Alright, Megan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
My company is called A Pop of Yellow. Before I started my business I had planned to start blogging about interior projects I was doing around my house. Our house is a 1920’s tudor revival that is painted yellow on the exterior so that was kind of the inspiration for my website. I never ended up blogging, but I liked the name (and already had the website) so I decided to keep it for my business.
Megan, 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’m Megan Johnson. I’m an Interior Stylist in Durham, North Carolina. I own a Styling and Staging business where I work with residential clients on interior styling and small design projects, as well as stage homes in preparation to go on the market. I have a background in marketing and buying and primarily worked for larger companies after college. But, my love for interior design probably started when I was much younger. I always cared about the way my bedroom looked and needed everything to have a place. I was very particular! I would also catch myself redecorating rooms in my head. I eventually discovered home shows and magazines, Pinterest, DIY, home bloggers – the list goes on – and I’ve been obsessed with styling and design ever since.
I never thought styling and design was a possibility for me as a job. I have no formal training. But, a few years ago I was connected with an Interior Designer (now friend) in Durham who was looking for a Studio Coordinator – not a designer. I jumped at the opportunity just to get to do anything with interior design. Shortly after I started, I began working on actual interior design projects. I got so much great experience and confidence working for a design firm, I took the leap right before covid and started my own styling and design business. I fell into staging more by chance. I started helping a good friend who is a real estate agent stage her listings before they went on the market. The more we worked together, the more inventory I accumulated, and I finally decided to make it a marketable part of my business.
I help clients with anything from small stylistic changes like floor plans and furniture and accessory updates, to complete room renovations. In home staging I do a lot of vacant staging where we bring in all of the furniture and accessories into an empty home. We furnish all of the main rooms – think living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. – to make it look almost completely lived in. I also offer partial staging and styling where most of the furniture is left in the home, but many items get pared down, and I change out accessories and textiles to refresh the spaces.
I try to offer my clients the kind of service they’re in need of. Some of my clients have a good idea of what they want to do in their space, but some really don’t know where to start. I have clients who just want to bounce some ideas off of me, and then I help them finalize a few small decisions. Other times I take clients from start to finish on a project. I offer as much or as little help as my clients need. The same applies to staging, whether I furnish a complete home or just touch a few rooms.
One of the things I’m most proud of when working with clients is when we make sustainable choices for a project. I love incorporating existing furniture, textiles, or heirlooms into a project. I think it’s important to try to reuse furniture or look for something second hand when possible. Not only is it more eco-friendly, but there are so many cool and unique things out there that need to be rehomed, reupholstered, or refinished. And there are a lot of other local businesses we’re able to support by doing so.
I’m really grateful for each and every one of my clients. I really love going through the design process and it’s such a joy to see them happy when we get to the end.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
I always stay in touch with my clients throughout the project and stay available to them. They know all the ways to get in touch with me, and I really don’t place any restrictions on that. Some people are at work all day and can only talk in the evenings and on weekends, while others are free during regular business hours. For now that works, and it keeps projects moving along.
Even when there’s downtime – waiting on something to come in, or waiting to hear back from a vendor that may be taking a long time – I keep my clients updated to let them know that I’m on top of it and I haven’t forgotten about them. I’m always thinking about what my expectations would be if I was the client.
I hope that my commitment to my client throughout their project, and their satisfaction and happiness with the end result, will keep them coming back
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I started my business at the end of the year 2019 right before Covid hit. I was used to meeting with clients in person at their home. I’m a visual person and it’s really important for me to be in the space I’m working with, to really get a feel for it and the perception of it in terms of size. And while there were always things done from the office, most of the decision making in regards to the design plan was done in person – such as the design plan presentations, reviewing samples, etc. So when the world shut down, my new business seemed like it would, too.
But, really, I just started doing so much more from home. At first it felt strange to work on a space I had never been in. But, I used lots of photos and very specific measurements that clients would send me, and a ton of internet scouring and less showroom visits. It worked. I would come up with selections, drop off samples at my client’s door, meet outside on their patio or even front porch of their home, and have plenty of phone chats to discuss plans and make decisions. In some ways, some of the things I started doing were more efficient in terms of my time and my client’s time. Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer to meet with clients in their home, but sometimes you have to try new things to know that they work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.apopofyellow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apopofyellow/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apopofyellowstyle/