Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kate Keesee . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Kate thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

Interior Design was always just a hobby for me for many years. I rescued road side finds and restored them later selling them to friends and neighbors. After suffering a small stroke in 2015 I decided to share my DIY projects on social media. I had only one space to use a family room that had fresh paint so it became my “blank canvas” Each week I would style and create a new look using my rescues and thrifted finds and share it with followers. I did this for about six months till one day I received an email from a large retail company asking if I was recreating the same space over and over again. Or was I styling in multiple homes. I wrote back that I indeed was using and recreating the same space. They were amazed at how each look was so different offering me a year paid partnership and then it began a flood of offers that turned into a full time endeavor. I’m always grateful for that first break of my skills being noticed.

Kate , 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 just a girl in Anaheim who loves sustainability and filling homes of my clients with pieces of furniture that tells a story. I’m definitely an out of the box thinker which is something that people gravitate towards. I select things that speak to me. It’s this unwavering feeling that won’t let me walk away without bringing it home and giving it a renewed purpose. I lost my mother last year to cancer and she was the one person who instilled the fact since my youth that I had a great eye for details and selections. I know since created a sustainable market place where all of the proceeds go to help subsidize widowed seniors in honor of my mother. She served faithfully in the senior community for over thirty years. It makes me feel connected to her in so many ways. Our story was about second chances and that what I do for most of the furniture I save from the landfill. Lastly I try to use or transform as much of a clients home furnishings before purchasing new. It’s great for our planet and it’s a wonderful way to use what you have already.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Truthfully I boot legged my business I had no start of capital to use after my stroke. I was buried with medical and hospital expenses. I decided to use my traffic on social media to barter with merchants so that I could obtain what I needed to further the steps to grow and it worked. I still have very strong relationships with the merchants and vendors who helped me when I had no monetary means.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I was vulnerable from the start on social media and it was the catalyst of how I grew a following. My audience was the everyday woman which I was with a dream to beautify her home on a show string budget. I spent countless hours connecting with women and men who wanted to do the same with a small budget. It became a second family to me and till this day I stay connected as much as possible.

There’s always something to give to others. Feed them and they will come. That’s my best advice in this tough mudder race of social media platforms. I just keep giving and they faithfully show up.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katekeeseeoc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalvageDior?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynanekeesee

Image Credits
I take my own photos