Laura Umansky: Leadership is the Secret Sauce of Success

Welcome! Today, Laura Umansky, the principal of Laura U, (episode # 64) joins us once again on the show. Laura very clear about her vision for her firm and she is currently guiding her company to work towards growing from a five-million-dollar firm to a ten-million-dollar firm. In today’s episode, Laura explains that, for her, this kind of growth requires a team of outside expert consultants, including an outside CFO, an EOS (Entrepreneur’s Operating System) consultant, and her business advisor, in addition to her internal team. Laura is a true #smartlady, so be sure to listen in today, to hear this outstanding conversation.

Laura is the Founder and Creative Director of Laura U Interior Design, which is based in Houston, Texas. Her work has been featured by esteemed media outlets, which include Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Modern Luxury Houston, Veranda, and Luxe Interiors. Laura is also in Carl Dellator’s brand new book, On Style: Inspiration and Advice from the New Generation of Interior Design,

which was released in the fall of 2019. Tune in now, for more!

Show Highlights:

• Laura is ultra-focused and she is a major planner.
• Nothing happens by accident so you have to be prepared to be lucky.
• Laura talks about the intentional way that she and her plan for her business to be run.
• Work begets work.
• You need to put yourself out there, plan, and get involved with your community, for things to come back to you.
• Laura is ready to take her firm to the next level. She explains what this means for her.
• Structuring a business to scale it.
• Laura describes the kinds of decisions she has to make in her firm.
• For her first seven years in business, Laura worked without the assistance of any advisors.
• Laura started working with a business coach four or five years ago.
• Working with a virtual CFO.
• Laura has chosen to run her business on the EOS (Entrepreneur’s Operating System) system.
• The EOS system can even be used for a family!
• Always doing what’s best for the business is vital.
• How Laura manages to be both the visionary and the integrator for her firm.
• Laura talks about the processes that are involved in growing her firm from a five-million-dollar company to a ten-million-dollar company.
• Being a life-long-learners with a growth mindset is important for scaling a business.
• Laura talks about Carl Dellator’s book, On Style, which has just come out.

Bio:

Laura Umansky is the Founder and Creative Director of Laura U Interior Design, a firm based in Houston, TX. Design has always been a part of her life. From a young age, Laura was deeply influenced by her environment, constantly finding ways to arrange her possessions with meaning and purpose. Seeing her father build her childhood home in Seguin, TX was the starting point of her career. “To see that he could do that, create our home with his own two hands…that lit something inside of me,” says Laura, who went on to study art at the University of Texas and subsequently obtain her Masters in Architecture from the University of Houston.

In 2006, she founded Laura U Interior Design, bringing her unique vision for Classically Current interiors to life. “Interior design, the way we practice it, is a true luxury,” Laura says. “Every part is crafted by human hands. We take great care to find out what matters to our clients most, and then to articulate that through great design.” Every interior is an authentic reflection of our clients’ passions and values so that just like Laura, they are never without something they enjoy.

Laura’s work has been featured by esteemed media outlets, including Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Modern Luxury Houston, Veranda, and Luxe Interiors.

Previous episodes mentioned in this show:

Laura Umansky #64

Kimberly Merlitti #361, #432

LuAnn PTF #491

Books mentioned:

Traction by Gino Wickman

Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters

Links:

Website: Laura U Interior Design

Instagram: Laura U Interior Design

Pinterest: Laura U Interior Design

Facebook: Laura U Interior Design

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