Today we’d like to introduce you to Janel Swanson
Hi Janel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Originally graduating with a Business Degree and working for a tech company, I soon realized the cut-throat environment of the business world was not a good fit for me. While continuing to work, I took night courses at a local university to obtain my Master’s Degree in Education, and then worked as a teacher for a few years until our 2nd child was born. I stayed home with my 4 children for about 10 years, but when my youngest started Kindergarten I knew I wanted to go back to work. Teaching had changed so much with new technology so I would have had to go back to school to reinstate my license. At this same time, we had just moved into an old farmhouse and demoed our kitchen right away without a plan because we disliked it so much. We set out to find a cabinet company to put our kitchen back together and during this process, we established a dealer account with a cabinet manufacturer due to my husband owning a home renovation company. I got to work reconfiguring our kitchen to make it more functional vs the 1912 layout. I fell in love with the process. I created several possible layouts and loved trying to figure out cabinet and appliance placements based on the cabinet manufacturers spec book. It was like a puzzle and was the perfect fit for my right brain-left brain love of math and art. We bought and installed the cabinets for our kitchen and it was perfect. Now we were dealers of a cabinet line, so I posted cabinets for sale on Craigslist and successfully sold cabinets for the next year. When buyers wanted to see the cabinets in person prior to buying, I invited them to my house and used my kitchen as my showroom. After a while, I realized this is something that I love to do, but I wanted to do it better, so after an online search I found that my local community college had a certification program for kitchen and bath design. I registered for classes and a year later had my certification. I then started my own business, eventually becoming a dealer for a prestigious local cabinet company, opening a small showroom in a nearby town, then moving to a slightly larger showroom, and finally outgrowing that showroom and landing in our current and “forever” home in Lake Elmo, MN. I also got my builder/GC license and hired a crew of subcontractors because most buyers don’t just want the cabinets, but also someone to install them. I worked alone for 5 years before I made my first hire of another designer. I now have 3 other designers besides myself, a project manager, bookkeeper, and a lead carpenter on staff.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a solopreneur and working alone the first 5 years was intense and challenging, especially while trying to raise 4 young children. Expanding from only selling cabinets to becoming a general contractor added challenges in managing construction projects with limited knowledge. Trying to find good quality subcontractors to help with projects also posed a challenge.
As you know, we’re big fans of Wildwood Kitchens and Baths. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Wildwood Kitchens and Baths is a design-build firm, renovating all areas of the home, specializing in kitchen and bath design and remodeling. Our beautiful showroom, carefully curated product offerings, and experienced team who focuses on customer service, sets us apart from our competition. We proudly offer beautiful, Minnesota made Crystal cabinets, as well as Minnesota made Cambria Quartz Countertops, as well as many other quality products, allowing clients to find everything they will need for their remodel all in one place.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Delegate tasks as soon as possible to avoid burnout, such as bookkeeping, or hiring an assistant.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wildwoodkitchensandbaths.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ww_kitchens/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildwoodkitchensandbaths/
Image Credits
Kassi Andrea Mihm, Arrikka Theis
