Gain insights on business growth in our series of bite size chats with Business Leaders, brought to you by The FD Consultant.
We interview high achieving individuals who we believe everyone can learn from, and who bring insight into the many aspects of successfully growing a business.
In this edition’s Insights Q&A, we welcome Charlie Boardman, Founder of Bricks & Velvet. Charlie has years of residential property renovation experience and has created some amazing spaces with her bespoke renovation solutions.
We hope you find the Q&A with Charlie interesting and insightful!
Hi Charlie, please tell us about your business.
I set up Bricks and Velvet Ltd in 2016 after years of experience in residential property involving setting up projects, managing projects and designing projects.
I noticed it was hard to find a company (let alone one individual) that offered all aspects of a renovation project that didn't cost silly money.
Hiring an interior designer, or using an architect to project manage felt like an expense only the wealthy could afford. I wanted to help the modern day family that had little time, precious budget and little idea about how to get their dream home.
So B&V was born and offered advice on anything home related as a complete solution.
I could view a property with clients to reassure them what work could be done and how much it would cost before they spent any money on conveyancing fees, create drawings showing new proposed layouts/electrics/carpentry, get planning consent for extensions, find builders, manage the works, design the interior spaces, and source fittings and furniture.
Our main work now is designing and managing full house renovations from start to finish but we are about to launch an E Design service where we offer design advice and plans for a specific room in a clients house at a very reasonable budget as everything is done via Zoom.
What are the key factors which have driven your growth to date?
Determination and investing time and money in the right people. What makes you so passionate about what you do?
I'm helping to create homes! I'm not just making sure everything works, but also giving families a space which reflects their needs and style.
My clients place a lot of trust in me and I always feel very grateful to them for this and it drives me to do my best.
The feeling when a project is completed and seeing the clients settled back in their home is always so fulfilling.
What do you view as your greatest achievement in this role to date?
Hands down it would be having the team I have now.
I have the best employees; they're hardworking, talented, professional and extremely supportive.
What are the biggest challenges your business faces?
Growing consistently. It's hard to know how quickly a project can take (either during the planning or design stage or when builders are on site) and therefore it's harder to make forecasts and plan ahead.
What one piece of advice would you give to those who want to achieve or sustain high growth in their businesses?
Back yourself. It's worth a try. And get good advice!
We hope you found Charlie’s Q&A informative and thought provoking.
If you'd like to know more about Charlie Boardman and Bricks & Velvet, please visit her website here.
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