Building A Business Without Breaking The Marriage |Ishita Nagda Lalan | Part 5

This episode isn't about interior design or aesthetics.

It's about what happens when the person whose taste built the brand becomes the bottleneck to scaling it.

In Part 5 of this conversation, Ishita Nagda Lalan - founder and creative director behind 540+ hospitality projects in Asheville - breaks down the operational tension between creative control and business growth, and what it actually costs to let go without losing quality.

This wasn't a creative challenge. It was a systems and identity challenge.

We cover:

• Why The Founder's Involvement In Every Decision Was Stalling The Business
• How Ishita Scaled From 2 Designers To 12 - And What She Had To Unlearn
• The Financial Risk That Cost $25k In Five Minutes And What It Revealed About Partnership
• Why "Quality Over Quantity" Requires Systems, Not Just Standards
• The Uncomfortable 18-Month Decision That Relocated Their Life And Changed The Trajectory
• What Success Feels Like Now - And The Tension Between Growing Bigger And Getting Time Back

If you're a founder, operator, or creative professional trying to scale something that depends on your judgment, this conversation will feel familiar.

This isn't a highlight reel.

It's a practical breakdown of how real businesses actually get built - under pressure, not in hindsight.

Chief Milestones is a video podcast featuring honest conversations with founders, parents, and investors about building real businesses, staying healthy, and raising families.

New episodes release Tuesdays and Fridays.

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Transcript

Partners In Business And Life

Reshma Vadlamudi 0:00

So you and Harshad now run your own STRs and boutique hotels and how do you divide roles and make decisions together as a couple?

Ishita Nagda 0:07

We know our lanes, we know our strengths, and we trust each other's decisions. He's a numbers guy, he takes care of all their accounting, taxes, anything that is creative, smaller decisions or you know day-to-day decisions. It's something that I'm good at and he would completely rely on me. Even if I know that it's a risk that he's taking, I would let him take and vice versa. Celebrate the wins that you have achieved together, give each other space that mistakes can happen. If you want to get into business, you should be really ready. If firstly to work 24-7. Forget about the work-life balance. There is no work-life balance. Forget about the parties that you can go to, forget about the social life that you have. If you lose the connection that you have, is it really worth it? Yeah. Then question that.

Designing With Intent And Emotion

Reshma Vadlamudi 0:55

So your work is clearly intentional. How much of your own lifestyle and value show up in the spaces you create?

Ishita Nagda 1:02

I think a lot. Like you know, the way I live, the way I think, all my thought processes definitely dissolved in my work. I am a lot about intentional design. I'm a lot about like it the space has to make you feel a certain way. It has to make you, you know, the depth, it has to have some kind of depth to it. And that's what resonates and reflects in the kind of work that we do. And there are times, like I really want people when they enter the space, I feel like they should feel the space before the space functions itself. So like they should just immediately feel sense of something. And that's what we really, really try in the way we design the spaces. And then there are times that you know I'm I'm very fierce in like taking bold steps, and then there are some of the designs that we generally go and push our boundaries, taking the bold moves that the industry probably wouldn't have seen.

Reshma Vadlamudi 1:50

So yeah, and definitely can see that through your work. Definitely.

Ishita Nagda 1:54

So definitely try that.

Reshma Vadlamudi 1:56

Yeah. So what's one detail in any of your projects that 99% of the guests might miss, but you are obsessed with?

Light As The Hidden Storyteller

Ishita Nagda 2:03

I won't say that they would miss it, probably not how how do you say it, but not pinpoint to it, but probably feel it. I'm absolutely obsessed with the way we do the playoff light and the way we work with light. I I think the way it makes you feel when you enter it, you know, n the guests won't really point at it and say that, hey, look at this lighting and the way it has been planned. But the way it will make them feel with meticulously planned lighting, whether it is indirectly under the floating shelves or behind the behind the wall. I just feel like it just makes someone feel alive. I feel you know, it just makes you resonate with that space so much and it just takes you back with that memory. Yes. Yeah.

Reshma Vadlamudi 2:48

So I the warmth of it or the way it's un unless someone is really into design, someone might not understand it, but everyone could feel it. I think it's a good idea. Everyone can feel it.

Ishita Nagda 2:59

And plus, you know, when you play with the dimmability of it, right? If you can dim it and you can you can just change the a light can literally change your entire mood.

Reshma Vadlamudi 3:08

Yes.

Ishita Nagda 3:08

Like when you go to spa, why do you feel differently versus when you are in a hospital?

Reshma Vadlamudi 3:13

Yes.

Ishita Nagda 3:13

Right? Like there are two different playoff lights. So I think uh people don't give much attention to it, but I'm very, very anal about lights.

Reshma Vadlamudi 3:22

Yes, yes. But then as you said, like I think everyone can feel it, but they just can't say this is what

Role Clarity And Trust Under Pressure

Reshma Vadlamudi 3:28

is doing that. Exactly. Yeah. So you and Harshad now run your own STRs and boutique hotels, and how do you divide roles and make decisions together as a couple?

Ishita Nagda 3:38

So the way we work and operate is we have a very, very good understanding between the two of us. Again, I'm not trying to create a picture that it's always bed of roses. No, we have our own differences also, and we are we literally agree to disagree multiple times. But we know our lanes, we know our strengths, and we we trust each other's decisions. So I there are times that he's a numbers guy, he takes care of all the accounting taxes, all the bigger life decision makings is something that Harsh takes care of us. Anything that is creative, smaller decisions or you know, day-to-day decisions is something that I am good at and he would completely rely on me. We don't question like if he's taking a decision and if he believes in it, and even if I know that it's a risk that he's taking, I would let him take and vice versa. And be okay with that it comes with success and it might come with failure as well.

Reshma Vadlamudi 4:31

Yes.

Ishita Nagda 4:31

So I feel like in relationship, I think you should just sometimes take a pause, you know, celebrate the wins that you have achieved together, give each other space that mistakes can happen, and um, and then just make sure that it's all it always seems that you are on the same team and achieving like the same goal. Yes. Uh and you know, rooting for that same thing that you are wanting to achieve.

Reshma Vadlamudi 4:53

So yes, having each other's back.

Ishita Nagda 4:55

Having each other's back all the time.

Reshma Vadlamudi 4:56

Yeah. What advice would you give other couples trying to build something together without losing their relationship

Hard Truths About Entrepreneurship

Reshma Vadlamudi 5:02

in the process?

Ishita Nagda 5:03

I think the same thing that I said. I losing relationship in the process isn't what advice would I give? I feel just low know your lanes and support each other, you know? Like, and I don't know what makes them come to a point where they would lose the marriage. But if you know that you guys are on the same team, you have to know that you're human as well. Like you you might make a mistake. And I think as a spouse and a partner, it's the it's a position for you to support them at that point of that fragility if they're going through that. Like, for example, like when I was not married to him and I was single back home, I used to be the planner of my family. I used to plan travels for my parents, I would plan wherever we would go, book tickets. And the minute I got married, and this is not related to business, but the minute I got married to him, I know how passionate he is about his travels and he invests more time in travel planning than I would. At that point, I just took a back seat. Even as much as I like travel, I know that our wavelengths matches. He asks me two questions like what do you we are going here, what would you like to do? If I've given him those two pointers and he's making sure that is infused in the itinerary, then why do I need to micromanage it?

Reshma Vadlamudi 6:18

So you are so you guys know the strengths, and then you would trust that person to do that. Absolutely. Yes.

Ishita Nagda 6:26

And and I I would completely agree. I mean, I have seen in my family financial stress can be the most stressful thing, especially when you have kids involved. It can break marriages. 100% agree, but then that that's when the whole calculative and you can't always go that anything that you venture into will be successful. Yes, right? So either you have like a uh don't go all in. I I seldom tell don't go all in 100% in a business until you know that it is really replaced your guys' income or you have enough passive income to support your lifestyle, it is not getting compromised. If you want to get into business, you should be really ready, a firstly to work 24-7. And I'm really yes, I this is a brutal honest truth. Forget about the work-life balance. There is no work-life balance, forget about the parties that you can go to, forget about the social life that you have.

Reshma Vadlamudi 7:16

Yes.

Ishita Nagda 7:17

It is all on the backseat if you really want to achieve that life on the later stages of your age where you

Risk Budgets And A 25K Lesson

Ishita Nagda 7:23

want to live comfortably. Yes. We have done that in our life, and it might not be for everyone. It was okay for me, then we are bearing the fruits of it today. Yes. Still today, even if we are where we are in our we are still working way more than a nine to five job is. But that is the repercussion of having a business of your own. Now you're not only taking care of we reached our milestone of you know 10k that we wanted to achieve or a 50k that we wanted to achieve a month, but now we have bigger bills to pay. We have more families that we are supporting in terms of our payrolls and whatnot, right? So it is always ongoing. I remember in a very initial stages of our relationship when we started Airbnb business, and Harshad was like, okay, what next? At that time, the whole, you know, stock market was booming at that point. And he started day trading and he was like, you know, this option trading is great. Let me try. And he got into it. I fully supported him. Again, whenever we have to try something, we give each other like a budget that, hey, this is a comfortable budget that we would want to invest in. He started with that, for example, $10,000. And the day one, he probably earned $5k out of option trading and he was ecstatic. And then next year, and it is stressful, you know. I would see him waking up in stress early in the morning when the market starts. He would be constantly on his screen. He would end his day in stressful. Probably, it's like casino, right? You regret when you sell, you regret when you don't sell, right? It's always like grasses on the greener, uh, greener on the other side. And the on the third or the fourth day, I remember him losing 25k grand uh 25 grand like in probably five minutes. At that point in 2021, it was a huge deal for us. It was literally probably savings of the whole year for us that was just gone. But does that mean that I have to bash him for something? He's done so many other things that has earned us money. One thing that he did probably, you know, we lost. And I would have I have done that too. Like I would have taken some of the decision in our investments where he has given me a budget to work with, but I have gone overboard and spent $50,000 more than he budgeted for us. But that is, it comes with that, and you have to be okay with that. I mean, it the intentions were not wrong, yes, but it did not pan accordingly.

Reshma Vadlamudi 9:37

Yes.

Ishita Nagda 9:38

So if you just sail through that time and time heals everything, if you just know that and have patience, I think we live in the world of social media that instant gratification, instant, you know, you just want everything like tomorrow. The success needs to come tomorrow. You need to make a millionaires tomorrow. Doesn't work like that. I just read an article the other day. There was a TikTok influencer, and that her account got banned overnight. She's lost all her followers, and yes, she worked hard. And yes, it is, I don't know, social media, easy money. You can sit on your desk and probably earn the money. But now what? So, I mean, you have to build something on your own and be okay with the failures that come with it too. I mean, it is stressful.

Patience Over Instant Gratification

Ishita Nagda 10:18

I get stressed more than Harshad does, and it shows reflects on my face. But then I have to give myself time. Like it's okay, it happens, right? You business comes with its own failures and own success. And if you don't have the appetite for it, then probably getting into business is not for you. Then knowing that your strength lies in like having nine to five and have a nice, comfortable living and pay your bills and you know, have a good social life, probably is the lifestyle for you and do safe for investments like 401k or stocks and whatnot. I don't think that everyone's uh everyone has appetite for the business too. But I just feel like if you are trying to create an empire together and trying to re reach that higher goal in life for yourself and your family, but in that midst of that journey, if you lose the connection that you have, is it really worth it? Yes. Then question that.

Reshma Vadlamudi 11:08

Yeah. And also, like maybe you mentioned like you guys had the W 2 before getting into the business. Yeah. But then there are also couples who are getting into the business even without having the W 2. And they are and I I could also, like, maybe when you were talking, that's what I sensed. It could also be the reason, the financial decisions that they have to go through just to get that thing done could be one of the one of the reasons, I guess. Um I can't that's what I'm saying.

Ishita Nagda 11:35

Like, either you want to leave your W-2 and go all in, then you have to be okay with the losses that it comes, and either live live very, very frugally. So I mean, you there has to be compromises and sacrifices, right? But for us, I could leave my job earlier, but then business took a lot of my time. Like designing is a whole lot to take get a name for yourself. Every day is a literally a rat race. Versus Harshad had to keep he left his W-2 this year. So last five years, while we were building our business, he was doing his W-2 yet fully immersed in this business and growing. So that is how many hours of his day

W‑2 Bridges, Sacrifice, And Time

Ishita Nagda 12:10

that we were just immersed in this. Are you ready to put in that amount of hours? Or do you want a work life plan? Because I have a lot of friends who come to me that hey, you know, we want to do the same thing, but they have never been able to take the plunge because they have not been willing to put the time and the effort that it takes. Or they get scared or intimidated because they have questioned me that why are you doing what you're doing? Do you really need to? And I I don't have an answer for that. I'm like, you you won't be able to relate to it.

Reshma Vadlamudi 12:36

Yes. What belief about business or design did you have to unlearn to grow to where you are now?

Ishita Nagda 12:42

I think I had to unlearn the the sense of control. I had to unlearn that I thought that you know having my eye to everything and having my eye on every decision making, every fabric picking or every would would be the reason for excellence. But actually it was not. It was actually stalling the process. It was uh because you know, I started very small. I started by myself, and then I had a designer and I was doing everything, and then so losing that control was it really was very, very challenging. But now I'm trying to unlearn it, I'm trying to create systems, I'm trying trying to create like give more space and freedom and the trust to the designers that hey, this is what you why don't you do it? And have them risk it. And if they make the b uh mistake, then I'm always backing. But again, there's a balance there too. I don't want to have control as much, but I don't want to let loose to a point that hey, just do it yourself because in the end, it's a business that I it has my name attached to it, people are coming with some kind of expectation, and

Unlearning Control To Scale

Ishita Nagda 13:42

I don't want the quality detori. Yes, so anything like quality over quantity for me is everyday like that's what I believe. I don't want to do multi-you know couple hundred projects a year. I'm okay with doing the amount of projects that we are doing and keep on pushing our boundaries, but not compromise on quality at all. But unlearn thing is definitely losing control so that we can scale because scalability doesn't come if if if I have to control each and everything.

Reshma Vadlamudi 14:07

Yes. What are the non-negotiables in your day or week that keep you grounded while running so many things at once?

Ishita Nagda 14:13

Non-negotiables for my day or week. I think um not losing connection with family is a non-negotiable. I definitely need to be connected with them, I need to be in touch with them, I need to know how they are. Even if I am achieving my dreams here, that that's where my roots are, and that definitely keeps me very, very grounded. I think there is a sense of or having I you know I'm a pet parent. My dogs really make me grounded, like just looking at their face, and you know, the when you look at dogs and they have nothing else but love to give. You just it it just makes you realize that uh the unconditional love, you know, without any expectations. And so that keeps me grounded. The other thing is the you know, the kind of work that we do. Obviously, you know, I get a lot of allocates for accolades. Sorry, I get a lot of accolades for what I do, but it's it's a whole teamwork, it is not one man army, it is like a whole village that comes together to make this one project successful. Me, me by myself, I could not do anything, it would just be

Rituals That Keep Us Grounded

Ishita Nagda 15:13

an idea on a paper, right? So just realizing then when meeting my my team on site and seeing them work rigorously to make our vision come to life and so passionately. Uh, like I was just telling you about yesterday when my electrician was like, We'll go all in and we'll do more bigger things, and that just that motivates me, but yet keeps me grounded. And um, when I hear about the fact that how one idea of a design business that started in 2021 reached to a point where it has created this mini b businesses around me, and it is so fulfilling to see where this electrician of mine was like, you know, I've I've I literally wanted to start this, and thanks to you for giving us the business that we are truly able to thrive. Or it is phenomenal. Like, I cannot put in words, and that keeps me so grounded that I am because of them, and you know, it's like a vice versa uh relationship, cordial relationship that we wouldn't be able to exist. Yeah, but it's it's just that we are able to give some way or the other back to the community, and I yeah, that keeps me so I I like to connect with my team. It's not like hey, I'm giving you the project and that's about it. I really do like to connect with them, I like to know who they are. I am just not about okay, work, work done, and you're done with it. Uh so that keeps me.

Reshma Vadlamudi 16:29

What's one decision you and your husband made early on that changed the trajectory of your STR business?

Choosing Discomfort To Grow

Ishita Nagda 16:35

Being comfortable with uncomfortable situations is one slogan or belief that we have been with, and that has really changed our STR trajectory to another level. I can't even express, I remember back in 2022, we had a flood in uh in our home, residential home, which is why, and I had a project in Asheville, which is why I came here for, and I came here for a project, and I have never left ever since. And moving here, it literally just skyrocketrocketed our projects, our successes. So, but we were uncomfortable. We were with one car, two suitcases, two dogs living nomadic for 18 months from project. We were literally camping on our project sites when we had our our second home in Iowa where we could have lived very comfortably, but we chose not to. That has really shaped us and uh you know given us a good plunge in our success.

Reshma Vadlamudi 17:33

How do you stay creative when you're scaling fast and dealing with real estate headaches?

Scaling Without Losing Creativity

Ishita Nagda 17:38

I would say it might seem that we are scaling fast, but we are not scaling fast. So, yeah, as I said, like creativity, you cannot achieve quality with quantity, right? Like that's very difficult to achieve, especially in a field like creativity when it is not systems and rinse and repeat processes. Every project comes with its different challenge, every project you have to give. For instance, we have designed probably more than 540 homes in Asheville alone, but no two projects would look similar. There would be elements that you would be able to say that, hey, this is Ishita's project, but it is not like a copy paste of one another. So it's always a creative, you know, uh, what do you call juices that have to go running wild to come up with a product? So I just feel like what we are trying to do is like now we are trying to grow our team. So we we literally took our time to scale to where we are at uh till early last year or till March or April of last year. It was just me and other two designers that were handling almost around 25 to 30 projects a year. Last year we we had hired and fired some people. Again, that's another learning curve in the business, the whole hiring process. Who do you want in your team? Who resonates with your team? To today, I have almost 12 designers under um belt, uh, which is why now I can see, but we are in the training phase, which I can see we can scale that uh substantially, but I want to make sure that we are not compromising the creativity. That is like the utmost important. Like I cannot, I will not be able to stand if my next project is not pushing the bar. Yeah, so that is a non-negotiable.

Redefining Success And Time Freedom

Reshma Vadlamudi 19:11

So, what does success feel like for you now? And what are you still working towards?

Ishita Nagda 19:17

I am very self-critical, critique.

Reshma Vadlamudi 19:20

How do you say that you're your first your best critique?

Ishita Nagda 19:23

I am my first critique, and I always look for like how can I improve myself on an everyday basis. I don't think I I believed that I was giving the best product until I heard it so many times. Even then, it doesn't like I don't want to be complacent with. I don't want to believe that. I want to still like it will stop me from pushing myself, right? So, success definitely feels good because now people really respect your opinion. I'm very, very grateful for this country for a lot of aspects, like the amount of flexibility to all my clients that have given me the sense of creative freedom. I'm able to do what I was able to do. The team that have always supported me in executing these projects and believing in me, right? So it has it's so much advantages, like it has shaped not only our life, but our family's life too. Like, you know, it has a ripple effect where uh our families benefit from the success too, and that's what I want to do. That I want to keep growing uh so I can support more and more people around me and everyone back home as well. But uh, overall goal for us would be that to get our time back. How can we get more and more of our time back? And what does that mean? I'm at a point where I I get torn between the two sides where I want to grow the business, but then there are times like, really, do I want to grow the business and take all the headaches? So I'm really torn at this point where you have caught me. But uh, hopefully, what my future, what I would like to see myself, would be still working, never retiring. I don't think retirement is in my dictionary at all. I don't think what to do with my time if I have so much time in my hand. I will go in my rabbit hole and it won't be a nice place. Yes.

Reshma Vadlamudi 21:06

So I want to keep working because I want my brain to work, but then you want to work at your own time or pace.

Ishita Nagda 21:12

Pace, right? I don't have to take this X amount of projects. I just want to take like a pro if I want to. I want to really literally have an RB and probably go to South America and spend a year and a half. I want to be nomadic, I want to travel the world. That is definitely my utmost importance. And yeah, just get my time back and just have flexibility or freedom to choose what to do, what I want to do.

Reshma Vadlamudi 21:34

Yeah, yeah. What's your long-term vision for your for you? Is it to grow hospitality empire scale education or something

Vision: Unique Stays And Teaching

Reshma Vadlamudi 21:42

else?

Ishita Nagda 21:42

My goal is to definitely create like those unique stays. I don't know about hospitality empire. It could be few, but be so unique that people be like, wow, you know, like one of those on the bucket. And I wish we are able to do that. That would be great. Education. Route, yes, I would definitely I would love to see myself to the knowledge that I have or the way I have. I mean, I am from India. I've I as I said I moved here in 2018. I get so many messages by people saying, like, how did you do it? And I really would love to be in your position and do projects like you do one day. And I feel like if I'm able to do who is like a new immigrant, like very recent immigrant in this country, I think anyone can do because this country, this land is of an opportunity land. It literally gives you so many abundant opportunities. It's just for you to grab it and make sure that you give the best product out there, and then the world is your oyster, I feel. So I just want to make sure that whatever I have done, I'm able to give it back. And if I can create, I don't know, one or two success stories, I think I'll be I'll consider myself successful.

Reshma Vadlamudi 22:50

Okay. What would be your dream project and why?

Dreaming A True Wellness Resort

Ishita Nagda 22:53

I don't think I have a dream you just talked about project.

Reshma Vadlamudi 22:56

The unique day that you would want to do that.

Ishita Nagda 22:59

I think if if at all, then I do want to make a legit wellness resort. Not just wellness resort in terms of rooms, but like you know, it has some some therapy going there or like unique stays in that wellness resort, and it has a lake. Like you come in and immerse yourself and get rejuvenated and go back. Uh, it's in like in the woods and you have different activities going, probably one stay is just in the hammocks and you lay there. I don't know. I I have this picture in my head, which I don't know how it'll create, but it but it is in the woods, different unique structure, different facilities where you can get your massages, meditation, some wellness retreats that you want, and nice, like you know, organic food that is like farm grown. Um that experience where people can literally go and pluck their own fruits and vegetables.

Reshma Vadlamudi 23:51

Oh gosh, this is like our project that's going on right now. That's amazing. Yeah, yeah. So that that's my that's one of that's something I'm achieving right now. With that, like whatever the the that's the whole plan for us. We are doing the the restaurant will have its own farm and it it gets its own vegetables from it and it has its own lake where we are doing, we are not taking all the trees off. We are going to just take enough trees out so we can space that unique structure on there, and then anywhere that the guests would turn, they would still see nature. Uh, but then they're still only 15 minutes away from Cincinnati downtown.

Ishita Nagda 24:35

That's amazing.

Reshma Vadlamudi 24:37

Yes. Um, so that's been some dream. I don't know. That was my dream for a long time too. I had to pull that in.

Ishita Nagda 24:46

Yes. I would love to come and see it once you're done with it.

Reshma Vadlamudi 24:48

Yes, yes, that's going to it's a it's a phased approach. So you want to have that farm aspect to it, like where the organic food is. Yes, organic food.

Ishita Nagda 24:57

Yes, you know what in India we call like satvik food. Uh I don't know what it's called. Yes, yes, uh it's all organic, everything farm to table, yes, probably vegan, and cooked pretty so the cook time also matters, right?

Reshma Vadlamudi 25:11

Cook time matters.