Member Article

Behind the business with Galaxy Stars

Nivin El-Gamal is the founder of property investment and interior design firm Galaxy Stars, and company that helps foreign investors find opportunities in London, and provides luxury interior design to add value to their property. The business also works with individuals, from foreign dignitaries to pop stars, as well as with organisations across a number of projects. Bdaily went behind the business to find out more.

What key challenges has your company recently faced?

I recently took a break from the business to raise my young son. He suffers from a genetic disorder which means he’s more prone to illness than other children – so I have to spend extra time looking after him. It’s always difficult juggling being a mum and business owner but I’ve now returned to running the company and am loving every minute.

What is your biggest achievement over the past 12 months?

Building the company to a point where high net worth individuals come to us for help transforming their property. These people could choose anybody in the world and we’re very proud they chose Galaxy Stars.

What is your most important focus for the coming year, and what do you hope to achieve?

I plan to double Galaxy Stars existing client base. We’ve got a lot of interesting projects in the pipeline including working in partnership with housing developers to design show homes for high-end housing developments – which is a really exciting opportunity for the business as well as working with high end hotels.

What excites you most about your industry and business?

I love how creative I get to be and even thought we work across a wide range of projects the buzz of seeing the final result never goes away. I personally oversee every project and really get to know my clients which also means I get to meet interesting people from all over the world – most of whom have a great story to tell.

What do you wish you’d known when starting out?

The right way to say no to a client. I still remember the first time I said, “No thanks” to an existing client which seemed to annoy them. It is really important selecting which projects to dedicate your time to and which to politely decline – after all you can’t do everything. My rule of thumb now is if work comes in that makes you feel depressed or stressed before you’ve even started on it, stop. You have to enjoy running your own business and I try and focus on projects which truly excite and motivate me.

What will be the “next big thing“ in your industry, and how do you plan to handle it?

I plan to launch a bespoke furniture factory fusing my unique design styles to create elegantly traditional or funky fresh minimalist interiors, which are truly personalised to each individual client – from concept to completion. I can’t wait to offer clients designs which feature furniture items I have crafted myself.

In the long-term I want to head a team of creative designs and high-skilled craftsmen dedicated to creating luxury, bespoke architectural interiors for every aspect of the home.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .