The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/1540346
Q: How do you balance running a business with staying connected to the creative side of design? A: Reading new publications, discovering new products, and interacting with new people is a necessity in this business. It's probably the last of these that drives our own creativity forward the most. Every time we add a new team member or advisor, they come with a different set of experiences and viewpoints. Oen, they help us see something we've never understood before, and that unlocks new creativity. e only sad thing about running a furniture business is that it makes it less exciting to go to a new hotel or restaurant when you've seen everything the designer specified months before it was even available. It does sort of destroy the wonder of it all. It's still fun to see how they mixed it together to arrive at a unique point of view. family dynamic Q: What's it like running a company as brothers? Do you each bring different strengths to the table? A: It's hard. Truthfully, we don't always enjoy each other or care to understand each other's perspective; what siblings do? But, we usually want to end up in the same place, and we offer pretty different skill sets to get there, so it's fairly obvious which of us should take on what. We do oen know what the other is thinking, so there is some advantage in finding agreement without speaking. It is so helpful to have a bigger team, so we less frequently have to work directly on projects together. Outside of work, we both like British comedy, big old houses, boundless travel, and Diet Coke, so there's more common ground than perhaps we've conveyed. Q: Has working together changed your relationship in any way—either personally or professionally? A: Yes. We see each other less outside of work. Eight hours a day is plenty. We are also less likely to pick an argument over something mundane. We have learned things from each other, but we can't list them here because it's doubtful we'd admit that to one another. growth & vision Q: Since launching in 2015, how has Daniel House Club evolved, and what's next for the company? PHOTO CREDIT: CALEB VANDERMEER VUELONGISLAND.COM 55