Laying it on the Line for the Love of Interior Design

This is a personal taking a leap of faith and keeping it real kind of post… just forewarning you!

A few days ago the Nester, a fellow friend blogger, had a fun linky party all about taking risks and the benefits & possibilities you receive from taking leaps of faith.

I took a few days & thought of how I could dive in and link up. There are a TON of directions I could have gone in…

– Takings Risks with Bold Color Choices

– Tasking Risks with High Contrast

– Tasking Risks with Mix Matching Finishes

– Taking Risks with Uncommon Furniture Plans

-Taking Risks with DIY Projects

& the list could do on and on and on. Eventually, I will have a post on these topics, but I thought I would get a little personal with you & show you just how I took a HUGE leap of faith when creating & forming this thing I call A Design Story.

I wrote all about my blog & the story behind it, how I was launched into interior design, my Bachelor’s Degree, some of the projects I have worked on & more awhile back, which gives you more details on the whole story, this post is more about how we laid it all on the line for the ‘love of interior design’.

First, A Design Story was created as a quick idea from my dad, my husband and I. We discussed how to get really high-tech with interior design and create online design services. It was a fun (and from what I originally thought a fleeting) idea. I “munched” on the idea for awhile and then the ideas really started growing more into a full, bonafide plan. I must say, this was when the economy was steadily heading south. It was about the time I started dating Kevin (back in 2008) and interior design as I knew it was about to change completely. I was used to having very prominent and high end projects and they were readily available. When the real estate market goes down, so does interior design, architecture, landscape architecture & it trickles down into textile design, furniture design & on & on. I had already left the ‘big design firm’ life and was toying with the idea of starting my own design firm. I knew from the moment I was in school, that I would gain experience and one day venture out & start my own interior design firm… it was a long time coming!

{P.S. Kevin hates this picture}

The light bulb turned on when we really started talking about the future of interior design… not as a whole… but for my own design firm. After all the grumbling that interior design was ‘over’ and trying to figure out how I was going to utilize my degree, my education, my talent, my skills and my passion, we stepped out in a HUGE way. With the support from my family and the business help from Kevin, we made a huge leap of faith and I started my own interior design firm. I first called it Sara-Lindsay Designs. I worked under that name for 6 months or so while we were developing my idea further.

It was a little depressing at first because I started out on my own in the worst of situations. It was hard because I watched my passion, hard work, talent and expensive degree fall right with the economy….

Or so I thought.

You know what they say…

The idea was to be a full service interior design firm while also sheltering the need for budget friendly designs for a broader clientele base. I love interior design and I really wanted anyone and everyone to be able to be able to purchase design solutions, no matter the budget. In addition to interior design services (both local and online), I wanted to provide inspiration, discussions, planning tips, showcase ideas and really instill a love for great design in a big audience. This is where the blog idea came from.

I started my company with passion, not with the idea that ‘everyone is doing this… so can I’. In fact, I only knew of one other blog at the time and knew nothing about anyone else offering online design services. I think it truly important when you take a leap of faith to be original and not mimic the passions and pursuits of others. I think people like that move from business venture to venture without being successful at one. Find out what YOU love and do it.

So, my next step was to create a true business plan, RESEARCH and find a website designer. I will tell you when I began my research; I did find a ton of other bloggers & designers who had similar ideas. I decided at that point I was going to continue with my idea in my own unique way.

I was always a fan of to-do lists, but during this time I became a pro.

After speaking with a website & graphic designer who is also a Ringling Alumni, in addition to giving me some great tips & insight, he talked me into changing my business name for a broader online presence. I brainstormed, wept, ate, slept and breathed interior design names until wha-la. I found one and it was so ‘me’. I called and emailed around to those friends I had told about my idea just to hear some criticism… everyone loved the name and so, A Design Story was formed.

In addition to telling me to change the name, he also gave me some tips on finding a good website designer.

Here are a few of tips he gave me and a few I found out myself along my journey…

– NEVER share your entire idea while you are in negotiations/ bids for a contract… even if you think you know the person (I found that out the hard way). Not everyone works under good & moral business practices.

– Ask to see their portfolio (if it isn’t already up on their site)

– Are they technologically savvy? Are they in ‘the know’ on the latest & greatest?

– Are they educated in technical coding? This is especially important if you need to customize your site or need ecommerce.

After I found the right website designer, I created a preliminary wire-frame of how I wanted the site to operate. I created page by page in wordpress and sent it to my website designer to have him spill it into the site as he designed it.

This was my very first idea of the website framework on paper… it became better and more legible as I went!! It was a rough, rough draft…

{That was drafted when “I thought” I knew all about websites. Ha}

Keep in mind, in addition to the website & local marketing, I had to incorporate myself, get prepared for interior design accounts with various furniture, fabric and design companies, copyright my blog and start getting a presence in our community and online through social networking.

Finally, in February 2010, A Design Story (.) Com was launched (after much planning and prayer). We came up with an idea, spent time making sure the details were right & in place & followed my education and background to have a sturdy foundation. We put our money, time, dedication and tears (literally) on the line and I feel like taking the risk was the best thing I have ever done. Personally, it was easy to be an interior designer for a big company; it is more challenging to create your own firm out of thin air. For me, generating a business model for a local design firm and an online design division gave me the challenge of a life time.

Earlier this year, I went through some of the plans for A Design Story (we do have some surprises coming with the new site). I also gave you the ‘to-do’ list for the site for the upcoming months.

We have A LOT coming your way. I just wanted you to know where I came from, how this all came to be and why taking a leap of faith (for us) was the hardest, yet greatest challenge we have taken on.

The local division of interior design will be marketed heavily in the coming months. Additionally, we are joining forces with my dad’s building company and my husband’s real estate business to become a dynamic trio. It has been in the works for quite awhile and we are finally getting around to ‘get real’ about it.

The online design division is getting a makeover too. We are revamping our packages, prices and shop look! We have some secrets we will be revealing about it soon & when the new site launches, it will rock your world. In the meantime, we will continue with what we offer now.

The blog is becoming more of an online diary of our interior design story & yours, all while offering inspiration, professional interior design expertise & tips, design solutions, shopping guides, giveaways & more.

In addition to offering interior design online (e-décor), our new shopwill be chock full of fabulous items. We mentioned to you a few weeks ago, that I am going to be taking advantage of my graphic design & photography education (I received both in addition to interior design @ Ringling College) and offering both graphic and photography prints and other neat items like vintage accessories, handmade items & more. I am excited about the upcoming months and launching a new site that will better showcase my talents and function better for my beloved readers. What I do is truly all about you and less about us. We love this new adventure and can’t wait to see where it takes us. We aren’t doing anything to make ourselves get to the top… we decided the way we get there was going to be organic & true.

The look is changing up a bit too. Yeah, don’t get used to this look, color scheme or logo… you are just going to have to wait to see what’s happening around the corner!

So, have you ever taken a huge risk before either personally or business wise? While building this business, we were busy personally too! We dated, got engaged, planned a wedding, went on a 2 week honeymoon, returned & moved. Needless to say, it made it harder, but it still paid off! How about you?? Was it worth the leap of faith? What made it work? DO TELL. As ‘they’ say… let’s keep it real and get connected!!

P.S. I have had A TON of inquiries about when is the time to hire a professional interior designer… Well, I have got a great post tomorrow all about it! I am going to dish out some great tips so you don’t stress out in the middle of DIY’s!

I linked this post up to Taking a Risk Day at the Nesting Place.