By Kaitlin Madden,
Why is it that even five years out of college, some guys
still can't shake the frat-boy act? You know the type: seemingly grown
men who still consider a cardboard box to be an appropriate substitute
for a coffee table, believe the only decoration a room needs is a
flat-screen TV, and -- instead of throwing them away -- opt to display
their empty liquor bottles like trophies on their bookshelves.
Taylor Spellman, owner of New York City-based interior design
firm August Black, hopes to enlighten these perpetual dorm-dwellers.
Spellman founded her guys-only interior design firm in 2008, based on
the belief that most men don't want their apartments to be a
mess; they just don't know how to decorate and organize them properly.
So she set out on her mission to bring stylish décor to men everywhere,
one bachelor pad at a time.
Below, Spellman tells us what it's like to be the owner of August Black:
CareerBuilder: As an interior designer and small-business owner, what does your job entail? What do you do on a daily basis?
Taylor
Spellman: As a small-business owner, you have to be comfortable wearing
many hats. Every day there are the challenges of running a small
business such as invoicing, general accounting and prospecting for new clients.
Then there's the more fun side of the business, which is the actual
interior design element that includes picking paint colors, fabrics and
shopping for goods. On a daily basis, I am constantly switching back and
forth between the left-brain business side and the right-brain creative
side.
We heard you had no formal training in interior design.
If this is true, how did you become successful in your industry? Is it
something you've always had a knack for?
It is true that I
had no formal training. When I was deciding if I wanted to go to school
or just dig in and get to work, I read an old Zen saying that said,
"Leap and the net will appear." I decided to leap -- and the net has
certainly appeared!
You can have all the schooling in the world,
but if you don't have that confidence and faith in yourself, you will
still get nowhere. I think I have always had a knack for it, and after
decorating so many apartments for friends I suddenly thought, "Wait, I
could be getting paid for this!"
Ultimately, I think we have
excelled in the industry, especially in such a competitive environment
like New York City, because we are capitalizing on a niche. I think it
helps any business to get off the ground when you're able to home in on
an untapped market.
What prompted you to actually start your company, and in the middle of a recession, no less?
I
was prompted to start the company because I was ready to launch a real
career that I was passionate about, compared to a job that simply paid
the bills. Before I went off on my own, I was working for quite possibly
the meanest human on the planet ("The Devil Wears Prada" style) and I
knew that the challenges I would face in opening a business (even in a
recession) would be cake compared to my old job and would also be a lot
more rewarding.
What's it like to run your own business? Is it all it's cracked up to be? Is it more than it's cracked up to be?
My father is also an entrepreneur
and when I was a kid he'd always say, "I'd rather work 100 stressful
hours for myself than 50 for someone else." Now that I run my own
business, I understand what he was saying. It is all it's cracked up to
be in that you get 100 percent of the credit when things go well and the
work is really fulfilling because you are so invested in the process
from start to finish. Also, even when I am feeling an exorbitant amount
of stress and pressure, that is another good thing about being your own
boss -- job security. I never walk into the office wondering if I'm
going to get fired.
When did you realize your business was a success?
After the first year of being open (in the height of the recession) had come to a close and I realized we were profitable.
Have you ever encountered a particularly trying client or project? How did you handle it?
Seeing
as I work with extremely successful, high-powered men who are used to
getting their own way, I have definitely had my fair share of trying
clients. It's par for the course, so I handle it by trying to have a
good attitude, a good work ethic and a thick, thick skin.
What
advice do you have for people who want to start their own business, but
may be afraid, or may not have the educational background typically
needed for the industry they're interested in?
When it comes
down to it, if you want to do it you will, and if you want to make
excuses for why it won't work, you'll do that, too. It's all a matter
of what you decide in your mind. So don't waste energy being afraid, as
that will get you nowhere. Decide what you want and map out the plan on
how you're going to get there.
Interested in becoming an interior designer? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Employment for interior designers is expected to grow faster than average (19 percent) through 2018.
- Job competition for interior designers is expected to be keen. Those with degrees in the field and related experience are expected to have the best job opportunities.
- Interior designers are often self-employed.