"Consistency is key" with Kristen Reyes

Photo Credit: Carli Wentworth Photography

Kristen Reyes is the owner of Sey Interiors. She is a Registered Interior Designer in the state of Texas with a decade of professional experience. With a focus on renovations and custom furnishings in residential and boutique commercial applications, she brings intentional and client-inspired designs to life. It is her passion to create beautiful spaces that also solve design dilemmas for her clients.  She resides in Richardson, Texas with her husband, Carl, and two fur kids, Aspen and Ben.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My dad owned a construction business, my grandpa owned a construction business and looking back for generations, many of my relatives also had a career in design. I guess you could say my career was something I inherited as I never saw myself following any other path. After graduating from Miami University’s School of Architecture and Design with a BFA, I spent the early years of my career working for commercial architecture firms. It became increasingly clear that I loved the design, but not the corporate structure. After working in offices for six years, I started working for a small design firm where I felt my love for my career start to truly bloom. I honestly thought I would stay at that job forever, but suddenly that feeling of discontentment arose again, seemingly out of nowhere, and would not go away.

What inspired you to start your business?

It was a combination of several life events, but I think the pandemic was really what pushed me. Like a lot of people, Covid-19 caused me to consider what I wanted life to look like. I think it is very easy to let life “just happen” and never stop to think about what is personally important. It took a lot of introspection and conversations with my family and trusted friends. Then suddenly, I couldn’t resist starting Sey Interiors. It was as if a spark ignited and everything fell into place.

Where is your business based?

I am based in Richardson, Texas which is a suburb outside of Dallas. I also work with clients virtually.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

It was important for me to lay the groundwork before I started telling people about my business. My husband is an accountant and helped me set up my LLC and financials. I purchased project management software that would help me keep future clients organized. When I had all of the back of house items in a good place, I told a few close friends before publically launching. Through their referrals, I received a few leads that turned into signed contracts. This helped smooth the transition between my previous job and entrepreneurship.  

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Word of mouth does not sound very glamourous, but it is the best tool for building brand awareness, especially in a service-based industry. For me, this has included reaching out to local contractors to share about what I do and how I can make their jobs easier. Last fall, I also purchased a booth at a local Home and Garden Show to meet potential new clients. I also share my business via local Facebook groups, NextDoor, and really anywhere a potential client would be. Showing up and putting myself out there as much as I can have been rewarding, even though it is definitely exhausting too.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The interior design market is quite saturated. Building a presence online can be challenging, especially for a new design company. Marketing in the industry relies heavily on photographed evidence of a job well done. I am honestly still trying to overcome this one as completing construction projects during Covid with backorders and delays has been a major challenge. However, I have gotten creative, shared progress work, and even designed things just for fun so I have content to share consistently.

How do you stay focused?

This is another really tough aspect for me as I have ADHD. My focus can ebb and flow, so I have implemented skills to help me hone in. I have a physical planner that I write my to-do lists in, I work with a therapist, and I give myself the grace to work at my own speed.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

How I differentiate myself is really quite simple… I showcase what I create, how I help make a client’s life better, and my personality. Hiring an interior designer can kind of feel like dating. I might be the right fit for one client and not the right fit for another. This means that though there are other interior designers out there, none of them are doing exactly what I am doing in the way I do it. That gives me the confidence to know the right clients will find me.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Consistency is key. I post on Instagram regularly and though I haven’t grown quickly, I have grown consistently and gained great clients from it. In addition, putting my business out there by networking online, reaching out to contractors and realtors, and genuinely being unafraid to promote myself and what I am creating has led to building great relationships. Building brand awareness for local service is most successful when the recommendation comes from a trusted neighbor, partner, or friend. You never know where your next referral will come from.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Do not play the game of comparison. I think, as entrepreneurs, we have to have a level of competitive spirit within ourselves. It can be very challenging to stay in our own lane. Every entrepreneur is on their own journey of building their business and hitting setbacks that others don’t see. It is easier to give grace to ourselves when we are not constantly looking at who seems to be doing “better.” The only person to compare ourselves to is the person we were yesterday.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app would probably be Instagram… for better or for worse. I use it as a tool for connecting with other designers, industry professionals, and potential clients. It is also an ideal place to share what I do and look for inspiration.

Style by Emily Henderson is my favorite blog. I love the way Emily and her team write in a friendly and informative fashion. She also shares about interior design from an interior stylist’s perspective which is very opposite from the “form and function” side of the industry I come from in the commercial world.

My favorite book is Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. He challenged my thinking in a lot of ways and was a big influence in my formative early adult years.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

The “I have ADHD Podcast” by Kristen Carder has been an absolute game-changer for me. I was not diagnosed with ADHD until my 30s and spent most of my life being really hard on myself. Unknowingly, I was hard on myself for things that are mostly outside of my control. Listening to this podcast has helped me to learn about how my brain works in a way that makes sense.  I would highly recommend it to anyone else who deals with the effects of ADHD.

Who is your business role model? Why?

Michelle Lynne Pant is an interior designer and business coach. I started working with her in mid-2021 and she has been an incredible inspiration on how to handle the business side of design. There are so many other designers I admire as well… Leanne Ford, Joanna Gaines, Heidi Caillier, and Jean Stauffer, to name a few.

How do you balance work and life?

I love my job, so this is incredibly hard for me! The best way for me to gain balance is to force myself to take breaks. I distance myself from electronics by taking walks with my dog. I also sign up for classes that are unrelated to my business so I allow myself scheduled time to think about things that aren’t work-related.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Drinking a fancy coffee, spending time with my husband, and traveling somewhere new. And… online shopping.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

I will be celebrating one year in business in February, which feels like a really big milestone and I have come so far since I started out. I have tons of projects that will be wrapping up mid-year, so getting them photographed and updating my website will be huge. My husband and I are also planning to start renovating our own home soon, so my professional and personal life are about to collide!

How can our readers connect with you?

You can follow me on Instagram @sey_interiors or directly on my website: www.seyinteriors.com.

"Staying focused has a lot to do with understanding when you’re most productive" with Sherri Monte

Sherri Monte is the co-founder, along with her husband John, of the award-winning interior design + professional organizing firm, Elegant Simplicity. By blending education, organization, and design, they have created a proven methodology that empowers families to make their homes the place they never want to leave.  

Over the last decade, Sherri & John have worked with professional athletes, Fortune 100 Executives, and hundreds of other clients to help them live a more purposeful life through designing and organizing their homes.  Their work and results speak for themselves as they have been featured in highly-renowned international and national publications such as Architectural Digest, Southern Living, NBC News, Yahoo Lifestyle, and Readers Digest. 

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

I’m an interior designer and professional home organizer who worships quiet time like a deity and thinks green smoothies are one of the best things to start your day.

When it comes to being a mom, wife, designer, organizer and entrepreneur there always seems to be a question of how a woman can do it all. Babe, I do my best + live with the rest.

I strive to feel centered amidst the frenzy. Because all of these things… are simply my blessings.

What inspired you to start your business? 

My parents were custom home builders so as far back as I can remember, and so I’ve always had an interest in interior design My passion for organizing kind of evolved from tidying up my mother’s pantry as a child to realizing that I wanted to empower the clients I serve to maintain the beauty of their home just as much as design them.

Where is your business based?

While we’re a Seattle-based interior design and professional organizing firm, we also work with clients nationally. With the COVID-19 outbreak, we also launched online design + organizing.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

John and I began our business by doing a lot of research. 

I’d love to say we had it all together but the reality is we didn’t. What we had thought was really big hearts and a desire to serve others to the very best of our ability. To tell you the truth, while we’ve got fairly business savvy over the last decade — we are still here in large part because of those big hearts and that same desire to serve.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

The most effective way of raising awareness for our business has been by reaching out to vendors or tradespeople and introducing myself. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

My biggest business challenge has been that I dream big + want everything I envision to happen, right now. I guess in a way I’m ambitious and also impatient which makes for a heck of a lot of fun for my husband and business partner John.

How do you stay focused?

In my opinion, staying focused has a lot to do with understanding when you’re most productive. For myself, staying focused is really easy for me in the wee hours of the morning and begins to trail off in the afternoon. So, I adjusted my work hours to wake up early and do my most pressing tasks for the day — first.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

For us, differentiating our business from the competition came by being an interior design firm that also does professional home organizing and getting very clear on our branding. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

Networking. It takes time and oftentimes feels indirect but when you build genuine relationships with vendors and serve clients to the best of your ability referral business is an excellent marketing tool.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

You’re going to put forth a lot of effort — it’s not all directly going to lead to a sale but don’t discount doing it. People need to know who you are to do business with you and they can’t refer business to you if you don’t tell them you’re here.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Flipboard as I love to read online but not merely from one source. Flipboard provides you with articles based on topics you’ve read or shown interest in.

I’m a big believer in manifesting what you want in life so my favorite book is You Are A Badass By Jen Sincero as

My favorite blog is Half Baked Harvest. I love to cook from scratch and take a lot of pride in feeding my family healthy and flavorful meals.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Toggl — without question tracking my time allows me to review how my day, week, and month were spent. Was a large portion of my time billable or non-billable? That’s been a game-changer for me.

Who is your business role model? Why? 

My husband, John. I know that sounds cliche but his discipline and routine to ensure he’s successful are one of the best business crushes I could have.

What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products? 

My favorite product is Argon oil because it leaves your skin feeling hydrated, not oily. My beauty routine consists of being a mom — I get dolled up on when I meet with clients otherwise I like to keep it simple. My everyday work from home is a tinted moisturizer and a little something to make the eyes pop.

How do you balance work and life? 

I try to be as flexible as possible. When things get crazy instead of spiraling out of control, I find comfort in the uncertainty. Comfort in this life. I embrace my chaos. I stick to my routines like my life depends on it. And I strive to feel centered amidst the frenzy. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

As a homebody, I enjoy being home with my family. John and I have a two-year-old son named Brooklyn-Carter so it’s a joy to be present with him. I really enjoy walking the trails near our home as well.

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

Over the next six months, I’m focusing on spending as much time as I can with those I love and building stronger relationships with those close to me personally and professionally.  

How can our readers connect with you?

You can connect with me on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest.

"Had to learn how to calm down and focus, and most of all be patient" with Kayla Goldstein

Kayla LLC is an interior design firm focused on helping new homeowners design set up their forever home.

Seeing all the stress anyone setting up a home was going through really irked Kayla. To her, setting up home should be about creating a place where you are going to create your best memories, let us make it so! So Kayla set about renovating homes in a way that the owners can feel confident. No more second-guessing, no more overwhelm. Kayla handles all the behind the scenes, deals with the problems and delivers a dream space.

No pushing styles, no “money shots” just you, your home, and your dream. Your family needs, your memories, Kaylas talent.

Can you tell our readers about your background? 

Sure, I grew up in a few different countries, mainly Israel where I got my degree in Architectural Engineering and Interior Design. The day after I graduated, with a four-month-old baby, we moved to New York where I worked in downtown Manhattan for a year in an architecture firm as a drafter and as an interior designer. When I got pregnant with my second child and did not want to be in the rat race anymore, I quit and opened my own interior design company in Rockland County and four years later it is going strong, thank God. 

What inspired you to start your business? 

I really wanted to be in control over the workload I had, the times I worked and the clients I worked for. Working for someone else in the design business means a real limit on your creativity as you are working on someone else's vision. Opening my own company gave me the creative freedom I needed as an artist, but also the time freedom I needed as a mom of two babies. 

Where is your business based?

My business is based in Rockland County, NY, specifically Pomona. I work in this area mainly but will travel to New Jersey or NYC for a big enough job. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

The first thing I did was to make a logo. It sounds weird but I doodled it on my desk at work and realized I wanted this faster than I thought. Then I sat up night after night building a website, creating pages of services, and making social media pages. I did not really know how I was going to do it, I just knew I had to. I remember watching Marie Forleo videos A LOT and anything else I could find on google about starting a business. Slowly clients came trickling in, slow and steady and then not steady and then slow—the way it always is in the beginning, but with each client, I learned a lot for my business and eventually it stabled out and grew. 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business? 

Honestly, Instagram. It almost scares me that so many of my clients come from Instagram since I do not own the platform. However, I put out a lot of videos and helpful content all over Instagram and YoutTube and even Facebook still a bit. I show behind the scenes, and work that I do on Instagram and my client base is about 75% from there. The rest is word of mouth. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them? 

Number One biggest challenge ever was feeling like it was not moving fast enough. I so badly wanted the team, the big clients, the multiple projects, and the never-ending work. But I really had to learn how to calm down and focus, and most of all be patient. The second I stopped wanting it to the point of desperation was the second my business started growing. Jasmine Star told me a workshop she did that I should “focus on what I have and it will become enough” That became my mantra and I can honestly say a clear turning point for my business.

How do you stay focused?

I have a very clear spreadsheet called the Master list and on it is every category in my business. Clients, behind the scenes, social media, my online product of pre-designed rooms, every little thing is on that spreadsheet. Every morning I check it and it is color-coded for what is most urgent - I do it in that order.

I have a spreadsheet for anything needing more than one line in my master. So each client has a spreadsheet of all their products and selections and to-dos, social media has a spreadsheet with each platform, and topics and content repurposing, the pre-designed rooms have a spreadsheet with each room and what updates it needs, etc. 

In addition, I have an office in my house that is designed for my brand, is organized, and has a door! The most important part! I go in there, shut the door, and work. Nothing else matters while I am in my office. 

How do you differentiate your business from the competition? 

I am not a snob. I know a lot of designers are, and will only work with certain budgets or certain styles. I understand motherhood as I am in the trenches of it. I understand that function is just as important as form, and I do not force anything on anyone. I am not an intimidating super stylish high-powered designer who walks in and takes over. I am a friend, and I am here to help. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business? 

I would have to say giving away free content. Giving tips, doing challenges, going live, and answering questions. I find that when I do that, people can see if they like my vibe, or if they feel that they trust me, and that helps them in their decision to hire me. I also give away consultations every once in a while for those on the fence hesitating, just to get in the door. I get 70% of the projects that I consult for. 

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs? 

Be patient. Sit down, decide what your niche is and what your strategy is, and then put your head down and do it. Do not worry about the pace, do not worry if you are doing the right thing. If you tried it for three straight months and you gave it your all and it is not working, then you can move on to the next strategy. But honestly, just be patient. If you are being real and good and have something to give, it will come as long as you put in the work.  

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Google Calendar. My whole life is organized there if it isn’t on there it isn’t happening. That is just a fact. 

My favorite blog—I don’t really read blogs, but my favorite blogger right now is Mrs. Amber Gill because she just gives so much value and tips and tricks for homeschooling, motherhood, and being healthy—all things I need to be a successful interior designer and mom. 

My favorite book is A Well-Designed Business by Luann Nigara. It is an amazing compilation of different experts on how to have a successful business, in particular interior design, and it is the kind that you keep on the shelf and check the category whenever you are having trouble with something. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

A favorite resource is Jasmine Star and being a Social Curator. It is a great support system, keeps you motivated, and gives you something to work on every month so you are always growing. Plus Jasmine is the sweetest, so ya :) 

Who is your business role model? Why? 

Dina Holland from Honey and Fitz interiors. She is so down to earth and not at all showy. Yet, she has managed to build a hugely successful career out of herself. She is super sweet, answers my DMs which always makes people nicer in my book, and I look up to her immensely. 

What is your beauty routine? What are some of your favorite products? 

I don’t use too many items in the morning. While the kids are getting dressed, I wash my face with water (I know, I should buy a face cleaner, it’s on the list). I color in my eyebrows, put on mascara, bronzer, and lip gloss, and sometimes a bit of blush. That is it! As a religious Jew, I actually cover my hair, so nothing to do there in the morning. 

Regarding what products I use, I honestly could not tell you. I told you I am not a high-powered fancy lady lol. 

How do you balance work and life? 

By trying, its always adjusting and changing especially with growing kids. I make sure that I set aside time every day for the kids, and for work. What happens in between is the best I could do that day. It isn’t easy but I wanted this business for so long there is no way I am complaining. 

What’s your favorite way to decompress? 

Taking a bath. Hands down. Glass of wine, a good book, and a bath bomb - that is my recipe for happiness. 

What do you have planned for the next six months? 

Well, I had planned to launch a better version of the pre-designed rooms online, to spend time with family in Israel, and to land a few big projects for the remainder of the year. But COVID-19 had other plans, so we are doing our best and hoping for the best. If all goes well those plans will still happen. 

How can our readers connect with you?

I am on Instagram @kayla_llc and on Facebook at Kayla Haber-Goldstein. I also have a youtube channel called The Designed Collection by Kayla LLC and a website www.kaylallc.com.