Arzays Davani is the CEO of The Davani Group, a luxury design firm specializing in bespoke interiors, custom furniture, and architectural features. He has grown the company into a leader in high-end craftsmanship, working with top architects and designers on multimillion-dollar projects worldwide. Arzays’ career began in finance before transitioning into entrepreneurship, launching several ventures before founding The Davani Group. His design philosophy celebrates the raw beauty of natural materials, aiming to bring a resort-like luxury experience into everyday living spaces.
Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Hear:
- [2:04] Arzays Davani shares his journey from Iran to the US and his early childhood experiences
- [5:35] The impact of moving frequently and how it shaped his adaptability
- [10:06] Why Arzays risked moving to Dubai to start a new business
- [14:49] How working with his spouse shaped Arzays’ business and partnership
- [17:07] The difference between luxury and premium in the high-end design world
- [21:21] How crucial is craftsmanship in preserving artisanal skills?
- [24:00] The personal significance of building timeless luxury spaces
- [27:25] Overcoming a series of personal and professional challenges in 2024
In this episode…
Starting a business in an unfamiliar industry can feel overwhelming, especially when faced with steep learning curves, financial risks, and doubts from others. Add to that the challenge of building a company with a spouse, balancing personal and professional roles, and maintaining a strong relationship. How can entrepreneurs successfully navigate these challenges and turn uncertainty into a thriving business?
Arzays Davani, an expert in luxury design and craftsmanship, shares his journey of launching a high-end interior business without prior industry experience. Arzays emphasizes the importance of adaptability, strategic partnerships, and relentless problem-solving when entering a new field. He also highlights the value of clear communication and defined roles when working with a spouse, ensuring business growth and a healthy relationship. By focusing on quality, craftsmanship, and a deep understanding of client needs, he has built a flourishing brand that serves high-end clientele worldwide.
Tune in to this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast as John Corcoran interviews Arzays Davani, CEO of The Davani Group, about building a luxury business from the ground up. Arzays discusses his transition from finance to design, lessons from a failed startup, and the importance of craftsmanship in high-end interiors. He also shares insights on working with elite clients, overcoming business challenges, and maintaining a growth mindset in the face of adversity.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- John Corcoran on LinkedIn
- Rise25
- Arzays Davani: LinkedIn | Instagram
- The Davani Group
- Entrepreneurs’ Organization
Special Mention(s)
Quotable Moments:
- “I wanted to create a legacy that had our name on it and create something with my wife.”
- “Having to adapt made me much stronger and made me more adaptable to not just different cultures.”
- “There’s more to life than your business.”
- “As bad as things can be, things will turn around even faster.”
- “The human experience is to create lasting memories, right?”
Action Steps:
- Embrace adaptability when entering a new industry: Being open to learning and quickly adjusting strategies helps entrepreneurs overcome initial challenges and gain industry knowledge faster. Adaptability allows for innovative problem-solving and seizing unexpected opportunities.
- Define clear roles when working with a spouse:Establishing separate responsibilities prevents overlap and conflict, creating a structured work environment. Clarity in roles enhances efficiency and ensures both partners contribute their strengths to the business.
- Focus on craftsmanship and quality to stand out: Prioritizing high-quality materials and skilled artisanship differentiates a brand in a competitive market. Exceptional craftsmanship builds long-term client trust and leads to repeat business and referrals.
- Develop strategic partnerships for business growth: Collaborating with experienced suppliers, designers, and architects can accelerate credibility and access to high-end projects. Strong partnerships create a network of support and open doors to new opportunities.
- Maintain a growth mindset despite setbacks: Challenges and failures are inevitable, but viewing them as learning experiences fosters resilience. A continuous focus on improvement and innovation drives long-term success.
Sponsor: Rise25
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Episode Transcript
John Corcoran: 00:00
All right. Today we’re talking about how to start a business in a field that you have no background in. Learn a lot about it and even grow it up to $1 million in revenue. And what if you were to do that with your spouse? My guest here today did that. His name is Arzays Davani. I’ll tell you more about him in a second, so stay tuned.
Intro: 00:18
Welcome to the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, where we feature top entrepreneurs, business leaders, and thought leaders and ask them how they built key relationships to get where they are today. Now let’s get started with the show.
John Corcoran: 00:35
All right. Welcome, everyone. John Corcoran here. I’m the host of this show. And you know, each week I feel so privileged. I get to talk to interesting founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs from all kinds of companies. We’ve had Netflix and Grubhub, Redfin, Gusto, Kinkos, YPO, EO, Activision Blizzard, lots of great episodes in the archive, so go check them out. And of course, this episode brought to you by Rise25, where we help B2B businesses get clients referrals and strategic partnerships with done-for-you podcasts and content marketing, and you can learn more about what exactly we do, how we do it at Rise25.com, and learn about our new podcast Copilot platform there as well. My guest is Arzays Davani. He is the Creative Director and CEO of The Davani Group.
It’s a company that designs, creates and installs all kinds of bespoke interiors, custom furniture, architectural features and decorative elements and things like that. He started this business not knowing anything about the industry at all, just because he saw an opportunity. He wanted to start a business with his wife and he’s based now in Seattle, Washington. And so great to have you here today. And we’re talking about your background. You actually were born in Iran, and you came over here with your family. You’re about five years old. I’m always fascinated to hear different stories of immigrants who came over here and then in many cases, started a business, either because there were no jobs available to them or because they saw an opportunity. Let’s take me back to that period of time. You’re sure I understand? Your father started a business after he came over here.
Arzays Davani: 02:04
No. He didn’t. So we actually. What prompted us to move to the United States was during the Iran-Iraq War. So it was a, you know, it was a rough war for the Iranians. And actually, there’s, I mean, a bad war for both sides, but, you know, close to a million people killed on both sides. And my parents did not feel safe. And we were living in Tehran. I actually one of my earliest memories was going under a bunker and hearing loud noises, which later in life were actually. Yeah, yeah, my father was, you know, he went on a student visa. He had already graduated college, actually. He went when my mom and dad met at the oldest university in the world. It jumped to Shaw University. I think it’s something like 2700 years old. Believe it or not.
John Corcoran: 03:01
So that makes Harvard look like a new kid on the block.
Arzays Davani: 03:05
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. New school. So, yeah, we. My dad went to get his master’s in Michigan. And so I was away from my dad from the age of 3 to 5. And when he got his masters, he was able to bring us over to the United States. And we moved to Jamaica, Queens, New York.
John Corcoran: 03:27
Okay. And what was that like? Do you remember at five what that cultural shock was like for you going from Tehran to Queens, New York?
Arzays Davani: 03:37
I actually do. My other memory that’s really, really clear was when my kindergarten teacher, I remember her name, Miss Block,- brought me in front of the class and my mom was there with me. I was hiding behind my mom’s blouse while the teacher was introducing me. And of course, you know, being from Iran and not being in school. I didn’t speak any English.
But, you know, the great thing about not just New York, but especially Jamaica, Queens, is the diversity. So if you look at elementary school or kindergarten, it’s a mixture of, you know, kids from Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic. You know, Italy. We have Jews, Indians. So yeah, there would be actually probably, I think one Caucasian Caucasian kid in that class.
So it was a very diverse class, but nonetheless, you know, not speaking any English, you know, made it a little bit rough. And four of us are living in a, you know, one bedroom, 650 square foot apartment. Wow. Probably was not the best either.
John Corcoran: 04:51
Yeah. You know, I wasn’t much older than you. I was seven when we moved from, you know, not obviously didn’t have the language barrier. didn’t have the cultural differences that you did, but I moved cross country from where I was born, on the east coast to Southern California. And I remember at seven years old, going into this classroom with my parents and just feeling like, oh my gosh, what is going on?
You know, it’s just so intimidating. And that feeling kind of sticks with you, you know? And even in subtle ways, are there ways that you think that shapes who you are today? Because like today, you strike me as someone who’s charismatic and probably really good at sales. And I imagine those skills have stayed with you. Do you think that that was shaped by that experience?
Arzays Davani: 05:35
100%, because actually we my parents found and found a way of moving in very pivotal times of my life. So I lived in Queens until my dad saved up. He was also, you know, he got a job as an engineer and from 9 to 5 and then from 7 to 2:00 in the morning. He was also working as a bartender for a catering company. In the city of Astoria in Astoria, Queens, and he was trying to save up enough money in order to buy a house, which we ended up buying in Long Island.
And that was during the fifth grade. So that was a huge deal for us. Like, wow, we have grass, we have a backyard. Like it was, that was like a really big deal. So from kindergarten till ten, 11 years old, ten years old, which was around fifth grade, we moved. And then I lived in Long Island from fifth grade until I was a freshman in high school. So before I was a freshman, my dad got moved over to Carey, North Carolina. Carey, if you don’t know, stands also for concentrated areas for Relocated Yankees. So that, you know, that was actually a big I think that was a bigger cultural shock just because I have a more South. Yeah, it was the South.
It was, it was, it was during the time that there was the Afghanistan war. So there was a you know, there was a huge thing about, you know, Muslims and that, you know, look like me. But Long Island, like, you know, I fit in. I could be Italian, I could be Greek, I could be Jewish, I could be Brazilian, it was a big mixture. But in North Carolina it, you.
John Corcoran: 07:30
Now, it stuck out.
Arzays Davani: 07:31
More. I stuck out a lot more. But what was funny was I felt a little bit more prejudice by being a Yankee, having a really strong character at that time. I had a really strong New York accent. I had a tough time understanding my teachers.
They had a tough time understanding me. And back then it was actually a normal thing. You just would see Confederate flags, like everywhere in the houses on the back of the truck. So anyways, they moved me to Cary, North Carolina, and then right in the summer of going to my high school, I’m sorry to go to senior high school. We moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. So then in a pivotal point.
John Corcoran: 08:12
It was so hard to move at those times. Yeah yeah I.
Arzays Davani: 08:15
Never but did.
John Corcoran: 08:16
You move right before high school. Did you say?
Arzays Davani: 08:18
Yeah I moved right before high school to North Carolina.
John Corcoran: 08:20
Yeah. So did I. I moved right before high school also. Oh you did. Yeah. So hard.
Arzays Davani: 08:24
So hard.
John Corcoran: 08:25
California I moved. Well, I moved from when I was living in Massachusetts for junior high and then moved back to Southern California, not too far from where we lived before. But still, it was like a huge culture shock.
Arzays Davani: 08:36
It is. You make some friends and then you have to make completely new friends. You’re the new kid. And that was a really big adjustment. So just to circle, I mean, you know, just to answer your question, I think having to adapt made me much stronger and made me more adaptable to not just different cultures, but I had to have to find ways to make friends, or else I would be the lonely kid in the corner. And you know what really helped? Actually, for me in high school bridge, that gap was getting into wrestling. And I found a community, a community that way.
John Corcoran: 09:09
So do I. Three weeks before my first day of high school, I joined the football team. And so on the first day of high school, and partly did it because on the first day of high school, I knew I had at least, you know, 30, 40 people that I knew, you know, rather than showing up on the first day of school and knowing no one, because the practices started about three weeks before school started. So, you know, that’s part of the reason that I did it. So you get into wrestling and whatnot.
I think this kind of makes sense, knowing that you are comfortable enough going into an industry where you knew nothing, not that dissimilar from going into a new school or a new community, or a new state where you knew no one. At least for me. I like to say that I’m comfortable with that discomfort sometimes a little bit too much, I think. So let’s talk about that. So what was the opportunity? How did you come upon this idea of starting this business with your wife?