We had the good fortune of connecting with Billye Decker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Billye, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Over time I have learned that balancing work and life is crucial to my mental and physical health! When I don’t set and keep a schedule for myself, I tend to work way too many hours. I end up stressed out and exhausted. When I’m overworked I start making mistakes that cost me extra time. No matter how busy I am or how many orders I have in line, me keeping the balance has proved best for myself, my family, and the quality of my furniture.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets me apart is the fact that I don’t pre build anything. Every piece of furniture I build is custom. I have my clients send me inspiration pictures or drawings of styles and finishes that they like, along with the size requirements they are needing. I don’t want anything to feel “cookie cutter”. I love it when my customers get their furniture home and tell me that they can tell I built it just for them. I want the world to know that I will not settle for mediocre. I want my customers to LOVE their new furniture and be excited about it! I am also always up for a challenge!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a hard one! We would definitely watch the sunset from the porch swings beside our fire pit. Friday night would be set aside for some Gunter Tigers football! We could do some shopping at the McKinney Trade Days. Then, spend the rest of the weekend on the water at Lake Texoma.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shout out to two men that became part of my life when I met my husband, Jim. One is my father in law, Walter Decker. He is definitely one of my biggest fans. He is just as excited about my furniture as I am. When I meet one of his friends (he has a lot of friends) they already know so much about me and the fact that I build custom furniture. He encourages me to keep a positive outlook and to never give up. The other one is my husband’s uncle, Jim Schiller. I am very thankful that I was able to get to know him before he passed away a couple of years ago. He was a very intelligent businessman and an amazing woodworker. When I first started my business I was terrified of pricing my furniture too high. In turn I priced it way too low. Jim cut straight to the chase. He reminded me that if I don’t value my time and the quality of my work then nobody else will either. Every time I saw him he would start out with positive comments about the quality and beauty of my work. Then, he wanted my prices. I admired his brutal honesty. As crazy as it may sound, I hear his words and pricing technique whenever I start to question what I am charging for the things I build from scratch for each unique customer.

Instagram: @built4you
Facebook: Facebook.com/built4u