Interview with Our Founder for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

I’ve been lucky enough to know Tara Wheeler, owner of Wheeler Home Concepts, for 7 years. Throughout that time, I have been continuously in awe of her strategic mind, her artistic eye and, most importantly, her contagious optimism.

I have learned so much from working with her, but I thought that Women’s Entrepreneurship Day would be a perfect opportunity to pause and get to know Tara’s entrepreneurial journey a bit better. Read on for the transcript of my recent interview with Tara.

Kelly: What was the inspiration behind starting Wheeler Home Concepts?

Tara: I always had an interest in interior decorating. When I began researching options to learn about interior design, I learned about home staging — the process of expertly arranging furniture and décor to help sell homes. I became an accredited staging professional and a few years later we added photography and videography as a service.

Even though I had another full time job when I started, I couldn’t let the idea of owning my own business go! Josh and I worked on our “side gig” until we grew it large enough to support us.

K: What are Wheeler Home Concepts’ company values?

T: Ever since we first started our business, we knew that we would never sacrifice quality even if it cost us more in the beginning. Our core business values are quality, integrity, and follow-through. We provide a service that we are proud of and we work hard to communicate clearly with our clients every step of the way.

K: How did you choose your business name?

T: Well, that’s a funny answer, actually! We had some many names in mind, but whenever we looked them up in the business registries, they were taken! We could have spent months trying to figure out a name, but instead of stalling the launch of our business, we decided to use our family name, Wheeler, with “Home Concepts” as a general phrase to capture all the services we knew we would offer in the future — staging, design, photography, videography, virtual tours, etc.

I never thought we landed on a perfect name, but we do love our logo! And we’ve come to learn that people now know us for who we are and have come to associate our business name with the quality services we provide.

The many different types of work days Tara can have! From manual work at the warehouse, to staging homes, to dressing up for the warehouse opening party.

K. What do you love most about your work?

T: For me, it’s being in the moment at a project. There are so many difficult phases of each project, but the real magic is when me and the team are setting up a space to create a welcoming environment. The best feeling is when we all want to hang out in the space instead of going home.

K: What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur?

T: If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll never start! Surround yourself with inspiring people (even if they are on podcasts!) who are living a life similar to how to aspire to live.

K. What does it mean to you to be a women entrepreneur? Do you have any stories (positive or negative) about this unique component of you as a business owner?

T: In some ways, being a woman entrepreneur has never been easier. There are many resources and networking groups that will support you in your endeavors and there are quite a few right here in Delaware. However, I do believe our world has a long way to go in terms of respect for women and minority business owners.

K. Do you live by any mantras, or have any favorite sayings/quotes?

T: “We can do hard things.” I have this quote hanging up in my house. I first heard it from Glennon Doyle and I can’t agree more. Also, “everything is figureoutable” by Marie Forleo (this is also the title of one of her books)

Of course, we can’t forget about Tara’s husband and the head of the photography & videography side of WHC. Together, they’re an excellent team!