[00:00:00] Cara Woodhouse: There's not one way, one road to success. It's different for every single person. You just have to find your way and what you will get to where you're meant to be. It all works out. You just have to enjoy the ride, the good and the bad. Your mistakes are your biggest lessons in life and in your business and your career.

[00:00:17] Cara Woodhouse: So without those you don't grow and learn. 

[00:00:19] Michael Oved: If you can give them one piece of advice to be the best interior designer, to be the best entrepreneur, to be the best social media influencer, what would it be? 

[00:00:26] Cara Woodhouse: Find something that you absolutely love. To do. It will never feel like work to you. How do you start your first business?

[00:00:33] Cara Woodhouse: What do you do? You need to 

[00:00:37] Michael Oved: welcome back to 30 years in 30 minutes. I'm your host, Michael Ovid, and we've got a great episode for you today. With that, it is my pleasure to introduce to you to today's guest. Kara Woodhouse is a world-class interior designer and the founder of Kara Woodhouse Interiors.

[00:00:52] Michael Oved: She's also a social media influencer with almost 900,000 followers on Instagram. Kara, it is such a pleasure to have you on with us [00:01:00] today. 

[00:01:00] Cara Woodhouse: It is so nice to be here with you as well. Thank you for having me. 

[00:01:04] Michael Oved: Kara, before we get into you and a bit about your career and all of your tremendous accomplishments, tell us more about you.

[00:01:10] Michael Oved: Tell us more about your background, about your high school and and, and college experience. How, how did you get into, uh, interior design? 

[00:01:16] Cara Woodhouse: So I had a very squiggly path to where I am today. Um, I was a fine artist when I was younger and I was deterred from going to art school, fine art school, which was really my passion doing sculpture and I.

[00:01:35] Cara Woodhouse: Basically did the next thing that I guess back then in the nineties when I was going into college, I went into fashion. That's where I started and. I hated it completely. I went to FIT and basically quit half semester in because I just completely hated what I was studying. It was not my [00:02:00] passion. And then thought I was gonna go to the garment center and get a job, which I went on a million interviews, got offered a zillion jobs.

[00:02:08] Cara Woodhouse: My parents were definitely freaked out completely. And an aunt of mine, um, kind of came to the rescue and said, kind of noticed in me, 'cause she was also an artist that I had a flare growing up designing. She's like, I remember you designing your room and helping your parents do their house and all this stuff.

[00:02:29] Cara Woodhouse: She's like, you should check out New York's School of Interior Design and. Basically magic happened. I walked through the door, I put together a portfolio, I was accepted, and I completely geeked out in college and found what I was meant to do, and the rest is history. 

[00:02:47] Michael Oved: I think your journey to finding your fashion, whether that's from fashion or fine arts or anything else, that's a journey that a lot of people in high school and in college go through.

[00:02:56] Michael Oved: What advice would you give them as to how they can best find their [00:03:00] passion and, and even find their passion earlier than you did? 

[00:03:02] Cara Woodhouse: I always say it's so hard unless you just truly know from a very, very early age that you love something, which I find to be a little rare. I think that nowadays, even in high school, you could do internships and work for different companies.

[00:03:18] Cara Woodhouse: I have a niece, I have two nieces who are older. One's 24. One's 21, and. It's such a different world now. They have interned a million different places trying to figure out their niche. One of them's in finance, so she, she actually knew. But my other niece, she is definitely business oriented and very creative.

[00:03:38] Cara Woodhouse: So she is testing out the waters and you know. Getting internships for marketing and pr. She worked for KISS this Summer doing styling. She's just finding every kind of niche and angle to figure out the parts of different businesses that she's interested in, so I highly recommend. You know, playing around with those [00:04:00] ideas.

[00:04:00] Cara Woodhouse: Even in high school, I've had interns come in in high school and they get credit for it to see if this is something that they would enjoy. And every firm is different as far as interior design. You know, there's commercial, there's residential, there's, you know, large companies, small companies, and.

[00:04:19] Cara Woodhouse: Figuring out what suits you and what you're interested in. You could intern and figure out, this is completely not what I wanna do, or This is completely this. Yes, this is what I wanna follow, my dream and passion to do this. 

[00:04:34] Michael Oved: So it's really just a trial and error game. Just try as much as you can, use your high school and college years to do as much as you possibly could to narrow down what you're interested in.

[00:04:42] Cara Woodhouse: I 100% think so. I think exposing yourself to different opportunities, really kind of molds and shapes where you wanna go in life, what you wanna do. 

[00:04:51] Michael Oved: And so when you had your first exposure to interior design when you graduated college, what was that like for you? 

[00:04:57] Cara Woodhouse: Well, I actually, I interned [00:05:00] a lot when I was in college and I did not have.

[00:05:03] Cara Woodhouse: The greatest experiences, to be quite honest with you, it was very different then than it is today. Um, it was, there was a very old school mentality in the industry. People were really abusive to, to intern. No, it was terrible. You know, starting out you were treated really poorly. So I think it definitely helped develop my tough, thick skin that I have today, but also has taught me being a business owner and.

[00:05:33] Cara Woodhouse: An employer of how I wanna treat people and how I wish I was treated back when I started out. So the whole business has really changed and evolved over the years. 

[00:05:45] Michael Oved: When you got your first job, finally in interior design when you graduated college, 

[00:05:49] Cara Woodhouse: yes. 

[00:05:50] Michael Oved: Yes. Was there anything that you learned then, other than, you know, developing thick skin, but any, any tangible Yes.

[00:05:57] Michael Oved: Lessons that you learned there that you then took when you [00:06:00] ended up starting your own interior design firm? Of 

[00:06:01] Cara Woodhouse: course, of course. So, you know, running a, running this business, there's so many different ways that you can run an interior design business. I was fortunate enough to work for a top ad that's Architectural Digest 100 firm.

[00:06:17] Cara Woodhouse: Um, the firm was called Coleman and Kravis, and they had massive, large scope projects. They're still around today. They're a very reputable firm and I really saw that it was a well-oiled machine from, you know, their accounting system to being exposed to incredible vendors that I probably would not have been exposed to if I worked for a different kind of firm.

[00:06:40] Cara Woodhouse: I definitely gained a level of respect working for such a high-end, credible. Uh, firm as well. So when I did go off on my own, people remembered I was a Coleman and Kravis, uh, girl, you know, so. Yeah, I mean, taking notice of all the little [00:07:00] details of how a business and a company is run is, is so important. I use the same, um, accounting programs and, you know, I, it's changed ever so slightly just because technology has changed so much.

[00:07:13] Cara Woodhouse: But, um, I use the same kind of method that they use. And I worked for, you know, another firm besides them, but they were definitely, you know, I think played a huge role in how I run my business today. 

[00:07:28] Michael Oved: I mean, that's really a, a tremendous thing that, that you use the same accounting practices today that you, that you learned in your first job.

[00:07:37] Michael Oved: And I think more than that, the name of the first company that you worked at stuck with you for the rest of your career. And I'm obvi in your case, that's a great thing because you write a really prestigious firm. But when people are coming out of college and they're looking to explore, you know, their first company, what they should work at, should they prioritize a company that they will learn a lot or should they prioritize a company that has a big name and they might not be doing as much as they would be doing if they were, than [00:08:00] if they were at a smaller firm.

[00:08:01] Cara Woodhouse: So I think that there's, you know, upsides and downsides to both. Um, the good thing is when you're starting out as well, or finding internships or first jobs, I think that's why you go and you interview and you have to definitely delve in and kind of look into these firms, what their practices are, how many employees are there, what type of projects they work on, and really do your research.

[00:08:27] Cara Woodhouse: I think that's important to know. Um. You know, how, how these firms function and what you'll be gaining out of working for them, whether it's the prestigious name or really gaining the experience. And, and it could be both. You know, in my experience it was both for that firm, um, that I worked for. So. Yeah, I think you need to explore and look at all of those things.

[00:08:52] Michael Oved: But if you were to place more weight on one of them, either you know, a prestigious name or 

[00:08:56] Cara Woodhouse: I probably, honestly, I would probably go for the more [00:09:00] prestigious firm because they're doing something right. If I were to do it again today, I would wanna work for a big, well-known firm that has a lot of credibility.

[00:09:08] Cara Woodhouse: You know, when I'm also interviewing. Um, to employ people and hire people. I definitely look at previous firms that they work for, you know, if they worked at a CP two in-house design role versus working at another designer's firm. One that I love and love their work as well. Obviously, that sticks out more to me.

[00:09:32] Michael Oved: And, and so when you were working at, in your first job, what was your day-to-day like? 

[00:09:35] Cara Woodhouse: Um, my first job, day-to-day, Pullman and Kravis, I really did everything. So I came on as a junior designer working underneath a project manager. And you know, you are basically, I was doing. Bulk of the work day to day, you're basically pricing things out.

[00:09:54] Cara Woodhouse: You're shopping and putting together schemes for rooms. You're being exposed to going [00:10:00] antiquing. We would go, we would shop at auction houses at Sotheby's and Christie's. It was such a mix and range, and I think that that is also something that's super important when you are interviewing for a position that you're not just.

[00:10:14] Cara Woodhouse: You know, working in a sample room or you're not being exposed to things, I think it's okay to speak up and. Ask, you know, will you be included in the design process? Will you be at client meetings? Will you travel to the locations where these homes are? How involved is your role? You know, you have to be clear about that of what you're looking for and what you wanna do and how much experience you wanna gain.

[00:10:39] Michael Oved: And obviously getting involved in all of those things would mean you're learning a lot on the job. And so when you're in your first job, like you were, even when you were down the line at your second, third, or fourth jobs. How important is it to be persistent, to be pushy, to kind of go up to your bosses and say, look, I wanna, I wanna get involved, I wanna do all of those things that you just mentioned.

[00:10:59] Cara Woodhouse: So [00:11:00] I was a little more fearful starting out, just to be honest. I think, you know, I've definitely come out of my shell obviously so much more down the road. Also seeing people who, who work for me and I always admire and respect people who come to me and say. I wanna do more. I wanna learn, you know, put me in the forefront of everything.

[00:11:24] Cara Woodhouse: I love when people have the guts to come forward and do that. Um. You know, that's me. I don't know if everyone feels that way, but I do respect that more for sure. And I did not do that when I started in the business, but in the hindsight, I, I would, I would definitely, if I could go back in time, I would definitely, you know, speak up more, have a meeting with my employer and, you know, ask for those things and show that I really wanted to learn and be supportive to them.

[00:11:58] Michael Oved: You obviously learned a lot from [00:12:00] your first job. How did you know when it was time to leave? 

[00:12:03] Cara Woodhouse: I think I definitely left working for someone else a little prematurely. I only worked, um, and I worked for a couple of other firms, but probably it was like three years of a full-time kind of position. I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to.

[00:12:21] Cara Woodhouse: Design my first project in Miami to do a beachfront, uh, a waterfront property. And I kind of had the mentality of, you know, just never say no, keep going and, you know, kind of fake it till you make it. And I learned. So much. Obviously taking on my first project, I pulled in a business partner, thank God at the time, so we could kind of work through this together.

[00:12:50] Cara Woodhouse: She did not have an ex have any experience having a firm of her own either, and we kind of just jumped headfirst into it. [00:13:00] It did come out beautiful. It was like such an incredible project and we were like on a bedfast crazy role, like word got out that we started this firm and we really grew very quickly, very fast.

[00:13:13] Cara Woodhouse: But there were definitely, there was a huge learning curve for sure. On so many angles. Yeah. 

[00:13:20] Michael Oved: And getting back to how you, how the first opportunity came to you. That's a really, it's a really unique thing to have that opportunity to begin with, to, to leave a firm that you're working at for three years and then go off and start your own thing.

[00:13:32] Michael Oved: How did you, how did you get that initial opportunity? I. 

[00:13:35] Cara Woodhouse: Well, lucky enough, it was through a friend of mine, a close friend. It was his very close friend at the time, and he was purchasing this home and looking for a designer and my very good friend, you know, put me up for the position. We met with him and sold ourselves in, and the rest is history.

[00:13:53] Michael Oved: So if, if you were speaking, I mean, and you are speaking with people who, who want to work for themselves, who are interested in interior [00:14:00] design and, and wanna work for themselves, how, how would you advise them? To get that opportunity, how can they get that opportunity to get that, you know, some might say big break.

[00:14:09] Michael Oved: Yeah. If they're working at a firm, working for somebody else. 

[00:14:12] Cara Woodhouse: If you're looking to go off on your own and, and start a business, I think, I think having experience first and foremost is I. A great thing to have under your belt. Obviously, you know, I had the foundation of school and working at this amazing firm.

[00:14:29] Cara Woodhouse: I, you're always learning. I say to this day that I am just, I still learn, you know, I. Things on different projects. 'cause every project's different. But my advice is maybe get some projects going on your own, whether it's in your own home or a friend or a family member. Put together portfolio so you have images of your work and your.

[00:14:52] Cara Woodhouse: Style. You could do 3D renderings now that look realistic of projects that you could put together and [00:15:00] design and put it out there. Get on Instagram, go network, get out. Um, you know, get the word out that this is what you're doing and display your work, you know, so people know what's going on, what, what you're doing, and could see and, and hopefully hire you.

[00:15:16] Michael Oved: And we'll get to the Instagram in a bit because I, you have a tremendous social media presence and you do, you are so good at what you do. So I'm really excited to hear more about that a bit later. But I, I'm curious about when you first started, your company, first started working for yourself, what were the initial challenges that you faced and, and how did you, how did you overcome them?

[00:15:39] Cara Woodhouse: This is, I do a lot of mentoring for this as well. Like how do you start your first business, what do you do? And there's just a very kind of short, quick to-do list with interior design. You need to have a great accounting program, which we use Studio designer or Studio webware. I've been using it for a million years.

[00:15:58] Cara Woodhouse: Um, you [00:16:00] definitely need to have a good lawyer to put together a design agreement or contract you need to. Find a, a space to work out of and you need to basically set up your business, your resale. Um. Certificate so that you can open up accounts everywhere, get your social media up and you're in business.

[00:16:25] Cara Woodhouse: You know, it really is. It's a very easy thing to open and, and start a business laying out the groundwork, but also a bookkeeper and an accountant, you know, just like any other business. But those are the first steps of, of starting it. And then, you know, there's. Tricks and things that you could do. Like I said, building a portfolio, creating a website for yourself, get out there and network.

[00:16:47] Cara Woodhouse: You could contact developers and builders. You could talk to real estate brokers, talk to friends and family who you know are purchasing a home and wanna give you your first break. 

[00:16:58] Michael Oved: That's the, the list of what to [00:17:00] do. But there thought there was a lot of challenges along the way. Yes. What, what were, what were some initial challenges that you faced?

[00:17:06] Cara Woodhouse: You know, I had some experience with the architecture, but I. Did not have the experience, obviously just 'cause of time. Um, I personally think it's all, you kind of learn, you learn as you go. It's like it's just time. I think that you have to build how good you are based off of experience and time in the field.

[00:17:27] Cara Woodhouse: So that is also a big thing that I think you need to do is, is really put your time in working for a good firm where you're. Gaining all of this experience. You know, I just interviewed somebody, um, who works on procurement and she said, you know, she's working for a big firm right now. And she said it, you know, my first year at this firm was my biggest learning experience that I ever had because it just threw me into everything.

[00:17:58] Cara Woodhouse: And, um, [00:18:00] she just. Learned so much. Being, being in this role and in this position working for a really good company. 

[00:18:06] Michael Oved: What was the hardest thing to learn on the job? 

[00:18:09] Cara Woodhouse: You know, I think dealing with clients. For me, I was a little intimidated in the beginning of my career with clients for some reason. I like, I'm also a people pleaser in a way, so I would have some like issues that, you know, like if they were giving me a little bit of a hard time, let's say I didn't really push back as hard as I do now.

[00:18:31] Cara Woodhouse: You know, like kind of standing your ground and not letting clients and you know, in the beginning of your career you're also taking on projects that with people that you might not. See eye to eye with, or they could be a little problematic and personality wise, which I, I know in this field a lot of people encounter that.

[00:18:51] Cara Woodhouse: So I think navigating different personalities and how you handle yourself and you know, I tend to. Think that [00:19:00] when you kind of give it back to people who are giving you a bit of a hard time, they tend to back down a bit. Um, that's a big learning lesson that I've learned along the way. 

[00:19:13] Michael Oved: Are there any other learning lessons, uh, any other learning 

[00:19:15] Cara Woodhouse: curves that, that you had?

[00:19:16] Cara Woodhouse: Steep learning curves, if I make a mistake, which still can happen, it doesn't happen often, but if it does, I completely rectify it and take care of it because, you know, the clients are trusting me in hiring me to design their homes. So if I make a mistake similar to that, yes, I will replace it and take care of it, because that's on me and I stand behind everything that I do.

[00:19:41] Cara Woodhouse: I 

[00:19:41] Michael Oved: mean, do you have any regrets of things that you didn't do when you were first starting off or when you were making a name for yourself in the industry? 

[00:19:49] Cara Woodhouse: I have zero regrets. I live my life with zero regrets. Um, I think that I. You know, your mistakes that you make are your biggest lessons in life and in your [00:20:00] business and your career.

[00:20:01] Cara Woodhouse: So without those, you don't grow and learn. So I have no regrets at all my journey to where I am today. Um, you know, it had twists and turns and all sorts of things. I've had several firms over the years. You know, I, I definitely learned, I had a, a really large firm with 20 employees. You know, in the beginning of my career, then I went down to just having me and, and somebody else to now finding where I, the size that fits my life for balance and what I like to handle.

[00:20:35] Cara Woodhouse: And for my, uh, creative freedom, you know, keeping it small. So that was a huge lesson along the way too, kind of. Finding where I feel like I'm thriving and comfortable with what type of projects I take on leaving room to do product design and real estate. And you know, I just wrote my first book, which took a lot of time.

[00:20:57] Cara Woodhouse: So, yeah, I mean, [00:21:00] you, you find so many lessons throughout so many things, having a career, right? So. 

[00:21:07] Michael Oved: I completely agree with your take about regrets. By the way. It's, it's, you know, it'd be one thing to say if there was an opportunity presented to you when you were younger that you didn't take, that would be a regret.

[00:21:16] Michael Oved: But if you make the best decision with. The options and knowledge that you have at that time, then there's nothing, truly nothing to regret. 

[00:21:26] Cara Woodhouse: Yes. 

[00:21:27] Michael Oved: And so maybe a better way of phrasing the question would be, knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently when you first started your company? 

[00:21:36] Cara Woodhouse: No.

[00:21:36] Michael Oved: Okay, 

[00:21:39] Cara Woodhouse: that's great. Definitely not, no. Okay. I take the good, the bad, and everything in between, you know? 'cause I am very happy with where I am today. 

[00:21:48] Michael Oved: And, and so when did you decide to start your social media page? 

[00:21:52] Cara Woodhouse: So, I started my social media page in 2016. I. I had just broken up with a business [00:22:00] partner and um, she was actually handling Instagram for our previous business and I was completely hands off.

[00:22:08] Cara Woodhouse: I kind of had no clue and was not interested and was not my thing, and she was very focused on it. And then when we. Split up. I had to, you know, rebuild a new business and create a brand, and I was all in and really saw the benefits of putting out there. Looks, designs and feels of everything on my Instagram page.

[00:22:35] Cara Woodhouse: And I early on decided I didn't want to just share my work. I really wanted to share what inspired me. 'cause I'm inspired by. Other designers. I'm inspired by incredible artisans and makers around the world. So, you know, I, to this day, um, I share my work, I share product, and I [00:23:00] share other designers work. 

[00:23:02] Michael Oved: I mean, it's not easy to get started on social media.

[00:23:04] Michael Oved: It's certainly not easy to, to grow your social media account to 900,000 followers. No. 

[00:23:10] Cara Woodhouse: It's not a lot of time and dedication. My biggest, my biggest fear is to like get hacked on Instagram because I've seen so many people lose their Instagrams. I mean, the time that was spent, the years, hours and time, you know, it's, it's been a labor, I guess, of love because it's really opened so much doors.

[00:23:32] Cara Woodhouse: So many doors for me, um, having such a large following. But yeah, I mean, if you want advice for how to grow social media, I mean, one things have definitely changed since 2016. I know all the algorithms change. They've definitely made it a lot harder for people to really grow quickly, but. How I did it was, you know, engaging, it's all about engagement, engaging in, [00:24:00] um, other designers and people on Instagram, it's, it goes, you know, it's a two-way street.

[00:24:06] Cara Woodhouse: It goes both ways. So doing that, and obviously your content has to be strong. You know, if you're putting out not the best content, you're not gonna get the attention and following. Um, so yes, like I. Always talk about how I base off, like any image that I post, it just gives me like all the feels. Like if I get excited over seeing an image, it's, it's going on.

[00:24:31] Cara Woodhouse: Just eye catching. 

[00:24:33] Michael Oved: So what goes into that content creation? 

[00:24:35] Cara Woodhouse: I handle all of my Instagram posts myself, so I've never had anybody post any of my work and it's. Pretty much easy. Like I, I'm constantly researching, so I'm on Pinterest, I'm on Instagram, and I'm constantly kind of tagging inspiration pieces that I love, designs that make my heart skip a beat.

[00:24:57] Cara Woodhouse: Like I have folders [00:25:00] for, for probably years of PIN stuff. So I have so much content constantly and my own work, right? So every project that I'm working on or, or complete, it's. You know, it's on there. 

[00:25:13] Michael Oved: And so to someone's just starting the process of content creation, obviously like, like you said, it's super different now than it was in 2016, but what advice would you give them about what's the most important thing they need to do in order to find success on social media?

[00:25:26] Cara Woodhouse: I think your work has to be really good. You need to get, you know, if you're going into the interior design field or any kind of design related fields, it's all about visuals. So. You need really good visuals. You need professional photography and things that are super eye catching, whether, you know, I find it in shapes and forms and color that just are attention grabbing.

[00:25:53] Cara Woodhouse: So I think imagery is number one, like what you're putting out there, what's your message, what's your style? And [00:26:00] then. Hashtags, you know, or I have always done hashtags. I've done also podcasts on, you know, Instagram and social media. Some people don't use hashtags, which is kind of mind blowing to me 'cause I always use them.

[00:26:13] Cara Woodhouse: It's a way of kind of finding imagery of, of what you're looking for, um, and putting together good, good content and honestly just being consistent. You know, people are kind of expecting you after a while to see things on the daily I, and also not overdoing it. So you could also overshare where people don't wanna you in their feet all the time.

[00:26:36] Cara Woodhouse: Um, so it's finding that balance. I usually post once a day and it's usually, usually in the morning and. Engagement, engaging with other people that you know will engage back with you. 

[00:26:50] Michael Oved: And I love what you said about the attention grabbing aspect of it. We actually just had on very big Instagram influencer, Mr Thank You on, who has 47 million followers.

[00:26:59] Michael Oved: And he really [00:27:00] says the same thing that you do about it has to be attention grabbing. He happens to do it with, you know, with money and says, you know, money is the biggest thing that. The number one thing that's on everyone's mind. And so if you show them money in the first 10 seconds, they'll wanna watch more.

[00:27:13] Michael Oved: And so I think it's just super interesting to see how different niches grab their audience's attention. 

[00:27:18] Cara Woodhouse: Yeah, I agree with that and it is fascinating. I'm fascinated with different industries too, you know, and I sucked into it myself, my social media. Um, 100%. It's like you have to grab people's attention with so much out there in the world, the millions and millions of people out there, you have to grab their attention.

[00:27:43] Michael Oved: What's next for you? You, you've obviously had tremendous success in terms of your interior design company in, in terms of your social media pages. What is, what is next for you? 

[00:27:51] Cara Woodhouse: Obviously, first and foremost, I don't think I'll ever give up designing projects 'cause that is my number one passion. But. [00:28:00] Like I mentioned earlier, I have my first book coming out.

[00:28:03] Cara Woodhouse: You know, I wanted to create a book too, and this is part of what. I think I'm trying to incorporate more in my business and put out there is that interior design for me is not just, you know, a trend and just like an aesthetic. It really talks about connecting to your home. It's. So much more emotional and you know, it's not just your eyesight looking at something visual.

[00:28:30] Cara Woodhouse: I talk about how you feel a space and how you live in a space and feel your home and the connection that you have to your home and really customizing it to. Every individual specific life and lifestyle. And I think that, you know, it kind of goes also into the wellness sector. You know, how you live in your home and how you feel.

[00:28:54] Cara Woodhouse: You know, colors can change your mood sense can change your mood when you, you know, it's [00:29:00] really peaking every sense, um, within a space. And it's, it's an experience, right? So. I really, um, I think a lot of designers don't speak about that as much, and I really wanna be on the forefront of really kind of taking that idea into a bigger level.

[00:29:21] Cara Woodhouse: You know, wellness is such a big thing right now. Um, and I think having the two more connected is really my, my message that I wanna put out there. You know, when people walk through my spaces. You know, like it's, I always pay attention to things that they say and sounds that they make, and, you know, they, they express how they feel in the space, which is so, it's so cool to, to evoke that out of somebody walking through one of my spaces that I design.

[00:29:53] Cara Woodhouse: So that's a big part of what I'm working on. And then. I am also working on [00:30:00] real, a real estate venture at the moment that will be launching in June. So I have a concept home out in the Hamptons, and it's a shoppable, rentable home. So I have a bunch of partners, um, incredible partners, uh, that. With amazing product from all over the world, creating this experiential home that you can shop.

[00:30:25] Cara Woodhouse: If you can't book a stay, you could shop it online. Um, I launched my website, my new website last summer, the end of last summer, selling, you know, furniture, accessories, lighting. Rugs everything for the home and really wanted it to be very curated. So it's kind of combining the two, those two things together, and then you could also rent, uh, to stay at, at this home.

[00:30:53] Cara Woodhouse: So I'm excited. I, um, it's the first of many to come. I wanna see them in different [00:31:00] locations and having different vibes and feels to, to all of them. So I'm super excited to launch it. 

[00:31:06] Michael Oved: So where can, where can viewers find, get access to your book? What website should they go to? 

[00:31:11] Cara Woodhouse: It is everywhere. So Amazon, Barnes and Noble.

[00:31:16] Cara Woodhouse: Any bookstore, you know, just search, it's called, it's a mood. I actually, I actually have it here 'cause I just got my first copy yesterday. My, 

[00:31:25] Michael Oved: wow, that's a nice design on the cover. 

[00:31:28] Cara Woodhouse: Yeah. I want it to be, you know, cool for coffee table. But. It is very informational. And the other thing that I'm really excited about that I think people are gonna really love about it is I put a whole resource guide in the back and talking about senses.

[00:31:44] Cara Woodhouse: So you know, I have sense in there like what they mean, crystals. I'm very into crystals. That goes also into like the wellness sector plants. And foliage paint. And then I have a whole list of vendors of my go-tos, like [00:32:00] an inside scoop from, you know, wallpaper, fabric, rug, you name it. Anything that goes into design, lighting, everything.

[00:32:08] Cara Woodhouse: It is all there to share. I'm a big sharer. I don't like to keep things kind of closed in and, and secretive. I like to share with everyone because it's important to me supporting my industry. 

[00:32:21] Michael Oved: We took a step forward and now taking a little bit of a step back, if you can, you're speaking to people, like I said, who are interested in what you do.

[00:32:28] Michael Oved: So based on all of your successes, your failures, everything, if you can give them one piece of advice to be the best interior designer, to be the best entrepreneur, to be the best social media influencer, what would it be? 

[00:32:39] Cara Woodhouse: You have to be passionate. I think that's like I, I tell my kids this, find something that you absolutely love to do and.

[00:32:49] Cara Woodhouse: It will never feel like work to you. I work every day and it never feels like a burden or work to me ever. All the things included from social media [00:33:00] to design to the business side of it, um, all of it. It is literally fun for me. Bit of it. And um, I think that's why I'm just constantly trying to do more and I almost like I can't keep up with myself, but it's just because I love it so much and when I am passionate about something, like nothing could hold me back.

[00:33:25] Cara Woodhouse: I'm just full force in. So I think, you know, that comes down to passion, being passionate and really. Truly loving what you're doing, 

[00:33:35] Michael Oved: and like you said before, it's all about trial and error. 

[00:33:38] Cara Woodhouse: 100%. I think you need that to grow just in general. I think that, again, you know, obviously when you have. Successes and wins in things, it makes you feel so good and you're like, I'm doing this again and again and you're repeating it and the same thing.

[00:33:56] Cara Woodhouse: It's like the failures. It's like, you know, and sometimes you make the same [00:34:00] mistakes over and over again until you finally learn that lesson. And I've done that as well. You know, where like you think you're being smart and you're think you learn your lesson and I didn't. I had to go through a lot more, you know, mistakes of doing very similar things over and over again until I learned my lesson, you know?

[00:34:17] Cara Woodhouse: There's not one way, one road to success, and it's different for every single person. You just have to find your way and your journey is your journey. And my journey is my journey, but you will get to where you're meant to be. It all works out. So you just have to enjoy the ride, the good and the bad, and appreciate the good and the bad.

[00:34:36] Cara Woodhouse: You know? I do appreciate the bad just as much as the good I do, 

[00:34:40] Michael Oved: but it's important not to have a Ritz exactly like you said. 

[00:34:43] Cara Woodhouse: Yeah. Exactly. 

[00:34:44] Michael Oved: And so onto the rapid fire questions, what book do you recommend? So other than your book, if, if so. So if you asked me what book I recommend, I would recommend, um, your book, which everyone should pre-order from Amazon now.

[00:34:55] Michael Oved: Yeah. But other than your book. So my favorite book, 

[00:34:59] Cara Woodhouse: which [00:35:00] really has nothing to do with interior design, it is called How to Be The, how to Be a Badass. Series and um, it basically just teaches you to let go of things that are holding you back and how to move forward, and 

[00:35:17] Michael Oved: that's important. What is the key to your success?

[00:35:21] Cara Woodhouse: I think the key to my success is staying focused. I think you have to be very focused. Um, I think it's really important to have your top three to five things that you want to happen in your life. And this is part of my manifestation in a way, but, you know, I think it helps keep you focused and grounded, um, on everything that you wanna achieve.

[00:35:46] Cara Woodhouse: So I think that making a list and how you're gonna get there and working on it every day to, until you get to where you wanna be, um, I think that that is definitely. Some advice, big advice that I give [00:36:00] to people and just have a positive mind and you know, I kind of have the mindset of things TER can happen to you on the daily.

[00:36:09] Cara Woodhouse: You know, that could kind of put you in a bad mood or set you back. Things aren't going your way. And I think you just have to let those things kind of roll off you. Don't let them affect you so deeply and just kind of press on, move on and don't let anything stop you. I feel like there's so many lessons that we learn day to day and take them as lessons, but move on, move forward, have a really positive mindset, and I think you'll get to great places in, in your career no matter what your career is.

[00:36:45] Michael Oved: What is a quote that you live by? 

[00:36:47] Cara Woodhouse: I always say, never take no for an answer. 

[00:36:50] Michael Oved: I love that. You know, people don't, people don't follow that enough. It's just if you, if you are persistent, if you keep at it, keep at it, keep at [00:37:00] it. Someone will eventually say yes, yes. 

[00:37:02] Cara Woodhouse: I just, I don't believe in, in accepting the first No.

[00:37:06] Cara Woodhouse: Like, I'll find any way in. I'll find my way in to, to just turn that no into a yes, and I've done it many, many times. 

[00:37:15] Michael Oved: That explains why you're so successful. What is your favorite home style? 

[00:37:19] Cara Woodhouse: I don't really have a particular one. Style. But I would say things that I really love and that you could see currently, and it's been for many years, I really do.

[00:37:30] Cara Woodhouse: I love very like soft curved kind of movement in spaces. So whether it could be an arch doorway to a rounded light, um, I, I love curvaceous things and I would say that. I am definitely more contemporary, modern, I would say that's 'cause that's what I am now, right? It's contemporary for now, uh, where we are in time.

[00:37:56] Cara Woodhouse: So that is I guess my style. 

[00:37:59] Michael Oved: And our [00:38:00] last question is, what is one piece of advice that you would give your younger self? 

[00:38:03] Cara Woodhouse: I think all the advice that I just. Said, now that, you know, I've learned over the years is don't let things get you down. Stay positive, stay focused, and really, I think staying positive, being around positive people, I'm so into people's energy and vibes.

[00:38:21] Cara Woodhouse: You know, like if someone is just, and everything outta their mouth is negative, it brings you down and. Just switch it. Put a smile on your face. Be happy and try to find the good and positive in, in everything. In everyone 

[00:38:35] Michael Oved: attitude is tit. 

[00:38:36] Cara Woodhouse: Yeah, it seeing. The good in things is definitely important. 

[00:38:43] Michael Oved: Well, Kara, this is so much fun.

[00:38:44] Michael Oved: You have such a wonderful way of articulating your accomplishments and uh, such an eloquent way, really. So thank you so much for coming on it. It is true honor to have you. Thank you. Aw, 

[00:38:55] Cara Woodhouse: same. Thank you so much. This is so fun. And again, [00:39:00] thank you. Thank you. 

[00:39:00] Michael Oved: Thank you for listening to 30 years and 30 minutes.

[00:39:03] Michael Oved: Don't forget to like and subscribe and let us know in the comments if there's anyone else you want to hear from.