199: Building a Design Business with Alma Homes
Hustle Humbly Podcast
Alissa Jenkins & Katy Caldwell
4.9 • 914 Ratings
🗓️ 29 May 2023
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If you've ever wondered what it really looks like to build a design business from the ground up, this episode is such a treat.
We're sitting down with Kiersten Erikson, founder of Alma Homes, to talk about how she combined architecture, interior design, and construction into one seamless business—and how that decision completely shaped her growth.
From discovering her passion in eighth grade to launching her firm in 2017, Kiersten walks us through what it takes to create a high-end, boutique design-build company in today's market.
We also get into social media strategy, diversifying income, and what Realtors need to know when working alongside builders.
This one is equal parts inspiring and practical—especially if you love design or want a peek behind the curtain of the building process.
Here's what we cover in this episode:
- Kiersten's journey from architecture student to business owner
- What a design-build firm is and why it's growing in popularity
- How combining design + construction improves the client experience
- The importance of setting expectations early (especially around budget)
- How Alma Homes uses a detailed intake process to filter leads
- The role social media played in growing the business
- Why Instagram Reels helped scale visibility quickly
- Creating additional income streams through courses and digital downloads
- How to handle high demand and repetitive client questions
- Investing in real estate and short-term rentals for diversification
- The challenges of finding quality subcontractors
- What Realtors should know when working with builders
- How to collaborate without overcomplicating the process
If you're a Realtor working with new construction or design clients, this episode will give you a better understanding of how builders think—and how you can show up as a true professional in those relationships.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, y'all. Welcome to Hustle Humbly. It's Alyssa and Katie, and we are two top-producing realtors in the Baton Rouge market. |
| 0:06.4 | We work for two different companies where we should be competitors, but we have chosen community over competition. |
| 0:11.4 | The goal of our podcast is to encourage you to find your own way in business. |
| 0:15.1 | So stop comparing yourself and start embracing your strengths. |
| 0:18.9 | Hello, everyone. It is episode 199. |
| 0:22.8 | Oh, good. |
| 0:23.6 | Of the Hustle Humbley podcast. |
| 0:25.2 | And today we have a guest, Kirsten, Erickson with Alma Holmes is here. |
| 0:30.2 | Kirsten, will you tell the people about yourself? |
| 0:33.0 | I have followed your Instagram for many years. |
| 0:36.5 | And so I think a lot of our friends will know, |
| 0:39.1 | but just tell us who you are and what you do. Well, first and foremost, thank you guys so much |
| 0:43.9 | for having me. This is going to be so fun. I'm so excited. But yeah, so my name is Kirsten. |
| 0:49.3 | I am the owner and the founder of Alma Homes, and we are a design build firm based out of Minneapolis. |
| 0:55.6 | So we do, we design and we build custom homes. We do remodels. And then we also help client |
| 1:01.0 | design throughout the entire country. So that's just a quick and dirty overview of what we do. |
| 1:07.0 | Right. So tell us like how long you've been doing that. You went to school for architecture, |
| 1:12.2 | if I'm right. Like tell us kind of like your beginnings and how long, I guess, |
| 1:16.4 | Alma Homes has been in existence. Yeah, absolutely. So I am a rare person in the sense that I actually |
| 1:25.1 | knew when I was in eighth grade, what I wanted to do. My dad bought me |
| 1:29.5 | essentially a video game that was kind of like the Sims and I just fell in love with it. I always loved |
| 1:34.4 | math. I always loved art. And then I got this computer game and I'm like, I want to be an architect. |
... |
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