Designing space for business growth | From creative founder to visionary CEO | Amy Fregosi: täielik transkriptsioon

let's keep going. Like I said, you're the founder and principal designer of Mondolfo Interior Design. And Amy, you had an important inflection point and it emerged as you began recognising that the way you had built your business, which you said you started four years ago, you were personally carrying so much of the creative and operational responsibility. You thought about how this could also be limiting what it might become. And hence you've also just brought your son into the business one month ago as a Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: design coordinator. You've got the family business happening because your sister's going to be coming in as well to help with sales. Amy Fregosi: Ha ha ha Bee Murray, Bee Formless: So I love that you noticed that inflection point or became aware of it and thought, well, what do I do with this? And starting to build that out. So that realization obviously prompted you to rethink your own role and the value of your expertise and what you wanted to create next. And it sounds like you're in that really interesting stage of you've you've noticed the inflection point. And it's like, okay, this shape needs to shift. So let's start to shift what it can look like as we go forward. Today you're reshaping your relationship with leadership and growth, moving from being involved in every detail, which is always hard as a founder, before towards becoming the creative Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: visionary and CEO of a business that can expand beyond traditional one-to-one design services while creating greater freedom for yourself. I love that for you. At the heart and soul of your work is a belief that the spaces we could create should reflect who we are and how we want to live. And Amy, you're now bringing that same intentionality to your own life and business, exploring how to build something beautiful, sustainable, and deeply aligned with the person you're becoming. Tell us a bit about your story, because I know you said you had a business back in 2019, COVID caused a lot of chaos, and then you've started this Amy Fregosi: Disruption. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, this this business in four years ago. You clearly always had like s by the sounds of things a a passion and a love for interior design. Tell us a bit about your story. Amy Fregosi: Well, interestingly, I was always a very creative child and probably like a a lot of people in in this type of industry and related industries, I used to build furniture. I didn't know how to put things together but I was imagining what furniture could look like and then I took scrap pieces of wood and I would build them and you know, you know, as children do, you you design Barbie houses, all kinds of things like that. And then my mom that I I had some creative creative flow. So as I got older, you know, people that are usually creative also have like different use a different part of their brain, so kind of very scientific minded as well. So I excelled in

science and and pretty much nothing else in school and and so as I thought that you know some day I would go into like biosciences or something but it just I it just never really touched me. once I got into school. It just didn't fill fill up my my soul. And what I did what I was good at, which I I didn't even I ignored was being creative and putting things together and putting spaces Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Mm. Amy Fregosi: together. And so I got married and we owned several businesses and then I would do the interiors of I our businesses and our homes and people would always you know remark how lovely things were or this is this looks like something that's Martha Stewart or gosh this looks Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: great, where did you come up with this? But for me because probably a lot of creative people that don't really think about executing because it's just something that you can do. So at a certain point, I have two sons, one is here. I decided that I needed to really kind of build out my career for you know we'll call it like the the after after child the the children have grown and Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: so I had a three things that I like to do. I made a pro and a con list and interior design went out and then that day I went and I looked for schools. I found a school I signed up and I just have never I've never And I I realized that I should have been doing this my whole life. But you know, life is kind of funny and we do a lot of we test things and we kind of ignore our our calling sometimes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Tot totally I I agree with you. We ignore our calling and you mentioned soul before and you we we ignore our calling and then our soul just calls for us to come back to what we're meant to be doing, especially as Amy Fregosi: Yes, it does. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: women in particular, because you talk about soul with some men and they're like, What are you talking about sort of thing? I I think we've all got a soul. It's whether we we want to listen to Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: like it gets louder, if you ask me, and then there just comes a point where it's like and Amy Fregosi: It does. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: then you're just like, Actually, this is what I'm meant to be doing. Why I don't know about you, but I I I've been having a few moments lately where I'm like, Why did it take me so long to get here? Or why did I resist it for so long? Do you ever like did you ever have those moments along the way where you're like, Why wasn't I just doing this all Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: along? And you c you can beat yourself up about it. I don't think you need to. I think it's just part of the journey of your life, right? What's your view on that? Amy Fregosi: Yes. I love that. It's it is it is part of the journey. So I have I have an aunt, she's she's in heaven now, but she had noticed when I was younger, in my early twenties, and she's like, Amy, why don't you go to school for interior design? And and I just it just wasn't something that struck me that that would be a career for me. And but, you know, she was always very supportive of everything and she was a a a creative as well. So but more with art and her home was always really well put together and it it's just something that may run in in the family blood but it was I Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Mm. Amy Fregosi: I sh I just I always had a pull towards it but I just I guess I just didn't trust what I was feeling. And until I got to a certain point where literally people would just come and knock on the door of my house and say, Why does your house look this way? I wanna know the pink colors. How did this select it? And I I rem feeling overwhelmed so many times when people would do that. And so I I just ignored it. And I did other things. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: So you ignore it. And then you get to four years ago and you're like, okay, I'm gonna I'm going to set up Mondolfo interior design. Firstly, where does the where does the name Mondolfo come from? Is there some story behind that? Because you clearly love creating stories and I love the fact that you talk about it's how you live in that that story and that environment. And it's so important, right? Because you spend so much time, whether it's in the office or at home. Why wouldn't you want to be surrounded by a nice environment or a an environment that gives you the creative juices to do you know what I mean? Like there's so many different like you look at everything around design Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: and environment now and it's becoming more important than ever, and I'm sure y I mean you'd be way more averse than me on that. So my question is you you start the business four years ago. Where did the the name Amondolco come from? Amy Fregosi: Well, that is my grandmother's home hometown. It's kind of like a little hamlet in Italy. It's six kilometers from the Adriatic Sea and Bee Murray, Bee Formless: beautiful. Amy Fregosi: in the middle of Italy. And the town was founded in six fifty AD. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Wow. Amy Fregosi: So it was yeah, it it was a castle. there's castle walls. it's obviously it's beyond all that now, in modern times. But my grandmother had told me that I at some point maybe a certain part of it had like a little moat. It wasn't surrounded, but you know, they they were principalities and they had to be protected. And I loved how you just touched on how beauty influences our lives because it is so important. that and it's also important if you think about it in very large capacities it's really important for even civic communities like cities and towns to make sure that they have parks and beautiful spaces and clean up the streets because blight really affects us and that even includes a home that is cluttered that has maybe the folks are overwhelmed and they're not able to toss away things that should be tossed because

everything that you get rid of you make space for something new. But Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: Beauty is integral into our human spirit and really what makes us function. So if your space is full of clutter and you feel overwhelmed, it's just literally there's a thing, a saying in Italian, too many things occupy your soul. So it's just kind of better to to clean things out and get things functional first and then aesthetically pleasing thereafter. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, it's really interesting. Too many things occupy your soul. It's so funny. I did a wardrobe clean out the other week and I've had bags of clothes just sitting on my on one of my couches. And the other day I was just like, I have to get this out of here. And I noticed straight away Amy Fregosi: Mm. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: as soon as I cleared it, I felt clearer. Like it's kind of funny that you you say that Amy Fregosi: Yes. Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: because you do. Like you think, you know, it's like I yeah, it's it's like hoarding comes up for me for some strange reason. It just comes into me because you must see a lot of you must go into a lot of, you know, businesses or or people's homes and you just like there's this thing around what I I want to keep it just in case. What's your v what's your view like do you Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: see that a lot and what what do you say to people when they're got we've got all this stuff? And because I mean there's there's times where there's classic design and there's things that come back in in style, etc. what what's your view on all of that? Amy Fregosi: Yeah, well, you know, I I did have a client at some point in time where he was connected with every single item in his home. He had a story around it and and it was very, very hard for him even to let go of his very old twenty five year old kitchen countertop, which he needed to to let go of. and I I do realize that, you know, and there's different variations of that with people. You know, a lot of p people who are parents have a hard time letting go of, you know, their thirty year old kids baby shoes, right? and you know, it certain things I think, you know, it's because that we have the memories are so entrenched within us Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: that we're so attached to that that it's hard for us to see today and see tomorrow and what could be but we're very attached to because those are the stories that we tell ourselves and look, it's it's kind of a fine line. between letting things go. You can you can do it too much where you have you let go of things that you're like, why did I do that? That belonged to my great grandmother. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: I I shouldn't have let it go. I should have passed it on. But you know, the way the way I look at it, yes, it's okay to to keep some some things, but in order to make room for new things in your life, you know, you need to be brave and and

let go of things that that do not have a function for you currently. If you're if you have a box that you've been carrying around with you for 10 years, if the box disappeared, it wouldn't make an impact on you. So some of some things it's okay, it's okay to let go of. I mean maybe you graduated with a PhD and you want to keep your cap and gown because you know you worked for 10 years in school. Okay. But you know, do you need to keep all the books and all the papers and this and that and the other thing when you're working as a professional and you're a Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, I agree. Yeah. It's such an in yeah, Amy Fregosi: No, you don't need to do that. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: it's interesting 'cause I love that story influences so much of what you do. And yet you talk about this functionality piece, which reminds me just like that the the ability and the need to be practical. And there's certain things that we need to like let go of to clear space for. the operator and the f or the the principal designer and founder and s and also operator. You've brought your son into the business, you y you're you're making changes yourself and you're having to let go of certain things because for you to be the the Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: the true visionary of the business and to be the CEO, how's that what's that been like for you? Like I 'cause I can only compare it to what you're talking about from a design perspective and the ability to be functional. And take forward what you need and then yeah, what's it been like what's that been like for you? Amy Fregosi: It has been I say I wanna say that my personal growth the over these last almost four years has been exponential because being a business owner, okay, so you have the business and then you have the functions of what makes what makes the like the primary function of the business which would be you know, selling a widget or for me it it's it's doing design, but then you have the business, which is business is pretty much the same. No like you have to fill the pipeline, you know, you have to pay business. You have to do planning. there's a lot of things that come into play. you know, it it it's so much, and it initially it was overwhelming, and I had a business coach and she would tell me things, and I just wasn't ready to accept Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: those things at that point because I had so many other things to learn. Last year I realized that I needed partnerships, and so I started actively intentionally creating partnerships with other contractors and realtors and other people that are related to my profession and that has been like a big huge plus. being self employed, you know, there's lots of challenges, you know, with running a business, a variable income, all kinds of things and I have to say like I feel like it breaks you down to your core and you have to eit if you don't quit at that point, you will build back better. So everything because you're gonna realize really what's important. You're not gonna waste time on Doing things that don't build your business, you're gonna be like, Okay, that doesn't build, that doesn't create growth. This creates growth. So you get like some perspective Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: being broken down. I call it like forged by fire because that's kind of what being an entrepreneur is is forged by fire. And I I wanna say it was probably about two and a half months ago. I I kind of had some challenges in my business, and and I I made it through, and I I at that point in time. It was the first time I actually felt like a true entre entrepreneur, not like just someone who's trying to figure it out. Like I made through some, you know, big adjustments and and also realizing that in order to grow this business I've reached capacity for for me myself and I needed to bring on other people otherwise this business won't grow and there's only so much you can do on your own. But if you yes Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, I about to say did did Yeah, I was I was about to say, Amy, and did you did you was that th the moment you realised you were potentially the block from the growth and like when you had to make those fundamental Amy Fregosi: Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: adjustments? It's really hard like to actually Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: like go, I'm in I'm blocking this, I'm in the way of this. Because you're trying so hard and I and I loved the way you just talked about that whole if you haven't quit, you'll you'll rebuild and you'll start to like it's almost like you're just saying no to energy that just doesn't serve you any longer. Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: d when you realise you were the block, I think sometimes we we we realise we're the blocker and yet we still allow ourselves to keep blocking, but there comes a point. Was that like a point for you? Amy Fregosi: Yes, because I you there's so many things that so when you're when you're start this journey and you decide that you are going to figure out some way to be self-sufficient, this is one of the hardest, most challenging things you can ever do. However, it also can be the most rewarding Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: and most fulfilling. But Growth has pain involved in it and this has not been an easy process. there has been a lot of pain because I like what you said, Bee and you're relating it to what you had just mentioned. your here's your business self, here's your personal self, they go hand in hand. If you are not dealing with things in your personal life, that is still entrenched in who you are in Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Not a great one. Amy Fregosi: your business life. So if this part you're not dealing with things here, this is not gonna grow. So this has to be deconstructed and other in order for you to grow and then start flourishing and then start being more CEO minded. So you work in the Bee Murray, Bee

Formless: Hundred percent. Amy Fregosi: business, you work on the business, right? Not for the business. You you are the business, but you get to manage this and create it and design your path forward. But in the beginning you're just struggling, you just don't know all that. But once you get to that point, it's it's like such a little it's a like literally you wake up overnight and and you just get it. It's pretty amazing. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Agree with gosh, it's so I so relate because and I think all the listeners out there you can't separate business and your life, and this is where I feel leadership works. You're a leader of your own life, you're a leader of your business, right? And unless you take the initiative to be a leader of your own life, and what I mean by that is doing the work, you have to do the inner work. That's why I talk a lot about Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: that inside out. The more you avoid doing that. if you're a leader and it's almost like you're not looking after your own little team inside of you because you're like, do you know what I mean? And so for me it's just Amy Fregosi: Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: it's that aha moment, like you say, where it's like if this isn't working in your personal life, the business is not going to flourish. So get that bit sorted. And I think I th we s Amy Fregosi: Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: I see this so often and even in my own self at times, where you're just like, hang on, why isn't this working? You have to come back to yourself and go, what is going on in here? What is what's been blocked? What am I not doing? And what do I need to work through for it, like you say, to to flourish? Amy Fregosi: It's the Yeah. It I think it's the biggest moment for self accountability ever. you know, people talk about taking accountability, but if you don't really understand what that is, you you can't be faulted for for not correcting things. But Bee Murray, Bee Formless: No. Amy Fregosi: when Y the buck stops with you when you make all the decisions and some are horrible. some are not well thought out, some you just didn't have enough information and you use the information you had at the time. Everything is on you. you also have to be assertive. You have to give the b the business as a little entity, you have to give it what it needs, which means that you have to give yourself what you need to be to be strong and to make good decisions and to ask for help. I've I've had I've been very fortunate, I've had a lot of people mentor me, but kinda off the cuff. So not like official mentorship, but people call me up from time to time and just say, How's it going in your business? Let me know. What's is there anything in your personal life that's bleeding into it? Because Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Mm. Amy Fregosi: every there it these are not compartmentalized. It is one whole entire Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: thing. I the word just escaped me what it is,

but but it's it's a holistic approach that you have to take to personal growth within yourself and addressing issues that you may have ignored because only that is going to make your business better and stronger. So and I I've watched all those videos and all those of folks that have you know you know struggled ten, fifteen years and they've made it or whatever their story is. But all of their stories have the same thread and that is without their personal growth and and really confronting their own obstacles which they're their own their own like foibles, things that they haven't corrected. You'll never you'll never grow. And it takes a lot of courage to do this because you have to admit that you've been making mistakes or you've been ignoring things or you didn't want to deal with stuff and you know, so that's Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, it's always I listened to a a great podcast today the other day. It's lean into your biggest problem areas 'cause that's where you'll find it. Tell me, I I'm I'm intrigued and you don't have to share if you don't want to. Like it was Amy Fregosi: Mm-hmm. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: was your biggest like in terms of just even more recently and the realization you needed like to bring family into the business for you to grow and for the business to grow. did you was yours a confidence thing? Was it like a a self doubt? Because I I from a female perspective and as an entrepreneur, as a founder, I think we I know there's times where I've blocked myself because haven't felt worthy enough or I haven't believed that I'm capable when I'm absolutely more and cap more than capable. But it's the conversations that I've had with myself and anyone from the outside in would go, she's look at her, she's a powerhouse, look at her, she's a go getter. And yet inside of me I'm like going, I don't think I can do this, da da da da da like, have you ever had those moments yourself? Amy Fregosi: Tons of them. I I do think that part of me I I know I have courage, but you know, the I've also had to confront a lot of fears and and the capacity. So So once you think that you ki you've hit this point and you're like, how do I get past this point? You get past it and you're like, wow, that that wasn't that bad. I hit another capacity. I I just think that we're just not aware of how much capacity we have. So part of Bee Murray, Bee Formless: No. Amy Fregosi: it we have to learn. And yes, you have to feel worthy. But the thing is that is part of your your growth, you're forged by fire. So Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, I love Backforge by Fire. Amy Fregosi: Yeah. And and there's times 'cause it really is there there's times where, you know, I I didn't I did question if you know, I was good enough or, you know, had the skills or this or that, you know, and I remember there's one weekend I was thinking about quitting and I was supposed to go to an event. I didn't go and I actually my project won two awards and here I was, I was gonna quit and I I was just like, I I just don't think I'm good enough. I'm not I don't even know what I'm doing here. And then I had a project that won two awards and I was just kind of flabbergasted. I'm like, Okay, I guess this means I'm supposed to stick in there. So but there's a lot of moments of self doubt. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, I love that. Yeah, congratulations on that. Tell me a little bit about your the family in terms of the f bringing your family into a business. There's we we've talked about life and life business and they're one and the same. There's also the need to be able to switch off, switch off from the business at times because you need the regi the the regeneration yourself, like especially because big given you're a creative visionary. stepping outside to be able to come up with the ideas, for example, when you're you're in it too often you can get the creative block as well. How have you Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: ensured as part of like for example, bringing your son in as a design coordinator? As, you know, being the being a mum, but also having then your son and Tim reporting into you, etc. How how has that adjustment or transition been for you and also the ability to not talk shop so Amy Fregosi: Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: to speak twenty four seven if that makes sense. Amy Fregosi: Yeah, well it it just with I I always I I grew up my grandparents owned a grocery store. So I would stay a portion of the summers with them and then I would work work in the store. You know, I'd clean the shelves, Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: face all the cans up front, do pricing, go on deliveries, all Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Fan. Amy Fregosi: kinds of stuff like that. Yeah, it was it was really fun. Learn how to work the old fashioned cash cash machine cash register. Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, so good. I yeah. Amy Fregosi: count back change, all the all those kinds of things. So it was I all I really enjoyed that. And and then my ex husband and I we owned a couple of restaurants together. So kind of family business I I really respect and It can it can work. It you know, there has to be a lot of communication. But my son my son was a plumber for a few years and he's he's not anymore. So it just kinda seemed like a perfect transition because he has a an incredible knowledge of two years being a plumber and Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: so and then plus being a young person they grew up with technology where you know, I didn't I I didn't have that when I was a a young formative person. So like he already had done he had a three D printer. So he already made a lot of things like just second nature to him. So I put him in a SketchUp training course and I got Nscape and literally I wanna say in a week and a half like he's doing like all my designs already. Like I just I I I wouldn't be able to do that. So, but it's second nature because it it's similar to what he's done and then

and then as far as giving him I need to give him the breathing space for him to add input, be his person, be you know, give him the ability to have growth because I want him to feel I want I want to grow this company with him and I I need to respect his space and his growth and not just be Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: mom all the time. And I'm a clean freak and so we're talking about like going back to tidiness and this and that and beauty. So I just have to not drive him crazy with my Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, totally, totally it's it really it's it's so funny because you as a CEO, you almost have children when you've got a c when you're a CEO, and and so it's it's managing all the different personalities. So it's it's interesting because you're the C as a mum, you're almost a CEO 'cause you've got like you've got all these responsibilities, you've got to run the house, you've got to run the business, you've got all this stuff. So it's kinda actually again, it just comes back to the the fact that Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: They they go kinda h hand in hand and this ability to create space. And I love this generational thing that's going on also because you're learning from him, he's learning from you. And I think that's what it's all about in this world we're in now. And so it's it's great that you're acknowledging you have to give him the space and I mean he's learning too that, you know, you're not just his mum, he has to respect you Amy Fregosi: Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: as his his leader of the company and your vision and and where you want to take the business as well. It's it's really interesting. Amy Fregosi: It i it is and I I do tell him I'm like, you can have any opinion you want, but I I do get the final say. because, you know, I I'm I'm the boss. but I I want him to feel like he can give me any advice, pointers, give me you know, tell me his opinion because I I value him. And I'll tell you the most amazing thing Bee you know, having your your child work with you, you get to see a different side of them that you never see as a parent. as a parent you don't see how they are in the classroom. You don't see you know, when they have other jobs and how they interact with people. But, you know, having him here, I really see how brilliant he is and I respect him so much for that. just he has literally amazed me with his knowledge and his capacity and the the questions he asks are so spot on and I I just really I I don't know, I'm just like, wow, this is my my son. This is awesome. So Bee Murray, Bee Formless: This, and coming right back to design, beauty, functionality, etc., have you noticed that has this allowed you by opening things up and getting your son involved in the business, bringing your sister on, etc., have you noticed that you are more creative? Are you like have you noticed that by like letting go, so to speak, the ideas, there's more ideas coming through for you? Have you noticed that, like, at all? Or is yeah? Amy Fregosi: Yeah, because now I have some a little bit of space to to think of things that I wanna do. So, you know, I have working in the business and then I have working on the business. So I've come up with quite a few ideas for working on the business that I don't think I would have had the mental space to allow myself without Bee Murray, Bee Formless: G. Amy Fregosi: having some support here, yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, this I I love that you talk about the working I I I draw like a bell curve, like on and then across, like if you think about it that way, because you can't like these people that sit talk about sitting in their ivory tower and you shouldn't be in the detail. You have to be on it and over it. Like you have to be over it and across it, over it, across. It's a constant because otherwise you don't know what's going on, right? And I think as visionaries, we can sometimes be too up here, but we need to to see how it all implements the whole way way through, if that makes sense. What is I'm gonna Amy Fregosi: Yes. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: come back to again, back to design environment 'cause I'm always fascinated by it and there's so much out there these days around like the right lighting, the right colours. Like I've done my whole y quite a few years ago, Amy, you'll be proud of me. I looked into colours, like in terms of how do you get the most creative how out of people, how do you get the most strategic focus. It's like bineural beats, you know, I was looking into all of that sort of stuff. What are you seeing? What are the some of the latest trends that are coming through in terms of I mean, obviously there's commercial like officers, but then there's obviously in home and there's some fascinating from you know, longevity and all of those health sort of things. What are you seeing as some of the new trends coming through? Amy Fregosi: Well, I have to say it's pretty interesting. People are going back to warmer colors. So, in here in California s specifically there was a very cool trend for a while. Lots of monocolo Chrono monochromatic spaces, you know, lots of beigas, grays, things like that, but color is making its way back. Also, there's like a California kind of style design. However, I have this year I've had like four projects where people wanted more traditional design. So and that's just been really fascinating because a lot of these folks are in their their 30s and they don't want to have a modern space. They want to have a more traditional space. with character and you know lots of trim and moldings and things like that and kind of more complex tile designs so it's it's it's really kind of swinging from one way to another and as far as incorporating People are starting to really accept now universal design, especially for aging in place. So what that is is where there's ex it's accessible for everyone. So basically instead of having a curb that you step over into the shower

and you know, it's curbless. I mean that can't be done on in every home because of how the home's constructed, but you know, you can add a grab bar and it's not like a grab bar like in a hospital. And so I do have clients that are wanting blocking or wanting those added just for functionality and There's just a a lighting, you know, better placement of lighting. there was a while here they they didn't put any lights in any rooms. You had to like bring lamps at the certain like houses built in the seventies, early eighties. So now but now we are can be more intentional with lighting and put in places, you know, there's also color tunable light and light is now readily available in different colors. It's called Kaltins. So that is really in enhancing people's lives when you when you have control over how things look so you can have art hanging on the walls and if you can't see it because the lighting is poor it it's never going to pop out and look like Bee Murray, Bee Formless: No. Amy Fregosi: it's part of this space. So if you can do some lighting I mean wow it it can completely transform a space. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, I love it. Yeah, I love it. And, the other things that come up is like there's this like d desire for comfort, going back to traditional, like we want comforts, comfortable spaces. We you know, the fact that more universal from a we we've got a lot of people living at home longer or living with their older parents, etc. So that ability to like have the functionality that everyone can access. There's some really interesting observations that come out there. Couple of final questions for you, Amy. Creative Amy Fregosi: Sure. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Visionary CEO, what are you seeing next for the company, for the business? Amy Fregosi: Well, I haven't written up a strategic plan in in the last six months, but that's my next goal is to write up a strategic plan for growth. I am interested in also teaming up with a real estate agent and some investors to do maybe s small small projects where we just remodel a home and then sell it. but I I just need to create a strategic plan with all my new ideas that I've had time to come up with. That's that's just basically what I what I have. I have some digital products that I've developed that I'm working on getting those out and I'm just trying to figure out what method of delivery is the best. So I ha I have a lot on my plate, but I have to say it's so exciting to be able to look into all this, whether I implement things or not. It it's just to be able to delve into your ideas and see what could be a possibility is pretty exciting. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah, absolutely. And it's just that one step at a time. we have all these ideas at times, it's like, okay, well, what are the horizons together? What would be one piece of advice you would give any aspiring founder out there in terms of let's just say they're at an inflection point and they're like trying to work out what to do next. What would you what would be your piece of advice for them? Amy Fregosi: Don't give up. be Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Yeah. Amy Fregosi: be consistent. Show up on the days that you that you just feel like you just can't show up for yourself. Don't give up because everything is just temporary. And you showing up, your your life is not gonna change if you don't show up. So just show up. That's it. Don't give up and show up. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: I love it. Yeah, I love it. So Amy Fregosi: Yeah. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: good, Amy. my gosh, what a great conversation. Thank you so much for your time. So it's so inspirational. Amy Fregosi: Thank you so much, Bee Bee Murray, Bee Formless: I love your story. I love everything you've shared today. And I'm sure the listeners took a lot out of this also. How do we find out more about Mondolfo interior design? How do we find out more about you? Amy Fregosi: Well you can go on Mondolfo Interior Design dot com and I have I that's one of my things I need to do is update my website but you could Bee Murray, Bee Formless: We're all doing that. I was saying that to someone yesterday. Like it's just this constant game, right? Yeah. Amy Fregosi: It's it's it's like never ending. you can also look me up on LinkedIn and that's Amy Fregozi, F-R-E-G-O-S-I. And you can find Mondolfo Interior Design. I think it's at Mondolfo.interior Design on Instagram. I Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Okay, cool. Amy Fregosi: got really busy so I haven't posted for a while, but I have all these projects that are starting to come to the end, so I'll I'll I'll have to start gathering photos and start posting. So Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Amazing. Yeah. I'll start following you also. Incredible. Amy, thank you so much for your time. Have a fabulous Amy Fregosi: Thank you. Thank you. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: Friday afternoon and enjoy your weekend. And thank you. Amy Fregosi: Thank you. I'm grateful for you being on your show today, Bee Thank you, I appreciate you. Thank you. Bee Murray, Bee Formless: You're welcome. Thanks, Amy, likewise.