featu re
“The time I spent at home with my kids when they were young was priceless,” she says. Watching Alan build his business from the ground up was also invaluable in the years ahead when Homestyled Interior Design was born. Karen appreciates that for everything there is a season, and now that the season has changed, she has more time to focus on her business.
success story
karen schmidt HOMESTYLED INTERIOR DESIGN Mooresville
Karen and her family have called Lake Norman home for the past 15 years. “We had outgrown our little home in Southern California, and a good friend who worked in NASCAR suggested we should check out Mooresville. We flew out to North Carolina on a weekend and bought a house!” Mooresville was the perfect small town to raise their four children: Austin, Tanner, Travis, and Lillie.
Embracing
the Now!
“I’m my own enemy and my o w n b e s t fri e n d,” says Karen
Schmidt, owner of Homestyled Interior Design in Mooresville. She adds, “I know that I have to make the best decisions that will move my business in the right direction, which can be overwhelming sometimes, but I’m learning that I can’t let the fear of failure stop me from moving forward.” Being a mom and starting a business is quite the challenge, and most find that the greatest obstacle in starting a new business is just that – getting started. “I finally realized,” Karen continues, “that I had to jump in with both feet and, thankfully, I’ve been earning a profit ever since.” She credits family support, time management, and discipline as the keys to her success.
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Karen’s true passion lies in transforming spaces from start to finish. “My favorite part is seeing the look on our client’s face when we reveal the new space,” she grins, “and it brings me so much joy!” Seeing that joy has kept her in the business of taking outdated spaces and breathing new life into them. It all sparked 20 years ago. Karen and her husband, Alan, bought their first fixer-upper home when Karen was still in college. She enjoyed the process so much that it prompted her to change her major from communications to interior design. However, Homestyled Interior Design wasn’t to burgeon until their children were older. While Karen was home, she helped manage her husband’s landscape business, Greenway Lawn Management.
“I’m so proud of my family,” she says, with twinkling eyes. “I have four great kids and one amazing husband, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.” Alan inspires her daily with his support, advice, and work ethic. He is her biggest fan and believes in her even when she doubts herself. Karen knows that even though everything in the business depends on her, she in turn fully relies on God. “He has provided for me and my family in countless ways and has shown me that I am never alone.” w
writer MICHELLE LOVE
photographer toni lovejoy
