We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beth Sink a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Beth , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

Yes, I wish I had started this business years ago, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. I don’t think I would go back and change anything from a career standpoint. My previous corporate life, in sales and marketing, taught me so much that I apply in my current business everyday. Without those life and business lessons, I don’t think I’d be designing the way that I do. I’ve set yearly goals for most of my life, so if I had started Claude and Coy earlier, I think this small company would already be where I believe it will be in five years.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

First and foremost, I am a mom to a very active four year old boy, so I find myself designing for a lot of families. I try to help them plan their space now, but also for the future to maximize the longevity of their spaces/pieces we acquire for each individual space. I started Claude and Coy over three years ago during the pandemic, because who doesn’t start a business during a worldwide pandemic? Coming from a residential construction background, I was often asked to help with paint colors, tile, furniture, room design, etc and finally I asked myself, “why am I not doing this for a living?” In 2018, I left my corporate life after twenty years, and helped start a very small residential renovation and construction company. With that company, I was helping clients lay out their new spaces, designing floor plans, and offering design services when needed. This life was very different from my corporate life of conference rooms, meetings after meetings, traveling, training, and basically sleeping with my phone every night just to stay on top of things.

I would have to say I’m very proud of where Claude and Coy is today— what started as a really small business that some may consider a hobby, to turning it into a thriving and growing full-time career. We have clients from all over North Carolina to Virginia. I’m also very proud of every space we’ve created for our client. We love to mix the old and new, and focus on little details such as trim on draperies, fringe on pillows, custom lampshades, adding other unique details to customize furniture is what makes Claude and Coy stand out. I tell my team all the time, “don’t forget the details — the details are what matter.” When people ask me what Claude and Coy’s style is, I usually say we’re a mix of southern low-country with a little bit of Palm Beach! Our services range from small consultations to help with furniture arrangements to full-service design for new construction and renovation projects. We like to start with a phone call and a questionnaire to make sure we are a good fit for our clients and are able to provide them with exactly what they may need. We want to make our clients happy! Sometimes we do things in phases for budgeting or due to the sheer scope of the project, starting with what is a priority and then moving on to phase 1, phase 2 and so forth.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I would say social media is our number one way of reaching our target market. Most of Claude and Coy’s social media is organic and I personally do all of the posting. Oftentimes, I take this opportunity to talk about real life issues or what I’m experiencing within my portfolio photos. For those just starting, I think Instagram is one of the best resources out there to grow your design business. My advice would be to have professional photos taken even if it’s just of a pillow, your first job, your mom’s house, anything you’ve worked on, and start pushing it out there. After a couple of weeks, watch your insights and see where your audience is coming from and start doing a few targeted ads in those areas. Create a website and direct people to your website using Facebook/Instagram. A website is a great way to get in touch with business owners and see some of their projects or design portfolio.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Like in any business, your reputation makes or breaks you. I believe that honesty, transparency, and communication are key. I often tell my clients that when we work together, we are essentially going to get married for a few months, and we need to be able to communicate and give each other honest feedback on what we think is best for the space(s) in order for this to be a successful partnership. Oftentimes, I find that we are afraid to hear that someone may not like what we’ve done with their space, but I try to create an environment where our clients feel comfortable to express what they love and also what they don’t love, or maybe what their concerns are about their space.

We love to invite our clients in on what we call “working edits,” so they can get a feel for the direction their project is headed, and we can make sure we are on the right track to meeting their needs and creating a design they are truly going to fall in love with.

Contact Info:

• Website: Claudeandcoy.com
• Instagram: Claudeandcoyinteriors
• Facebook: Claude and Coy Interiors
• Linkedin: Beth Sink

Image Credits
Liz Grogan Photography