Jessica Lehman Design growing in Somerset County, helping spaces come to life

A month after Jessica Lehman lost her job at a local showroom, she learned she and her husband were expecting their second child. “Childcare was so expensive, and I wanted to be able to be at home with my children. So, with the encouragement of my husband, we decided it was time for me to start my own business,” she said. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in interior design and worked in the industry since 2009, mainly as a Kitchen and Bath designer, before going out on her own in 2017.

Jessica’s services, not to be confused with decorating, focus mainly on new home builds and kitchen and bath remodels. “I help homeowners with space planning—visualizing what their new home or space could look like. I also help them select quality finishes, and work hand in hand with their contractor to make the design come to life,” she said.

Since she started working with Matt Reckner, the Startup Alleghenies coach for Somerset County, Jessica has been able to take her business to a new level. “When I first started out, I had no idea about Startup Alleghenies. I was just winging it,” she said. “I took a few online classes geared towards new interior design businesses and did a lot of Google research, but just couldn’t get the traction I was hoping for.  A friend told me about Startup Alleghenies, and once I started working with Matt, my business took off.  The resources and guidance he provided to me were so helpful and built my confidence as a business owner. I finally had a plan in place and no longer felt I was just throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping something would stick!”

Matt helped to connect Jessica to the Penn State Law Clinic to help her get contracts written. “It was such a smooth process, and it gave me so much peace of mind, knowing that I now had a solid contract that was tailored to my business instead of the generic one I had been using at the time.”

Jessica currently utilizes the conference rooms at Uptown Works for client meetings but has plans to build a small design studio and showroom to meet with clients. In addition, her husband is planning to eventually start working with her full-time. Together they are also planning an e-commerce home décor store with custom pieces built by her husband along with some of Jessica’s favorite items.

Startup Alleghenies helps startup and emerging small businesses succeed by providing free coaching to entrepreneurs in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset counties. To access personal, one-on-one support from a coach in your county, including guidance, resources, tools and networking opportunities, sign up at startupalleghenies.com.