Traci Miller I do remember that... I had gone out to ThreadX, that was San Diego you're right. And I was there by myself, I didn't know anybody. And, you look like you were hungry and could use a friendly face. Marshall Atkinson Yeah. Well, I'm usually hungry, so yeah. So, the reason I want to bring that up is 'cause this whole topic about relationships -- is that you never know who you're going to meet. And sometimes, you know, a new friend is only a handshake away. And so, I just want to throw that out there and that's exactly how we met. And here we are doing a podcast. Traci Miller Yeah. Who would have thought? But it's great to meet you. Of course. Marshall Atkinson Cool. All right. So let's get started with some questions, okay? So the first one is, I think many contract decorators get hung up in this business. Not by understanding that the business No, that's a great question. And you know, this industry has a couple of different sides to it and there's the retail side where you're working with your specific market and whatnot, it could be one-off jobs, they could be transactions. But on the wholesale side, you can look at one of two ways. You could be a commodity and you could just produce a product and spit it back out, and that's that. And whoever comes through your doors is your next customer. But I've never looked at it that way ever. But for me, it's about finding the right fit for the client and making sure that our core values even line up and we're both working towards the same goals. And when we do that, we form this great synergy together and they allow me to leverage, you know -- I could be the leverage, I should say for them, to grow their business. So for us, it's truly relationship-driven. It is all about finding the right fit and then making each other better as we grow together. Marshall Atkinson And it's all about the long term. It isn't about this one order that... you know, needs to be shipped by Friday, right? Of course, we always get that stuff. But it's also about, you know, having so many stick around for 10, 15, 20 years, and I'm sure you've got tons of stories like that. Traci Miller I do. And you're right on with that, you know, we don't, I don't look for the next customer to come in and give me an order. relationship between the client and the decorator matter. So for you, what sets you apart from everybody else? Traci Miller
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