We were lucky to catch up with Courtney Scott recently and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Every career field comes with its own challenges, but the challenges faced by Interior Designers are often not talked about or overly minimized. In the day and age of thirty minute design shows, many consumers have fallen into the trap of believing: 1. That they can do everything themselves. 2. An intricately designed space can be achieved in a matter of weeks. 3. That the big box stores are the only option for home furnishings. As a self-taught designer who has managed everything from complete gut renovations to full home interior designs, I can attest to how misleading this narrative is. I can also admit that, once upon a time, I too believed these statements to be true. My time as a house flipper taught me many lessons. Most of which, in hindsight, I am thankful for as they shaped how I operate as a designer. As well, the knowledge that I gained through my mistakes I’m now able to pass on to my clients so that they don’t have to make the same costly mistakes as I did in the past. Over the years I have experienced everything from shady contractors, projects being way over budget, faulty electrical jobs, to furniture arriving broken after being ordered three separate times. In the midst of these types of situations, it feels as if the world is working against you as these setbacks usually hit you out of nowhere. However, moments like the ones I mentioned above teach you how to really be resilient, think on your feet, be resourceful, build relationships, and lean on the people who are there to help.It also teaches you how to face your problems head on and to be confident in your decisions, which can sometimes be intimidating as a female working with majority male contractors.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

V. James & Co. Interiors is a full-service Interior Design and Home Decor company. My team and I pride ourselves in creating complimentary spaces that seamlessly tie the old and new together to create a new design experience for our clients. Our design style is best described as eclectic with a heavy use of color, patterns, and texture, which can all be seen on our website and social media channels. Our tagline is “Design solutions for your home”, and we love helping our clients develop solutions that help them love their space more. What I love most about this profession is being able to creatively express myself through client projects and seeing the joy that comes along with a finished design project that I had a hand in creating.

While many people are reluctant to approach Interior Designers about design help that they need out of fear that the endeavor might be too costly, what many people don’t know is that there are a good number of Designers, including myself, that offer various design packages or options to fit within an array of budgets. The key, of course, for prospective clients is to first establish a budget that they know they are ready and willing to spend on furnishings. This essential key helps Designers determine how they can best help prospective clients. I like providing my clients with a “Good, Better, Best” information sheet that details general costs for furnishings in the three price points previously mentioned. For clients that have never purchased furniture or have not purchased furniture in a while, this sheet helps guide them in their budgeting and gives them an idea of the quality of furnishings they can expect in that price point. So while a prospective client may not be ready to invest in a white glove, full service interior design experience or custom-made furniture, a good Designer is happy to meet you where you are to help you achieve the look you desire.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz has definitely been a game changer for my business. While I have worked and studied hard over the years to strengthen my design skills, I can admit that prior to reading this book, the financial side of my business struggled.Understanding my business’s cash flow was something that I shied away from, as I assumed that as long as money was coming in then my business was operating successfully. However, Profit First taught me that in order to really assess the profitability of my business, I needed to truly understand where every penny was going. After reading the first few chapters I was excited to try out the strategies discussed in the book to see if I could really commit to applying them to my business. After just two months of implementing the principles of Profit First, I was able to pay myself a salary, cover my business expenses, figure out where I could eliminate unnecessary expenses, and allot for bonuses at the end of each quarter.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When the pandemic hit, the majority of the world went virtual and in person contact came to a halt. This was especially true for the real estate world. During this time, realtors turned to virtual tours and staging to help sell their listings. This meant that Home Stagers like myself had to figure out whether to continue to carry the cost of storing their unused inventory without any relief in sight or gracefully bow out of the business. For my business, I made the hard decision to do the latter. While this decision did not come easy as Home Staging was an integral part of me starting out and growing my design business. However, in thinking about where I wanted to take my business over the next few years, I knew that letting go of this component of my business would push me to really lean into my more personalized interior design services.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vjamesandco.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/vjamesandcointeriors
• Facebook: Facebook.com/vjamesandcointeriros