Life and Business During Covid
AK&CO. Goes Virtual: Building and Branding
As recently shared, we welcomed our newest little addition to the family in December 2019. With our new addition came the need to establish a virtual, work from home routine with a majority of our clients. The move from NYC to Florida meant that Zoom and FaceTime became the norm, and communication would be critical in conveying ideas to a team of contractors, stone pavers, furniture receiving warehouses, and everyone in between. Thankfully this skill set was not unfamiliar, as my background being a project manager and overseeing multiple team members at a time, quickly kicked into overdrive. Between scheduling weekly Zoom meetings, to coordinating monthly project calendars, AK&CO. was virtually moving forward to ensure all of our installations still occurred and
projects remained on-track.
Having an established virtual relationship with all of our clients allowed our team at AK&CO. to quickly pivot at the onset of COVID-19 in March. We were able to look internally and focus our efforts on areas of the business that would better serve our clients this year.
Prior to our launch last fall, marketing, branding and our presence on social media was very minimal. It was during this season that we decided to reach out to The Dove Agency to catch up on these areas of the business that had not previously been a priority
prior to baby.
Over the past 5 months, we have worked diligently with our marketing team to refresh our company website and establish a cohesive brand name for AK&CO. We have dug deep to hone in on our core values and how they translate into marketing efforts. We have updated our social media platforms and added new ones that didn’t previously exist. We snuck in a photoshoot (that’s another story for another day)! We’ve kept our gaze ahead and planned for the remaining months of 2020 to see how we can add value to our current and prospective clients. This has been an extremely exciting time at AK&CO., and if you have not yet started to follow along with our journey, please make sure to click here. I can personally say that as the visionary and leader of this company, we have our sights set high, and are looking forward to great opportunities ahead.
Balancing an Emerging Business and Growing Babies
Now all the above, though exciting as it has and will continue to be, cannot be shared without pointing out that yes, this is all being accomplished with two babies at home, both under 2 years old. The amount of coffee and dark chocolate that has been consumed over the past 4 months would likely already fill my quota for a standard year's worth of caffeine.
In this season of COVID and working from home, life has presented many new challenges and opportunities to extend grace. If you are a client of ours, a vendor or a trades-person in the industry reading this, I’m sure you’ve heard a crying baby in the background during one of our many Zoom calls; or you have watched as I quickly stepped away from my computer to keep things calm in the background. Building a small business and simultaneously being a mother to two has its highs and lows. My breadth of scope and knowledge that has expanded not only personally, but as a business owner, has grown leaps and bounds over the past two years.
From incorporating performance-rated fabrics to meeting new vendors who provide finishes that can withstand my own wine glass ring and toddler crayons, to being a mom no matter how old your children are, brings with it a new level of understanding, perseverance, and determination. Yes, there have been days over the past few months where meetings have had to be postponed; and yes, there have been days where patience was wearing thin.
In the end, looking back on what has occurred and what may still lie ahead, during this time in business
as an interior designer I’ve appreciated:
the opportunity for design to meet others where they are at in life.
being able to design with intent and a keen listening ear.
providing clients and industry-related friends the chance to feel a bit more comfortable in their current space.
So What will the Current and Future Months Hold for Interior Design?
As it currently stands, vendors both locally on the west coast of Florida, and in NYC are easing back into life and production before COVID. There are still instances where vendors are playing catch-up due to the past few months; but on the flip side, we have experienced other vendors that AK&CO. typically works with who are booked up with production requests until the end of this year. It is hard to provide a general update as to where the industry stands this month as each segment of design has experienced its own setbacks.
What I can say and encourage to all of our clients, is to continue to extend grace, and know that the industry is looking up. Vendors, fabricators, and suppliers are taking orders, creating custom pieces, releasing new collections, and shipping as closely to standard lead times as possible. Shipping estimates have incurred a few extra weeks of delay, so with that in mind we have been encouraging clients to place orders swiftly to get their items in before the end of the year.
The industry is strong and united. With grace abounds support and encouragement. So to all of our vendors and industry friends, please continue to let us know how we can better support you as we navigate this uncertainty together. To all of our trusted vendors and clients, thank you for supporting AK&CO. during this season of change and for following along while we refine our voice in the industry. Let us encourage you to endure this season of life in a space that you not only call home but one that sustains you through the changes and challenges that 2020 might continue to bring.
Have more questions about working with AK&CO., or simply need some advice on maintaining calm in your house with little ones?
Drop us a note, we’d love to hear from you!