The Grounded Girl Interview Series Welcomes Leslie Founder of Excell In Design Group

We are so excited to introduce our Grounded Girl for the month of August for Groundedco.

We look forward to sharing with you these amazing women in our community that are empowering and inspiring others.

Grounded Girl Interview Series Welcomes Leslie Excell, Founder of Excell in Design Group which is a full-service drapery workroom “to the trade” that offers expert consultations, quality manufacturing, professional installation and an Excellent customer experience from start to finish. Excell has over 25 years of experience providing personalized service and manufacturing to the residential and commercial market segments.

 

 

Hi! I’m Leslie!

Groundedco: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

Leslie: Where do we start and how much time do we have?! Lol

My Ecuadorian mother migrated to the US before I was born so I am a Floridian “gringa” lol. Gringa is a female American trying to speak Spanish for those that may not know 😂.

My entire family speaks Spanish, but my mother spoke English in our home when I was growing up because my American stepfather didn’t speak Spanish and my mother needed to practice her English. I can understand and speak a lot too but it’s broken Spanish.

I am blessed with a very large family. My mother has 11 brothers and sisters and I lost count but there are 52 +- 1st cousins, which I’m very close to most. Our family holidays typically consist of a minimum of 40-50 people!

I am a mother, and a fun fact is that my son Carlos works for me, so I get the privilege of seeing him almost daily, which fills my cup!

I have a brother and 2 sisters with lots of nieces and nephews and a life partner Fernando for the last 12 years, who I adore. Fernando has 2 sons, Hernando and Alejandro so together we have 3 boys!

Hernando and his wife Paulina are having a baby that is due in October so Fernando and I will be grandparents soon, which we are very excited about!

My self-care morning routine, which is a non-negotiable includes meditation, journaling and recently I’ve committed to some form of exercise. Either biking or yoga is my go-to for 30min/ 5x a week, after reading the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. A quote from the book describes it perfectly. “It’s like pumping rocket fuel into my body, mind and spirit…before I start my day, every day.”

I am also obsessed with making my bed. There’s just something about a made bed that truly brings me joy, despite if I have clothes lounging out on my chaise lounge! Lol

Lastly, my family and friends would say that I am loving, determined, hardworking, trusting and loyal.

I am an entrepreneur and creator, designing my life filled with new experiences, traveling the world and I am limitless; having faith that everything aligns in divine timing for me. 💖

 

Groundedco: What are the main goals of a project overall and the thought process behind the solution?

Leslie: Imagine a project where an interior designer and vendor were in total alignment! Our drapery workroom goes beyond the order taking norm giving our clients peace of mind! 🙌

 

 

 

Groundedco: Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?

Leslie: I know it’s a cliché to say my mother, but she is! She was the 1st of my family to go to college and as a woman!

She was a single mother and still managed to graduate college as an accounting major from Farleigh Dickinson and with the help from my grandparents.

My mother is very loving, spiritual and the most selfless person I know, sometimes to a fault. Sometimes people can take advantage of that, which it’s hard for me to see but if she is happy, then I am too!

Also, my previous boss prior to me starting my business was also a huge inspiration. I used to work next door to her drapery workroom and when I found out that she owned the business, it was honestly my 1st realization that women can own their own business! I worked for her for 10 years and we are still friends to this day!

 

 

Groundedco: What is your favorite way to stay active?

Leslie: Well, this is the area I need to give my most attention to. I have gone through my ups and downs with exercise as I tend to get tired of the same routine, but I am shifting my beliefs with this one (since I’ve been reading the Miracle Morning). And rather than feeling like I need to be a gym addict which I am not lol, I think committing to 30-45 min a day is more realistic for me. Between yoga, biking and walking on the beach when I do go, having these options I’m hoping will allow me to switch things up!

 

 

Groundedco: Tell us about a project which has been your greatest achievement?

Leslie: Soho Beach House in Miami Beach!

We were called with an opportunity to complete a model room with a quick turnaround and after that we negotiated to complete all 49 suites!

This project fell in my lap just like most opportunities, in divine timing!

I had just graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses program. This program was designed by Babson College and funded by Goldman Sachs; an initiative across the US that recognizes small business applicants that are poised for growth.

During the Interview process I was asked to recognize a “new opportunity” for growth where I could grow the company’s revenue, while creating new jobs in our community.

My new opportunity was to grow the hospitality division for my company. This was realized after partnering with the Wyndham Boca Raton hotel.

What started as a small project replacing the shades in the gym, turned into something so much more. From updates to the hotel’s ballroom window treatments and 25 hotel room suites, to manufacturing the banquette seating and window treatments for their restaurant Farmer’s Table and event space, Farmer’s Table Palm Beach location as well as the renovation of the Wyndham Boca Raton hotel lobby window treatments!

This project turned into many years of business and a wonderful relationship with the hotel owner and the property management company which catapulted my “new opportunity” and landing Soho Beach House, Miami Beach.

 

 

 

Groundedco: What is one or some of the biggest challenges you have had and how have you overcome them?

Leslie: I would have to say the grueling construction schedule while working with Soho Beach House. And to no fault of the hotel, this is just part of the job dealing with projects under construction.

And another factor is this project took place during our busiest season and with over 300 windows to treat, we were working around the clock!

The hotel’s construction schedule was one floor at a time, so we had to install while other vendors were completing their projects in the same rooms too, making our installs a lot longer to complete than anticipated. Considering some delays, once construction ended for a floor and released back to the hotel’s inventory to rent, we had to install in between check ins and check outs for those rooms during a 3-hour window!

And to overcome these challenges, we worked closely with Soho’s design team to manage the project. We also partnered with other sources because we still had all our main residential designer clients to attend to, so we divided and conquered the workload.

 

Groundedco: How do you stay organized when provided with multiple design assets, files and ideas?

Leslie: Because of our streamlined processes which were implemented during the 10K Small Businesses program, my team and I are currently managing 15 projects in the quoting phase, and over 60 projects in our production pipeline successfully, while continuing to grow!

 

Groundedco: If you could pick any place in the world to be and stay grounded, where would it be and why?

Leslie: Fernando and I have property in Colombia that we invested in and list on Airbnb and our vision is to live and work from there a few months a year. It’s not a long flight so if I must come here for a client meeting or install, I can do that!

Another fun fact is that I recently connected with my biological Portuguese father through 23andMe, and he is from and lives in Lisbon, Portugal. I am taking a trip there later this year to meet him and can vision myself visiting there a couple of times a year too.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to travel, it’s in my soul. And the beauty of life is that we create our own reality, right? So, I basically have worked hard building and streamlining my business so that I can truly spend my morning routine anywhere in the world and can still be grounded! 💖 🍃 🦋 🌲 🏖 ✈️

 

 

 

 

Groundedco: If you could give one piece of advice to our community who is looking to get started with the creative process of remodeling their interior home or business with drapery what advice would you give them?

Leslie: I would suggest working with an Interior Designer, a professional that can help guide you and manage your project. A lot of people try and manage their project on their own and typically they end up making mistakes that cost a lot of money or end up not finishing the project because it becomes too overwhelming. Generally, those end up living in an unfinished house for years before they get tired of it and decide to hire a professional.

And if you’re unsure of which designer to work with, depending on your wants or needs I have a lot of designer clients that are amazing, and I can refer them to you!