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Life and Work with Rosie Haggard

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosie Haggard.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started with a dream to be able to do something that I love for a living. I remember wanting to start college at the age of 19 and being unsure of what to pursue. As I flipped through the Oakland Community College catalog, I found two classes that caught my eye. One was psychology and the other was interior design. I thought interior design would be a fun and easy class. That is where my passion started! I loved my teacher, Michelle Pergeau-Dudgeon. She left a strong impression on me which has challenged me to help others learn and see the fun side of interior design. Her class was exciting, yet very technically challenging, which is the perfect combination for me!

When I moved to Colorado, I knew I wanted to pursue design as my career, so I signed up for the Interior Design Associates Program at Arapahoe Community College because it had the Kitchen and Bath program integrated into it. I worked full time as a waitress and I paid for college out of pocket, in addition to my living expenses. This was very challenging because it did not allow much room for a social life. I took college very seriously and graduated with a 4.0, using each class project like a practice run for the real world.

Once I graduated from school, I started out in commercial design, but as time went on, I knew I wasn’t in the right field of design work and I needed to go back to what I had always talked about wanting to do, which was specializing in kitchen and baths. So, I called up a friend and he helped me get a job with him at a custom cabinet company. Unfortunately, this company was not the right fit for myself and the day before I was to return from maternity leave, I was told I no longer had a job. I took an extra month off to be with my son and then got a job with a cabinet installation company. With this company, I designed two kitchens a day, 5 days a week. I truly loved doing the 4-hour appointments where I went to their home, measured, designed and finalized their kitchen, the long 10 hour days were taxing on my family. This was when I decided to pursue my own business.

When I started my own business, I wanted to spend more time with the client to provide a more personable experience. Kitchens are a huge investment, and I wanted to give the clients support and offer them the best products and be more involved within the process instead of quickly churning through kitchens and pushing a 4-hour time limit. With the help of some close friends from school and love and support from my family, I am able to pursue the dream of being a part of my families lives and doing what I am passionate about for a living. I am now an independent kitchen designer servicing clients for big as well as small projects and a cabinet dealer. I strive to create beautiful kitchens while remaining sincere and honest, while working with integrity and respect for others.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been extremely challenging at times. I have been laid off at the end of maternity leave, I have been told to give up, I have been blamed wrongfully by outside contractors because I wasn’t around to defend myself. I have made many mistakes. As people, we all make mistakes. What is important is what we learn from the mistake and move forward and take those lessons with you. This is what helps us all grow.

Another struggle is to balance life and career as a working mom. This is still the case for me since I have a 2-month-old and 3.5 yr old. I am trying to gain clientele, yet still be a mother to my children. We do not have family help, so this has been my ongoing struggle… or it is just hard and I am working through it and riding this adventure with open arms and doing the best I can.

When you start and run your own company by yourself, it can be a very lonely experience. It is best to think about who you want as a support group so you can call them when you need to. It’s normal to feel negative at times but sometimes we just need to talk it out. I also struggle at times being treated differently because I am a woman in a man’s field. I now have a tough skin when I need to and use my knowledge as power! When you have the knowledge and confidence to talk about your profession, it helps in all scenarios especially if something goes wrong or someone is trying to blame me for their actions.

There are groups out there that support women-owned companies and always surround yourself with uplifting people who support what you do. These people can be in the field, business relationships, family members, friends. This makes a difference because they will constantly try to push you to do your best and this is important for a growing business and/or journey. Best advice… never give up, dream big, and do your best!

Please tell us about RMH Kitchen and Bath.
I am a passionate independent kitchen and bath designer specializing in kitchen layouts and cabinetry. I have package options from full-service design, to just the cabinets and layout, down to just ordering cabinets and making sure all the components are there at a reasonable price. I like to make my services available to the mass public because I believe everyone deserves an honest design created from knowledge and passion.

For the full-service designs, I go out to the locations to measure each job site to ensure accuracy and provide drawings and 3D images of the proposed space. I will go to showrooms with the clients to help guide them through selections so they are cohesive with the overall design and work closely with contractors for a smooth install.
I am known for envisioning what a kitchen space could be and presenting to the client out of the box solutions. Even if a client is keeping their general layout, I can help choose the best cabinet layout for the space.

The time I spend with the client, and providing multiple options to my clients, to create a kitchen that suits them and their space best is what sets me apart from others. I want to invest in their kitchen as much as they do. I am proud to provide a personable experience. I am also known for being honest and meticulous in what I do. I like to triple check my work to create the least amount of issues for installation as possible. I try to set the clients up with a realistic schedule and produce results in a timely manner. I am very responsive and strive to provide excellent customer service.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
There are a few barriers that I have noticed along my journey as a woman:
1. Being a working mom is hard!
2. Still working in a man’s world… or at least in the remodeling industry, it’s predominantly male

After being laid off at the end of maternity leave with my first child, I am forever scared of what could happen during maternity leave. Will I have a job, Will I come back to a job of the same position. and now I think… will clients hire me even though I am pregnant?… then, once the baby is born, there is a new challenge of still having women roles of taking care of the kids, taking them to appointments, and making sure everyone is clean and fed and juggling a lot of clients at once. All of a sudden, I am trying to be super mom, trying to do it all. Studies have shown working moms are stretched too thin because even though we have come a long way, we are still naturally doing all the wifely tasks and keeping the house together. It just seems to be a struggle a lot of working moms have and it seems to be a barrier to want to work, yet raise my kids and be a part of their lives as much as possible.
The next barrier is being a woman in a man’s world. While I love working with men and women alike, yet I find myself being treated differently by some people because I am a woman. I wish this was not the case, but this still exists. The way to move forward with this is to command respect through expressing knowledge and remaining professional and respectful.

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Image Credit:
Cassandra Bloom Photography

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