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

Katheryn , appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

In the past, I used to get just about all my projects (commercial) from the newspapers and business journals because of their articles that had been written about local businesses. Also, I knew a lot of people in my business (this was in Germantown/Memphis area) that sometimes did not want projects, and those would be passed onto me. Plus, I was one of the few interior designers in that area that was licensed and was a professional member of the interior design organizations, while I had also passed my professional exam. Business people like to deal with professionals, and the architectural firms preferred to work with someone who was licensed.

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

I got into my industry (interior design) because I picked it as a major from UM; and, I know this sounds silly and unrealistic, but I picked it because the major did not sound “too bad.” I was an artist anyway; so, the shoe fit, and I have absolutely loved it ever since. My company provides space planning, CDs (construction documents), finish selections, master planning, programming, coordination with architects and engineers, budgeting, furniture and accessory selections, lighting and electrical layouts, presentations, bidding and negotiations, landscape coordination, moving coordination (mostly for FedEx), installations, writing specifications, and job site inspections. Mostly, I think what sets me apart from others is that I am a professional interior designer, licensed and have the NCIDQ designation (means I passed my ID exam which professionals as in attorneys and CPAs are called to do, as well) and also belong to my professional organizations (ASID, which is American Society of Interior Designers and IIDA, which is the International Interior Designers Association, meaning commercial design). A lot of people do not know the difference between an interior designer, and an interior decorator, and I like to compare it to an architect vs a drafts person. Additionally, I am most proud of my being able to serve an enormous company like FedEx, and also, the fact that I helped design the interiors of custom corporate aircraft when I lived in Dallas, TX. Our clients in Dallas were all the worldly top companies and very many Middle Eastern oil magnates.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I wish I did have initial capital; but, the fact of the matter is I did not; however, I snagged my very first client (a country club), and those funds started my initial capital as well as the purchasing of equipment. I am forever grateful to my childhood best friend for giving me that lead and recommendation. Loyalty pays off sometimes.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I will have to give it to the Ole Miss art and engineering professors–they made us use antique tools for our projects (we did not know it, though) to learn the hard way how to do drawings with cartridge pens and ink, kind of like Leonardo da Vinci. Later, I found out at the art stores that there were pens that did that without having the ink blob everywhere.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katheryncolemaninteriordesign.com
• Instagram: katheryncoleman
• Facebook: Katheryn King Coleman ASID, IIDA, Inc.
• Linkedin: Katheryn Coleman
• Twitter: @ColemanKatheryn
• Other: [email protected]