We recently connected with Lily & Cassidy and have shared our conversation below.

Lily & Cassidy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

As we reflect upon your question about whether we are happier as a business owners and if we ever contemplate having a regular job, we can’t vividly recall the last time we grappled with that thought. Being an entrepreneur can be particularly demanding and the stress that comes with being an owner, visionary, and integrator can definitely build up over time. But realistically it is such a joy for us to walk side by side in this business vs working for someone else.

We have found an incredible amount of satisfaction in being business owners. From autonomy, freedom, passion, unlimited growth potential, creativity, relationship building and so much more, there aren’t enough ways to describe how much we love the choice we made to leave our regular jobs. As entrepreneurs, you have the freedom to make decisions and shape the direction of your business according to your vision. You are not bound by rigid schedules or corporate structures, allowing you to have more control over your work-life balance. You have the ability to scale your business, increase your income, and create new opportunities for yourself and others. Networking and collaborating with like-minded individuals has been a great source of growth for building a community of support we would never have met otherwise. Each milestone and success that we have reached has also become a personal achievement as well.

All of that said it has not necessarily been an easy route, we left financial stability and took on high amounts of responsibility, a lot of long hour weeks, uncertainty in our market and all of the overwhelm and emotions that encompass you when you on take that risk.

At the end of the day though, we would choose it all over again. There is nothing quite like building your own pathway to your version of success. We think two of the biggest things we’ve learned is:

1. You have to determine what success is in your eyes and to not let what others in the industry are doing limit your dreams or push you to do things that don’t align with your idea of success.
2. Don’t sell your soul to become mainstream. There is so much to compare to on social media and the internet, it is so easy to lose who you are in the process of growth in the name of following suit and trying to hit all of the same milestones as someone else.

We have never been happier to be business owners then we are right now, and we only hope that joy grows as we continue our entrepreneurial journey!

Lily & Cassidy, 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?

We are best friends, turned business partners, with a shared passion for creating beautiful spaces. We met in college during our time pursuing our Architectural Interior Design degrees and have been inseparable ever since. After college, we both pursued different career paths in the Interior Design field and still felt like we were missing the mark on our purpose. So we decided to ditch the nine-to-five life for something that brought greater meaning to our future. A business where we can serve our clients more freely, as well as create that freedom in our own lives. With that said, Savvy was born. As a duo, we’re here to be your renovation & design experts, masters of coordination, timeline developers & your biggest supporter from beginning to end. Whether you’re building, renovating or growing your vacation rental portfolio, we are your gals. We’re avid believers that you should align with who you work with, and we do our best to show you our truest self through our work how we show up online so that when we get to work together, you are confident that you invested in the right place and that we’ll make the most out of it together!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

We love this question, there are so many lessons we have had to back track on but we think one of the most relevant lessons is that “Competition is the enemy”. As a fairly new niche designing for the vacation rental industry, it was so easy to start comparing ourselves to the few other successful designers in the industry. Building up the very subtle and believable lies that “we would never be viewed as good as them”, “they made it there first, so we won’t”, “they are working with dream clients, well be half way through our careers before we reach that level”, etc. It is so natural to view competitors as adversaries, but unlearning the idea that competition is solely adversarial can open up opportunities for collaboration, learning, and growth. Developing a mindset of healthy competition, where you can learn from your competitors and find ways to differentiate and excel, can be beyond beneficial. Not only will you grow but having a positive outlook will help your business be more approachable and you will build a community where your competition might become part of your support system.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Non-creatives may not fully grasp the intensity and unpredictability of the creative process itself. Creativity doesn’t always follow a linear path; it often involves exploration, experimentation, and embracing the unknown. Non-creatives might struggle to understand that sometimes results can be quick if the creative juices are flowing, or really slow if there is a block. The outcome isn’t always a reflection of the time it takes, unlike a straightforward progression from point A to point B, creativity often involves twists, turns, and takes unexpected detours which sometimes takes more time, and sometimes it gets you there quicker than you anticpated.

Creativity doesn’t follow a linear path because it is a complex and organic process that is influenced by various factors and variables. It’s important to recognize that the non-linear nature of creativity is not a hindrance but rather an inherent part of its beauty and potential. Embracing the twists and turns, being open to the unexpected, and allowing for flexibility and adaptability can lead to new possibilities, breakthroughs, and a richer creative experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: savvydesignco.com
• Instagram: savvydesignco_
• Facebook: Savvy Design & Co
• Linkedin: Savvy Design Co | Lily Noordyk | Cassidy Coleman