Janelle Blakely Photopoulos is the Owner and Creative Director of Blakely Interior Design, an award-winning Rhode Island interior design firm that specializes in designing vibrant residential interiors in New England and nationwide. Located in North Kingstown, her firm provides a wide range of design services, specifically catering to full-service interior design clients for new construction homes and renovations. Blakely Interior Design has been operating for eight years, employs six full-time staff, has doubled its revenue in the last year, and has long-passed the million-dollar revenue mark, a rare feat in the design industry. With all Janelle’s success, it is hard to believe that nine years ago her dream was just that, a dream. 

After graduating from Syracuse University with a degree in marketing, Janelle went to work for telecom giant AT&T. After many successful years in corporate America, Janelle left her job to start a family. Additionally, she craved a career that was rewarding and would fuel her creative passion.  She followed her entrepreneurial heart by enrolling in Rhode Island School of Design and began immersing herself in the technical aspects of interior design. For five years she juggled design school with three young children, all the while developing her design business.  

“When I found my true passion in design and decided to go to RISD, I was initially disappointed that I had spent my undergraduate years studying a field I didn’t end up in. In retrospect, my undergraduate marketing degree at Syracuse has helped me immensely in growing a healthy and prosperous business. I am so grateful for the journey as it has put me exactly where I am meant to be,” said Photopoulos. 

After founding Blakely, Janelle completed the Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program, where she received a crash course “mini MBA” education in entrepreneurship. The program helped guide her next steps as a small business owner.

In the beginning, Blakely Interior Design was a shop of one. Janelle strove to provide great design coupled with quality service, and word of her outstanding work spread quickly. As more opportunities presented themselves, Janelle began looking for ways to expand her business. She approached BankNewport and was able to secure an SBA-backed loan. “As larger, more significant projects started coming our way, we needed to staff up to support them. In a luxury service industry like ours, it’s important to have the bandwidth to provide a high level of service. Our SBA loan allowed us to create more jobs and be prepared for the momentum I saw coming,” said Photopoulos.

As the demand for her service increased, it became apparent that she would have to expand her operating space. Janelle reached out to an SBA funded resource partner, SCORE, for counseling and assistance with the purchase of a building. With the help of her SCORE mentor, she was able to weigh all the factors that came with such a large purchase. Ultimately, this guidance led her to decide to expand her existing studio into the adjacent unit. This recently completed expansion doubled the square footage of the design studio, accommodating a larger design library, more workspaces for her growing team, and a new storage warehouse for inventory. “Having the warehouse space is key for expanding profit margins because it allows us to purchase accessories for clients at a higher volume and lower price,” said Photopoulos. 

Although the demands of parenthood and a flourishing business would occupy much of her days, Janelle also found time in 2018 to launch the Rhode Island chapter of Savvy Giving by Design (SGDB). Savvy Giving is a national nonprofit made up of a coalition of professional interior designers. SGBD’s mission is to provide comfort, support, and healing to families with a child facing a medical crisis by transforming the interior spaces of their homes at no cost to them. “Our environment can dramatically impact our mood, health and overall well-being,” said Photopoulos. “We’re committed to bringing hope to those in need by giving them an oasis in which to heal,” she added.

For Janelle’s entrepreneurial savvy and ability to build her business she was awarded the 2020 Rhode Island Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year. It is that savvy that would allow her to pivot and continue operations when COVID-19 hit, and business was down 75%. Photopoulos applied for and received a PPP loan from BankNewport which allowed her to keep her staff on payroll and continuing to serve her existing clientele.  

As Blakely Interior Design approaches the decade mark of being in business, it is easy to see why Janelle has found success. Her mission is to transform her clients’ lives by transforming the way they live in their homes. Every room is a unique canvas connecting a space and its owner, and her vision does not stop there; it goes well beyond designing homes, inspiring people to live vibrantly in their everyday lives. Janelle is currently in the early stages of developing products that support her design aesthetic and inspire a vibrant life, a challenge she accepts with open arms.