Join us for episode 3, where we share the story of Marie Mouradian, owner of Window Designs Etc. Small Biz Stories tells the story of some of the bravest people you’ll ever meet — small business owners. You’ll hear how they got started, their biggest challenges, and their dreams for the future. Find us on Stitcher You can also read the transcript below: Small Biz Stories is brought to you by Constant Contact. Constant Contact is committed to helping small businesses and nonprofits connect to new and existing customers with email marketing. Find out more at ConstantContact.com. Marie: How I determine success? Jeez, I don’t know. To leave everything more beautiful than it started with. And everything is different; each job has a little different twist on it. Dave: What is it about success that makes it so hard for us to pin down?  Maybe the biggest reason is that success looks and feels different for each person. For Marie Mouradian, owner of Window Designs Etc., success is not something to be accomplished, but something to constantly strive for. As her own boss for over 33 years, Marie has pushed herself to stay at the top of her craft within a changing industry. Today she’ll share where she gets her inspiration, her biggest challenges, and advice you can apply to your business. More than fifty percent of small businesses fail within the first five years. These are the stories of those who beat the odds. My name is Dave Charest and I’ll be your host as we share the stories of some of the bravest people you’ll ever meet, small business owners. You’ll hear how they got started, their biggest challenges, and their dreams for the future. Dave: Stepping into our office, it’s clear that Marie’s passion for design and aesthetic are not only part of her business, but something she lives and breathes each day. There’s an attention to detail in the way that she presents herself. I started our interview by asking Marie where her love of fashion and design comes from and how it translated to starting her own business. Marie:  Ever since I was really small my mother and my grandmother taught me how to sew. And so I started sewing clothing when I was probably about seven. And that’s what I have my degree in, is clothing and textiles. And then I went into fashion merchandising, into the retail end. And that was when stores started opening on Sunday, and I was working way too much for schlepping all kinds of clothing all over a store. And so I started doing things on the side. And it was through encouragement of my family, my friends, my then-fiancé who said, “You really just need to start a business.” And so at the ripe old age of 22 I went into business. Did I have a business plan? No. Was I crazy? Yes. But I was very fortunate that I had people who believed in me. Dave: For Marie, the doubts and uncertainties of starting a business were overpowered by a desire to pursue something personal and meaningful. Marie: Fabric makes my heart sing, and color and texture and all the types of style and design. Dave: Tell me a bit more about that. What about it makes you so excited? Marie: That you can take something flat, a flat bolt of fabric, and you can create anything, anything. Anything that gives you a feeling. And, of course, as it transfers onto windows, it absorbs sound, it creates all other functions. Whether you’re going to block out light or add some style,