Interview with Nader Kawas - Norman Michel Designs

NADER: When I graduated in 2008 from Metro State with a degree in Industrial Design more than half of my friends had lost their jobs as a result of the Great Recession. I’d put myself through school working as a handyman and when I could get an interview for a “job-job” it became clear that I could make a better living by expanding my handyman business than going to work for someone else. Then that led to me moving into a 96-unit property at 13th & Penn as the Super which allowed me to lower my living expenses while I built up my handyman/design work.

NADER: 2013 – The Super job had become crazy stressful. So much so, I was experiencing blindness in one eye. But my living situation was tied to that job so after some number crunching and research I decided to raise my rates a bit and, without the responsibilities of the building I could take on the needed new clients to allow my numbers to work. So I made the leap.

NADER: Sure. The Industrial Design bug from my degree was still really active at that point. Tenants moving in and out of the building would leave all kinds of interesting things in the alley behind the building. Everyone once in a while there’d be a piece that would inspire me. I flirted with trying to make an income stream of it but the timing was wrong. We were still deep in the recession and furniture takes up a lot of space so when I left the building gig I also lost my work space for that. I’d conceived the pieces as art and people perceived them as art. But no one was BUYING art. We were still deep in the throws of the recession.

NADER: In 2011/12 the job market started to come back but by that time I knew companies could hire kids straight out of college for less than I was making. I had expired! So I continued adding to my skill set and got my Master Gardener certification at Colorado State University and landscaping to the services I offered. That lead to adding Holiday design & decorating to keep work all year round. Now I serve about ?????? clients here in Denver Metro.

NADER: Yeah, 2012 was a rough rear. I felt like my social life falling apart, lost some friends and really felt like I was in the wrong place. I allowed myself to dream about where I might move. I’ve got skills, no-one to tie me here really … why not move to Brazil or Chile? Then in the spring of 2013 a friend who had moved to San Francisco invited me to come visit. I blossomed there, felt really alive and like I’d found a tribe to belong to. I saved $10K and took a month long drive up the coast, spent some time networking to see what business I might be able to build there. But the cost of living was really high and then my dad got sick and that required a lot of back and forth to the Twin Cites. That’s where I’m from. That back and forth created a little business there and that’s how I came to work in three cities. I get to bop from San Fran to Denver – Minneapolis/St Paul and make people’s homes beautiful!

NADER: New clients come primarily from referrals of happy clients, word of mouth. I’ve got a website, but it’s more of an online portfolio. And I’ve never been nervous meeting people. I was more nervous about this interview than meeting a new client. Tracking is something I hope to evolve this year. Now I’m still doing paper receipts which I hand off to my accountant who does my taxes.

NADER: The Election was the most difficult but we won’t go there. I’m feeling good about the business climate. I make an effort to keep my joy in life. And my work allows me maximum flexibility to fulfill my need to create, design, and offer clever solutions to the challenges my clients offer up.

How to find Nader