Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Susan Wintersteen, CEO of SAVVY INTERIORS, located in Solana Beach, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Savvy Interiors is the only luxury interior design firm with its own general contractor license in San Diego. Our clients are homeowners looking for a fresh and innovative home design that highlights functionality and style. They often own local vacation homes and appreciate our ability to design, then build and furnish what we build.
Tell us about yourself
Savvy Interiors was launched in 2002 and has grown into an award-winning, general contracting interior design firm and showroom with over twelve team members. Throughout the past 20 years, our motivating factor has been really "wow-ing" our clients in creating a space that is unique, innovative, and stylistic. Our straight forward practical approach wins over clients that want a firm they can trust.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment as a business owner was launching Savvy Giving by Design in 2014, a non-profit national network of professional interior designers whose mission is to provide comfort, support, and healing to families with a child facing a medical crisis by transforming the interior spaces of their homes at no cost to them. After offering to make over a local teen's room who'd been diagnosed with cancer, the experience was so undeniably moving that she made it official, and so this beautiful non-profit was born. She believes that bringing joy into the lives of those who are facing hardship is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the most difficult aspects of being a business owner is the continuous management of employees, subcontractors, and other professionals. This industry has a lot of moving parts with all sorts of people, in which it is a real strength to be able to successfully supervise and govern all of the moving parts to make a whole.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Work for a small business first. This will help you understand from the inside out, as well as give you a knowledge bank and a platform to grow your business.
- Branding. Make sure that your branding looks professional and is cohesive with who you are and what you can offer.
- Educate yourself on everything finances, profit and loss, and pay yourself first. Before you move forward, seek guidance and take responsibility for teaching yourself everything you need to know.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.savvyinteriors.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insidebysavvy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-wintersteen-14570510/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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