We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Shiwlall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Always be authentic and see how you can service others. I think that a lot of times people emphasize certain “sales” tactics and rules. But for me, what has worked best is being authentic and listening to my clients needs and putting myself in their shoes. If I were them, what would I want? Knowing everything I know in my industry, what are the best possible options that can help make my clients lives easier and more enjoyable? When those things are factored into my consideration, my designs come out easier, and the clients are able to connect to it more. 9 times out of 10, clients will always purchase through us because we’ve built that trust, I suggested items and designed something based on their needs and I make sure they understand that I’m always in their corner. Being very authentic and passionate about the service that we offer and being honest will always be a win.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I run an interior design firm in Orange County, CA. What started out as just me riding my bike passing out flyers in neighborhoods grew to a 17 employee, 15 years long, $7.2Million dollar annual business. It definitely was never easy. People talk about how hard it is to start a business, but they never mention how hard it is to keep it going for 15 years. After the first year I thought, I would have to wrap up and get a job. I wasn’t making enough to make rent, and I felt like a total failure. My sweet husband who has always been my biggest cheerleader said, keep your head down and just keep going. I will find a way to make rent. He went to auction houses and would buy pallets of random items to sell on eBay and that’s how we were able to live. I kept my head down and one day it just started to work. I remember being pregnant and working from 6am to 4am in the morning managing 75 clients by myself. I worked until the day I gave birth and took work calls on the way home from the hospital. Since we were starting a family, I had to do everything I could to make it work. Throughout the years, we took risks by sometimes branching out to different business ventures that added onto the business and some work and some failed. And during times of failure when our backs were up against the walls, we found a way to make it work. I remember looking into the bank account with only $2000 and only had 2 weeks to find a way to make a $150,000 payroll. But if there’s one thing, I knew about myself, is I work well under pressure. So, I went out and closed a bunch of deals, made payroll and no one knew the difference. The reason this happened is due to a business venture that didn’t make money due to high labor cost. Every challenge has always been a lesson, and I am so grateful for everything that I’ve experienced. Aside from the normal business challenges, there have been times of complete heartbreak and betrayal from people who I thought I could trust. Even in those moments, I promised myself it wouldn’t change who I was. I am passionate about my work, and I love people. I love their stories and connecting with clients on such a personal level and I think that’s what really keeps me going. So if there’s anything I want people to know about 27Diamonds is our passion for creating beautiful thing and always showing up with excellence and grace.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start off with a cool hike in Santiago Oaks Regional Park. California weather is the best and a good hike in the am is a great start to the day. Then, I am such a foodie! Well aside from food, I love people who are really creative with food and put such care and artistry into their dishes. I would start off with a lovely afternoon tea/brunch spot such as Morning Lavender in Tustin, CA. You definitely need to then drive over to Newport Beach and take advantage of soaking in the sun next to the majestic ocean. While there, there’s this awesome hole in the wall lunch spot that serves Pho sandwiches. It was the best thing I ever had one day by accident at work, and I can’t get enough. I don’t even know what the place is called. After lunch, we have to hit up Little Saigon. While I grew up shopping in little Saigon, I find that a lot of people find it such a fun and different experience. There are awesome street foods and treats and we can browse all of the unique shops. Not to mention, there’s some of the best Vietnamese coffee ever there. I particularly like Da Vien in Westminster and order the egg coffee. Delicious! For dinner we go to an all you can eat Shabu restaurant. I love Shabu Shabu. It’s light yet filling and sipping soup is a good end to the day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve always been a very passionate and risk taking type of person. I always knew I wanted my own business at some point in my life. But the thing that I felt gave me the extra little boost was reading “The Game of Life and how to play it” by Florence Scovel Shinn. It’s a quick read and it just hit so close to home that it really gave me a big nudge to go out there and play the game myself. Life really is just a game and I feel like if you play any game, you play to win. But at the end of the day, you have to understand that it is just that, a game. Throughout my career I have had many teachers and been in situations that challenged me to grow as a person. One of the most profound weekend seminars I ever went to that changed my life was “The Landmark Forum”. It’s one of those things where you can’t explain what it is, you just have to experience it. But through the seminar, it took my business to a whole other level that I only dreamed of as a child. It allowed me to let go of any beliefs that didn’t serve me and gave me a space that felt so vast for me to create a life that I truly loved. It moved me so much that I’ve sent more than a 25 people as well as my husband to experience the course themselves and I can say it truly strengthened our relationship more than I ever thought possible.

Website: https://www.27diamonds.com

Instagram: 27diamondsinc

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/27-diamonds-interior-design-anaheim?override_cta=Get+pricing

Image Credits
Jeri Koegal

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