We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristen Pawlak a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I believe there are several attributes that make one successful. Given that KP Designs is in a very client focused business, these are what guide success:
Quick response, returned calls
Clear communication
Efficiency and streamlined processes
Empathy toward clients
Promised deliverables
Education/continuous learning of craft
Team mentality–We vs. Me culture
Good PR!
Kristen, 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?
While I have been a personal designer all my life, I chose to create a second career and purchase a Decorating Den Interiors franchise and become a professional interior designer.
KP Designs provides interior design services and furnishings of all types to both residential and commercial clients.
We are known for bespoke designs, whole rooms/multi rooms or whole homes/multiple areas, all at once. We are strong project managers, handling all aspects of a design project, the many details, and coordination of our team and extended partners. Everything is very customized to clients. We bring out a client’s personality, making their spaces beautiful and uniquely their own!
You can say our brand is custom detailed, which makes it luxurious.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
Clients receive consistent communication from us in a few efforts, to include: Email newsletters covering design topics of interest
Social media posts, stories, reels
In person events such as design seminars and appreciation
Holiday cards and gifts
Ad hoc texts, emails, phone calls, mailings customized to them
And more…!
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
Covid of 2020 was extremely scary and so uncertain in the beginning of it all. I truly thought it would be the end of my business. We couldn’t meet people in person, I was fearful to have my employees in the studio together or be “open” as my state was encouraged to <i>report </i>businesses who were open! I had a warehouse of goods I couldn’t install at first, thus keeping balances at bay. The supply chain was a disaster!
Through a lot of support from our franchise partner, federal loans, and the ability to conduct virtual appointments and design…plus supportive clients who allowed us to continue with them (given the necessary precautions PPE), we made it through some tough months!
Coming out of the Covid year, were some of the most profitable sales years to date. Plus project tracking got even more sharpened!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.kpdesigns.decoratingden.com
- Instagram: @kpdesignteam
- Facebook: KP Designs Decorating Den Interiors
- Linkedin: KP Designs-Kristen Pawlak
Image Credits
KP Designs