day that someone else could learn from you.

NAOMI: Well, honestly, I think about the fact that you've contacted me for a podcast. It's little things that. I got, asked about a magazine and it was a day I was oh my gosh, I'm going to have to pull out a savings and put money in my business account.

NAOMI: what am I doing here? things are a little slow now. And then I got three calls.

NAOMI: And I just, I just, I look at materials cause just touching samples always makes me happy.

APRIL: You are a truly designer.

NAOMI: And I do, they do, they just spark joy completely. But yeah, and I'm surrounded by material. You can't see my desk area, but I've got materials all over the place because I do to be around them.

NAOMI: And I think, what, color combination, not everyone would have done. And you did that. don't think that no one will hire you.

NAOMI: we've just got to get it out there more. Or I might scroll through my Instagram and I think, okay, a year ago, I probably only had 10 posts, but look how many posts I've magically come up with. And the Instagram has been amazing.

NAOMI: I don't know if you call it the Instagram, but anyways, Instagram has been amazing because many people have come out and said, go for it. You've got this. And these people don't know me.

NAOMI: How amazing that you would do that. And you would follow along. And I filmed a video and I just said, hey, I'm going to take the sleep.

NAOMI: I'm going to leave my corporate job. I've done home renovations on my own home and made a lot of mistakes. And I want to save you from doing that.

NAOMI: And people really resonated with it. And I'm appreciative of it. I think I have 43,000 views on that video.

NAOMI: certainly I'm not Kim Kardashian and Gun Viral, but 43,000 people took the time to listen to me chat about. I think that's fantastic. Leaving my corporate job in my kitchen.

APRIL: right. I love it. Tell us now about that moment of the first day.

APRIL: Okay. The old position is done. You're it's the first day in your own company.

APRIL: What was going through your mind?

NAOMI: Oh, I was just smiling all day. Oh, I love that. Yeah.

NAOMI: I got up super early and I just, I couldn't wait to get to the computer and I couldn't wait to see what I could do and make giant lists of all the things I want to do accomplish as far as I needed to get my investment guide, welcome guide done, and, I needed to set up accounting software and all these things. I think I just, I just couldn't wait to get started. One thing I really want to do is a vision board.

NAOMI: I was thinking about this when I was younger and I had started off my career. I had this vision board and I said, okay, I want to have, I wanted to have an SUV. I had this tiny little car.

NAOMI: I wanted to have an SUV and I wanted to have a chandelier when you walked into my house and I wanted to have someone do my laundry and I wanted, whatever it was, and I had drawn these things and I over the years have gotten every single one of them.

APRIL: Of course you have because you believed it.

NAOMI: Yes, I believed it and I looked at it every day and I said, I've got to do this again, but this time I want to make it not about my life. I'm very grateful and blessed to have a wonderful life. I was why don't you do this for the business and sit next to you on the computer, in my office that I can look at it every day and get those things.

NAOMI: And then my first thought, and for the young people out there, they won't get this, but I was where am I going to get magazines? Because the last time I did this, I cut out magazines and then it dawned on me, you can just use Canva.

APRIL: Absolutely. Yes.

NAOMI: create a vision board. yes, I highly recommend to people out there, make a vision board, and don't stop learning. Yes, do it for your business.

NAOMI: Yeah.

APRIL: It will take you to a new level. That is something I believe in. And when we're done, there is a woman specializing in this very area.

APRIL: And I believe she's out of Denver. I was going to, she's on my list because she takes the process. I've been told to a whole new level.

APRIL: I will share that with you later.

NAOMI: I'm excited. But there's just much information out here and there's just, there's much to learn. There's much to visualize and every minute that you spend doing it, it comes back to you.

NAOMI: I really do.

APRIL: And that goes, again, to just the joy and the passion. I just, it pushes true dreamers to a new level and I just, I hear it and I love this. Who supported you the most along the way, Naomi, and how'd they help?

NAOMI: My, my best friend, Amanda and my husband, really, both of them have never never ever said you should stop or can you really do it? They're both a hundred percent, this is what you were always meant to do. I've never seen anyone do what you do the way you do it.

NAOMI: And they are always talking about me, especially my friend, Amanda, who happens to mix and mingle with rich people all the time because she works for a nonprofit. she, I always say, she is my biggest fan. I'm my biggest supporter.

NAOMI: And I do feel clients have come to me because of her and I just, I can never think her enough and, and truly, especially if it's Oh, I have to do this consultation. Can you watch my son? Look, she is there.

NAOMI: She's ready to do it. I would say that those two people have supported me a ton. I've also had some friends that haven't supported me.

NAOMI: And I think that's been encouraging. It's been a little sad to have close friends, be you're crazy or you don't know enough about business or whatever nonsense they want to say. But at the end of the day, it's when I have the conversation with those who do some work, man, I'm I don't know why they're negative about this or this or that.

NAOMI: And it's wait a minute, it doesn't even matter because what we're going to do is we're going to take this and we're going to prove them wrong. We're going to show them that we do have this and that we can do this. Right.

APRIL: And I always, told this to my daughter and I still share this to this day is some people throw rocks at things that shine and that's Taylor Swift directly, one of her songs. And it's true. And I'm always disappointed, but on the other side of that, just stay on the side of all the positivity and support, right?

APRIL: Keep going, which is what you've done.

NAOMI: Use it as fuel. Yes. Use it as fuel, right?

NAOMI: And if I ever wanted to quit, I think I would think, no, because I can't let that person know. I think you are funny. It cannot be correct.

NAOMI: I can't quit. And I also would say, and I should give a giant shout out to my grandparents because I was in a lucky enough position that they, I was able to have some savings because I gotten a little bit of an inheritance. And I think that if, if I were in the shoes of saying, I want to start to do something or I wanted to jump, I would say, absolutely jump, but get some savings because there's going to be rough months.

NAOMI: And that was what I didn't do the last time and I had to throw in the towel. by taking some time, my grandparents left me a little bit of money and then also I was just saving, I could do this and I, savings will run out, but I think not having to wake up every day terrified about paying for a meal or paying for my mortgage has helped. I'm scared, but I'm not terrified.

NAOMI: Good for you. And it's working and, I was able to discount some stuff and do some things and now things are really, it's, it is starting to turn around.

APRIL: Good, good, good. I love the advice you just gave to young people too about having a little bit in the savings account. Tell us this, A, I want to know your favorite quote.

APRIL: I always ask about the favorite quote or just even if it's a statement that you tell yourself frequently or it's on your desk.

NAOMI: is a tough one. My grandfather always told me never to take any wooden nickels. That has to be my favorite quote.

NAOMI: I don't know that it's related to what I do, but it is related to everything in life. And even one of the biggest things I had to go to battle to get my inheritance. And I just kept hearing that in my head.

NAOMI: And I don't, it applies to many things. Oh, I love it. I've never heard it all the time.

NAOMI: And it was the last thing he said to me was Naomi, don't ever take any wooden nickels.

APRIL: Oh, honey, I love that one. I've never heard it. And I love it.

APRIL: what a what a good one. And coming from him, extra special. What else would you want to share about anyone that identifies when they do identify the dream of wanting to be an interior designer?

APRIL: What is other advice you would give to them?

NAOMI: Well, first of all, I would say, as far as learning and stuff goes, take your time. really do get some savings. It's a very competitive industry.

NAOMI: There's not really I guess there's courses. I don't know that you necessarily need to spend a ton of money going back to school for it, but there's a lot of interior design coaches out there and they offer free information. They are doing podcasts.

NAOMI: They are writing blogs and you can just start absorbing, right? You can start to learn and build a plan while you're working another job. And that way you are really ready when you go to make the jump, I suppose.

NAOMI: I don't know if you're ever really ready, but you got to do it. But take some time, think this through, think about how you, you want to position yourself, how you want to do your pricing. How do you want to make your customer experience, all of that stuff.

NAOMI: There's just much information out there now that you can learn from for free. And I would recommend doing, and I would say to not give up on your dream just because you're not formally trained, but there are a lot of people in interior design that don't have a formal degree. The benefit of having a formal degree is that you can go and work for an established firm now and learn from them.

NAOMI: And if you don't have a degree, you have to start your own business. think about it that way. How do you foresee yourself, right?

NAOMI: Do you want to be your own CEO? Do you want to start off slow and learn from someone else? no, no, no path is the wrong path, but do think about how you want to do it.

APRIL: I love that. Tell us, I want my listeners to know, A, how to get a hold of you. They may have questions, but beyond that, why don't you let people know how to hire you?

APRIL: How do they reach you to hire for your wonderful services?

NAOMI: you can reach me at nestnew. com and then my Instagram is nestnewinteriors and I would love for you to follow along. It's just me popping on the screen with a smile on my face showing you some fun interiors and doing tips and I because many people have followed me on Instagram based on my video saying I'm taking this leap and want to know how developing the business is going or have reached out with asking questions about their own business.

NAOMI: I try and put tips there or things I've learned or want to share with people who might be starting the same journey.

APRIL: I just, I am happy that we had you as a guest on Fanatical DreamHer, you are definitely a dreamer. It's been a pleasure and I want to thank you much for joining us and sharing your time. Do you want to end with one tip for interior design for our listeners in our community?

NAOMI: Yes, I do. I'm going to have to think about this for one second though. Just one tip is hard.

NAOMI: There's many things I want to say. I suppose one of the biggest things I want to say is, when you go to do your own space, you want it to be completed immediately and you want to have it done. But yet the rooms that you look at that you are a fan of are likely rooms that have been curated over time.

NAOMI: I would say to not neglect the fact that the layers of love and history that you want in your room will take a little bit of time. I certainly think an interior designer can help you get a real big jump on that because they're trained to do that. Don't beat yourself up because it's going to take some time.

NAOMI: Even in my own house, it evolved. Maybe I want a different rug or a different sofa. Play into that.

NAOMI: Enjoy that. Enjoy the process. Enjoy the fact that it doesn't have to always look the same and that there's going to be stories.

NAOMI: I just recently celebrated a birthday and someone bought me a sparkler they thought was a candle and it burnt an expensive West Elm table. Now there's a story to it. Oh, I love it.

NAOMI: Great tip. There's a memory with the burn holes on the table, right? that stuff just has to come in time.

APRIL: I love it. Thank you for sharing a great tip, especially for people that want to do it in a hurry. That's great advice.

APRIL: I want to thank you for being here. I want to thank all of our listeners. Fanatical DreamHer, the community has grown much.

APRIL: We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for continuing to refer your friends and family to us. Thank you much.

APRIL: Stay healthy and happy and thanks for joining. Thank you much for joining us and always remember keep dreaming and never forget the world always makes way for the dreamer. We'll see you next time.