Yes! I definitely do. The only project I’ve ever shot myself was
this one. It was one of my very first projects I ever did and at the time i didn’t realize what a difference professional photography makes. So far I have used three different photographers and they have all been amazing to work with;
Jessica Kettle,
Britta Anne and
Jylare Smith.
If you are serious about your business then I think hiring a professional photographer to shoot your work is a must! It makes such a difference. I’ve been able to work out trades with all three of these ladies so that has helped to keep cost down. Also don’t underestimate the importance of styling your rooms the day of the photo-shoot.
I wrote a little bit about this question on
this post. I do all of my mood boards in Keynote which is a Mac version of powerpoint. It does the job. I use one tool in photoshop elements called magic extractor to remove the backgrounds of objects that I want to put on my mood boards. Other than that I don’t have any software specific for my business.
Interior Design companies are actually not that expensive to start up. If you are working from home there is hardly any start-up costs. Occasionally I will purchase products for my clients and get reimbursed so it’s nice to have a good savings account built up I can pay for those items.
The only unforeseen cost was due to a client I had who ended up returning a bunch of items that I couldn’t return so I had to come up with the money. Every now and then you might run into a client like that but most understand the way things work and will be really good about reimbursing you for things. And we always discuss upfront what they can and can’t return. Luckily I had the money in my savings account to cover it. Otherwise I would have been in HUGE trouble since it was thousands of dollars worth of stuff.
screenshot from
this Studio 5 segment
I would say most of my business is generated from my blog. Whenever I showcase work I’ve done in my home or for other clients I always get a lot of new clients. I try to promote my work on other design sites such as Design Sponge and Apartment Therapy as well. I’ve also done a few segments on a local t.v. show called Studio 5 and that has seemed to generate a lot of clients as well.
I love interacting with other bloggers as often as possible. It’s such an amazing feeling to connect with people that just “get you” and totally understand the whole blogging world. In Utah there are always blogging events being thrown so I’ll try to go to as many of those as I can. I also like to email bloggers that I’ve never met and meet up for lunch if we can. It’s really important to meet as many people in person as possible. For the last 2 years I’ve attended Alt Summit which has enabled me to meet a lot of new bloggers and Etsy crafters.
Doing my Etsy roundups has given me the chance to get to know new Etsy crafters through email. Whenever I feature a shop on my blog I always email the store owner to let them know.
I don’t have an PR work done for me behind the scenes. That sounds amazing and I so wish that was happening! I have to work really hard to get noticed and get my name out there. I will often email other bloggers and websites projects that I’ve worked on and usually that results in me getting featured on their site which generates more readers which generates more clients. Unfortunately I don’t have enough time to dedicate to promoting myself as I would like.
I get a lot more inquires about e-design services but I feel I end up doing an equal amount of local projects vs. e-design projects. A lot of people are interested in e-design but maybe expect the process to be cheaper than it actually is which is why the inquires don’t always turn into projects that I actually end up working on.
photo by Jessica Kettle Photography
Ahhh the magic question! I get asked this all the time and to be honest each week varies. A blog post typically takes me an hour and Feature Friday posts can sometimes take even longer than that. Feature Friday posts take me FOREVER to do! Luckily people really like them so it’s worth it to me.
The amount of time I spend doing design work honestly depends on how many clients I have at the time. I try to only take on 3 e-design projects at a time and I typically have about 4 local clients and projects that are ongoing that I’m working on.
If I were to take a rough guess I would say I probably spend about 15-20 hours a week blogging and designing.
At the beginning I came up with my own layout and header. You can see it pictured above. As you can tell it isn’t anything special. I eventually hired Jenna Rammell to design the header and layout that you see today. And in the coming months I’m teaming up with Kelly to debut a whole new look!
I try to write most of my entries a few days before but every now and then I find myself finishing up a post the night before. If there is ever a day I just don’t have anything to say I just won’t post. I’d hate to write something just for the sake of posting something. I have come to terms with the fact that if I miss a day most of my readers will still stick around!
I hope this post helps any of you who are thinking of starting a blog or design business!
It's always interesting to read how different people approach things. Thank you for putting together such thoughtful answers.
I second your thought that people think e-design will be cheaper than it actually is. Unfortunately, I don't think people truly understand how much time these things take and even when we think they are getting a good or very reasonable deal, they see it as expensive.
Great post!
Thank you so much for this post! I'm a somewhat new blogger and an interior design student interested in starting my own business after graduation, so your answers gave me a lot of insight.
Thank you so much Kirsten- this was really helpful!! I am so excited to get my blog up and running 🙂
I love this post, thanks Kirsten. This is great information and I always love learning more about my favorite bloggers 🙂
Thank you so much for the information! I'm trying to do both at the moment (focused more on my blog now while I'm in design school however). I love your blog! Congratulations on all of your success.
Thank you for this, Kirsten! I'm a new blogger, and am encouraged by hearing people's success stories and "behind the scenes" info. Keep up the good work.
richerfullerbe.blogspot.com
I really enjoyed this post, Kirsten. Thanks so much for sharing! It's great to know your thoughts about blogging and e-design!
Jessie
http://www.mixandchic.com
Great info! You have excellent taste!
Thanks so much for posting this! As a new blogger and designer it was really helpful!
Kirsten, thank you so much for posting these answers about your business. I have read several of your business-related posts and always appreciate your willingness to share your experiences. I am in the process of starting my own interior design business after working for a company for a couple of years, and this information about your blog/business balance is wonderful! -Bonnie
You are very good about posting and I don't think people realize (those that do not blog) how much time goes into maintaining a blog in addition to a business. It's a ton of work and you do a really nice job. I was looking at one of your Feature Friday posts the other day and I thought to myself "man, these must take Kirsten forever". I also find it beneficial to meet up with other bloggers whenever possible. It's nice just to bounce ideas off each other and see what kind of thoughts are on other people's mind.
I think its so great you answered these questions (and honestly too!) most designers aren't willing to divulge their secrets to success! I am really impressed that you took the time. It shows you have confidence in your own work to not be threatened by others doing well. Seriously I realize I am not expressing very well how really impressed I am! Thanks for the info!!!
Thanks for sharing! I'm pretty new to blogging as many of the other folks who commented and enjoy the insight. Thanks again! 🙂
turnedtodesign.blogspot.com
It would be great if you could also include what the process is you take to complete a design project. I would love to start my own business soon so it would be really helpful to see how it all really works. Thanks! 🙂
Really informative website to read. Thanks, appreciate all your efforts here.
Thank you for the honest and detailed post. I hope your business grows exponentially and keep sharing with us.
Check out my blog 🙂 http://girlfrombk.blogspot.com/
It’s nice that you share the tips that brought you to where you are now. 🙂 After all, the web can accommodate businesses unimaginable! I think what made you this successful is because you started the process right. Like you said, you’ve been blogging since college, even before you pursued your business. Meaning, the site was being founded already even before the plan was designed.
Thanks for share your personal quires this is useful to any people for start own business .
Good Post!
You’ve been blogging since college? Well, I can say that blogging is your passion and doing what you love has brought you success. Aside from this, using the right tools, the perfect outlet – social media, has helped you too. You’re such an inspiration!
–Abigayle Soderstrom
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