856: Enrique Crespo: Describing His Type-A Personality Mindset

Today With Enrique Crespo:

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. Today’s episode features Enrique Crespo of Crespo Design Group. Enrique is here to share how developing a Type A personality approach can ensure success, especially in an industry as creative as interior design. Type A personalities are organized, ambitious, and like to have an agenda. But don’t worry—you don’t have to be one to become one. Over the years, Enrique has refined this mindset and honed the skills to guide and grow his firm, and he shares those stories with us today.

Pick It Apart

[1:57] Enrique explains how Type A personality traits can help maintain a well-run business through organization, which allows you to offer a higher level of luxury service.

[8:50] LuAnn and Enrique discuss how he invested in his business by hiring someone who specializes in interior design processes, and how he tailored that structure to the specific needs of his firm, along with other ways he invests in his business.

[10:30] Enrique talks about how he has hired several senior designers that all have different personality types and he tries to match them with clients and projects accordingly.

[19:01] Enrique and LuAnn discuss working with luxury clients and Enrique explains why listening and understanding, yet maintaining authority as the designer is important, and how he learned those lessons the hard way.

[28:25] Enrique reveals how he exposes his team to luxury and gives them opportunities to experience luxury so they can better understand the level of service they are expected to maintain.

LuAnn Nigara and Enrique Crespo's Ah-Ha Moments

“Creativity happens in the gray areas. However, finances happen in black and white. And you need to know how to manage your finances to run a successful business.” - Enrique Crespo

“When you're dealing with people's money in their homes, it gets really personal.” - Enrique Crespo

“When you swim in that luxury lane, to your point, that's what the client expects. And if you don't deliver, there's another firm that can do it for them.” - LuAnn Nigara

More About Enrique Crespo:

At a young age, Enrique was inspired by his favorite uncle, Enrique Gutierrez, a prolific architect who was the first to bring Cuban-inspired architecture to Miami. His home was filled with antiques, African artifacts, modern pieces and an incredible collection of contemporary Latin American art. It was a collected home, now a hallmark of Enrique’s personal taste.

Originally from South Tampa, Enrique graduated from the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design with an emphasis in art history and architectural history. Studying architectural history deepened Enrique’s knowledge of design and broadened his approach to his craft. Art and architecture through the ages, and its influence on design and space, is ingrained in his work. In 1999, Enrique launched Crespo Design Group in his hometown of Tampa, which soon became the sought-after design firm for discerning clients in Florida’s most desirable neighborhoods. The Group made its mark on everything from high-profile beach properties, to island escapes to mountain retreats. In 2021, he expanded his practice to Los Angeles to better serve his clients on the West Coast.

Enrique built his firm to ensure a smooth, enjoyable, and fulfilling experience for his clients. He is a collaborator who prides himself on listening to clients, understanding their needs, and delivering the lifestyle they have always imagined. Every detail is intentional and chosen to reflect the style, spirit and nature of the client. Whether the goal is eclectic modern estate or sophisticated mountain retreat, Enrique is passionate about exceptional design.

An avid equestrian, Enrique can often be found at the barn at the Tampa Yacht Club and Country Club riding horses or at Stovall House when he’s not designing or traveling. Enrique currently sits on the board of the Tampa Museum and is Chair of the Collections Committee; the board of the Henry B. Plant Museum; the Board of Tampa Bay Businesses for Community and the Arts; and is Chair of the Tampa Museum of Art's CITY Fashion Event. Enrique spends his time between Tampa and Los Angeles. He shares his home in Tampa with his husband Russell and their two French Bulldogs, Coco and Josephine.

Connect with Enrique Crespo

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