SideQuest 07: Exploding Toilets, Budget Hacks, and "Doing It In The Dark" (with Isabel Bowen) | DIY Renovations and Creative Entrepreneurship

Welcome to a very special Side Quest! Today, we are keeping it in the family—Arly’s sister, Isabel Bowen, joins the chat!Isabel is the ultimate "double threat": she plans luxury South Asian and multicultural weddings by day, and by night (literally), she runs Bowen’s Builds, a DIY renovation brand she built with her husband, Jacob.In this episode, we talk about the messy reality of starting a business, why "perfect" is the enemy of "done," and how to renovate a house when you work a full-time job.In this episode, we discuss:The "Toilet Incident": The chaotic origin story of Bowen's Builds involving an exploded toilet, a flooded dining room, and a smoke detector going off in the middle of the disaster."Doing It In The Dark": The reality of renovating after your 9-5 job. Isabel shares how they tackle projects one hour at a time—often with no sunlight!Budgeting 101: How to navigate the gap between your "Champagne Dreams" and your actual budget (including painting kiddie pools to look like brass vessels!).Type A vs. Chaos: A hilarious look at the difference between Isabel (who plans everything) and Arly (who starts 10 projects and finishes none).The "Daily Grievance" List: Isabel’s top tip for deciding what to renovate first—fix the thing that annoys you every single day.Connect with Isabel:📸 DIY & Renovation: Follow @bowens.builds💍 Wedding Planning: https://theyellowroseweddings.com/Resources Mentioned:​Community: Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ How to Handyma’am Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to ask questions and post your project pics.Products We Love: Find the tools mentioned in this episode at our storefront:​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop the Handyma'am Favorites on Lowe's⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Village!​Web:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ myhandymaam.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​Socials:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @howtohandymaam⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/howtohandymaam