Meet LaunchHouse member Shelli Wessler. Shelli works alongside Aya and Gina where they aim to offer a variety of design , architecture, and master planning services to make design accessible and fun. Shelli’s kind personality and will to help others is one of the many qualities appreciated by the LaunchHouse community.
What services do you / your company offer?
We are a full service design firm offering architecture and interior design services, as well as urban design and master planning.
What is your role in the company?
Founding Partner.
What inspired you to start (or join) this company?
We started this company with the goal of making design accessible, fun and meeting people where they are in the design process, regardless of the size of the project.
How did you and Aya meet to start HID?
She and I were introduced by our husbands who have been friends since middle school. HID also has a third partner, Gina.
What did you do before being involved in architecture and design?
I served in the U.S. Air Force, have a background in real estate and property management.
What inspired you to join the LaunchHouse Community?
Aya’s daughter took a class with LaunchHouse team member, Leah who introduced us to LaunchHouse. What inspired me about LaunchHouse was the immediate connection and support that I felt from the members. There’s a sincere desire among the members to see everyone succeed!
The best advice you ever got?
Do what you LOVE! By doing something you love, it will bring more happiness into your life and also bring inspiration into the lives of others.
What has been your biggest learning experience?
My biggest learning experience was more of a realization, and that it’s never too late to discover your path. It’s wise to listen to the advice and experiences from others, but ultimately it’s our intuition that will guide us to our own path.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
I have a few nuggets of advice…
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As entrepreneurs, we don’t know what we don’t know!
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Always use your past experiences to gain clarity or use that knowledge in some way.
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Build yourself a team of people whom you trust and can rely on for the best advice and professional services. For example, an accountant, attorney, marketing expert, etc. Whatever kind of “team” that fits the type of profession you are in.
Did you always have aspiration to become an entrepreneur? Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.
Yes, I always inspired to be my own boss! I craved the flexibility and freedom to create and do things outside the box. However, it took a long time for me to get here. I followed the “conventional” path for many many years. This provided stability and security, but limited my creativity and freedom. What I now realize is that it was teaching me the skills and strength I needed to build a solid and sustainable business.
Knowing what you know now, what would you change or do differently when starting a business?
I would pay closer attention to the things that bring me joy, and expand on them rather than setting them aside to do what I thought was expected of me. Even if it’s not the right timing to take the leap to start your business, it will keep the fire burning inside while you work toward your goals.
How do you define success?
- Success is to make a positive impact in the lives of others, no matter how big or small the impact.
- Success is having the freedom to do what I love!
If you would like to learn more about House of Inclusive Design you can check out their website at :