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She Built It® Podcast
Welcome to the She Built It® podcast. Join me as I talk to women who have successfully built it - a life and business that they love. We dive into the topic of “how” they built it and talk about everything from having the courage to make career leaps to the details of how to lead effectively, build teams, implement growth strategies, and infuse tech innovation. Magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy so let’s dive in.
She Built It® Podcast
Systems, Design, and Scale: How Alisa Sparks Franchised a Creative Business
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On She Built It®, Alisa Sparks shares how she went from managing multi-million dollar military budgets to founding Linden Creek, a home staging and interior design company she built from her garage and grew into a national franchise. What started as a side hustle she built quietly on Fridays has become a 326-page operations manual, a 10-year franchise model, and a community of business owners building their own design businesses with done-for-you systems and hands-on support.
Alisa talks about the risk-averse mindset that actually made her a better entrepreneur, the identity crisis that sparked the idea to franchise, and why functionality (not aesthetics) is always the starting point for great design. This conversation is for every woman sitting in a successful career who still feels the pull to build something entirely her own.
Episode Resources:
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Connect with us:
She Built It® CEO, Melanie Barr Instagram
Welcome to the Shebup to Podcast. I'm your host, Melanie Barr. Today's guest is Alisa Sparks, founder and CEO of Linden Creek. After years of managing multimillion dollar military budgets, she found her true calling building a home staging company out of her garage. Today, Linden Creek has grown into a national franchise supporting agents, builders, homeowners through systems, hands-on training, and elevated interior design. So many women are sitting in careers where they are capable, successful, and doing all the right things, yet still feel called to build something of their own. When you look back, what was happening in your life before you made the leap to launch Linden Creek?
SPEAKER_01My background was finance. I loved reading business and finance books. I had this passion and obsession for real estate during this time. I would buy the ugliest houses I could find and flip them. And then as soon as it was done, the project is gone. So let me sell it, go find the next ugly thing and work on that again. So it was this interesting balance of I have a career, but I have this passion and a hobby for something that I'm really loving. And there was a day I was reading a book and I happened to stumble upon Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, which is a classic in the entrepreneurship world. And something really interesting stuck with me. And it was the concept of not necessarily having your W-2, but like truly building a business as an asset and what that can do for business ownership and for yourself and your professional growth. And it was that moment that I realized maybe entrepreneurship was something that I should consider. I come from a family and a background where you have a job, you keep the same job for 40 years, you have stuck with a career, you've built something beautiful, and that is what you do. You don't make these changes and you definitely don't become an entrepreneur because that's a terrifying high-risk experience. That's what I thought. But that book really opened my eyes to maybe there's a side of entrepreneurship that I had never thought about before. And it was in that moment that then the next question was, Well, what do I do? Gravitating towards my hobby that I was doing in my evenings felt like the right next move.
SPEAKER_00And it's so fun that you took something that you love and turned it into a business because you seem to really enjoy the design process.
SPEAKER_01I absolutely do. I said, Oh, we're gonna do this because I love design. I love creating beautiful spaces. Of course, a lot of women enjoy this. This is our happy place and what we do for fun. I found myself falling in love with serving my clients so much more than building beautiful spaces. And then as we continued to grow and I got out of client-facing roles, I found myself falling in love with building teams that had the opportunity to grow professionally. What I've loved about this business building journey is every season that I'm leveling up, I'm falling in love with something new within the business. And it's so today it's not just about design, although I still love beautiful spaces, but I have fallen in love with the business side of things and the people aspect of what I get to do every day.
SPEAKER_00You sound like a true entrepreneur and that you enjoy all the different aspects of business. You went from managing multi-million dollar military budgets to building a home staging company from your garage. What did that season teach you about risk, identity, and trusting yourself?
SPEAKER_01What it taught me about risk was as silly as this sounds, is to avoid it. As I drove into business entrepreneurship, I looked at it as a mathematical equation and I naturally am very risk adverse. And so I looked at it to say, like, if this jump feels risky, what can I do to mitigate that risk? What strategy can I take to make it feel less terrifying, to make it feel like it's the right business and financial decision for me? One of those decisions to sort of mitigate risk in that season was to keep the existing job that I had. So when I started Lyndon Creek, I would take Fridays off of work and I would meet with as many business builders and real estate agents as I could to try to find opportunities and see if there was true proof of concept for what I did. And when I found the answer was yes, that's when I made that transition and I quit my full-time job. Oftentimes, the past experience that I had in the finance world and in military budget management and what have you actually really prepared me well for being more methodical in this transition and this jump and reducing risk in a way that the transition felt smooth.
SPEAKER_00And it's interesting to say that risk adverse because real estate is not always risk-adverse. And it's really smart that you took Fridays off because it probably made you feel less pressure towards having to build something really quickly. It'd be more of a fun process than stress.
SPEAKER_01Yes, absolutely. It's much less pressure when you're not like, I need to make a paycheck, I need to close a sale tomorrow or else there's no paycheck. It just allowed me to be methodical instead of rushed or chaotic. And that's something I'm really grateful for because when you start any business, you might have a beautiful concept, an idea, and a business plan. But if you ask most individuals how different their business is today from that business plan they created when they started on day one, usually it's drastically different. It allowed me to play and navigate and figure out a lot of those things before I had to make the big jump.
SPEAKER_00So you have built a staging company from your garage, and then you also flip houses. Which one did you do first? And how did one grow to the other?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I flipped houses first and I fell madly in love with it. And then uh what's interesting is the last house that I had flipped, uh, the feedback that we got as we were had the house on the market is the staging was really good. But it wasn't staging, it was my furniture. And so that for me was my aha moment of maybe I could stage houses. I don't have an interior design degree. So at the time I thought I could never be an interior designer, but maybe I could stage houses. It's interesting how that initial hobby and passion for house flopping really turned into the career that I have today.
SPEAKER_00And what was the moment when you knew that it was going to become more of a side hustle and you could grow it into a national franchise?
SPEAKER_01That transition was long. We started as a side hustle. It was probably five or six months, and then we had a place of recognizing that I was able to quit my full-time job. I could start this full-time and really dive in. And so that was pretty quick, that proof of concept moment. But from there, I had no intention of ever franchising this model at that season. The thought had not even crossed my mind. I was actually about five years into the business, and I remember sitting on my couch and reflecting on my prior week. Um, at the time, I had already hired a lot of team members to run our day-to-day, and I realized that no one actually needed me for the work that they had done last week. I wasn't helpful at all in a lot of ways. And then I looked the next week and I realized it was the same thing. I panicked because I remember thinking, I accidentally just worked myself out of a job, and that was never the goal. And I probably should have been really excited in that moment. But I love working. I love building, I love creating. It was this identity crisis moment of like, what do I do next and who am I? And where does the value come from? How can I be an asset to my team, to my clients? And that was what started the conversations around the concept of franchising.
SPEAKER_00And can you share with us a little bit about the franchising process? What was scary? Any challenges you might have had in the beginning?
SPEAKER_01Franchising is a fascinating model. So when I hit that moment of wanting to do something more, I was getting messages on Instagram from other interior designers and stagers asking everything from how do you handle pricing objections to um how do you store your mattress and your warehouse in a way that it optimizes space, the logistics behind the scenes that no one else thinks about or cares about. And I realized we had systems for everything. And a friend of mine said, Have you thought about franchising? Because I think in that moment I knew that there were resources, playbooks, things that we had created that could be helpful for other people that were in the same industry. I just didn't know how to share it. And when he brought the idea of franchising to me, initially I was, nope, can't do that. We're a creative industry. You can't put a system to this. That doesn't work. And as I started to reflect on it more and more, I realized that was far from the truth. There are a lot of fundamental rules and principles around design that make it good. There are math equations that help you determine your rug size and what size sofa you're gonna put in a room. As I started to reflect on that, the idea of franchising got me really excited because for me, it meant typically in franchising, you're in a contract for an extended period of time. For us, it's 10 years. And I loved that because it meant that I got to be with these individuals, these other business owners for the next 10 years of our lives and hopefully longer. But it gave us a chance to not just help them build their business, but help them in the season when they're three years in, five years in, seven years in, and hitting different challenges and to be able to build a community around that where we are all doing this together. And so for me, franchising was super exciting because it's not just a way to get a playbook out and help with the coaching and challenges, but it's a way to build this really committed community of women and men that are all going after the same exact thing. And so, with franchising, though, there is an insane number of laws that get wrapped around it. In the early days of franchising, I learned think there was somebody that went around trying to sell like a chicken restaurant and would sell the idea, take everybody's money, leave the town, and go do it again. Our states said that's not okay. That's not what we do to our people. And so they built all sorts of laws and rules and regulations around franchising to protect potential franchise owners, which is a beautiful thing. But every state has different rules, every state has different policies. There are requirements around having really big operations manuals that explain the day-to-day. Step one in building this franchise was writing a 326-page document of everything that we do, down to this is the payroll system provider that we like to use, and here's how you click the buttons in this other software before you ever get to start to talk about pillows and beautiful spaces. There's a lot that goes into the franchising process to make sure that it's something that is a playbook that a franchise owner can pick up and use and be successful, and that they're protected in the process too.
SPEAKER_00Business is all about creating systems and design, and you've done such a beautiful job of combining the system with the creative. It's not always easy to do because they're two separate mindsets.
SPEAKER_01They're absolutely two separate mindsets. When you pause and you challenge that assumption, it changes the way you can design, it changes the way that you can serve a client. And so we've really enjoyed continually challenging that assumption and going rather than walking in and saying, I have this feeling maybe we should bring in these colors, to really walk in and have a scientific process around it, to have a mathematical equation around a design that's going to be symmetrical and balanced and beautiful. And we've had a lot of success with that.
SPEAKER_00And as you grew operationally, how did you keep the heart of your business throughout your growth?
SPEAKER_01We had a potential new hire in our company this week that came in and interviewed, met with the entire team. One of the things he said to me is, Alisa, your culture and your company is different than what I see normally. You care an insane amount. And that is something that's hard to replicate. It's something hard to find. It's interesting hearing that come from a third party and somebody else that's peeking their way in. I wish I had an answer and I can pinpoint and say maybe a couple of things that I think that it is. I wish that I knew exactly why the heart can stay there. There are two things that have pushed and built that. One of them is having a true mission that's outside of myself and outside of my team. We put a lot of focus on serving our customers and in making their life better and leaving their home, their space better than the way that we found it. And when we pause and we become focused on something outside of ourselves, it completely changes your perspective and your attitude. So even at our headquarters level, their customers are franchise owners. And so we focus on how do we make our franchise owners' lives better, more successful, more beautiful than the way that we left it. That's a big piece of it. Creating a mission for your team that is outside of them, that's outside of you, that's outside of the company, that is so service-focused that you're forced to just have gratitude and optimism towards it. The other piece of it is being really cognizant that the culture that you create in a company is very delicate. You can have a beautiful, beautiful culture. And if you don't pay attention and you let it run away on accident because things get busy, it can crumble really fast. And I will tell you firsthand, I've been in that situation where you go, wait a second, this isn't who we are. This isn't the way it normally is. And so recognizing the red flags and hopefully recognizing them when they're pink flags before they ever turn red and doing something about it is huge. But recognizing that your culture is probably the most delicate part of your company that you need to protect to an extreme and make sure that you're continually fostering and nurturing because all of the good comes out of that.
SPEAKER_00So true. And building sustainable company cultures is so important because we're still human and we spend all of our days doing this work. So why not be somewhere where we truly want to be? And we're around people that are supportive to the overall goals. Yes, absolutely. You work at the intersection of design, real estate, and client experience. What does it really take to create a space that feels elevated, welcoming, and deeply intentional?
SPEAKER_01The most important part of creating a space like that is functionality. So a home first and foremost needs to function to serve the family that lives inside of it. And being able to create function means you have to know your client intimately. So every time we meet with a new client, we ask them lots of questions. And sometimes it's silly things you don't think about. If you and I were meeting, I would say, tell me about your family. Are you married? Do you have a spouse? How tall is your spouse? Now that might sound like a weird question, but if you say my spouse is six foot two or six foot seven, that is gonna change the sofa that I'm gonna pick out for your living room because he has really long legs and he's not gonna be comfortable in a sofa that I would be comfortable in. And so we have to think about these nitty-gritty little details. And then questions like, what do you do at Thanksgiving? Are you the one that's hosting? And how many people are coming over? Because even though that's one day a year, that's a really special, important memory-making day. And so I want to make sure that you can fit your family, your friends, whoever it might be, in a way that you actually celebrate and enjoy that. We spend a lot of time getting to know the homeowner and getting to know the family and how they function. Do you wear your shoes in the house? Do you have pets? What activities are your kids in? Is your son notorious for leaving his soccer cleats on when he gets home from soccer practice? I want to know all of it. And instead of trying to teach your son how to not wear his soccer cleats in the house, let's actually design in a home that functions so that one day if he learns it, great, but you don't have to ruin a rug or a sofa because of it. We can create beautiful things out of anything we pick, but I first and foremost want to create and build a space that actually serves you and your family in the way that they live today and in the way they're probably gonna live, you know, three years and five years from now. And then we can put together beautiful colors and textures and make it make sense.
SPEAKER_00And I'm smiling because my husband's six five and my son wears his soccer cleats in the house. There you go. So I'm smiling as you say that. But we have the taller countertops, and I have 12-year-old twins. I was pregnant when we were looking to buy a house, and the real estate person we were working with were showing me these condos that were beautiful or homes that were beautiful, but I kept thinking, I'm about to give birth to twins. I can't live in this house. This is not going to be functional for me. He ended up building a house, and the house was great. But you're right, clients so appreciate when you go into the details of how you can make this functional, because I kept saying, I need functional and I want nice design and a beautiful environment, but I need it to be functional for sure.
SPEAKER_01That's exactly right. And that's the philosophy that we've built London Creek on. So we have a saying here that we create elevated everyday living, which is fluffy words, but really what it means is you should be able to walk into your home and say, This is beautiful, but you should be able to sit on your couch on a Friday night with your black dog while your kids eat popcorn and not be having a panic attack. You should be able to enjoy that moment. And if you are enjoying that moment, then we did our job right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, my daughter keeps asking for a white couch, and I'm like, not quite yet. And when I was thinking back to those condos, the condos had all glass stairs, and all I kept seeing was my toddler falling down the beautiful glass stairs. It's so wonderful that you ask all those questions because it's so important. And I remember when I was talking to a designer in the beginning, it was important for me to find someone who really understood my style and what I was looking for.
SPEAKER_01What's interesting is Lyndon Creek has a distinct look and style, sure. But we always say with design and with our clients is we want the home to not be a reflection of Linden Creek. I want the home to be a reflection of whoever is living there. If they have traveled the world and collected these amazing pieces, let that be part of it. If art is really meaningful and it's unique and bold and abstract, let that be a part of it because that's who they are. And it's our job to design around and define who that person is, what they love, and let it be a reflection of their soul.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and our house is Cape Cod, but we're by the beach, and I kept wanting a rounded door, and I kept saying to our architect, I'd like a rounded front door, and he kept saying, But that's not traditional Cape Cod. And I said, I don't really care. But I ended up getting the rounded door. It's interesting when you come up against these things that you really want, and then someone's pushing back instead of trying to make your vision happen. That's exactly right. For someone listening who feels ready for a career shift or wants to build something of their own, what advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_01Don't be afraid to take the next step. Oftentimes people think that doing a big career shift means taking a massive jump, like start, stop, here we go, we're jumping over the river and there's no looking back. But there can be a blend of something beautiful. Picking up the phone and talking to other individuals that are in that career shift or in that new concept or industry that you're thinking about is not scary. And educating yourself around what they love about it, what the challenges are, what costs there were involved in building out a business like that. Start doing the research, start building the network, start testing the concept in front of other people. Ask potential clients, would this be something that would excite you? Take the small steps because they don't do any harm. And then that final leap that you have to make one day doesn't feel so scary because you have everything to back it until that moment happens.
SPEAKER_00And then all of a sudden you wake up and you think, okay, I'm I'm doing this. But you didn't have to put so much pressure on yourself along the way. We have talked a lot about business and growth today. How do you make sure that you're finding and living your joy?
SPEAKER_01My joy comes down to a few things, my family. And as lame as this is gonna sound, my business. I love business. It took a really long time before I finally was able to accept and acknowledge the fact that one of my greatest hobbies is actually work and what I so often in society we're told your career, your job, your nine to five is a job. It is work. And I find myself on the weekends, in the evenings, thinking about it, dreaming about it, brainstorming, problem solving because it's simply what I love. As bizarre as it may sound, my joy oftentimes comes from working. It comes from spending time with my family, it comes from doing what my everyday. I don't have to struggle with this balance of now I'm working, now I get to do what I love. I have this weird hybrid life that I feel so incredibly blessed for because my husband and I work together. So I get family and work together, but my kids have been active parts of the business in different seasons and get to understand and know what it's like. It's this convoluted blend of all of the things that I love every day. And that's not to say that every day is as easy, and that's not to say that there aren't, of course, frustrations in all of it, but I feel like every day I am doing exactly what I love, and I feel very grateful to have found that. There's nothing better than having that moment for your listeners that are on the fence of like, do I make a transition or a change? I was the girl that before this would wake up every day and dread my day and what was ahead of me. And I didn't think that it was possible to wake up every day and actually be excited for what you're gonna do. And so being on the other side of it, if you're not living your best life every day, explore other opportunities because you only got one life, and man, it's a heck of a lot of fun when you're loving it every day.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I know a lot of our listeners resonate with that too, but it is possible. Yes. Thank you so much for joining us today. Please share with us how and where we can find you.
SPEAKER_01Find us at lindencreek.com. You can check out um our website and some of our beautiful photos. Also, we're active on Instagram, it's probably the best spot to find us. So at Linden Creek underscore, and you can take a look at some recent projects we've been a part of or explore opportunities with our organization.