Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rhonnika Clifton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rhonnika, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?
As a student entering the interior design field as a third career option, I began with a completely different history & mindset than most typical students. I definitely understood the notion of being “flexible” in my career path, especially since I’d spent the last fifteen years working in corporate America and the clothing retail industry, but I quickly realized that not most students had that same mindset, nor did the instructors offer a perspective of flexibility when it came to post-graduation career options. Most students would mention only wanting to be hired by mid-large design firms, therefore many of the instructors focused on introducing us to local & nationwide firms and high-end Interior Designers.
Since I’d started a decorating business in 2006, I already had the mindset of an entrepreneur, so I really wanted instructors to discuss other career avenues/opportunities post-design school, but in an attempt to be like my peers, I began looking into possible design firms to work for. I knew I didn’t want to work for a large firm, so as a compromise, I began looking into boutique firms in and around the Houston area. One particular firm stood out because of the aesthetic of the principal designer so, once an opportunity came up, I applied. I interviewed and after being asked, “why do you want to work with us if you have your own business?” I knew that finding a position at a design firm would be no easy task. Unfortunately, this same scenario happened a couple more times before landing my first industry job at a high-end stone & tile company.
As discouraging as it was to realize that there was a major flaw in the system, it taught me two very important things…1) every “no” is not a denial, but merely a delay; 2) not every “student” is made the same and I wanted to create a platform to educate students like myself on how to be flexible in their career/job choices post-graduation.
After making the decision to continue my entrepreneurial endeavors, due to the lack of hiring opportunities with boutique interior design firms, I developed and built R J Clifton Designs, LLC and began working on strategies to implement the changes I wanted to see for all types of students in our local interior design programs. I began actively volunteering with the local chapter of a national interior design organization, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Specifically, volunteering on student committees in order to have first-hand access to students with the hopes of changing the narrative on how they learn about specific niches in the industry and present flexible options for all students, at any stage of their life. Secondly, I created a Houston-based organization, Creative Conversations, LLC, for BIPOC students, emerging professionals, & tenured designers, to provide them with a space to learn, grow, and experience opportunities that would stretch their mindset on what was available to them in the interior design job market and demystify the idea that you have to go one-way post-graduation. Thirdly, I began working as an Adjunct Interior Design Professor at my alma mater to actively be the type of educator that I wish I had in design school.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
As a boutique interior design firm, R J Clifton Designs, LLC is a recognized expert in bringing the best of art and function to your living spaces. Our interior design solutions and value-added services seek to create, change, and cultivate your living experience. With a creative flair for the unexpected and a passion for style, we design outside the lines.
Rhonnika Clifton is the CEO and Principal Designer for R J Clifton Designs, LLC in Houston, TX. As a native Houstonian, Rhonnika has been decorating, designing, and organizing residential spaces for local and nationwide clients for over fifteen (15) years. Her passion and knowledge of space planning, color theory, and textures are the basis of her bold, unique designs.
Rhonnika has grown her business over the years, starting with developing a decorating company in 2006, to encompassing a parent company, R J Clifton Designs, LLC, which services mid to high-end residential and commercial clients. Her versatility allows her to build client relationships over a broad spectrum of the industry.
Rhonnika holds a BFA in Interior Design from the Art Institute of Houston and an Associate Degree in Arts from Houston Community College. She is an active member of ASID Texas Gulf Coast Chapter (American Society of Interior Designers) and enjoys serving as a leader in the design community. Rhonnika is also a project coordinator for the volunteer organization Houston Furniture Bank D.I.V.A.S. (Designing Interiors- Volunteers At Your Service), a subsidiary organization of the Houston Furniture Bank. The D.I.V.A.S. provides one-day makeovers for deserving individuals and families who have recently received housing.
Rhonnika has received several awards and accolades over the course of her career. In 2009, she was a semi-finalist in Kirkland’s national search for stand-out designers to introduce the launch of their community website, mykirklands.com. Among other accomplishments, Rhonnika has been featured on Houston’s KTRK Channel 13’s “Stretch Your Budget” segment and appeared as the guest decorator at several grand openings of
Kirkland’s stores in the Houston area. Additionally, she has been recognized as Houston’s Top 40/40 to Watch by I10Media, honored as a community leader by the Metro Southeast Houston Chapter of NWOA (National Women of Achievement, Inc.), and has been featured in several local and national print media.
Aside from being an Interior Designer, Speaker, and Mentor, Rhonnika also divides her time
as an Adjunct Professor at HCC (Houston Community College) and co-founder of the
Houston-based social networking group, Creative Conversations, LLC. Furthermore, she
enjoys volunteering in her community and is an ambitious, motivated designer who works
hard to guarantee quality service to each and every client. With each new design, she
aspires to help her clients “Design Outside the Lines.”
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
One of the top things that helped me build my reputation within the design industry was changing my mindset. As I begin to transition out of my interior decorating career, into interior design, I realized very early on that I could not keep the same simplistic mindset in order to scale my business.
As a decorator, I had to learn and embrace the important differences between decorating & design.
As an introvert, I had to become an extrovert in order to effectively socially network.
When my business didn’t close one lead in an entire year, I had to make the difficult decision to shut the business down and hire a business consulting team to work with for 6 months.
I say all that to say, if I hadn’t had the mindset to make the intensely difficult decisions within myself and my business, then I wouldn’t have been able to build the strong reputation that I have now with R J Clifton Designs, LLC.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been two-fold. Firstly, hiring a business management team to break down, reaccess, and rebuild was the first (and best) step to rebranding my decorating business into a luxury interior design firm. Secondly, using the power of free social media marketing has positioned my firm to be highly visible to a larger variety of potential clients.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rjcliftondesignsllc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RJCliftonDesigns
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhonnika-clifton-bfa-allied-64ab9246/
Image Credits
Dee Zunker Dee Zunker Photography 832-754-7572 https://www.deezunkerphotography.com/ Krytondra Mamou K. Mamou Photography (832) 878-0402 https://www.kmamouphotography.com