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

Leah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

When I was attending university to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design, I told myself that I never wanted to end up working at a furniture store. What happened when I graduated? I worked at a baby and kid’s furniture store. I loved the people I worked with, but I hated the job. I was definitely not made for commission. I wanted a career. My end goal with Interior Design was always to have my own design firm, and I knew this job wasn’t pushing me in that direction.

It turns out I was oh so wrong! One day, a beautiful couple came in to purchase furniture for their baby girl’s nursery. When they heard that I had a degree in Interior Design, they became really interested in my opinion on fabric selections etc. After they purchased furniture, we all began texting and they asked if I would like to design the nursery. I of course said yes! After this project, they trusted me to complete their master bedroom and several other rooms in their home. This helped me to gain confidence and realize that even though I was only 22 years old, I was ready to take on some more clients. It just so turned out that my first client was a Lawyer. He offered to help me create the business and from that point on clients kept flowing in, I was able to quit my job at the furniture store, and I never looked back!

Leah, 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?

One of the things that makes me a unique player in the interior design industry is how young I was when I started. I have a piece of paper from second grade that asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and I wrote “interior designer”. I took an interior design class in high school and attended a four year university for design. I started my own design firm in Atlanta at the age of 23. I always knew this is what I wanted to do with my life.

I love the creativity involved in design. I love the relationships I form with clients and vendors. I love that it makes me an integral part of my community. I love how I can impact lives so grandly by simply designing the homes people live in and the spaces people visit.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

One thing that helped me build my reputation in the Atlanta interior design market is my ability to design to any style. I always say that I like any style, as long as it’s done well. Of course, I have my own preferences. My job isn’t to design to those preferences; it is to design to my client’s preferences. I offer guidance along the way to make sure that the design is executed well, but my end goal isn’t whether something will get published – it’s how my client will feel in the space.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Google is honestly our best source of new clients. Word of mouth is up there, but these days most people rely on a google search and that is how most people find us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leahatkinsdesign.com
• Instagram: leahatkinsdesign

Image Credits
Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn