Today on A Well-Designed Business I am joined by Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum, AKA the Brownstone Boys. Barry and Jordan are designers, DIY-ers, renovators, and restorers who followed their passions and serendipitously fell into a flourishing business together.
In 2018, Jordan and Barry bought a brownstone in Brooklyn and started The Brownstone Boys blog the day they closed on the house, and that’s just the beginning of their adventure. Today they are renovating their way across Brooklyn and New York City, one brownstone at a time.
In our interview, The Brownstone Boys share how they grew their business organically, how they are implementing systems and processes, and how to balance work and life when you’re in business with your partner.
Pick It Apart
[2:33] Jordan talks about the significance of his and Barry’s second date—a bike ride through Brooklyn neighborhoods where they realized they shared a love of brownstones.
[10:44] Jordan explains how The Brownstone Boys blog began and how that led to their first clients.
[20:13] LuAnn makes a point about how fundamental business questions and processes are imperative to successful businesses.
[35:43] Barry discusses how the business has grown organically over the last few years, but now they are intentionally restructuring and building in systems and processes to help it run smoother as they grow and pivot to different platforms.
[41:01 LuAnn asks Jordan and Barry to share lessons they have learned through their business and partnership.
[52:09] Jordan shares big news about his and Barry’s future.
LuAnn Nigara and The Brownstone Boys’ Ah-Ha Moments
“I think a lot of that has to do with listening…And no matter how many systems we implement, I still want that one-on-one authentic relationship with our client.” – Jordan Slocum
“We started our business, and it happened very organically…And right now we're at a point in the business that we're going back and really building in some structure that we should have a long time ago.” – Barry Bordelon
“We're business partners, but we're also life partners. And I think something that I'm really excited for with the new processes is separating—or trying to separate—work from our home life.” – Jordan Slocum
“There are difficult times. But I think it's just really cool to be building a business with a partner and to be going through this together and to have this thing that's our own.” - Barry Bordelon
More About The Brownstone Boys
We’re Jordan & Barry, AKA The Brownstone Boys.
We’re designers, DIY-ers, renovators, and restorers. We have a passion for old homes and everything that comes along with them: the details, the quirks, the character, and especially the parts that need lots of love. We have a ton of respect for all of those gorgeous original details and love restoring them but we are not afraid to add some modern touches.
We bought our 130 year old historic Brooklyn brownstone in 2018 and we’ve been slowly restoring it ever since. We started our blog and Instagram account the day we closed on the house. When we started our journey we found it hard to find the right information, but some of the best real estate, renovation, and design advice that we did find was on other helpful and creative blogs. So we decided to share our experiences as well. We are so fortunate and thankful that other people found it helpful…and maybe a little entertaining! We enjoyed sharing our journey and answering the thousands of questions we received. Eventually, we started helping people more and more with design advice, contractor & architect recommendations, and generally holding the hands of others who were trying to navigate renovating a historic home in New York and even around the world.
Some people that reached out really seemed like they needed more help than just a recommendation or suggestion, so we thought long and hard about it and nervously asked someone one day, “Would you like us to help you do it?” And like that, we had our first client. That quickly led to a second, then a third, and now we are full time Brownstone Boys designing and renovating our way across Brooklyn and NYC. We have found our true passion and pinch ourselves everyday that it’s also now our careers.
Connect with The Brownstone Boys
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Other Shows Mentioned:
AWDB #271: Power Talk Friday: Husband & Wife Teams- This Week is LuAnn & Vin Nigara
AWDB #540: Robin Baron: Strategic Thinking on Product Development
AWDB #786: Meredith Huck: From Corporate to Interior Design Business: 3 Insights to Succeed
AWDB #864: Hilaire Pickett Martin: Lesson From an Interior Design Operations Manager