In this interview with Ana Cvetkovic, founder of Rowhome Design, we talk about the power of community, taking risks before you feel completely ready, and building a career that gives you more freedom. Ana shares how her nonlinear path ultimately led her to interior design and why she believes success is about creating a life that truly fulfills you.
Community Opens Doors You Didn’t Know Were There
Tell me about how community helped you launch your marketing business and how it is helping your current business grow.
Community has been essential to me throughout my career, both when I started my marketing business and now with home design.
My friend Maddie Osmond, a copywriter currently based in Denver, was someone I met when I was living in Chicago. We were both part of the food blogger community; she was working in digital marketing as her primary job while running her food blog as a side passion. I took her out to lunch, and she essentially taught me the ropes of what eventually became my own digital marketing and copywriting business.
From Maddie, I learned to approach others in my field with an abundance mindset rather than a competitive one. There are far more opportunities available than there are people to serve those needs. Seeing her lead with generosity inspired me to pay it forward whenever I meet someone in any of the industries I have worked in.
When I started Rowhome Design, connecting with more experienced interior designers was tremendously helpful. Sari M. of Rework Architecture and Design and Cait Borkowski of Cait Borkowski Design have been incredible friends and mentors to me. I would not be where I am today without their guidance, wisdom, and friendship. I truly appreciate when others share their expertise, and I try to do the same for others whenever I can.
Freedom Starts With Owning Your Time
Are you designing your dream life, and are you living it?
I absolutely feel like I am designing and living my dream life.
When I worked a traditional 9-to-5, I lacked freedom. You have to show up at a specific time and stay for a set number of hours, even if all your work is complete. I really did not enjoy that dynamic.
I have been self-employed for over a decade now, and I am very intentional about designing my days, my weeks, and ensuring I schedule time for travel, which is deeply important to me. I usually take about a month off every September to travel around Europe, visit family in Serbia, see my dad in London, and explore somewhere new in between. That extended time off is essential for me to rest and recharge, and now that I am in design, it also serves as vital inspiration for my work.
The freedom of entrepreneurship is incredible, and it allows me to live my ideal life. It means I can sit here with you on a Wednesday morning at the Fitler Club chatting, or meet up with friends in the middle of the day. For me, it is all about freedom, flexibility, and owning my time.
Success Is a Life That Fulfills You
What is your definition of success today?
Success to me is having the freedom to live a life that fulfills me. A fulfilling life includes being surrounded by my community and friends, building strong relationships, traveling, enjoying good food, and embracing life’s pleasures as much as possible.
Small Risks Can Lead to Bigger Leaps
What do you think holds women back from doing something bold?
Part of it may simply come down to personality traits or a lack of experience with taking risks. If someone took a risk in the past and it did not turn out well, they may naturally feel hesitant to try something scary again.
When it comes to starting a business, there are also very real financial hurdles holding people back, such as student loans, rent, and mortgages. It is daunting to launch something new without a guaranteed monthly income, so that hesitation is completely understandable.
When I built my marketing business, I did it on the side while keeping my full-time job, which gave me a safety net to fall back on if things went wrong. With my interior design business, the landscape in marketing copywriting was shifting rapidly, so I felt like I had nothing to lose. I decided to give it a try, knowing I could always apply for a traditional job if needed, though I really wanted to avoid that path. And here I am.
You’re Never Going to Feel 100% Ready
If you were to give someone advice on developing the confidence to take a leap, what would you say?
Start by taking small risks. Whether in entrepreneurship or dating, just go on the date or take the small step and see what happens. You do not necessarily have to quit your job and go all-in on a new business immediately. Figure out how to test your ideas in a safer environment and learn from those initial steps.
Each time you test something small, you can take a slightly bigger risk until you feel comfortable enough to go all-in. But the truth is, we are never going to feel 100% ready.
I remember when I was building the website for my first marketing business; I kept delaying publishing it because I wanted it to be perfect. The reality is that done is better than perfect. You simply need to get your work out into the world. People are likely not scrutinizing your website as closely as you think; we always care about those details far more than anyone else does.
Letting Go Means Making Room for the Work You Love
What is a hard lesson you have had to learn?
My marketing business was a one-woman show. I handled all the work myself and maintained a high level of quality on my own. With my interior design business, however, I am realizing that I will need to build a team sooner rather than later.
I have discovered that I truly love the creative design process, whereas tasks like managing logistics and tracking shipments, while crucial, do not bring me joy. I am learning to trust others and hire people to handle the operational details so I can focus my energy on the core design work I love doing for my clients.
Your Career Doesn’t Have to Follow a Straight Line
What advice would you give your younger self?
When I was younger, I originally wanted to be a scientist because that was my mom’s career, and I thought it looked easy. Then I wanted to be an actress because what kid does not want to be famous? After that, I became interested in fashion design, but since I was good at math, I considered architecture. Then, around the 2008 financial crisis, a professor advised me against architecture, claiming there were no building opportunities.
I ultimately studied journalism because I loved storytelling and wanted to meet interesting people, visit cool places, and get paid to share those experiences. It is funny that I have landed in interior design today, which is a field I have always been passionate about.
The advice I would give my younger self is that everything works out, and your path to your goals does not need to be linear. It has not been pure luck; it has taken a lot of hard work and intentional choices. But what you study in school does not dictate what you must do for the rest of your life. It is liberating to realize just how much freedom and flexibility actually exist.
Meet Ana Cvetkovic
Ana Cvetkovic is the founder and principal designer of Rowhome Design, an interior design studio specializing in designing homes for the way Philly lives. Her work has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer and industry publications like House Beautiful, Homes & Gardens, and Real Simple. Ana’s signature style is colorful, joyful, eclectic, and functional.
Habituelle is proud to partner with the Fitler Club on The Stories—a shared commitment to elevating the voices of women leaders and creating space for the conversations, connections, and stories that inspire meaningful change.
