Laura Hawley
Owner, Ambiance Design 

How long have you been in this industry?
I have been in the window treatment industry for 20 years. I started off at Elmar Window Fashions in Willow Grove, Pa., as a customer service supervisor. Seven years later I moved into Hunter Douglas corporate as a field services manager, serving in that position for one year.

Did you have another career before this one?
Before Hunter Douglas and window treatments, I served for seven years in the Air Force as an air traffic controller where I met my amazing husband Dan Hawley. Window treatments have been my life ever since, and I am so happy to have brought him alongside me too.

When did you decide to go into business for yourself?
In 2008, the economy tanked and I was let go from my position at Hunter Douglas. It was then and there that I realized I could use my years of experience in the window treatment industry as well as my drive and determination to start my own business. I was the “chick with the drill” installing window treatments in various hotels throughout the region. I later began selling products directly from my car, which quickly blossomed into a small, yet very successful family-owned business in a gorgeous showroom. That bold move was one of the best decisions of my life.

What has been the biggest obstacle to being a woman in business?
It sounds crazy, but I don’t see any obstacles to being a woman in business because I do not view it that way. I have always had the attitude and mentality that I am on equal playing ground with my male counterparts and colleagues; perhaps it is partly due to growing up with three older brothers. I also have a strong faith in that if you perceive things as obstacles, they become one, and I simply don’t consider being a woman in business a source of concern.

How do you define success?
Success is very personal. To me it has everything to do with your insides aligning with your outsides. Whatever is your desire, you put your all into it as long as it’s what you feel led to do. I used to think it was all about money; however, now I clearly see it involves so much more. It’s about relationships, honesty and integrity.

What is something you can’t live without?
My partner and love of my life Dan Hawley. Not only could I not live without him, but our business couldn’t survive without his passion, expertise and lighthearted personable nature. Aside from that, I probably couldn’t make it a day without gum.

How do you unwind after a stressful day?
I go and hang out in my gorgeous garden of dahlias. I also enjoy reading on my Kindle. 

Ambiance Design, Blue Bell, Pa., (267) 898-0200, ADWindowTreatments.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 20, Issue 4 (October 2019). 
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