Today in The Lounge, Nick kicks off this season with Sally Williams of Colorful Concepts Interior Design. Based in North Carolina, Williams built her business from scratch after falling in love with interior design. She talks about trying new things, the hardest part about running her business, and the importance of investing in your work.
Not Afraid To Try
Having never thought about interior design, Williams majored in accounting in college. But, she always had a creative spark in the back of her mind. A husband and two daughters later, Williams was on a trip in California, driving a rental car up and down the coast. She stumbled into an art gallery and was immediately infatuated with the sense of warmth and comfort in the space. This was her turning point. Her goal became to recreate the feeling of this space back home. Less than a year later, she opened her own gallery in Downtown Raleigh where she housed fine art and craft. It became a place for people to get their “happy fix.”
Bigger and Better
From the gallery came clients and even more interest in interior design. “I just really started working on understanding the impact of interior design on your state of mind,” says Williams. After seven years, Williams closed her gallery to focus on design. She started with color consultations which led to bigger and better things. Today, Williams works on larger projects with her team, always keeping her accounting background in her back pocket and never turning down a color consultation. She keeps an emphasis on marketing, seeking out social media opportunities, networking with other designers, and staying in touch with loyal clients. With a successful business, Williams says the hardest thing is training new staff to keep up with the work.
Investing In Your Business
Williams urges designers to invest the necessary time, energy, and money in their business. To celebrate the start of Season 23, we want to recognize our sponsors that invested in us. Design Manager, Benjamin Moore, Porcelanosa, Universal, Polywood, and Moore & Giles are worthy investments for your design business.
Learn more about Sally Williams’ work at colorfulconceptsinteriordesign.com and on Instagram @colorfulconceptsinteriordesign.
“Whatever I found that I loved, that I felt would fit into this happy place, is what I would pick up.”
Chaise Lounge Updates
Our new podcast Coast to Coast Design is live! Give it a listen to learn about just how many ways there are to run a design business.
Wrap Up
If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app! We’d love it if you post a review, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. Also, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. With that said, keep dreaming big, and keep designing a great design business. See ya!