Hi Tiffany, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself and tell us how the company was created.
I have been a Biomedical Science educator for the last twenty-two years, but designing has always been a part of me. The Hive Method was born in February of 2021; during one of Central Texas’ most infamous winter ice events, Storm Uri. Our son lost power in his home, and his main water line pipes burst. We took in his family for almost a week. During this time, my daughter-in-law, Lexi, and I spent hours together and talked more than we had in quite some time. She mentioned that her sister, Maggie, wanted a change in her young career, and I quickly jumped into problem-solving mode.
Bumper sticker version: Lexi proposed that we use our unique talents to bring the women in Round Rock together. She tossed around the idea of having a community-wide six-week decluttering challenge. We later started a Facebook group and invited women we knew to join us in “ridding” of things that don’t serve us and eventually organizing all of our kept items back into our homes. This is where the idea of our first method, “Simplify,” was delivered. This stage of the conversation bloomed, and the perfect combination of my talents and Maggie’s marketing creativity became our second method, “Design.” We saw a huge need for both methods in many of our friends’ lives. The last method originated as “Structure,” which later became something I had never dreamed of. We’ll get to that later. That day’s brainstorming chat quickly turned into – we have a special and unique business that many people in our community could benefit from. Let’s name this beautiful idea! Our symbiotic love of the color yellow morphed into a conversation about bees, how structured their colonies are, and how each type of bee has a mission. Without each other, their home would not function to their fullest potential. Being a science teacher, my brain excitedly exploded, and I yelled, “The Hive Method!”
In our first summer, after the decluttering challenge, we held a community garage sale to help others sell the items they didn’t keep. This event was so much fun and contagious. It brought people in the Round Rock community together. This moment catapulted our ideas into more than we would have ever imagined. We had weekly meetings and began working on a serious business plan. Our first paying job idea was decorating our son’s home to get it ready to become a short-term rental.
August of 2021 arrived, and I started teaching Anatomy; Lexi was back to leading her team in her family’s real estate business -Teifke Real Estate. Maggie eventually took a new job, got married, and officially moved to Round Rock. Long story short, the business idea came to a halt. Months passed, and my wife and I decided to turn our residence into a short-term rental. It took us six months to get our house decluttered, decorated, and “guest” ready. We launched it on the Airbnb platform, which was successful from the start. Soon after that, I started taking small design jobs after work. My gut told me to follow through and create this company. I reached out to Lexi and Maggie and asked if they were interested in moving forward with our business idea, and they were both slammed with work and life; and not as interested. They gave me the green light to move forward, and here we are! I started the LLC in January 2022 and picked up three more townhomes to manage in May 2022. The third and final method, “management,” was created. If one good thing came from Storm Uri, it was Lexi pushing the conversation and knowing I have two sisters who believe in me.
Going out on my own and into the unknown was scary. Having support from my wife, family, and friends and trusting in my faith has been the key to getting through some of the more stressful moments of owning a small business.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
As a Biomedical science teacher and designer, I’m an observer and extremely analytical most of the time. My core business beliefs are inspiring others and never judging a person or a home by its current state. I am known for having a good balance of mixing metals with different types of wood, taking a space overwhelmed with trinkets, and simplifying it down to the story the space is meant to tell.
I have experienced the fear of failure and have known individuals who kept their business ideas in the marination stage, which kept them from moving forward. I am proud that I believed in myself and trusted in the people who uplifted me through this process.
Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
In business, the strength and quality relationships I have with my team, and delivering top quality design to my customers is what matters to me the most. In my personal life; building relationships, providing generational wealth for my family, and spending time with loved ones is important.
Pricing:
- Simplifying Method: $5 per sqft.
- Design Method: $5-$15 per sqft
- Management Method: 20% of the third-party monthly payout.
- Walk-n-Talk Consultation: $150.00-$350
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thehivemethod.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehivemethodatx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THMatx
Image Credits
Andrew Roberts-Teifke Real Estate and SOLiD Real Estate Photography
