Meet Joelle Smith | CEO & Lead Interior Designer of If Walls Could Talk, & Co-founder & Managing Director Of The Hub Coworking.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joelle Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joelle, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I think I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I have always had a knack for identifying ways that I could solve a problem or fill a need, so starting a business was second nature to me. My first business was selling CDs to my friends in high school. I also remember starting a Mystery Shopper business that didn’t quite get off the ground in 2005. My passion, however, has always been interior design; I just did not figure out how to monetise it until a friend offered to pay me in 2007 to design her bedroom and bathroom. That was the start of my career in interiors and the beginning of ‘If Walls Could Talk’. In 2015, when I transitioned from my full-time job as an Investment Advisor to focus on my design business; I identified a problem within the start-up entrepreneur space. There was nowhere for us to call home, or a dedicated space for us to meet with clients, bounce ideas off fellow business owners or just feel like part of a community. That inspired me to create Jamaica’s first Coworking Space, The Hub.

I would summarise the process this way:
Both businesses I now run started with a problem or a need that someone had. This inspired a concept that I was able to build out into a buiness model , then I just started with the resources I had. I didn’t wait for the ideal conditions. The key is to start and tweak as you go along. We can’t be guided by the fear of failure. Sure, I considered what would happen if it didn’t work, but there was always plan B ( find another job).

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Every space I design is a part of me. It’s great when you can monetise your creative passion, but creating is the real reward. To see my thoughts and concepts come to life is the closest thing to magic I’ll ever experience, and I get to create magic every single day. There are two sides to this coin however. When you are so connected to your craft, you take everything personally. I have had moments when things weren’t coming together, and those moments are challenging to overcome when you are emotionally connected to your projects. There have been days when I felt like cutting my losses, handing my clients their money, and saying I can’t do this anymore. I did do this once, but my client was understanding, and I’m now working with her on her dream home, years later. At the end of the day, it’s important to be honest with yourself and your clients. In every instance that I have had a challenge with a project, I have chosen the hardest path, which is to give into the emotions and just be honest. I have learnt that being passionate is not a liability, it’s my strength.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Day 1 – Irish Town – A massage and a good night’s rest in a cabin at Strawberry Hill, surrounded by lush mountainside. Day 2 – Portland – A trip to the Blue Lagoon and a boat ride to Monkey Island
Day 3 – St. Mary – Golden Eye – A beautiful resort located on an island of the coast of Oracabessa
Day 4 – We won’t want to leave Golden Eye yet, so we’re still kayaking around the island and sipping on Rum punch.
Day 5 to 7 – We’re heading to Negril and staying at The Cliff Hotel on the West End, cliff jumping, snorkelling and restaurant hopping for the next 2 days.
We’ll complete our trek around the island on their next trip.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It really takes a village. And my village has been extremely supportive. The friends and family who gave a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or an encouraging word; and the friends who I approached with the business idea for The Hub, and who faithfully invested without much hesitation. To my parents who showed me that entrepreneurship was even a possibility, while running their own construction business, and my mom who cashed out her entire Insurance policy just so I could go to University. My best friend and mentor has been a huge support throughout my entrepreneurial journey, and I have learned so much from him on the value of integrity, being authentic and consistent and maintaining momentum. Finally, my team, because I cannot accomplish all of what I do on my own. I have dozens of tradesmen, and admin staff who support me on a daily basis, and who continue to deliver, despite whatever challenges they have going on in their own lives. These people show up for me every single day.

Website: www.ifwallscouldtalkja.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ifwallscouldtalkja

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelle-smith

Twitter: twitter.com/jojothedesigner