What You'll Discover In This Episode:
Myrna Everett is the founder of Home Vogue Interiors, a successful custom window coverings business that she started in 1993 and moved it to San Diego from Canada in 2005. Long before we started working together in 2021, she had already built a legacy of high-level service and profitable operations. Myrna’s skills and technical expertise were undeniable, but her business model was operating at a breaking point. Together, we addressed her growing pains and worked to find solutions and better approaches.
Myrna was the ultimate one-woman show, wearing all the hats in her business for years. This dedication came at a steep cost: she was at full capacity working weekends, and starting her days early just to keep up. She was consistently getting tasks done without clients complaining but she routinely showed up to our coaching sessions "hair on fire," consumed by the daily crises of vendors, installers, and clients. The thought of relief seemed impossible. When asked to pull her role apart for delegation, her initial reaction was a blank stare back at me, insisting, "It's just one job. I can't pull it apart".
Still, we pressed on. Our work together was a four-year journey mainly focused on transforming Myrna’s mindset and strategic systemization. First, we had to address her deep-seated resistance to delegation. She resisted outsourcing accounting, believing something was going to get missed, but eventually ceded control. There were some hiring pains that came along with growing a team but once she put the right people in place, Myrna was able to unload tasks off her plate and into their capable hands. She found her lighter load to be a huge relief.
Next, we tackled Myrna’s complex quoting process. She insisted her manual, hand-written calculations were faster, but eventually realized that building digital formula driven spreadsheets was necessary for scalability, admitting the final calculators were way more efficient - even for her.
Even before we started working together Myrna had reached a turning point when she forgot to order for a paying client and had to do damage control. That single event prompted her to admit her memory-based system was "broken” and spurred her to start using the project management system AirTable. We worked together to maximize its functionality and create cohesive systems in AirTable which had quickly become her golden foundation for growth.
Finally, we moved to strategic hiring. Myrna successfully brought on a project manager who almost immediately streamlined everything, transitioning the business from Myrna’s old school paper files to a digital environment. The ultimate validation came when Myrna was unexpectedly away for a month. Her project manager stepped up, used the systems and processes they'd built together, and kept the business running smoothly, even making sales in Myrna's absence.
Today, Myrna is transitioning out of the sales and operational roles she's held for over 30 years and stepping into her role as CEO and strategist. The transformation is evident in her personal life: after her first vacation with her project manager handling everything, Myrna's family commented that she was actually present, something they'd never experienced before as she was usually on her phone throughout vacations. She has since taken a guilt-free three-and-a-half-week vacation, secure in the knowledge that her business is no longer dependent on her constant presence. She is now focused on her next big step: interviewing to replace herself in the sales and design role so she can devote her energy to leading and growing her business.
In this episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with Myrna Everett, the CEO of Home Vogue Interiors, to dive deep into her evolution from running a successful business on the front end but headed toward a breaking point on the back end, to running a successful business on both the front end and back end, AND in a strategic way that has essentially made replacing herself possible.Episode Links & Resources:
About Guest:
Myrna Everett is the founder of Home Vogue Interiors, a San Diego-based business specializing in custom-designed, bespoke window treatments, custom bedding, decorative pillows, wall coverings and upholstery. With over 30 years of experience, she is passionate about helping clients create spaces that reflect their unique personalities.
As her business expanded, interior designers and other trade professionals began seeking her expertise in creating these luxury soft goods for their clients. In addition to working directly with homeowners to design beautiful spaces, Myrna now offers a concierge service for industry professionals, allowing them to add designer soft goods into their projects while she manages the details for them from concept to installation.
