We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dessie Sliekers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dessie below.

Dessie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

One of my favorite things about working with clients on remodels or new construction projects, is helping to ease the stress of making decisions for them. I was working very closely with a client on a large scale remodel, and there were several decisions to be made in the process. We had several in depth conversations about their project and what their goals were for their home. I had a good idea of the direction they wanted to go, and felt very comfortable helping them to navigate the process. We had set up appointments at several showrooms one day, and I could see her eyes glaze over as we arrived at the 3rd showroom. She had enjoyed the process but was also staring to feel overwhelmed. Knowing the direction we were going, I helped guide her through the rest of our meetings that day to keep the process moving along. I worked closely with this client for the next several months and acted as a project liaison for them. Through this process we fostered a great working relationship and they were thrilled with the results of the remodel. I went on to work with them on multiple future projects.

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?

I have known I wanted to go into interior design since I was probably 13. I am one of those rare cases where I knew what I wanted to do from a young age, went to school for it and have actively been working in the field for nearly 20 years now. I truly love the daily variety I get working as an interior designer. Each day is different, and each project has different challenges that allow me to flex my creative muscles to find the best solution. I work with clients on a wide range of project types and scope, in the residential and commercial fields. My goal is to be attainable and flexible to best assist on any size of project I get to work on. I work often on kitchen, bathroom and basement remodels as well as new construction builds. I also help clients find the right furniture layouts and pieces for their homes and office spaces. I often find that clients don’t always anticipate the amount of work and decisions that go into a project, and can easily get overwhelmed, I love helping to ease that stress. The approach I take with clients is heavily communication driven. I work hard to get to know my clients, their spaces and their goals for their projects to help find and facilitate the best solutions. I think that the time and care I put into getting to know each client and their goals really sets me apart.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me is pretty easily word of mouth. I have advertised in different ways and different spaces and always find that word of mouth is the most successful means to a new client. This really puts a high value on how I work, communicate with and treat my clients. A positive relationship with clients is paramount both for the value it brings them during our work together, but also, for the potential of their referrals.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One thing I struggled with in the early years of my business was being comfortable charging what my time is worth. I am inherently not a pushy person, so this was a difficult task for me to embrace. Initially I had a lower hourly rate with the intention of getting more clients and projects. I found this had me overloaded which lead to overcommitting on projects, often leading to frustrated clients. Once I learned that it was ok to charge a rate that was more standard but still competitive for my field, my work load and quality became much more sustainable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.slick-designs.com
• Instagram: @slickdesignsankeny
• Facebook: Slick Designs
• Yelp: Slick Designs