We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittany Zimmerman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittany below.
Brittany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?
My team consists of myself, an operations assistant, a rendering artist and a procurement manager. We all work remotely in some capacity, my role as the business owner and Principal Designer being the most flexible to take projects across the country, but primarily serving the coastal southeast.
My operations assistant is a few hours ahead of me in terms of time zones, and it works out beautifully that her workday is wrapping up as mine is beginning. This means that clients are receiving emails and products they need ahead of “schedule”.
My rendering artist is also fully remote and works on the same time zone as I do, for the ease of communication.
The obvious benefits are the ability to employ people who do not live near me, empowering them to make a living doing what they love in a role that works for our company’s flexible manner.
I am also a spouse of an active duty U.S. Naval officer, which means that we move every 2-3 years, forcing me to create new clientele, find new vendors and resources across the country.
Brittany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an interior designer who primarily serves dual-working clients with young families who are simply too busy living life to the fullest, to set aside time to dedicate to creating their home. It’s an honor for me to be allowed into my clients’ homes and see how they live, then creating a design plan that emphasizes their homes’ best features and optimizes the functionality of where they are in this current life stage and beyond.
Whether we are working together on a renovation, new build or simply refreshing spaces within their existing home, I listen, ask unique questions and connect with clients to translate what they love, into their own surroundings.
I place a heavy emphasis on sourcing products and services from other small business owners, locally and across the U.S. I find that by sourcing within the U.S., I’m helping to provide a demand for artisans to continue to learn a skill or craft, that benefits their community as well as ours.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building a solid social media presence takes time and consistency. I truly do not believe there is a fast “get rich” scheme to attracting potential clients and those invested in your industry or who may be able to collaborate with you on projects. My goal is always to use social media authentically, to share that I am, in fact, my brand. I want people to watch my social posts and feel that they’re getting to know who I am, what’s important to me as far as values and mission in business and life, and to create a sense of community through these platforms.
I’m never shy to reach out and thank new followers for being there with me and I love connecting with other creative entrepreneurs to encourage one another. I have had many amazing business connections spring forth because of these authentic practices.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
I cannot stress the importance of referrals and word of mouth reviews for new business. Having only been in business three years, the second year of business saw nearly 85% of new clients come from referrals or word of mouth.
Take the time to review small businesses, share their posts, and refer them to people you know who may be looking to hire if you know someone in that industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bleubeedesigns.me
- Instagram: @bleubeedesigns_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bleubeedesigns
Image Credits
Moments of Moxie