We recently connected with Katie Botker and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

How did I come up with my design business name… well… I didn’t. Let me give you a little bit of the backstory, I never actually wanted to start my own business. In grad school, I had an assignment to put together a business plan and name for a firm. At that time, I didn’t take the assignment too seriously believing I’d never start my own business. I also had a hard time coming up with a name and ended up just using my initials… very original, I know. Fast forward 8 years later, I’m working in a firm I’d been with just coming up on 10 years and I was feeling like I needed to make some changes in my life. I decided to quit my job and try something new; little did I know at the time that something new would be starting my own business.

I took a month off not actively searching for anything new. During that time, I had several family, friends, and friends-of-friends reach out to me to help them with their home additions and remodels. As I started to do more and more design work, a friend encouraged me to start my own business. At the time I just laughed and said “never,” but the more she talked about it the more I started to think that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.

Given her and her husband were business owners themselves, they ultimately ended up helping me set up my business. During the process, I asked them for ideas for a business name. I told them I wanted a one-word name – something people could remember. In passing he mentioned that I should include “Design Consulting” in the name. After asking multiple people for name suggestions, I circled back to my friend who suggested “Infinite.” “That’s it!”, I said, “Infinite Design Consulting!” Her and her husband had helped me find the perfect name for my business, the funny part, neither of them knew the other had helped create half the name until months later.

The word Infinite was exactly what I wanted my business to reflect – Our infinite Creator God and His infinite creation. I want to be a reflection of that in and through my work. I also love the fact that design itself can have infinite possibilities which is why my tagline states, “The possibilities are Infinite.”

Katie, 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?

As a young girl, my favorite subjects in school were math and art, but I didn’t think at the time there was a career that involved both. I loved building small model home kits with my dad growing up and would often tinker around in his woodshop. In 9th grade, we took an online career assessment questionnaire to help point us to a career path. My peers, who also took the test, got multiple suggestions for potential careers; mine popped up with one suggestion – Architecture. I soon learned more about the career and from that moment on I knew I wanted to pursue Architectural Design.

When I started Infinite Design Consulting, I offered a wide array of services as I enjoy all aspects of architecture and design. I did graphic design, signage design, landscape design, interior design, residential design, and commercial design. Now that I am extremely busy, I have switched my focus to mainly design with commercial spaces and drafting with the occasional residential home design.

With that said, because I love all things design, a client who approaches me to draft plans for their home or business can also expect to get design advice on signage, furniture, landscaping, etc. I believe design is all encompassing; you can have a great looking building but if the landscaping isn’t thought through your building isn’t going to shine. The same goes for signage, I’ve seen so many times where signage has ruined a beautiful building. If my clients allow, I always like to show them the full “picture” of a design proposal including these elements that are often overlooked.

Which is a great segue into what I am most proud of in my work – renderings. Renderings are a computer aided picture created to look like a realistic image. I love creating design renderings for clients as it helps them visualize and understand the design proposals for their space or building. As my website states, “This is the exciting part—being able to see your design before it’s even built.”

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients in my first year of business was “word-of-mouth”. I had worked on numerous projects throughout my career but didn’t have anything to show for my new business and my website was a “work in progress” – probably typical for most starting a business.

Recently, I’ve been asking new clients how they’ve found me and I’m surprised at how many have said they did a simple google search and liked what they saw on my website. It’s been rewarding to see my website continue to evolve as I continue to add to my portfolio with multiple new renderings. I’ve also hired an amazing photographer who helps showcase my work.

Word-of-mouth is still probably the best form of new clients, although partnering with business owners and having a presence on social media have all been great conduits for new clients.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I started Infinite Design Consulting, I was single, had bought a home a year prior and had quit my job the month before. Thankfully, I had a little savings buffer and supplemented my income doing odd jobs.

My first step when I started the business was to invest in a good computer. I was concerned about investing too much more in case this venture was unsuccessful. I knew initially I could get by working out of my home and meeting clients in their spaces. The computer design programs I was previously using were costly, but I was able to find other options that aided in getting my business started. I also reached out to family and friends for their knowledge and expertise. I still had my hesitations, as many new business owners do, but I was in a place in my career that I was willing to take the risk.

I invested as minimally as I thought possible to get me started and before I knew it, I had multiple calls for various residential and commercial projects. Three years later, I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of clients, consultants, and vendors. I’m blessed to have a thriving business and can now look back and say I am so thankful I took that leap just three short years ago.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.infinitedesignconsulting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinitedesignconsulting/

Image Credits
Susan Brown – Colorful Edge Photography (Headshot Photo) Hannah Rooney – Visual Eyes Photography (Building Photos)