How I got here...

For some reason lately I've gotten a handful of emails asking about my business, how I got here, and what advice I have to others who want to do the same thing. There isn't an easy way to write a quick response, so I thought I'd address it on my blog.

If you are not interested, I suggest you continue on your blog roll :)

And here's a little background...

Interior Design was always something I wanted to do. When I was in 6th grade, we were given an assignment to construct a magazine cover featuring what we wanted to be in life. For instance, many boys put themselves as star athletes on Sports Illustrated. I put myself on the cover of People magazine as Interior Designer of the Year. I know, it's so laughable... and why People magazine? I guess I didn't know of any trade magazines (my parents weren't and still aren't into interiors at all). I really don't know where the project is today.. but I wish I still had it.

Fast forward a decade or so and there I was in college. I actually had the desire to major in Interior Design, but truth is I was too scared. It was one of those majors that had a bad reputation when it came to job opportunities post-graduation. Sort of like an English major or a Theater major - sure you're following your dream but there isn't much hope in finding a job. Instead I majored in Advertising. It came natural to me and I had a lot of opportunities. I had internships and got a great job out of college. Do I regret this? Sometimes I do... but my firm answer is no. I think everything happened for a reason. Plus - my graphic design background has helped me with e-decorating, and my marketing background has helped me with client management.

Hmm.. my career in Advertising. I won't get into too much detail but it just wasn't a good fit. Sure, there were some good times.. but there were a lot of bad times and I wasn't happy. I always kept interior design in my life, and blogging became my outlet for it. I really owe everything to blogging. It's the best. Love you guys. So I started doing design boards for free, then for $25, then for $75, and it grew into a sort of little side business for me. And on my 25th birthday, I decided to put myself out there, and I posted an ad for my local services on Craigslist. I know - I still can't believe I did that. What balls I had! Well, someone actually answered the ad, and the stars aligned - I connected with the best clients I could ever ask for.

Once I got my local clients, I worked my ass off. I worked full time during the day doing Advertising, then pretty much full time during my free time doing interior design. Nights, weekends.. it all revolved around my side biz. At this point, my husband was living in North Carolina, and I was still in Orange County. So I just spent all my alone time focusing on building my "career". And you guys know the rest - I finished up my CA jobs, left my day job, and moved to North Carolina.

I just wanted to do a quick little background but this has turned into a novel. So I'm going to break up the next section and post it tomorrow. It will be all about what I learned along the way, and my advice for anyone who has the same dream.

I've already posted this recently, but I'll leave you (again) with this quote.. so fitting for my life this past year: