Meet Mae Reedy of Plano, North Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mae Reedy

Hi Mae, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Construction and design is in my blood, it just took me until a little later in life to realize it was also my dream career! My dad is a talented home builder and my mom always worked hard to create a beautiful home for our family. I was raised to be handy. My dad built our home – watching him design, draft and build our home as a child was very impactful. I ended up going to college for art, getting married and starting a family, and starting a small business. I started my first entrepreneurial venture as a jewelry designer, but started helping a friend who was an interior designer on the side. Little by little I became more and more enthralled with home design – it came very naturally to me. It was nostalgic and thrilling – I was hooked! I started an internship and took every class I could until I was ready to go out on my own. Before long, I had grown a small design firm focusing on construction consulting. The design process was amazing but my clients were often struggling after their construction began. After years of being frustrated by issues with contractors and seeing the awful experiences my clients were enduring, I decided to take the leap and become a general contractor. I am so glad I did!

Being the designer and general contractor is very hard, but it is also incredibly gratifying to be the one steering the entire project from concept to completion. My company process is driven by great communication, thoughtful planning, design based pricing and a commitment to a better experience. With this business model my company is now a large firm and we are taking on larger and larger projects. I owe so much of our success to my amazing team who sees the vision. We have created a culture of empathy and compassion, open communication, and no excuses. We are hard working women who love the construction and design field – we’re busy wives, mothers and daughters too, so we have each other’s backs when we have a sick kiddo or need to take care of family. We are supportive – both to our team and to our clients. It is this company culture that leads to our client satisfaction – they feel the difference. Good design AND a good construction experience.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A constant struggle that may never change – is that women aren’t always respected as knowledgable leaders in this field. Despite my training, education, and technical skills – sometimes people just want to talk to a man. I am constantly having to prove my knowledge and skillset in ways that men in my field do not have to deal with. To be honest, a team of women may emasculate some – and I’ve learned that those are not the clients for us. Period.

My other challenge is being a working mom – women carry a lot of responsibilities in the home, so balancing family life and a quickly growing business means a lot of multi-tasking and late night work sessions. It’s not for the faint of heart. I just want my kids, especially my girls, to see that they can do anything they set their mind to. I want them to see that I love them so much, but I also love the career I’ve created for myself. Moms can love both.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always gravitated towards artistic endeavors. The struggle that I had to personally overcome was needing to be both right brained and left brained. It’s not enough to be creative, you have to be excellent in business, sales, and the technical knowledge needed to be a good contractor. I have a very specific aesthetic I design – but that means nothing if I can’t back that up with a solid business. Through more schooling, amazing mentors and the skills of my team – the thing we are now best known for is our process. We bring our clients my aesthetic of quiet luxury – light and bright, with charm and authenticity in each project – but the whole experience is quiet luxury. Low stress, high satisfaction. That is the magic.

How do you think about luck?
I feel that bad luck has been my greatest teacher. Not everything is in our control. It’s how y0u respond to a string of bad luck that defines you. I’m always asking “what lesson can I learn here?” and then I move on! I do feel like I have been the luckiest with WHO is on my team! I have the honor of working with my best friend, and I’m lucky to have her. I also feel so lucky to have such a great network in the Dallas design industry. Our community is so supportive and friendly. We came to Dallas for my husbands career – not knowing then that Dallas offered the perfect conditions for me to launch my career – which was so lucky! I happened to be in such an amazing place to be an entrepreneur in my field – I never want to leave.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maereedydesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maereedydesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaeReedyDesign

Image Credits
The English Den Photography