Success by Design

By Jennifer McGuiggan, Communications Coordinator

Reneé DeMichiei Farrow is not content to do one thing well. She is intent on doing many things extremely well. From growing her own business in interior design, to being a political and personal advocate for women in business, Farrow has built an impressive resumé of varied accomplishments.

Twelve years ago, after working in the wholesale drapery business for a dozen years, Farrow founded Decorating Details, LLC (www.decoratingdetails.com). "All my life, [I've been] very observant and asked a lot of questions," says Farrow. As she worked in the industry, she kept her eyes and ears open and learned about the business from the perspectives of customer service, sales, and marketing. Then, she says, "Someone put a little bug in my ear and said, 'Why don't you start your own decorating business?'"

Farrow did just that, opening an interior design business that specializes in window treatments for residential, commercial, healthcare, and hospitality clients. Her clientele spans eight states and includes AT&T, the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Southside, and Mountaineer Race Track Hotel. Decorating Details has recently expanded into furniture and art, as well.

Entrepreneurship and Networking
Farrow was drawn to entrepreneurship because she wanted a job that would allow her to spend more time with her children and ailing mother. She was determined to run the business on her own terms, and stresses that she started small and grew at her own pace. Farrow indicates that this growth strategy is key to business success: "That's the one thing that business owners think: They think that they have to be a success immediately." Farrow advises business owners to think about it differently. "It's developed at your own pace that you're comfortable with…. You're not pressured into being something you're not."

Farrow credits her networking and mentoring relationships with contributing greatly to her success. After being in business for just one month, she attended a chapter meeting of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Farrow counts this as a milestone in her entrepreneurial path from start-up to success. She remembers walking into that first meeting: "I had a look of terror on my face, thinking, 'What am I doing in this meeting with these successful women?'"

When the chapter president spotted Farrow by the door, she invited Farrow to sit at her table. Farrow quickly left her fear behind and got involved with the group. She went on to become president of the Pittsburgh chapter, the 2003-2005 elected NAWBO Public Policy Representative for Pittsburgh, and the NAWBO Public Policy Advocate of the Year. Each year she strives to bring one to two new members to NAWBO and routinely mentors college students. "It taught me to step up to the plate and be a leader," she says. "But you don't get that from standing around as a member. You have to be involved and be a leader."

"I can't stress enough the importance of networking," Farrow says. "Get to know people in your business and get to know people in your business circumstances. You simply have to know what's going on to be successful."

Farrow cites another example of the far-reaching benefits of networking. For months, she said, a friend coaxed her to attend a Women's Business Network (WBN) meeting. When she finally attended one, she met a designer who was working with University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Through that connection, Farrow went on to do projects for the hospital and the project manager's own home; she then expanded into managed care facilities.

Networking again came to the forefront when Farrow needed $60,000 in credit within 48 hours to expand her business. She had not established a relationship with a banker or a line of credit, two things she urges new business owners to do. Luckily for Farrow, her contacts paid off — literally — when she was able to secure the needed funds with loans from two bankers that she had met at events and meetings.

Advocacy and Public Policy
In addition to running a successful business, Farrow is passionate about public policy. After opening Decorating Details, she simultaneously took on the role of Director for the Greater Pittsburgh Commission for Women, where she developed and implemented a program that led to the first profitable year for the Commission after it disbanded from the city. She now serves on the Commission's Board. Farrow became hooked on public policy, she says, after attending a NAWBO public policy event in Harrisburg. She has served on the Allegheny 2000 Citizens Committee and as a delegate to the Governor's Pennsylvania Small Business Conference, and twice ran for local office.

As Farrow sees it, the biggest issue facing minority and women business owners is public policy. She advocates for the simplification of certification along with policing of the certification process.

Even with all of her proven business and industry success, Farrow claims that she runs into problems with the so-called "Good Ol' Boys Network." She thinks that people are afraid to take a chance on someone new, and would rather stick with what they know. "They don't want to take a chance," she says. "All I want is an opportunity to do the job to prove to them that I can do this. And I think the region on the whole tends to be like that. That's a big problem for women and minorities."

Despite these challenges, Farrow has truly proven that she "can do this," from business to advocacy and back again. Her extensive list of business, industry, and advocacy awards includes being named one of the Best 50 Women in Business in Pennsylvania, taking third place in the National Kirsch Company "Design Your Way to Paradise," and receiving the US Small Business Administration Region III Women's Advocate of the Year award. Most recently she was chosen as a "2004 Fast Tracker" by the editors of Pittsburgh Business Times and was selected as one of the 2004 YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh's Tribute to Women Awardees for Entrepreneurship.

Through it all, Farrow stays focused on the people in her business and her life. She calls her husband and three children "my rock and my stability." When it comes to her customers, Farrow believes that treating them well is the number one reason for success. If you establish relationships, she says, the work will follow. "I'm not out there to sell a job, but to form a relationship."

May 2004