Today, we welcome Errol Dejager, founder of Dejager Design - a full-service interior design firm specializing in luxury residential design. In this episode, Errol shares his journey from South Africa to Southern California in pursuit of his passion for design. We discuss his biggest influences and mentors that guided him on his path to launching his own design business and the development of his holistic design process. Errol also shares a pivotal moment in his life and career that redefined the evolution of his design business.

Show Highlights:

• Errol’s journey from South Africa to the United States and starting his own design business

• The influence of his mentors and how they shaped his approach to interior design

• The event that made him re-evaluate his approach to both life and business

• Saying “NO” and being more selective about the clients and projects

• Errol’s strategies for serving a high-end, luxury clientele

• Utilizing technology like 3D modeling and virtual reality to engage clients and move them from a place of fear to love during the design process

• Keeping his portfolio private to respect client confidentiality and how it impacted his business

Notable Quotes:

• “The first and most important thing is to listen... You’ve got to listen to your clients. They’ll tell you what they want.” - Errol Dejager.
• “No is a complete sentence.” - Errol Dejager.
• “Reframe your overhead. Instead of it being a liability, it’s an asset.” - Errol Dejager. 

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Supporting Resources:

Dejager Design Website - https://www.dejagerdesigninc.com/

Errol Dejager on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/erroldejager/

Books Mentioned:

The Gap and the Gain - Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy: amazon.com/Gap-Gain-Achievers-Happiness-Confidence

Sponsor Links:

James and James: https://carpenterjames.com/pages/trade-program?ad=DBSG

Design Manager: https://www.designmanager.com/