When you hear about a seven-year-old who has their own business card, you might think that this is a kid who knows exactly what she’s going to do with her life.
It said ““Hannah Elizabeth Olpp - Furniture Kid.”
But that bit of childhood foreshadowing didn’t last.
Instead, she found herself drawn to fashion design. She wanted to become a lifestyle brand. A Ralph Lauren. She eventually scored an internship with Ralph Lauren to boot. She spent eight years as a fashion designer for Macy’s. She was on the road she’d planned.
But the fashion industry was changing, what was haute and lasting morphed into what was disposable and fast fashion.
It was time for a major pivot.
Her husband Scott picked up on her ongoing interest in real estate. She’d had a passion for it whenever they traveled, checking Zillow listings the way other people scope out restaurant reviews. He suggested that maybe getting her real estate license would be what she could do.
So she did. She left Macy’s and fashion for home sales. And she was killing it. She found herself in her zone.
But then things got interesting. They decided to put an addition on their house. And she became the first person in history to come out the other side to say “that was so fun!”
She’d missed the creativity of the design world.
When her mother moved, they renovated her kitchen. Another jolt. And when a neighbor did an addition to their home, she asked if she could be involved. She took on the role of project manager.
She’d found her purpose. She had design. She had real estate. She had furniture. Creativity. She found it all.
And she found something else. Clarity.
Change does not equal failure.
“You're allowed to reinvent yourself if something isn't working,” Hannah says.
“I think there's something to admitting what you're in isn't right and figuring out what is,” Hannah explains. “Pivoting is scary. But I'm so happy I did.”
“I really had to convince myself that leaving fashion wasn't a failure. I didn't fail at it. I was actually doing really well. I was managing a huge business with multiple direct reports, but it just wasn't the right fit anymore. The pivot got me out of my rut and just shook things up and got me into real estate. Then that led me into interior design. I don't know if I would have done that had I not been in houses for two years selling real estate. Everything sort of lined up the way that it needed to, to get me to where I am today.”
While she was having success, it wasn’t right for her.
“Just because you're not doing what you initially thought you were going to do at 16 doesn't mean you failed at anything. Sometimes you have to do those things to get you to where you're going to be happiest for the long term.”
“When you focus on the positive things, that changes your perception of it being ‘failure’. It’s evolution.”
“I know that if I didn't work at Macy's and I didn't go through eight years basically as a project manager, I don't know if I'd be able to execute my jobs as well as I do. Because I learned how to prioritize, I learned how to work a calendar and keep everyone in the loop. I learned how to manage multiple groups of people, how to make sure we stayed on time, how to communicate well so that everyone knew what was going on. That all came from my fashion design background. And I wouldn't be able to do my current job without that.”
“Everything builds for a reason,” she says. “It's not a waste of time just because even if it's not what you're currently doing, that doesn't mean that it wasn't right, because it was right for that time. You're building pieces of your success.”
Now, Hannah’s happier than she’s ever been, which is really saying something for such an upbeat, positive-skewing person.She and her husband have two beautiful daughters and she has a thriving interior design business, NJ Living By Design.
She looks at her consultations with clients as a “vibe check”. “Are we going to want to work together? Are you going to want to spend a lot of time with me for the next three months because you're going to? Are you going to be annoyed when you see my name on your caller ID, or are you going to be excited. Like, that’s a big deal.”
It sounds like Hannah’s going to need some updated business cards. “Hannah Kern - Furniture Adult.”
And purveyor of positive vibes. - and that’s something that will never change. It evolves.
You can see more of Hannah’s work and do your own vibe check on her website, njlivingbydesign.com, give her a call at (215)266-1500, or visit @NJ_livingbydesign on Instagram.