Making Something From Nothing: Shana Francesca Of Concinnate On How To Go From Idea To Launch

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Find ways to support yourself. Books and podcasts helped to support me. Seeing other people in the world doing things that required courage bolstered my own. On the days when things were most difficult, I would open my audible, listen to a book and take a hot bath and the world would feel a fraction kinder. Other days, I phoned a friend or my coach. It is important to feel every part of the journey and to care for yourself along the way.

As a part of our series called “Making Something From Nothing”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shana Francesca (Fannon).

Shana Francesca is a Professional Interior Designer with 15 years of experience. She is the founder and lead designer at Concinnate, a design firm serving clients nationally. Inspired by childhood trauma she has spent much of her life leaning into curiosity around physical environments with particular interest in human behavior and psychology. Shana founded her company wanting the freedom to incorporate interior design and life design consulting, creating space for people to be their authentic selves, to be curious, and to expand their lives.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

My early life was tumultuous. It was marked by a significant amount of abuse and trauma. For a long time, trauma seemed an inescapable reality. Seeing both of my parents struggle with their own trauma and no tools to do so forced the narrative that if I was going to make it out, I was going to have to do it on my own. Working through my trauma and those narratives is what has led me to be the person I am today. I think this is one of the main sources of my independence, determination, and my curiosity.

From an early age, I spent a good amount of time watching people, trying to understand the world in ways I did not have direct access. I spent time reading and surrounding myself with mentors through books and magazines. I would post inspirational quotes all over my room written on index cards. I ripped pages from magazines I found at doctor’s offices or catalogues that came in the mail to create a vision board of sorts. I would fantasize about a life built on my terms.

I wanted to take my ability to imagine unique and authentic spaces and apply it to other people’s lives. This desire stayed with me as I prepared for college, eventually making the decision to study interior design. In design school, I really struggled in my third and fourth semester. I barely made the grades necessary to continue in the program. Everyone else around me seemed to know what they were doing and I was falling behind. What I learned was to dive back into curiosity. I needed to return to excitement about learning instead of letting insecurities stifle my creativity. In my final semesters, I ended up earning top grades in all of my design classes. It was such a triumphant moment. The lessons I learned from those years still serve me well.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“You are only free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.” -Maya Angelou

For a very long time, it was not safe for me to allow people close to my life. The more people around me, the more likely they would realize what was going on at home. I couldn’t belong, it wasn’t safe. In my teen years, I realized there was much more nuance to the word normal and the concept of belonging than I had imagined. There were times I wanted so badly to belong to a specific group but that meant defining myself by what they determined as normal. Hiding parts of myself was not something I wanted anymore. I found myself floating between groups more than specifically belonging to one. I belonged to no place and every place but I found beauty in it. It still is that way for me.

These realizations shaped and formed, and continue to define, not only my life, but my business as well. It reminds me to create space for people’s divergence, their uniqueness, their normal, their story and for my own. To not so eagerly place people in neat categories. I do not need someone else to choose me to know that I belong, and yet I know how powerful it is to be seen.

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

One book that I will forever be grateful for is You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. When I first took my business full time, I had no idea how I was going to survive. Life experience had shown me that pressure only made me stronger and more resilient, but this was different. This was me choosing the pressure.

I knew I could build this business, I felt it in my soul. I still had no idea how. I needed to build my confidence and release beliefs that were holding me back. I read You Are a Badass, probably once a month for about 6 months and every quarter after that for 2 years. I also read every book Brene Brown had written at the time. Shame was a huge part of the first 2.5 decades of my life and I needed to sort that out if I was going to build a business.

Books became my way of reminding myself of who I am when circumstances did not line up with expectations. The wisdom I encountered in books helped me get to the place where I realized failure is a platform. To hit rock bottom, we tear down what once stood. The part we have a hard time seeing is that it had to be torn down in part or whole because it was no longer serving us. We had become too attached to what was, causing distraction from what could be here in this moment. Rock bottom is a foundation. It creates space for curiosity. It is a place from which we are able to build a beautiful, authentic life. If we let go of attachment, rock bottom is not failure; it is a beginning.

I was choosing this moment to tear down what was (working for others) so that I could make space for what could be present in my life (building a business). It was terrifying, exhilarating, and necessary-because I chose it.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There is no shortage of good ideas out there. Many people have good ideas all the time. But people seem to struggle in taking a good idea and translating it into an actual business. Can you share a few ideas from your experience about how to overcome this challenge?

For me, it started with taking something familiar and pushing it to a new level, leveraging my unique perspective. Whatever the idea, it is important to look for a relatable metaphor for people to connect to and compel them into action. The key is to refine the metaphor to one that has an impact on the people you want to reach and their lives.

Think about what business ideas have been ‘sticky’, they ask a series of questions that relate to their target audience. They seek to tell a story with the answers to those questions. Uber asked people “What if you could pay for a ride from anyone with a clean, well running vehicle with some spare time and good customer service?” For my business, I ask people, “What if your home, restaurant, or boutique hotel could be uniquely designed to reflect your goals and needs for your life and/or business?” “How do you think that would impact your life and your vision for your future?” “In what ways would you like that to be possible?”

Even with a strong story, we will run into challenges, they are necessary for growth. Keeping that in mind helps to move through those moments rather than to feel stuck. Being curious about what is possible gives us the opportunity to pivot and find another way forward.

Often when people think of a new idea, they dismiss it saying someone else must have thought of it before. How would you recommend that someone go about researching whether or not their idea has already been created?

Google and dive in from there. There are rarely ever brand-new ideas, something that in no way has ever been done before. So, it is important to figure out what you are doing and in what ways it has been done or is currently being done. You can also enlist the help of an attorney who can search patents and / or trademarks for you to make sure that you do not enter a space in a way that is legally not available to you.

For the benefit of our readers, can you outline the steps one has to go through, from when they think of the idea, until it finally lands in a customer’s hands? In particular, we’d love to hear about how to file a patent, how to source a good manufacturer, and how to find a retailer to distribute it.

I think this is different for every person, every idea, every company. I buy other people’s products for my clients. This process, for Concinnate, has been finding manufacturers whose products and customer service align with our culture.

Founding a business, bringing together the ideas and the people who help you form it, is never what you expect and, at times, demands growth. The key is thinking of your business and the relationships required for it like a complex sculpture. You want to take a look at it from various angles and continue to do so over time so you do not get overly familiar with it from one particular angle and lose sight of the larger picture.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started Leading My Company” and why?

-Remember this is a Choice.

There was so much fear when I decided to take my business full time. I had to get to a place where I chose to lean into discomfort seeing it as an opportunity to learn something, an incredible moment that could open my eyes to new possibilities.

-Stay curious instead of defensive.

At the beginning, my pitches were clumsy. I started paying attention to the clarifying questions people would ask. They revealed ways that I could expand the business or ways I needed to refine, clarify, and simplify the pitch. I still practice this.

-Surround yourself with other business owners and entrepreneurs.

Being understood was critically important to my founder journey. Who I was to the people around me had fundamentally changed. Gathering people who understood and could mentor me was vital.

-Find ways to support yourself

Books and podcasts helped to support me. Seeing other people in the world doing things that required courage bolstered my own. On the days when things were most difficult, I would open my audible, listen to a book and take a hot bath and the world would feel a fraction kinder. Other days, I phoned a friend or my coach. It is important to feel every part of the journey and to care for yourself along the way.

-Have a plan for when things go in a direction you wished they hadn’t.

A plan is like a well placed column. It takes the weight so you do not collapse or go into panic mode when things inevitably go sideways. I had to ask myself, Could I take a short term personal loan? Could I move in with a family member or friend? Could I find a flexible part time job so I wasn’t stressing about money? Exploring the answers to these questions allowed me to create a plan to continue moving forward.

Let’s imagine that a reader reading this interview has an idea for a product that they would like to invent. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

My first stop when considering an invention has been to talk to others who are part of innovative companies and who I trust deeply. Then I call my attorney to search for existing patents. I have a long time friend who works for Gore & Associates, he has been my sounding board for more than a decade. The first time was in my late 20’s, ultimately I did not move forward with it but it did lead me to continue exploring ideas.

There are other ways to innovate than simply with physical products. I am currently exploring and creating, for Concinnate, around accountability and expectation setting. I have our company values posted on our website so that our clients and partners are able to hold us, as a company, accountable. Also, my project manager and I are currently refining codes of conduct for our clients and contractors to review and agree to, at the outset of a project. Many times people are hesitant to communicate what they need in a moment, eventually forcing difficult conversations that can fracture trust. By setting the expectation that we all have the responsibility to speak the truth in a timely fashion and take up space in an honest and respectful manner, it can help keep communication flowing and reinforces trust.

We believe we cannot succeed without open lines of communication that are actively used, with intention, often, with thoughtful pause but not hesitation, and with respect, not reverence. We want to continue to explore what is possible in the realm of authentic communication. Who knows what will come of this particular project but we are open to innovation and creativity in all of its forms.

There are many invention development consultants. Would you recommend that a person with a new idea hire such a consultant, or should they try to strike out on their own?

In just about every aspect of life and business, I find that I use consultants to help guide me. Ultimately, I do not do so at the cost of overriding my own intuition. I have attorneys and accountants and other advisors who are part of supporting me and the business. Yet, I take on as much as I can myself at the beginning of a new project. Along the way, I learn what I can from books, research and consultants. I formulate an idea and then see how far I can move forward with it before it gets to the place where I need to hand it off. That is a critical part of my process, but for others, it may not be. I think you have to do what is best for you and what stage you are in your business.

What are your thoughts about bootstrapping vs looking for venture capital? What is the best way to decide if you should do either one?

I think this may be driven largely by what type of business you are building and if you have a physical product or not. No matter what type of business you are building, there is a certain magic that is found in bootstrapping. It shows us our own resilience and creativity. Necessity is the mother of invention and requires us to learn how best to use the resources we have. We also learn how to resource differently. However, I believe, at some point, especially if you are selling a widget of any kind, an infusion of cash is necessary for scaling.

Ok. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

A couple of years ago I hired my first assistant and it forced me to ask myself what culture I wanted to create. What culture had I created for myself? What came out of that moment was a commitment to paying great people great money for great work and a commitment to honoring people’s time and creativity.

From the beginning I have paid people well, including interns. Currently, interns are paid $20 per hour, assistants paid $25 per hour, other positions are paid $30+ per hour. I will increase those amounts as the company grows and responsibilities morph and change. People can focus better on work when they aren’t trying to figure out where their next meal is coming from or if they will have gas money this week to even get to work. We are also committed to people regularly taking time for creative exploration and taking time off experiencing the world and developing beautiful relationships that enrich and enhance their lives and their work. People who are valued are more invested in the company and the people they work for.

We are building Concinnate as a galaxy. Galaxies are groups of millions of stars, brought together by a gravitational pull. They are breathtaking together AND each star shines bright individually. A galaxy is built on each star’s individual beauty being fully represented and respected; they have the space to shine.

We also have a commitment to hiring individuals who have been brought up in the foster care system and/or are aging out, as well as those who have been previously incarcerated have grown through the experience and want to contribute. I had the opportunity to work with the City of Philadelphia prison system as a client prior to starting my business, through Philacor. Philacor provides opportunities for those incarcerated to gain skills that could translate to more opportunities once they have completed their allotted time. I met some really great people there. I believe that we have to create space for people, and opportunities for individuals to support themselves and their families well. Being needed is a critical part of our human experience. Creating the space for people to be contributing members of a team is vital for them and for the world as a whole-there are so many talented people who could use a second chance.

You are an inspiration to a great many people. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

There are so many things I hope to be a part of changing. The one thing that seems to continually come back up is curiosity. From my perspective, curiosity did not kill the cat; it allowed the dog and the cat to be friends. When we lean into curiosity, we find we are more alike than different. It is when we lean into categories that we objectify and dehumanize people. Classifications separate us; curiosity can bring us together or at least help us to view one another in less strictly defined ways.

Everything we do has a ripple effect into every other being and living thing. When we fully realize how powerful we are, we cannot shrink from that. Curiosity has led me to being comfortable with being uncomfortable. I would love to lead others into doing the same.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Oprah. Oprah has found a way to write her own story and invite others to do the same, in such a beautiful, impactful way. She has long been a person I looked to, to remind myself of what is possible and a mentor in my head. I am in awe of Oprah’s strength of character, her empathy, her joy, and her ability to authentically connect with others. To sit and have a conversation with her, to take in her wisdom, it would (will) be magic simply by being made possible.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.