From Corporate to Creative CEO: How Ann Lopez Built a Multi-Seven-Figure Design Business With Profit First

I remember standing on planks, literal planks, in the middle of a gut renovation with no drywall, no walls, no idea what I was doing.

The general contractor and client were both looking at me. Asking me questions. And while I answered some of them to the best of my knowledge, the rest of it? Complete and utter Japanese to me.

So I said what any smart person would say in that moment: "Let me get back to you."

Meanwhile, in my head: I have no idea what they just said.

That was my first real client. A full gut renovation, two bathrooms, a kitchen, every single wall down to the studs. Hired through a referral from a former colleague. And I said yes before I even fully knew what I was saying yes to.

That's how Studio 790 started.

I recently sat down with Pam Jordan on the Pivot to Profit podcast to share the full story, from my 20 years in luxury hospitality to building a multi-seven-figure design firm from my dining room table with no formal design degree. We talked about money, mindset, Profit First and why I believe your project reveal process is the most underrated business tool in the design industry.

Here are my biggest takeaways.

You do it scared and action builds confidence

I didn't start Studio 790 because I had all the answers. I started because I had one life to live and I wasn't willing to waste it anymore.

After 20 years in luxury hospitality, digital marketing at Starwood Hotels, rolling out social media for North America when Facebook was barely a thing, traveling the world and climbing the corporate ladder, I knew it was time. A series of hard personal seasons in my late 30s made it undeniable. Four miscarriages. A divorce. COVID. All of it converging into one very clear message: stop waiting.

So at 39, I quit cold turkey. February 2019. Studio 790 was formed.

Was I scared? In retrospect, not as much as I probably should have been. There was mostly peace. A deep knowing that I was finally stepping into what I was called to do.

But that first project? Terrifying. And here's what I learned from standing on those planks not knowing a single thing: you do it scared. You do it uncomfortable. And once you do it, action builds confidence. You survive it once, and you realize you can survive it again. Seven years later, we still take on projects that scare us. But now I have a team, a process and a whole lot more resources. We still do it scared. We just do it better.

Nothing in our lives gets wasted

Before I became a designer, I was a VP of Client Relations at a social media firm. Before that, digital marketing at Starwood. Before that, a marketing coordinator at Preferred Hotels & Resorts at 21 years old, walking into a fancy Chicago corporate office thinking I had arrived.

None of that felt like it had anything to do with interior design. But every single bit of it became a foundation for what I built.

The SEO strategies I learned in the early days of Google? I use them to get Studio 790 in front of clients. The digital marketing playbook from Starwood? It's how Formula 1 found us on Google and hired us for a luxury hospitality event. The social media knowledge I built before Facebook even existed? It informs how we think about every channel we show up on.

Nothing gets wasted. Not the hard seasons. Not the career pivots. Not the mistakes. It all becomes material.

The money conversation nobody wants to have, but everyone needs to

I grew up in a household where my mom was an accountant. She was meticulous with money. Save 50% of what you earn. Don't spend what you don't have. Credit cards were not a thing.

And I listened to almost none of it.

I wanted to spend the money. I had a scarcity mindset growing up, this feeling that it was always going to run out, which, ironically, made me spend faster rather than save more. It took years of running my own business, making mistakes and surrounding myself with the right people to shift into an abundance mindset around money.

The turning point? Profit First.

I was at a women's entrepreneur retreat in January, we go every year, and someone mentioned the book. I picked it up, listened to the podcast and within that same month, completely restructured how I ran Studio 790's finances.

Here's the shift that changed everything: instead of looking at one bank account with a lump sum of money and trying to figure out what you can spend, you have multiple accounts, each with its own purpose.

→ One for profit → One for taxes → One for owner's pay → One for operating expenses → And one for savings — which, by the way, nobody tells you businesses need until someone mentions it at a retreat and your mind is blown.

When I implemented Profit First, one of the first things it revealed was that I was overspending. And in that moment, I felt two things equally: panic and freedom. Panic because, oh gosh. And freedom because oh, there's a solution. I can fix this.

Fast forward to today: Studio 790 is profitable every year. My team gets bonuses. I pay myself well.

We give generous checks to causes we care about at the end of the year. And the business has a savings account with exactly what it needs.

Profit First, all day long.

What's next for Ann Lopez and Studio 790

We have big goals but not fast ones. I'm playing the long game with intention, growing with health and the right people on the team. Every year we've surpassed our financial goal, and every year the next one stretches us a little more. That's exactly how it should be.

I'm also writing a devotional for women in business something I'm deeply passionate about. Reading devotionals and spending quiet time in the morning has fueled me as a person and as an entrepreneur. And I realized there's a gap in the marketplace for devotionals that speak specifically to women building businesses. That speak our language. That tackle money, purpose, ambition and faith in the same breath. It's about halfway done and I'm so excited to share it.

Want to Hear the Full Conversation?

This blog captures the highlights, but the full episode goes even deeper into my financial journey, the Profit First method, what I think about diversification in the business and what we are building next.

Tune in to the full episode on the Pivot to Profit podcast with Pam Jordan.

👉 Listen to the full episode here

And if you're an interior designer, this one's for you. Inside Project to Profits™, you'll learn how to turn every completed install into a long-term marketing asset that keeps working for your business long after reveal day is over. No paid ads. No dancing reels. No posting 24/7. Just strategic organic marketing that compounds over time.

Click here to learn more about Project to Profits™.