Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Thompson
Hi Andrea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I began Drea Design Services after watching a seminar and the host implored attendees to “turn your passion into your profession.” It spurred me to really reflect on what I loved and how I could turn it into a business. My business is home organization and interior decorating. Both have always been passions of mine and when I finally pivoted into a full-time business in 2023, I knew I could change people’s lives and perspectives through my work. With the help of an app called Thumbtack, I’ve managed to do just that. At Drea Design, I specialize in whole-house interior decor and more, whether that is transforming personal residences, vacation properties for guests or real estate listings into beautiful spaces for sale or organizing bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, closets, cabinets or garages into viable, practical, functional elevated areas. I try to help my clients go from blah to beautiful in a day.
Decluttering and organizing spaces has been incredibly fulfilling for me and life-changing for my clients. When a home environment becomes mentally and physically overwhelming, my service allows homeowners – literally – the space to breathe again and reimagine their lives in a whole new way. Being one of the few Black interior decorators and home organizers in this area has also been a boon, providing a diverse option for local homeowners.
As my company tagline says, “Surround yourself in beauty.” I feel that a beautifully decorated, serene, decluttered, clean home environment is integral to our mental health. When people’s homes are chaotic, their outer lives can become so too. My professional services helps people start organizing their lives from the inside out.
I am a solopreneur at the moment but my sister, a lawyer, has been on my team since day one, offering advice, support and an objective perspective on how the business is operated and scaled. My vision is to grow the business in the next few months with increased interior decorating and home staging clients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle is really building a strong repeat business and referral network that would eliminate the need to rely on a third party like the Thumbtack app which charges their Pros steep prices for weekly leads. I’m really trying to escape that dependence and infrastructure. I’ve had good repeat business to date but I’m continuing to build and expand. I’m also now looking for investors for my business to help with expansion and growth.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve always expressed my creativity through home and fashion styling. Dressing a home and dressing my body have been how I express myself and now I can help others through my own creative lens. I think what distinguishes me from my peers is also my ability to turn around projects very quickly and very well. I can walk into a room and within minutes provide a client with clear and creative POVs on what needs to be updated, changed, eliminated, consolidated and added. They are always amazed with ideas and concepts they didn’t see before and how my ideas transform their spaces in little and big ways. It’s a joy to see their faces light up as possibilities we discussed are metamorphosed into a new beautiful reality. And I can often do that within a day.
What were you like growing up?
I was always (re)decorating my bedroom every few months and putting together fun outfits for school. In my senior year of high school, I was voted “Best Dressed” by my senior class and peers. I also loved to write and was features editor of the high school paper and was an English and Math honor student.
Pricing:
- Interior Decorating – From $200
- Home Organization – From $100
- Home Staging – Flat fee after consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dreadesignservices.com
- Instagram: @dreadesignservices
