Elizabeth Gerdes: The Powerful Impact of Peer Relationships When Building Your Window Treatment Business

Episode 177 of Window Treatments for Profit

0:00

56:44

177: Elizabeth Gerdes: The Powerful Impact of Peer Relationships When Building Your Window Treatment Business

Today With Elizabeth Gerdes:

Welcome to Window Treatments for Profit, today with Elizabeth Gerdes, owner and operator of Stitch Above the Rest, an award-winning custom drapery workroom in Woodstock, Georgia. After designing and fabricating custom window treatments for residential and commercial clients for almost 20 years, Elizabeth is handing over the needle and thread, hiring employees, and moving out of her basement workspace into a storefront and workroom. Elizabeth is smack in the middle of pivoting her business, and she is here discussing what she is doing, whose advice she is seeking, and how she is making all of those big decisions that come with growing a business.

Pick It Apart

[4:24] LuAnn explains that Elizabeth’s business has grown and changed so much in the past year and how important it is to explore growth in real time.

[6:00] Elizabeth walks through how she pivoted her business and the support she has had along the way.

[17:36] LuAnn points out that Elizabeth created her own advisory board to help navigate decisions, but ultimately, she had to be the one to take the leap.

[24:10] Elizabeth walks through the luxury services she wants to provide.

[34:34] Elizabeth talks about how inspired she was after her first Exciting Windows CEO conference.

LuAnn Nigara and Elizabeth Gerdes’s Ah-Ha Moments

“You combine your own work experience, your own journey, you combine what your inside voice is telling you, but then you combine that Counsel of outside people.” – LuAnn Nigara

“‘Find out what your competitor is offering and sell against it.” – LuAnn Nigara

“As a visionary, as an entrepreneur, we can do multiple things really well. But the exciting part of our businesses is when we recognize the thing that we do the best, and that makes us the happiest doing. And that is a sweet spot for an entrepreneur.” – LuAnn Nigara

“I wanted to be better because I felt like I was around people who wanted to be better.” – Elizabeth Gerdes

“If you need something, an EW member will help you out.” – Elizabeth Gerdes

More About Elizabeth Gerdes

Elizabeth Gerdes is the owner of Stitch Above the Rest, LLC, an award-winning custom drapery workroom in Woodstock, GA. She has been designing and fabricating custom window treatments for residential and commercial clients for almost 20 years. Though she works mostly direct to the consumer, she does have a few regular designers that use her for their higher-end projects. Elizabeth loves a good window treatment challenge and gravitates towards non-traditional projects that other workrooms walk away from. Her company offers full-service project management, from consult to install, taking the stress out of custom window treatments so the client can relax in their home and feel proud to show it off.