Angela Schuster, Bridging the Gap Between Design & Paint | S3E4 | THE BUSINESS BRUSH

Interior Designers and Paint Contractors Unite!
Today on The Brush we have Angela Schuster. She runs one of the NE’s most successful decorative art firms, Faux Time Design, and she speaks at length with Nick about how she’s gotten her business to where it is today. Interestingly enough, Angela works with both interior designers and paint contractors in running her decorative art and faux finish business!

Angela is based in northern New Jersey, near New York City, and her business services the tri-state area. She’s also just ten miles away from the Benjamin Moore headquarters! And another fun fact: she actually found out about Nick May through The Chaise Lounge Podcast, where he discusses the business of interior design with the world’s top interior designers and architects. Angela has two kids: one studying illustration at the Pratt Institute, and the other will be a senior in high school in the fall. She grew up on a family farm in Oklahoma and says there was a lot of exploration and play on the acres and acres. In her free time, her and her family travel the world and take a hands-on approach to experiencing culture — like staying in apartments vs. hotels and immersing themselves in history.

Her first job was at Airbone Express, an early competitor to FedEx, where she worked in marketing and sales. She credits the experience for forcing her to learn sales skills, and she later spent another decade in corporate. But when a home faux finisher gave her an overpriced estimate, she decided to take the opportunity to do it herself, but right, and she eventually studied under the greatest decorative artists.

Today, she has nine artists and runs one of the largest decorative art firms in the entire NE, and has become busier than ever. Most importantly, she adapted her marketing strategy from traditional to digital and details how that decision has been key. Plus, she’s a big proponent of marketing through events, just like Nick’s forums and upcoming CRANK 2.0. Angela does a Lunch and Learn and Cocktail party in January, when business is slow, so people can learn and network together. She’s also a member of the International Decorative Artist League, and Faux Time Finishing  won the PVCA’s award for best decorative designer in 2013 and 2018. Congrats!

To connect with Angela, reach out via email to angela@fauxtimedesign.com
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And, of course, we’re huge fans of the Datacolor Color Reader Pro. Head over to datacolor.com/may and enter the promo code May for a discount!

Thanks for listening!