231: Cynthia Spence - Formula for Success in Interior Design: Business Skill, Integrity and A Personal Brand

Today, we have Cynthia Spence on show with us. She is the Principal of Cynthia Spence Design, which is a Full-Service Interior Design firm,  located in the San Francisco Bay Area and it caters to both Residential and Commercial clients. Cynthia feels that the world has become increasingly more noisy and so it's really important to her to create environments that are both soothing and restorative for her clients. Today, she spends some time talking about how her previous career, in Marketing and Management positions in prominent Entertainment and High Tech companies, informs her Interior Design career. Listen in to find out more. Although it's not the typical route to Interior Design, Cynthia's experience in Relationship Marketing, Creative Services, and Project Management has had a role to play in shaping her business and has also contributed largely towards its success. You will benefit from this experience too, as she really goes into a lot of detail about the skills and services that you need to have, in order to create a truly successful firm. Listen in now, to find out what Cynthia has to share with you. Show highlights: How Cynthia's past career created a framework and positioned her perfectly for an Interior Design business. Why the skill of listening is really so important, in the Interior Design business. Cynthia explains her approach to her clients because every client is really uniquely different. Some of the nuts and bolts of how Cynthia's management experience informed her, when she started out with her own business, twelve years ago. Why you really need to take great care of your vendors- and even possibly defend them at times. Creating the right balance between your strengths and weaknesses. The real value in making mistakes. The importance of ethical behavior, honour, and integrity, for your business. Cynthia explains how her business is set up and what it looks like. How to let your client know that you have their project under control. (Even if it doesn't seem that way for you at the time!) Some advice about home automation, for new Designers. Cynthia talks about her super powers. What made Cynthia transition her career to Interior Design. The better you are at what you do, the more in demand your services will be. Why it takes a lot of resilience, to start your own business. Learning to stand in your client's shoes, to really understand them. Cynthia's goals for the next few years. Cynthia discusses the creative aspects of working as an Interior Designer. Some advice for people who are trying to work out how to market their firm. The type of aesthetic that Cynthia prefers. Spinning your own take on a particular style. Creating your own brand. If you have used any Kravet product recently, take a picture of it, post it to social media, use the hashtag #instakravet and tag Kravet, as they will repost some of them. Links: Her social media: https://twitter.com/CynthiaSpenceSF #itsallabouttheedit https://www.instagram.com/cynthiaspencedesign/