Chip Gaines Said There Was ‘No Strategy’ in Growing Magnolia Brand
HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines attained fame via their reality TV show, Fixer Upper. And they managed to expand their Magnolia empire in Waco, Texas, to create a multimillion-dollar brand. Fans love seeing what Chip and Joanna are up to next, as they appear to have a clear and distinct path forward. But Chip admitted that there was “no strategy” in expanding Magnolia in the way that he and Joanna did.
Chip Gaines admitted there wasn’t much ‘strategy’ involved in building Magnolia
Building an empire like Magnolia is no easy feat, and Chip and Joanna Gaines put their all into their business. Before the success of Fixer Upper in 2013, Chip and Joanna started Magnolia in 2003. It then evolved into including Magnolia Market, Silos Baking Co., Magnolia Table, Magnolia Press Coffee Co., Magnolia Journal, Magnolia Realty, Magnolia Vacation Rentals, and Magnolia Home, to name a few businesses.
Chip spoke to Kennebec Cabin Company in 2023 about his experience growing the company. While he and Joanna established the company, it takes a village to run. “It’s gotten big now,” Chip said. “We refer to our company as a small business. It’s really, probably, technically not. Jo and I are small business operators. That’s who we are; that’s the thread that we view the world through.”
Chip then said that he and Joanna never aimed to grow Magnolia to the extent it’s grown. “For us, it was kind of day by day, one foot in front of the other. Back in the early days … we probably had 10, 15 employees total. … Those folks and us, we were in the same ditch. We were in the mud together. … You sincerely feel like a team out in the trenches. … Dozens of those early, early employees are still with us today.”
Chip added that he and Joanna employ over 500 employees in 2023. While the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected the employment numbers slightly, the couple needs people to help with their large-scale operation. And when people ask Chip and Joanna how they scaled Magnolia to such great heights, Chip ensures them that he and Joanna didn’t have a clear strategy.
“Looking back in the rearview mirror, everybody says, ‘What was the plan?’ and ‘How do you strategically develop something like this?’ I’m like, there was no strategy,” he added.
The ‘Fixer Upper’ couple expanded their Waco, Texas, empire with Hotel 1928
Chip and Joanna Gaines are expanding Magnolia again with a new project that fans can stay in starting in November 2023. Hotel 1928 in Waco, Texas, ensures fans will get the experience of a lifetime while staying near the Magnolia headquarters.
“Magnolia founders Chip and Joanna Gaines, together with AJ Capital, have re-envisioned this historic building to create a hospitality experience with 33 guest rooms, dining, over 6,600 square feet of event space, a rooftop terrace, and a retail shop featuring exclusive Magnolia-designed Hotel 1928 merchandise,” the hotel website reads.
Chip and Joanna show their entire journey of restoring the building in their new miniseries, Fixer Upper: The Hotel, also set to debut in November.
“When you think about a 50,000-square-foot hotel remodel, I mean, this is the big leagues,” Chip says in the trailer of the new miniseries. “This is what you dream about. And I think Jo and I are out of our element, to some extent, but I think we’re up for the challenge.”
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