Taking a Moment to Give Thanks

Another year, another baby! (I say that while laughing, but it is true.) More clients and projects and more life lessons. This year has been full of ups and downs as a business owner, new mother of two, and solo entrepreneur and wife. It is rare to find moments of peace between the chaos of 2020 with business during COVID and navigating two under two. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to share a few thoughts and lessons learned while navigating the business of design.

1. Past and Current Clients

If you have been or are currently a client of ours, I want to first and foremost say thank you! I know I recently shared this on an IG story, but your support and continued belief in our design business keep things moving forward!  Whether it be a “like” on Facebook, or a comment on one of our new project posts, every bit of support is greatly appreciated, as we continue to grow and look ahead at our business goals for 2021.  Despite trying times this year, we have managed to bring a few projects to completion, pick up a few new ones, and develop some truly unique and custom products for another handful of ongoing projects. I personally cannot wait to see what next year brings, but I know that the phrase “next year” wouldn’t even be possible without each of our revered clients; so thank you.

2. Marketing Matters

I know I briefly touched on this in my earlier note, but when we started at the beginning of this year, we were lacking any sort of online presence. We were not posting IG Lives or crafting blogs for our website. Since then we have gone from 200 to 1200 followers on Instagram, and we have tackled our first few IG Lives (check out our favorite to date here). We have found our voice on Pinterest by sharing some of our favorite e-designs to date, and to top it off, we have been sharing a monthly branded newsletter to showcase what’s been going on in the business both locally in Bradenton, St. Petersburg, Florida, as well as remote in the Hamptons.  More often than not, I am running from meeting to meeting and burning the midnight oil. This is a nice way for me to share what we’ve been accomplishing behind the scenes each month! If you want to become part of our design family, join us for the latest company news and design trends here. Feel free to share with your friends and family. We love getting to know people who share the same love for interiors as we do. Need some expert advice? Send us a message or tag us if you’re working on a space where you need some design guidance. We love to help and get acquainted with those that are part of our design journey.

3. Our Vendors and Tradesmen

Wow, what a year of transformation this has been, specifically the ways in which designers and trades have pushed through to continue doing business. From virtually reviewing shop drawings to requesting zoom collection release meetings, things have adapted over the course of this year. Our trusted vendors and trades continue to never disappoint, and I love that as a business. I have the confidence and reassurance to bring that reliability to our clients’ despite an ever-changing fabrication process and timeline. I also want to extend a special thank you to our new local vendors here in the Tampa Bay, Bradenton, and Sarasota areas.  From meeting with our new Perennials team to finding a few new favorites such as the Shop at Oxford Exchange and Charlotte’s Grace, you all have been wonderful to work with despite trying times in the design industry. Your curation of furniture, books, and decor continues to wow both myself and our clients’.  You all have given AK&CO such a warm welcome to the design scene in our new home state of Florida, and I Iook forward to many more exciting collaborations ahead!

4. Designer Colleagues & Business Resources

I have never seen the design community band together the way it has this year. I am so proud to be a part of such a giving group of individuals. Between Schumacher’s YouTube webinars, Circa Lightings’ Book launch releases, the Business of Home, and of course, LuAnne Nigara’s A Well Designed Podcast (one of my favorites) the support and encouragement throughout a trying and uncertain time for design has been insurmountable. I think at this point my husband may know as much as I do about the business of design. It truly does take a village to evolve and grow as a solo entrepreneur and as a business. Without these individuals and the companies they represent, I wouldn’t know my attorney, business coach, marketing team, or other fellow designers in the industry! I am forever grateful to know and to be able to work with each and every one of you.    

5. Family and Friends

Goodness, where to start on this one. To everyone who has stood by my side as I’ve poured everything into AK&CO. this year - thank you!  Thank you for the encouragement to keep going. Thank you for your understanding when I remained committed to working on the weekends. Thank you for checking in when I may have fallen off the texting map for a while. Thank you for all of the free babysitting, continued love, and guidance.

To my husband, thank you for your patience and continued support which often comes in the form of oat milk lattes every Saturday morning. Thank you for pushing me to keep reaching higher and to work past what seems like impossible goals within our interior design business. Thank you for the endless hours of conversation we’ve had discussing this business and every single finished project photo we’ve edited to date.

To our boys, you don’t know it yet as you both are still so little, but thank you for every single one of your hugs and little kisses.  Every “mama”, every new baby step, every discovery, you both continue to amaze me. Know that everything we do, we do for you.

Friends, life is truly such a beautiful gift. We are only given one opportunity to make the most of it. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week with family and friends near or far, remember to give thanks for those around you. Give them an extra (virtual) hug and remember to say I love you. Count your blessings for the good things no matter how little, and savor the sweetness in that slice of pumpkin pie! Don’t forget that we are here to help you create those sweet moments in your home. So when you’re ready to take that next step in transforming your space, let us help you prepare for a bigger and better new year with interiors that astound and give grandness to your life and the lives of your loved ones. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!