Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Lashae Ben.
Hi Nicole, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My passion for interior design and product-based business started when I was very young; those passions began in middle school. I went on to study interior design as an undergrad, and design management in graduate school, and the majority of my career has been working for product-based businesses in the interior design industry.
Through my education and career, I found that I was most drawn to problem-solving, strategy, and design thinking There was never much room to explore those avenues within the corporations that I worked for. Therefore, I decided to start my own consulting business, which was once known as Nicole Lashae Consulting, LLC.
When I first started my business I just had hoped to help any business be more innovative in how they created products, services, or strategies to put those things to market. After some time, I realized that my zone of genius is really in the interior design industry, which I have been in for twenty years now.
Today, I have my own business called Thrive In Design. Thrive In Design is a design and innovation consultancy that focuses on helping interior product companies increase their brand awareness and revenue. I take a human-centered approach through my proprietary method called A.C.E. The Journey.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been far from smooth. Entrepreneurship is hard. It’s even harder when you are in an industry that is not very culturally diverse. I’ve gotten a lot of “nos” and lots of people questioning my capabilities because I am young (and look way younger than I am). I try to keep my head up and take small steps to strengthen my mindset daily.
In entrepreneurship, it’s also a struggle to make big decisions daily. Should I pivot? Should I niche down? Should I try this new marketing strategy? Should I go after this client? There are tons of decisions that I constantly have to make as a CEO to move my business forward. Whether the decision turned out the way I wanted or if it didn’t, it led me to a step in the right direction.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Thrive In Design is a design and innovation consultancy that helps interior product companies increase their brand awareness and revenue. Let’s break that down… In the interior design industry, there are many facets. You have a residential and commercial design. Most people think of residential design when it comes to decor in their homes. Whereas commercial design includes everything outside of residential: workplace, education, hospitality, healthcare, etc.
Within both the residential and commercial sectors, there are also thousands and thousands of interior product companies that provide materials and furniture for interior space to come to fruition. Think of your kitchen, where you have cabinets, floors, counters, etc. There is a different interior product company that manufactures each of those products. I work with those companies and help them become visible to their target audience and help their sales teams be innovative in their approach.
When an interior product company works with Thrive In Design, it can go one of two paths. The first is our consulting offering where we partner to uncover opportunities for improvement within your marketing, sales, or operations. Once we identify those opportunities we create a strategic plan to move forward. The second path is bringing us on for training and 1:1 coaching for your sales team members.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was always a mix between a creative and an entrepreneur. When I wasn’t at school, I was either in dance class, painting, taking an art class, watching HGTV, or creating a side hustle. I’ve sold snacks to fellow campers in camp… I’ve braided my classmate’s hair. I’ve done graphic design for local ministries.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thriveindesign.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/thriveindesign
- Facebook: facebook.com/thriveindesign
