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

Sara, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I have been a free spirit for as long as I can remember, marching to the beat of my own drum, wanting so badly to freely be myself, in all aspects of life….Especially my creative side. Being creative was and is in my core. I believe all of us are here to “create” in some regard, so it was an incredible discovery when I realized that homes were my passion. All things homes…the exterior design, the way they make you feel, the questions or emotions that they provide. The warmth and welcome, the function and aesthetic, the stories they could tell if they could in fact talk. My passion (possibly infatuation) was coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit. I wanted to do it my way, but I knew that I had to first do what it takes to learn, be an apprentice and work my way to being the Owner of my own design firm. Because of what it took to get here, and because of the immense value I have placed on my career’s freedom and flexibility, I am most definitely happy as a business owner. Do I wonder what it would be like to clock in and out, not worry about work stuff outside of normal hours and actually be able to sleep at night? Absolutely. But I wouldn’t trade this for anything (Well, maybe a dog sanctuary and a camper van, but we’ll save that for later in life) When things get hard (and they do!) I have fleeting thoughts of quitting and becoming a bartender or a barista, making people happy with libations and caffeine, and then sending them on their way. But that wouldn’t fulfill me, it wouldn’t challenge me and it would be me being true to myself. So, I say to myself “You can do hard things, you are made for this!”

Sara, 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?

I am a Minnesota Native, born and raised in the country outside of Alexandria, MN. I met my husband before I graduated from high school. Today we have been married for 22 years and we have 3 children Isaiah, (20), Owen (17), Vivian (13), and a little Havashire, Bajie. I am the Principle Designer and Owner of Sara Godfrey Design and my business is celebrating its 6-year anniversary this December. Growing up, I remember riding my bike to a ravine to hike back and park myself on a rock to write poetry and sketch. I would dream of being an author or Designer. Or both. Interior Design has always been on my radar since I was a little girl. After putting my husband through 10 years of school and raising 3 littles, I had the opportunity to work for a design firm and it reignited my soul! I knew what I had to do. I went back to college to achieve my AAS in Interior Design, with an additional 2-year art degree under my belt. It was crazy raising three kids, running a cleaning business, and going back to school full-time, but there was a drive in me that I couldn’t ignore. I actually graduated with honors and started my business before I even graduated. It blew up faster than I could keep up with and has kept me on my toes ever since. Over time, I quickly realized that my passions within my industry were transformations. A great before and after is so fulfilling. Kitchen and Bath Remodels quickly became my specialty, tapping into the ability to look at a space and see its potential in my mind’s eye…then have the incredible opportunity to be a part of that process with my clients. It’s truly magical. I am almost proud of following my gut and going for it, even in times of difficulty. In a way, I was transformed. Created to create.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

Marketing, to me, is putting yourself out there as you. Selling YOU, and the rest will fall into place. What I do is so personal and I become close to almost all of my clients. Our homes are intimate places and it’s such an honor to be trusted to interpret how it is supposed to represent and how it should feel, what it should convey and how it should function for my clients. I like to share in my Instagram stories the good, the bad, and the ugly as well as some personal nuances so people can get an idea of my life, my process, and even why I do what I do in particular designs. Another huge part of me is the desire to bring people together for fun, and entertainment and to serve the community. I have been consistently putting together community events for the last 15 years. It has developed into an annual fundraising event that raises money for non-profits, whilst promoting my business as well as the countless others that donate their time, talents, and energy to a great cause. Putting yourself out there always has a return. At our last event we curated a transformation team for what we called an Ultimate Transformation. Our winner received our version of a “Queer eye for the straight guy” makeover. Worth over 8k! We even had a short film made to show the community. Marketing can look like so many things. But when it’s authentic, that is the best!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I often disregard that I have “resilience”, perhaps I don’t give myself enough credit. I want to encourage everyone to celebrate the wins. Everyday. if it doesn’t feel like there are any, dig deeper and look around you. There are wins everywhere. I did go through a really rough patch, like many others, during the peak of the pandemic. I, unfortunately, fell into a place of despair. I wanted to quit. Everything was hard and it started to affect my work and my relationships. It thwarted my creativity and changed who I was. I had to find myself again. I had to find my “why” again. I had to hit a bottom to realize that it was newness that was coming. Growth. Resilience is a simple word for navigating through the mountains and canyons, all with the same understanding- they’re different, but the end goal is the same- get through and come out stronger, and better on the other side. Learn from it and move on. If I look back on that time, I see the metamorphosis that took place, and I’m proud to say that I didn’t quit on myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://saragodfreydesign.com/
• Instagram: saragodfreydesign
• Facebook: Sara Godfrey Design

Image Credits
Alicia Bertram with licia marie photo + film Laura Khaghany