A woman with brown wavy hair and gold hoop earrings, wearing a green and white patterned blouse, smiling and looking at the camera in an office setting with a blurred green plant in the background.

My story

For a long time, I believed I was not capable of building something successful.

I struggled in school, battled self-doubt, and spent years believing the story that I was “not smart enough” for business. But deep down, something in me always believed there had to be more.

My first business was a salon in Hailey, Idaho, where I learned how powerful creativity, customer experience, and taking risks could be. I built a completely different experience for clients, combining luxury, design, and thoughtful details long before that became common in the industry. The salon was eventually featured in Nails Magazine and became the first salon in Idaho to serve beer and wine during services.

But life shifted.

After my divorce, I had to rebuild from the ground up with no safety net, no clear roadmap, and no idea how everything would come together. During that season, I worked in sales for Sun Valley Magazine before eventually finding my way into the window treatment industry.

That was the moment everything started to change.

As I learned the industry, I realized there was a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight, especially for designers. Most people were intimidated by window treatments because they had been taught to see them as overly technical and complicated. But I quickly realized they could become one of the most profitable and transformational parts of a project when approached the right way.

In 2023, I started Local Builders & Blinds and began building relationships with designers, clients, and builders throughout the valley. Over time, I taught myself estimating, invoicing, project management, QuickBooks, systems, and the business side of growth while continuing to expand the window treatment side of the company.

But the biggest shift was not just business strategy. It was belief.

For years, I had been introduced to manifestation and mindset work, but I could never fully access it because deep down, I still believed the old story that I was not capable. Over time, that changed. I stopped waiting to feel “qualified” and started trusting myself enough to take action anyway.

Today, I’m still running and growing Local Builders & Blinds, working with designers and clients on custom window treatments and construction projects, but I’m also building something more.

Kelly Pleats.

This is where I teach what I’ve learned.

Because here’s the truth: there is a massive opportunity in this industry that most designers are completely overlooking. Window treatments are not as complicated as they’ve been made to seem and when done right, they can significantly increase the profitability of a project.

I’m here to simplify it. To show you what actually works. And to help you build a business that gives you more income, more confidence, and more freedom.

Because if I can go from being told I wasn’t smart enough… to building this life?

You can too.