ONE YEAR IN BUSINESS

ONE YEAR IN BUSINESS:

Lessons & Trials of Running A Business While Employed

I'm going to be honest, June 19th is like New Year's for me now. A year into being a business owner has been LIFE-CHANGING and I don't mean that to be cliche because it has literally transformed my life in the last twelve months.

Every aspect of my life has TRANSFORMED.

I mentioned in my 2018 review how my mom's health scare in February of that year acted as a pivot point for me. Being strong for her in those days were a true test of what I could handle. It broke me, but we both came out stronger because of it, surprisingly. In case you didn't read that post, I found my mom almost knocking on death's door when I drove down to New York to check up on her after not hearing from her in almost 48 hours. After spending the night in ER with her, it turns out she had diabetes and was close to going into a diabetic coma. She ended up staying there for about five days so I was commuting back and forth to be there with her.

It took me about a month and a half to find my footing again and breathe easier knowing that she was back to work and doing her best with this new life with diabetes. I was able to get back into the groove of working my 9-5 and continue client work via Havenly thanks to my patient and understanding clients.

I'd always wanted to have my own boutique interior design firm. I didn't complete an internship in college or land a job with a firm after college so I wasn't sure how I would make this a reality. Working with Havenly gave me a taste of how much I love working with strong, inspiring women, especially other moms, helping hem materialize their visions for their homes. I wanted to do dive all the way in, but I was very much unsure of myself.

I have to give credit to my husband for pushing me to start my business when I did. He gave me a serious pep talk stating:

"All I ask for you to do is not be afraid of taking a risk...There is something holding you back and it isn't money, it isn't time".

He told me I should go for it and I was so unsure of myself. I had to sit with that fact for a moment and asking myself:

"What is actually holding me back?" Then it hit me, it's so simple:

Fear...

Fear of failing.

Fear of making a mistake.

Fear of the unknown.

Once I uncovered this, I was able to find an ounce of courage to seriously look into starting my business. I had been a part of Facebook groups, following many interior designers, to-the-trade brands, and other experts in various fields already. I grabbed many freebies, paid for e-courses on topics I wasn't clear about like branding, marketing and productivity. I'd just need to apply what I researched and studied. Now, it was time to start forming my business and applying what I had learned so far.

I was able to make enough money to obtain my LLC, domain and get my website running from my most successful month with Havenly in May. After filing the paperwork, I found, to my surprise, my business was officially formed on Juneteenth.

What a symbolic day of freedom.

I'd already been working with Havenly for about 8 months by the time I decided to form my business. By getting my foot in the door and working with clients, I was able to gain some confidence to start my own interior design business in hopes of continuing to provide eDesign services and move into on-site projects over time.

What's even more wild is I had decided back in March that I was going to attend the Black Interior Designer's Conference in Atlanta in July, no matter what. I'd wanted to attend the two previous conferences, but the funds and time did not allow me to. It really felt like I was already planting the seeds for my own business before it became real. Attending the conference allowed me to tour showrooms and familiarize myself with brands, meet and network with other designers at different stages of their careers, and hear from established Black interior designers. It was just the kind of community I needed to be around to motivate myself and really feel like I could do this.

AUGUST

When I came back from ATL, an old client of mine via Havenly had invited me to see her home in person to take pictures for my portfolio. I had designed four different rooms for her so this was HUGE especially because we had a great time working together. I only photographed two of the rooms since these were the rooms I picked most or all of the furniture and decor for. I was so excited to see that it literally looked like my renderings had jumped out and landed into the rooms. You can find the photos here and here.

Leaving her house and driving home made me realize just how amazing it is to create a vision and then see it materialized. I was just so awe-struck and grateful to have been able to see my design in person and knowing that people do and will pay for me to design a space catered to their personal aesthetic along with their needs and wants.

FALL

Now, you would think if I had such a great first few months that everything would be smooth sailing right? Yeah, me too.

I hit a pivotal point in September/October. Not only were things picking up at my 9-5 again, but I was starting to get clients who didn't value my time. I had a few of them here and there earlier in the year, but then it started to be more consistent. I was starting to get worn out by this and the hard fact that eDesign companies do not really pay you all that well for the time and work being done. I knew of people who provided eDesign services who charged way more than what the projects they completed. I wasn't having as much fun anymore with this reality check along with the long days and nights of working on multiple projects, working my 9-5 and trying to be available to my family at home left me worn thin. I wasn't making any time for ME.

I went back and forth in my mind and out loud about possibly leaving Havenly, but I didn't want to stop because that's how I got my clients, that's where I got the money to pour into my business. I had to have a serious talk with myself and do what was best for me on all fronts. It wasn't an easy or light decision to make. I finally decided in November to cut down the amount of clients I took and if I still felt the same way by the end of the month, I'd resign.

DECEMBER

I left Havenly in December. I was a sad and a little scared because I had no clue what would happen now, but it was the end of the year already. There weren't many clients that would be looking to start a project so close to the holidays. I did get one client through my business to close the year with after running a Black Friday eDesign deal which was great because I got to test my systems and processes out now that I was on my own. The project went pretty well. My client was a pleasure to work with and she opened my eyes my own passion for entrepreneurs and to the importance of having safe spaces to work for Black people and People of Color in general. She wanted to refresh her lounge and reception area to her co-working space so when her members enter, they can feel right at home and to be motivated to get working on their passions and purpose. You can find the co-working space project here.

I actually ended December on a high note in terms of networking and being social overall. I attended the MWiiD NYC chapter meeting which was great because there were familiar faces and new faces to sit down and talk with. We all shared a little bit about ourselves, had delicious food and tea and we exchanged business cards and social media handles to keep in touch. Also in December, I attended the “Break The Mold” panel hosted by the Black Interior Designers Network at the New York School of Interior Design. Listening to other designers’ journeys and relating to them was a great motivation. This was another great way to network with other local designers.

2019

I could pretty much sum up how 2019 has started in a paragraph. My word for 2019 is: Consistency with honorable mention going to "Discipline" & "Heal" and that's exactly what my year has been centered around.

The consistency, however, is not visible to all since I realized I really had to do serious work on myself within. I had to make my health a priority, inside and out. I needed to heal and release any negative habits, beliefs, people and environments so that I could make room for more positive things/opportunities to happen. I needed to forgive myself for any times I have held myself back in the past so I could move forward. In the beginning, it felt like I needed to do things quickly like I did last year, but I kept hitting mental and invisible roadblock after roadblock. Hard stops. It frustrated me because I felt like I wasn't doing enough especially since I didn't have any clients coming in, but I decided to pivot and instead of force it, I planned and gathered my ideas. It wasn't time to publish anything to the world just yet.

I have notebooks filled now of ideas and I keep a journal to process my thoughts. I've made a habit of reading old journal entries or writing in my journal before bed or in the morning; it's designated ME time. I relaunched my business in April and released my freebie guides for designers and for anyone who is ready to start working on themselves, doing the DEEP work that I have been doing and what I am still doing.

The hashtag #CommunityOverCompetition is so true. While interior design is still my passion and my trade, I am also passionate about helping other entrepreneurs and newbie interior designers figure out this gray space that happens before everything just falls into place in your career. Everyone should have a main occupation and a side hustle/hobby/passion project to keep you excited and, for me, producing these freebies and other helpful resources for others is my passion project. My plan is to grow this into a community of sorts and it is still in its infant stages, but I have big visions for it and I believe it will leave an impact because it is needed. It will be exactly what I was looking for when I graduated college and could not figure out what to do next, what's what in the interior design industry, how to navigate and transition mindsets from college graduation to adulthood.

Support is needed. Community is needed. Non-judgement is needed.

The last year has taught me so much about myself by showing me my limits and showing me what I could and couldn't live with out, what is truly important to me in life. I met so many talented designers on the way and worked with such creative and inspiring women on their homes and seen a piece of their lives. I realized this year that I am my ancestors wildest dreams.

I'm taking a risk.

I'm leaving my job and traveling down my unique path. In search of wanting and trying to mimic another person's path, I realized I can't do that, that's why it was hard for me to find a role model growing up. I'm going at my own pace and learning as I go to create a stable and sustainable legacy.

I am so grateful that I was chosen to walk this path because even when it scares me, once I get through it, I am amazed at my strength.

Here's to another lesson filled year.