In 2005, Sara McAnerny and her sister, Mary Linkey Hansen, discovered they were pregnant within a week of one another. At the time, they were working together as mural artists and faux finishers in Phoenix Arizona, on intensive, physically demanding jobs. So, along with a third sister, Rachel Linkey Rodriguez, and friend Claudia Nicolello, they decided to begin using their skills to create art and home accessories from a home-based studio rather than working in clients’ homes. Tre Sorelle Home Designs was born, and after lots of hard work, marketing and savvy business decisions, last year their sales already topped $1 million! Mom Inventors recently interviewed them for their story:
Q: Why did you start your company and when?
A: In February of 2005, my sister and I both found out that we were pregnant within a week of one another. It was my first child, and her second. At the time we were working on a very intense painting job in Phoenix, painting the ceilings of a 6000 square foot home with elaborate faux finishes and scrollwork. We were driving a couple of hours a day to get to the job site, working on twelve-foot scaffolding daily, and having to lift and dismantle our heavy equipment every time we moved to the next room. Both sisters were working for me at the time, and we knew the closer I got to the due date of my son’s arrival the less I should be draining myself with the intense workload and schedule. We had been mulling over the idea of working from a home based studio, creating art and home accessories that we would bring to market, rather than working so intensely out of clients’ homes.
Q: What were your initial goals?
A: To create high end hand-painted furniture, decorative accessories, and artwork that we could sell to designers, small shops, and our existing clients.
Q: What is your background and how does it relate to your company?
A: We come from a creative family. Although my parents are not artists per se, my mom was always very creative, and she let us get our hands dirty at a young age. We have several aunts and a grandma that also inspired us with their beautiful art when we were quite young. Our family is huge and close. I was the oldest of seven children (all girls except for our youngest brother). Several of us are artistic, and all of the siblings were quite good in school. (My parents were grateful for this as we have all won college scholarships of some sort, and paying for seven college tuitions on a firefighter’s salary was pretty much impossible.)
