Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Yi.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It’s funny. I often get asked how I got started in this business, and honestly, it was a total accident. I wish I could say I did A, B, C, D, E… and this is where I am now; and if you do these things you could be here too.
Hahaha, not even close. I would be the worst motivational speaker because my response is honestly, I surprise myself I’m here. Every day, I’m grateful and can’t believe this is happening.
I’m beyond thankful that people actually pay me to do this, and my team kicks butt, legit. Their ability to handle everything we have going on is mind-blowing. But I’d be lying if I said I don’t laugh sometimes at the reality people pay me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Hardly. I started out in the early days by flipping houses. And it turned out I was pretty good at it. Soon investors came, and work increased. It was great.
Then one day, I came home and my husband at the time was gone. Super long story, short, I discovered it was multiple affairs that all came to light at once, and then it was drugs and alcohol and then money in the business was no longer there. I literally turned around and it was all gone. You can’t describe that type of loss. When there is literally nothing left.
I don’t know how I made it through that. I don’t have an answer, I don’t have a method or a system. I was lucky. I woke up. It hurt. I woke up again. It still hurt. And that cycle happened over and over until it hurt less. Then friends knew someone with an AirBnB that they needed help with. And I said sure. And that worked, and that turned into others needing help. I literally took one job at a time because that’s all I had. It was something. I needed something.
In the early days, I did what a lot of entrepreneurs do, I took any job I could because I needed it. I had no idea what my ideal client was, or honestly, that I would ever have “an ideal client…” I just needed any job, anything. I made too many concessions, and let them dictate too much, rather than trust my own instincts. I didn’t filter my contractors and settled for anyone that could help.
Total disaster. The end product ended up okay, but so many lessons were learned. But, I was desperate. If I could give any type of advice to anyone starting out in business, it would be to think about growth from the very beginning. I wasn’t thinking growth, I was thinking survival.
If you think about growth, then you begin to develop systems and clients, and methods that end up protecting you and your employees.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in hospitality. I have a team that travels the country setting up Airbnbs, hotel conversions, and commercial space makeovers. We’re good. It took me a long time to feel confident in saying that, but we are… my team is amazing.
What sets us apart is what I’m most proud of: We try our best to create experiences and unique spaces… all on a budget. There’s this idea that rich people are the only ones who have Airbnbs and investments. Not even close. Most of my clients are first-time investors, they’re taking a chance, a risk to try and create something for themselves and their families. They want that extra something to mitigate the risk. That’s where we come in. We’ve turned over three-bedroom homes for $7500.
We source local, find local artists and pieces, and truly tell a story for the home, based on the place it’s located. That’s one of the reasons I love projects in Tennessee. For one project we used whisky barrels from Knox Whiskyworks for a pub table in a game room. They were so great, took us on a tour of the distillery, let’s me ask a million questions. And for every single project we go to Architectural antiques. The stuff I find there!!! They had these beautiful reclaimed wood pieces from estates torn down all over Tennessee. We ended up mounting them on walls and using them behind headboards to add character to the rooms. Knoxville has so much.
We’re also pretty big on solving problems. If we’re running renovations prior to being on-site, coming up with design schemes, or even making it as easy as possible for the investor. From product sourcing to stocking to pictures to help with the profile… we do it all. We want to help. We want people to be successful.
I’m pretty proud of that. Each place we do it is a story. There’s nothing cookie-cutter.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Clients can find out before and afters on social media, or reach out via our website. We’re currently expanding and looking for handymen and assistant designers that can travel, even if it’s regional.
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@jennyyidesigns.com
- Website: www.jennyyidesigns.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jenny_lifeinflip
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenny.blakey
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC2xTNFjw2lU2b-mky0J5cdw
