Conversations with Guadalupe Mendoza

Today we’d like to introduce you to Guadalupe Mendoza

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
DUO Design & Build was registered out of a need to have an LLC to work as subcontractor for a larger business that focused on home restoration. We had no idea the drastic turn it would take in 2023. Without us knowing that turn started when we built montessori style floor beds for our twin boys end of 2022. I thought it would be a good idea to post about it on my social media , maybe we could build kids furniture as a small side thing to bring a little extra in. We built a few furniture pieces after that by people who followed me on instagram and facebook. The real turn was about to happen and we had no clue. A friend messaged me saying a soft play business was looking for a carpenter that could build them a ball pit ladder for a slide. Gave her the ok to share my info , and within minutes I received a message from this business. She soon recommended us to her fellow vendors, as they work with many to make custom events come together.

That is when I decided to make us an instagram page, and start focusing on nurturing this business. I have a design background and actually have another business called Immagine Photography and Design which I put on pause to work together with my husband as we continued getting a lot of interest for custom backdrop builds. We had prayed to find a way that we could both work together, and here we are a little over a year later building backdrops and custom event props for many event designers in the Denver area and surrounding cities.

I bring in the creative attention to detail and he brings his expert builder skills to make the ideal DUO. We have created over 100 projects in this year and are so excited about what God has in store for us as we continue to grow and be known in our community. Projects range from children’s tables, backdrops, snack carts, snack walls, 3D elements, juice carts, photo props, and the list goes on. Pretty much if you can dream it we can build it!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working with a spouse is challenging. Although we compliment each other, it also means that our brains interpret informatin very differently. I am a calendar girl, plan everything ahead, stay on schedule and finish at least a day before something is due. He on the other hand is able to work under a timeline pressure and sometimes working up until the item has to be delivered. I would say that and space organization have been the most difficult things to navigate. We are working from our home garage and with 3 little kids we have a lot of personal stuff. The space we use to actually work is very small, but we are making it work as having a large space dedicated only to the wood shop is not a possibility at the moment.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a husband and wife team who specialize in backdrop & custom event props builds. We are know for having excellent customer service and turning visions into realities. It takes a creative mind to talk to event designers and together bring together ideas that my husband can build. I am essentially the mediator between event designer and builder. We are very proud of all our projects , and love that we can serve other businesses and allow them to offer customizations to all types of events.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Every weekend is so exciting not only because we are delivering new items but we also get to see social media posts where so many of our builds are making an appearance is a vast variety of event types. It is very rewarding to see our builds making events extra special.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/duo_design_build
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Duodesignandbuildco
• Other: https://bit.ly/DUO_design_build