Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Susie Prince. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Susie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to help people to feel more like themselves, to feel comfortable and comforted, to be proud of the spaces where they live. In an industry that can sometimes feel a bit frivolous, I make every effort to utilize what my clients own to make the best use of their resources, and to bring in elements that make them feel at home. Not just new items, but items that speak to who they are and where they’ve been. It’s important to me to make people feel empowered and happy in their homes. Home is a place of rest and relaxation. It’s the place where we should be able to let our guards down and just be. It’s a joy to get to create spaces for my clients to do just that.

Susie, 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 always wanted to be an artist. As a kid, it was the only career acceptable to me, and I didn’t even know about interior design as a field, but I always had a lot of opinions about the interiors of our home growing up. My parents let me express that by letting me paint my room, pick out bedding, and I was constantly rearranging things. In college, I studied art and design then worked for a large corporation doing package design when I first moved to Atlanta. I constantly rearranged my furniture in my small apartment and kept shopping thrift stores and antique markets for pieces to decorate my space with the little extra money I had. Whenever possible, I provided my (often unsolicited, oops!) opinion to family and friends for what they should do with their homes and decor. Once I had the opportunity to leave the corporate job to work as a design assistant on an HGTV show, I jumped at the chance! That was the springboard I needed to take the chance on this career change and be serious about becoming a business owner. After the show wrapped, I went to another show on FOX, and then when that one wrapped, I worked as a photo/video stylist on shoots, helped other designers with anything they might need, and became a sponge, learning how business owners made it all work. It’s always a learning process and I’m still learning on every single project, and I don’t think that will ever change. Every client and home is different, and each project will provide something new I can learn and grow from as a designer and business owner.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Being good to people goes a long way. There are challenges with each project, and not every potential client ends up being a project for us. And that’s OK. I may mourn a little when I job I’m excited about doesn’t come my way, but what is important to me in every interaction with a client or potential client is being kind, and ethical. It’s helped me to build a client list that I’m very proud of by genuinely caring about the people I work with, whether they’re an industry partner, a client, an assistant, or otherwise. I try my best to put myself in someone else’s shoes and see things from their perspective if I’m frustrated. Of course I don’t do a perfect job, but it’s something that is important to me. I’m a chatty person and clients become like friends quite often. When you’re good to people and make ethical choices in business, it comes back around. People appreciate honesty and kindness and I’m very thankful that they take that appreciation, and turn it into referrals!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Sometimes creative businesses can be seen as unnecessary. We aren’t literally saving lives, and I’ve struggled occasionally with that feeling of needing to do more to make a positive change in my community. I’ve learned that I can make a positive impact in my community by donating my extra time to causes I care about, by donating money that this business generates, and by creating homes for people that benefit their lives and how they feel. There is a need for creative careers, and I’m really proud of the work that we do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.susiemaedesign.com
• Instagram: @susiemaedesign
• Facebook: facebook.com/susiemaedesign

Image Credits
Christina Wedge, Patrick Heagne, Brittany Rae Photo