We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Hurt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

Taking time off and stepping away from the day to day is a critical element of my business structure. I believe that taking time for input and rest actually makes me more productive and creative so I have instituted an August break for my business. I lived in Europe for 4 years in my 20’s and was shocked at the cultural imperative for a summer break that extended to all working adults, not just school age children. The general population operated under the assumption that no matter what job you had or how wealthy you were, that you deserved a break from your vocation. Despite not having lived in Europe for more than 20 years now, the value of rest, travel and vacation very much stayed with me. When you build a business, in some ways you are building a little microcosm that contains it’s own culture and I wanted to structure the business in a way that allowed for time off. We are now 7 years old and this summer will be our second year to institute an August break. We planned and prepared for 2 years prior to instituting it last year, but we now prepare our clients and project timelines to accommodate the company wide pause. The company culture values the extended break which means that our entire team is motivated to accomplish the same productivity in 11 months that we would normally do in 12.

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.

I started Seattle Art Source in 2016 as a way to connect interior designers with local, original art. We have grown since then and our scope now includes working with developers on commercial projects, building personal collections and artists outside the immediate region, but the core value is the same. We want to lower the barrier for purchasing art by providing affordable price points and a wide variety of services. I love the personal connection of working one on one with an individual who is buying original art for the first time. Taking the mystery away and providing a welcoming and approachable platform is very satisfying. And of course the larger projects are inspiring in their own way as I get to act as an advocate for art on a different level for those. I am so proud of my team and the little economic engine we are for the artists on our roster.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

We are a firm of 3 which admittedly is TINY but the team element is almost more critical in such a small group since there is no place to hide from friction. I feel strongly that my team knows that their voice matters and will routinely round table creative decisions with them for their input. The results have been better decision making as a leader as the insights I receive have proven to be very valuable. The company culture of inviting voices, empowering decisions making and equipping them for independence means that there is very little traditional “management” involved.

We also have a work culture that allows for generous off site work policy. If you can accomplish what you need to from home with a sick kiddo or a picnic table on a sunny day, then go for it.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

We take a very personal approach when it comes to staying in touch with clients. I will routinely call a client who I haven’t work from in a while to check in and see how we can help. I send personal emails to my core design clients to keep them updated on new art arriving. And then we have a broader email that goes out once per month to our subscribers and daily posts on Instagram.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://seattleartsource.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seattleartsource/

Image Credits
Haris Kenjar Brooke Fitts