Where does our story begin?

It may look like we’ve been best friends forever, but really, we’ve only known each other for a couple of years! It’s crazy when God’s timing is evident, and it’s obvious with our story. We started out as just co-workers at another design firm in Dallas; Nicole was the Director of Operations, and Megan was the Principal Designer and Creative Director. We had completely different roles and barely had time to speak to each other; we were so busy.

Outside of business, we both gravitate towards similar styles in fashion, decor, hobbies, and passions. When we found time to chat outside of work, it was an easy friendship that evolved. As our friendship grew, so did the conversations, and then we both realized we wanted more out of our career path, not just a job. We needed more joy, more freedom, and more creativity, and we quickly discovered we were meant to create something together that would impact a larger community with our God-given vision. We wanted our voices to be heard.

It’s funny looking back on how our entrepreneurial paths were meant to align; all it took was God’s timing. Megan always knew she wanted to have her own interior design business. She went to school for it, dreamt about it, and even started her own company after graduating college because she didn’t want to wait on someone else to give her the opportunity she knew she was meant for, but it wasn’t the right time yet. She needed to hone in on her talent, develop client relationship skills, and learn more about how to run a business in order to be successful. As for Nicole, she knew she would eventually own her own business as early as 5th grade. She’s always been a big dreamer, full of ideas, and she knew she wanted to create something for herself and not just build someone else's empire. Fun fact: She even had her own cupcake business called Cole’s Cupcakes! Though it was short-lived, it’s always been evident that she was meant to run her own business. Before her path crossed with Megan’s, the original plan was to start a professional organization and design business with someone else. It turned out that they weren’t the right fit; they had different goals and work ethics, leading them to part ways. “I’m thankful now that the Lord protected me, because it still wasn’t the right time or fit.” Unknowingly, Rae Cole Interiors was right around the corner.

Everyone has to start somewhere. You grow, learn, and strengthen your skillset. And then, when the moment presents itself, you leap! In this case, I’d love to say we were ready, but that’s comical. This was definitely a story where God shoved us out of the nest because he knew we were ready to fly; otherwise, we might have still been dragging our feet.

Leading up to the moment of takeoff (which we will get back to), we knew we wanted to create something special. This has carried over into how we run our business today. We are very intentional with the relationships we build and the "why" behind our company. Being able to build a business that can be passed down, creating a family legacy that we can both be proud of, was and is what we value most.

As two women entrepreneurs, setting an example for my daughter Skyler, the younger generation, women in general, and anyone else witnessing our story is everything to us. We hope to be an example for creatives who feel it in their bones that they are created for more. Because, guess what? You can do it! It’s not too late; you have time to use your gift and listen to that little voice inside of you. Once you listen, pray, or manifest, that voice becomes a little bit louder—until there’s no silencing it. So loud, in fact, that it drowns out all the negative, hateful criticism you might receive for doing the risky thing. But it’s worth it, and it will be the BEST decision you make—it has been for us!

Like most entrepreneurs, they start their dream business on the side because, in this economy, duh. So when we were presented with a small opportunity to test it out, we thought, “Let’s see if we can actually do this together." At the time, we didn’t realize the impact it would have, but this is what ultimately “launched” our business.

I (Nicole) had a friend ask for help with a commercial job. They needed assistance with keeping items organized and direction on where to hang artwork because they were getting overwhelmed with what pieces coordinated with each room's theme. So I asked Megan if we could work together to help them. It was a very simple project that we could knock out in our spare time. The team we worked with was very appreciative of the collaboration and thankful we could step in on such short notice. We thought, “Wow, we can do this!"—literally laughing so hard at this now because we hadn’t even written a full business plan yet. That led us to start toying with our business name, but nothing was on paper yet because we were taking the proper steps to make sure we named our business something we connected with and for the brand we wanted to create. All of a sudden, we felt it—Rae Cole Interiors—that’s it! We’ll save how we arrived at Rae Cole for another journal entry, but that was the beginning.

You know those special times in life when God shows up in His kindness and graciously prompts you that a door is closing, so you verbally tell him in the bathroom stall, “Lord, I trust You,” and decide to surrender control and lean into your faith?! Unbeknownst to me (Nicole), in less than 24 hours I got laid off unexpectedly for financial reasons. I was told my role was “being eliminated.” I was left sitting in the parking lot, staring out at nothing, trying to process what had just happened. Then, 24 hours later, Megan was let go, and that was a very clear indication that Rae Cole Interiors was no longer just a dream but a very fast-approaching reality. We soon both found ourselves faced with the same feeling and a single choice: sink or swim.

Instead of sinking under pressure, we went somewhere to have a glass of wine, because—let’s get real—we had just lost our jobs (ha..). We immediately started working on our business plan again, and it was full steam ahead! The more we continued to build, combining the best parts of our skill sets, it became clear that this was a no-brainer and was undeniably meant to be.

By leading with compassion and following with personal attention to detail, our goal is that clients are left with a home that speaks to who they are, their story, and what brings them peace. We are determined to run our business with honesty, transparency, and consistency. We know that trust is essential when it comes to our client's homes. We were so excited to put that to the test when we got our first large renovation, “Project Cumberland,” three months into our venture; she’s a beauty!

Fast forward to where we find ourselves today: the continued support from family, friends, mentors, our faith, and an extreme amount of determination—we are building our brand, representing our values in their most genuine form. Designing together is effortless; the joy of creating has been reignited; re-instilling the passion for designing with a purpose.

With aspirations to build a legacy that will carry on for future generations, we are big supporters of chasing your dreams and trusting yourself along the way. Our hope is that others will use our experience as a testament to what creatives are capable of when the odds are stacked against them. So, as two women who not only faced uncertainty but confronted it head-on—we can proudly say with our whole hearts—we didn’t sink OR swim. We are soaring.