Once in a while someone comes along and says something that resonates in your mind and begins a change in the way you think and function. ER Spaulding did that for me. Spaulding and I crossed paths when she hired me as an Interior Designer with one of her associates to work on a project she was doing. After a few weeks of tweaking the space and adorning the walls the job was complete. Spaulding called me and asked to have a debriefing meeting to give me the final payment. I was nervous thinking “Oh great! She is going to try haggle the final amount. Why doesn’t she just send the check? Ugh!” To my surprise I was not in for that at all. She was about to give me the largest tip I ever received. As I sat at the table she slid me my final check. It was not missing a single dollar. She hesitated and said “I would have paid you a lot more.” I was surprised and a little confused. She went on explaining how I was undervaluing myself. She asked me “How much do you get paid an hour?” I replied “$150 an hour” proudly. She then asked me how much do I get paid when I go pick up paint and run to Home Depot? I then sunk in my seat as I realized how much money I was losing and I replied “nothing!” She was so right!
From then on Spaulding took me under her wing and totally revamped my business. She has literally saved me from losing thousands of dollars. Her work ethic and thought process is like no other. I cannot say enough good things about her. She is organized, and thorough. She has opened my mind to thinking bigger and deep into the future. If it were not for her I would not be in the position where I am now, designing a home decor line for a celebrity. I now just design products and no longer spend my money to have them produced, instead I acquired a licensing deal. Spaulding showed me how to make things work for the company and for myself. She didn’t have to have that debriefing meeting with me, but she did it. ER Spaulding changed my company and my life. My family is happy as well now that I have learned to delegate and can spend more time with them. She is an asset that anyone would be lucky to have. My only complaint is that she moved to Chicago and although I have my wings and can fly on my own now, I miss her in Atlanta. She not only is a great business associate, the way she cared for me and my business, I now consider her a good friend.
Nicole Kelly
Owner/Designer
Crush Interior Design