Your best idea will come from the most unexpected situation. Get lost from time to time.
Tea and Alberto are two inseparable visionaries in their early 30s
who merged their field of knowledge, e-commerce and interior design to
build the first online Italian interior design firm serving the world,
despite the worldwide industry trend of professional networks.
who merged their field of knowledge, e-commerce and interior design to
build the first online Italian interior design firm serving the world,
despite the worldwide industry trend of professional networks.
Since
their first meeting on a domestic Italian flight 3 years ago they
started thinking about how people manage their interior renovation
projects, small or big, which is basically through online shops,
physical
stores/showrooms or professional interior designers or companies.
their first meeting on a domestic Italian flight 3 years ago they
started thinking about how people manage their interior renovation
projects, small or big, which is basically through online shops,
physical
stores/showrooms or professional interior designers or companies.
It looked like a highly fragmented market with several specific customer behaviors for any given country.
They founded Restylit at the end of 2018 as a back-to-the-roots strong
alternatives to furniture e-commerce giants and professional networks. An
authentic interior design firm with its own interior designers and its
own classy style recognized all over the world, they soon realized they
were building a high qualitative brand with a strong signature,
Innovative enough to compete, but more authentic and affordable.
They founded Restylit at the end of 2018 as a back-to-the-roots strong
alternatives to furniture e-commerce giants and professional networks. An
authentic interior design firm with its own interior designers and its
own classy style recognized all over the world, they soon realized they
were building a high qualitative brand with a strong signature,
Innovative enough to compete, but more authentic and affordable.
With
Restylit you can get your interiors signed by an Italian interior
design firm on a budget, you can shop online with free support and tips
from a talented interiors team and you can boost your hospitality
business through their internal services.
Restylit you can get your interiors signed by an Italian interior
design firm on a budget, you can shop online with free support and tips
from a talented interiors team and you can boost your hospitality
business through their internal services.
Where did the idea for Restylit come from?
When
Alberto and I met on a plane back in 2016, we soon became interested in
each other's jobs and started talking about e-commerce and interior
design. He was reading a nice interiors magazine where an interior
design firm was showing their latest incredible private home renovation.
The final cost was clearly written and I thought, “Okay, I won't do it,
it's too much” and he answered: “You really don't understand the power
of living in a nice, comfortable place? The cost doesn't matter – you just
have to do it. ”I waited, smiled, and said: “I bet I can do the same
with a fifth of that sum by buying furniture online…”
Alberto and I met on a plane back in 2016, we soon became interested in
each other's jobs and started talking about e-commerce and interior
design. He was reading a nice interiors magazine where an interior
design firm was showing their latest incredible private home renovation.
The final cost was clearly written and I thought, “Okay, I won't do it,
it's too much” and he answered: “You really don't understand the power
of living in a nice, comfortable place? The cost doesn't matter – you just
have to do it. ”I waited, smiled, and said: “I bet I can do the same
with a fifth of that sum by buying furniture online…”
And that's
how the Restylit idea was born: a place where we all can get top design
help on our DIY project while buying furniture online.
how the Restylit idea was born: a place where we all can get top design
help on our DIY project while buying furniture online.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
A typical day at Restylit HQ is like a rollercoaster.
It starts with an early morning briefing around 8 am, with 30 minutes spent focusing on our main tasks.
We start with help requests from all over the world. These are people
asking for help with buying from our furniture shop. Then it's time for
the team to focus on what we love: interior design projects! They are
revised by Tea as head of projects.
It starts with an early morning briefing around 8 am, with 30 minutes spent focusing on our main tasks.
We start with help requests from all over the world. These are people
asking for help with buying from our furniture shop. Then it's time for
the team to focus on what we love: interior design projects! They are
revised by Tea as head of projects.
We use the last part of our
day to plan and schedule the next one, while also discussing new ideas
and how to develop them. We started with very different daily habits and
I still can't tell who was more productive at the beginning, but now we
do know what works best for us: a strong daily organization and full
commitment to success.
day to plan and schedule the next one, while also discussing new ideas
and how to develop them. We started with very different daily habits and
I still can't tell who was more productive at the beginning, but now we
do know what works best for us: a strong daily organization and full
commitment to success.
How do you bring ideas to life?
They
like overnight or when we're not concentrating on daily tasks. If it's
about our daily job then our team is like a volcano! Every day we come
up with a new approach, a new style to spread or, if we are looking at
the bigger picture from the founders' side we love to get lost,
literally. We used to break up our daily routine with long nature walks
to stop focusing on our jobs and start thinking about our bigger life
goals.
like overnight or when we're not concentrating on daily tasks. If it's
about our daily job then our team is like a volcano! Every day we come
up with a new approach, a new style to spread or, if we are looking at
the bigger picture from the founders' side we love to get lost,
literally. We used to break up our daily routine with long nature walks
to stop focusing on our jobs and start thinking about our bigger life
goals.
Did you read how we founded the company? This is exactly how we come up with new ideas!
What's one trend that excites you?
We're
curious about Virtual/Augmented Reality as it might be game-changing.
Technology has taken a big step forward in the past two years. It would
be great to literally immerse customers inside their new spaces with the
help of our team. It could be a powerful experience for any customer.
curious about Virtual/Augmented Reality as it might be game-changing.
Technology has taken a big step forward in the past two years. It would
be great to literally immerse customers inside their new spaces with the
help of our team. It could be a powerful experience for any customer.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Wake
up early in the morning, wake up earlier than others with an organized
agenda, and don't go to bed until you've checked off every point of the
list.
up early in the morning, wake up earlier than others with an organized
agenda, and don't go to bed until you've checked off every point of the
list.
As Restylit founders we use to get up early than 6 am to respect our daily schedule and get things done.
Getting
things done means being productive. When you start a business the road
will be full of challenges; you won't overcome all of them. What can
save you and help you to achieve your goals is just getting things done
day by day, hour by hour. These dots will connect you to the future.
things done means being productive. When you start a business the road
will be full of challenges; you won't overcome all of them. What can
save you and help you to achieve your goals is just getting things done
day by day, hour by hour. These dots will connect you to the future.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Start
to business! Any business you may have in mind, one of all your crazy
ideas. You have a lot to learn. Surround yourself with inspiring people.
You need the most positive vibes to overcome your life's challenges.
Create a fertile environment around you, living in a place where
positive energy and ideas are eager to be born. This is crucial,
especially if you're living somewhere where it's tough to “do it big”.
What's around you contributes to defining you so…pay attention!
to business! Any business you may have in mind, one of all your crazy
ideas. You have a lot to learn. Surround yourself with inspiring people.
You need the most positive vibes to overcome your life's challenges.
Create a fertile environment around you, living in a place where
positive energy and ideas are eager to be born. This is crucial,
especially if you're living somewhere where it's tough to “do it big”.
What's around you contributes to defining you so…pay attention!
Tell us something that's true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
The
first thing coming to our mind is about our native country, Italy,
where people don't believe in online interior design. Almost no one
does.
It's because we are a conservative country which always needs
more time to embrace the change. Well it wasn't easy to start this
business here!
first thing coming to our mind is about our native country, Italy,
where people don't believe in online interior design. Almost no one
does.
It's because we are a conservative country which always needs
more time to embrace the change. Well it wasn't easy to start this
business here!
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Never
stop doing. It might seem an obvious assumption but it's not true. When
you're launching a startup you often have full days (and nights) with
an infinite to-do list which need a constant switch from task A to task
B. It's easy to panic after seeing a massive to-do list, but you must do
everything you planned for your day or you're not gonna win over the
beast!
stop doing. It might seem an obvious assumption but it's not true. When
you're launching a startup you often have full days (and nights) with
an infinite to-do list which need a constant switch from task A to task
B. It's easy to panic after seeing a massive to-do list, but you must do
everything you planned for your day or you're not gonna win over the
beast!
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
When
we entered the business we were almost bankrupt. We'd spent 80% of ours
budget on website development and to establish the company. Daily
connections with our (very small) IG audience seemed to be the best way
to understand our business potential.
we entered the business we were almost bankrupt. We'd spent 80% of ours
budget on website development and to establish the company. Daily
connections with our (very small) IG audience seemed to be the best way
to understand our business potential.
It was homemade, handmade
marketing approach which resulted in our very first customer: the owner
of a beautiful Milan flat who needed help rethinking the interior design
and furnishing her apartment without spending a fortune. Well, she was
exactly our person!
marketing approach which resulted in our very first customer: the owner
of a beautiful Milan flat who needed help rethinking the interior design
and furnishing her apartment without spending a fortune. Well, she was
exactly our person!
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
At
the very beginning of our journey we were asked by a fashion shop owner
to design the spaces of his new store. He was one of those old-school
Italian entrepreneurs who usually take advantage of others – but we
badly wanted to start our business and doing it big. We designed the
shop with beautiful furniture from an exclusive collection. It turned
out he was asking to pay far less then our project value. Moreover, he
didn't want us to publish our project on social media, because he was
scared other shops in town would ask us to do the same for them…which
it was exactly our goal!! What a beginner's mistake!
the very beginning of our journey we were asked by a fashion shop owner
to design the spaces of his new store. He was one of those old-school
Italian entrepreneurs who usually take advantage of others – but we
badly wanted to start our business and doing it big. We designed the
shop with beautiful furniture from an exclusive collection. It turned
out he was asking to pay far less then our project value. Moreover, he
didn't want us to publish our project on social media, because he was
scared other shops in town would ask us to do the same for them…which
it was exactly our goal!! What a beginner's mistake!
What is one business idea that you're willing to give away to our readers?
Think
about social security. Think about how powerful could be if we all had
the chance of contributing to a better world with real time feedback on
potentially dangerous events and classifying streets and areas based on
risky events…you can become a superhero! If there's someone interested
out there we can work together on it!
about social security. Think about how powerful could be if we all had
the chance of contributing to a better world with real time feedback on
potentially dangerous events and classifying streets and areas based on
risky events…you can become a superhero! If there's someone interested
out there we can work together on it!
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
We
went to Chamonix some months ago to spend the weekend in the beautiful
Alps. Our friend offered to rent his flat to us for less than $100, so
we went for it. The view was amazing, the flat was quite good but
not…amazing. We realized that many owners in the area were renting those
kinds of accommodations for as much as $200 per night just because they
have lots of tourists.
went to Chamonix some months ago to spend the weekend in the beautiful
Alps. Our friend offered to rent his flat to us for less than $100, so
we went for it. The view was amazing, the flat was quite good but
not…amazing. We realized that many owners in the area were renting those
kinds of accommodations for as much as $200 per night just because they
have lots of tourists.
How much could our friend have earned with
a soft interior design intervention? Let's say a couple of pieces of
furniture and a new wall colour…perhaps double. This is how we
implemented our temporary rent dedicated services.
a soft interior design intervention? Let's say a couple of pieces of
furniture and a new wall colour…perhaps double. This is how we
implemented our temporary rent dedicated services.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?
Tomato timer! We use it to stay focused on our daily tasks. Very useful!
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
You
should read any book regarding motivation, self discipline, finance,
business, startup…with a critical mind. Today we want to suggest you
“Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink to teach yourself something about
self discipline and hard work.
should read any book regarding motivation, self discipline, finance,
business, startup…with a critical mind. Today we want to suggest you
“Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink to teach yourself something about
self discipline and hard work.
What is your favorite quote?
“Off the beaten track”, to find your identity to come up with your best ideas.
Key Learnings:
- It's
hard to start a business in a place where it's hard to find yours
person. It means you need to educate or evolve your customer. It's hard
but if you make it you'll be innovating the market. - Your best idea will come from the most unexpected situation. Get lost from time to time.
- Hard work pays off, if you really believe in something you can make it real!
