Today With Hema Persad:
Hi, welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Today, I am joined by Hema Persad of Sagrada Studio. After only two years, Hema has quite the accolades under her belt. She has print placements in Architectural Digest, Rue Magazine, and Real Simple. Hema will also be included in AD's New American Voices list this July.
If you have ever shied away from spending a percentage of your revenue on marketing or PR, this will be a valuable episode for you. Hema and I discuss switching careers, if and how to hire a PR person, and how much you should spend on marketing, to name a few.
LuAnn Nigara and Hema Persad's Ah-Ha Moments
“It took me 15 years from my previous careers to learn the skills to grow a design business. So if I had graduated from design school at 25, I would not have had that experience. I would not have learned about entrepreneurship and marketing. It would have taken me 15 years anyway to learn it all,” - Hema Persad
“I had no confidence as an interior designer. It took my PR person seeing something in me in the beginning and then taking my work and knowing where to place and where it belonged, not just being a blanket pitch to ‘AD’ and ‘Domino’ Magazines,” - Hema Persad
More About Hema Persad
A native of Toronto, Canada, Hema was a practicing attorney for several years before following her heart and pursuing a career in fashion. In 2014, she moved to Los Angeles to chase her goal, and spent the following 7 years dressing A-list celebrities, styling ad campaigns and editorials, and working with some of the top fashion talent in the world.
Completely self-taught, Hema's interior design career began in 2021 when one of her styling clients asked for help decorating their home. Because of her eye for design and ability to execute her creative vision, that first project snowballed into several more. Hema now designs residential and commercial spaces around the country. As the business continued to grow rapidly, it became clear that it needed its own identity apart from Hema. In 2022 Sagrada Studio was born out of her belief that there is no more sacred (“sagrada”) space on earth than where we live and create. The Sagrada Studio mission is to honor these sacred spaces by helping clients find their own version of timeless, always with an eye towards culture, luxury, and comfort.
When she’s not working, Hema loves traveling, and discovering L.A. with her husband Ganesh, and their three daughters.
Connect with Hema Persad
Website
Instagram 
TikTok
Pinterest
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Other Shows Mentioned:
AWDB #06: Identifying Your Transferable Skills with Erika Ward
AWDB #108: Power Talk Friday- Amy Flurry-How To Pitch and Get Press For Your Interior Design Firm
AWDB #297: Mikel Welch: Interior Design, TV, Self Made Man
AWDB #323: Amy Flurry: How to Pitch Press and Build Relationships
AWDB #861: Power Talk Friday: Darla Powell: Instagram for Interior Designers
AWDB #967: Breegan Jane: The Gift of Transitioning, Turning Risks into Success