Start Small and Be Brave!

Dear Best Friends,

Maybe six or seven years ago, I sat in a McMenamins after a weekly run group with my crew of fellow moms, and our run coach quizzed us on what small businesses we dreamed of starting. I had thought about starting an organizing business on the side, but decided (probably rightly so) that my interest there might not last forever.

My friend Amy, however, had an immediate answer and said with great conviction, “I want to start an interior design business.” I found this so admirable. She was a teacher - aren’t teachers just teachers forever?? Seeing someone with a solid career having dreams of a complete pivot was so inspiring to me, whether or not the change actually happened. And I didn’t really think it was - not for any reason related to Amy specifically, but just because it would be a high-risk move for anyone, and like I said, teachers are teachers forever!

BUT, Amy did not stay a teacher forever. Fast-forward to a future run group where she proudly announced that she had quit her teaching job and the design business was starting!

AND, Amy was not doing this alone. Another friend in the run group, Katie, was also quitting her job and joining forces with Amy! Katie, like Amy, had an impressive career with the US Forest Service. But Katie walked away from that, because she shared that drive with Amy to do something creative.

So, another interview that I had top-of-mind when I thought about stories I’d like to share. And Katie and Amy happily obliged. Yes, it’s taken me multiple months (dare I say, an entire season?) to sharing it with you, but that’s because of my own personal organization disaster and maybe biting off more than I can chew, despite being very excited about our conversation.

And in the spirit of not letting perfect be the enemy of the good, I’m abandoning the video and just sharing my favorite takeaways and quotes from the conversation. Along with pictures of their beautiful work along the way.

What Were You Doing Before All of This?

Colleen (that’s me!): Let’s rewind a bit. What were your careers before all of this?

Amy: “I taught middle school. Everyone’s always like, ‘Oh, good for you, I could never,’ which... fair. I always had creative side projects though — painting rooms, DIYing stuff at home, trying to sell things. Even in teaching, I never reused lesson plans because I wanted to make it fun and creative.”

Katie: “I was at the U.S. Forest Service on the engineering staff, working on climate change mitigation. So I was still working on buildings, just in a very different capacity.”

This resonated with me. I totally get that feeling that, while you’re technically doing creative work in your job, it doesn’t really satisfy you if it’s not quite the right creative work. Not to say Katie and Amy complained about their previous jobs in that way, but… you know, they left for a reason.

How Did You Decide to Start?

Question: Did you always know this was the plan?

Amy: “I think I blacked out from 2019 to 2021. I’m such a planner and cautious person — quitting a secure public sector job seems out of character for me. I honestly don’t know what happened.”

Katie: “I don’t really remember either. But I do remember starting a design blog back in 2010. I kept telling Amy we should share it and post more… it only took nine years, I guess.”

To be fair, I think a lot of us blacked out 2020, so this tracks. But while it looks like it happened all of a sudden from the outside, there was clearly a long-term build up to the actual origin of their business.

What Was It Like to Quit?

Question: What was it like to actually walk away from those careers?

Amy: “I remember the moment I turned in my resignation letter. I could not stop smiling. I was scared, but mostly relieved — finally doing something that would fulfill me differently.”

Katie: “I was scared too. It’s not common to leave the Forest Service — most people there are lifers. But once I gave notice, I was just excited. I could finally focus fully on this thing we were building.”

I mentioned that the jobs that their in certainly seem like life-long careers. And that’s what makes their move seem so exciting… but I imagine, almost scary not to. If it’s not your true calling, or you’ve checked that box and are ready to move in, it’s really scary how seductive the status quo can be. Eventually, it can become even scarier than leaving - but either way, it’s such a brave move.

And yes, we also talked logistics: health insurance needs, who will do daycare drop-offs, etc. This required buy-in from their partners (fun fact, Katie and Amy are actually sister-in-laws, married to twin brothers), but ultimately there was support, a plan, and a dream ready to be acted on.

How Did You Actually Start the Business?

Question: So what did you do next? How did you begin?

Amy: “We started out offering organizing and design. Honestly, it was probably to battle imposter syndrome — like, anyone can organize, right? That felt safer.”

Katie: “But we quickly realized we didn’t love the organizing part. So we dropped it within the first eight months and went all in on design.”

Amy: “And our original business name was geared toward organizing too — so we rebranded pretty early on. Not a huge deal, but it felt like a signal that we were serious now.”

This is genius in my mind. Just today, I had a creative-minds call with my friend Ezra, where we rapid-fire brain dump on each other in hopes that it will lead to something productive. Ezra wisely assessed that when you’re trying to figure out to do next, look at your big goal, your North Star or whatever. Your next step doesn’t need to be that thing - it most likely won’t. But, it should be necessary to get there - as in, you couldn’t get there without it.

So to put Katie and Amy’s first move to this test, could they have built an interior design business without doing home organization first? Well… technically they probably could have done a number of things at this point, but what they did need to do was to get their foot in the door with potential clients and build trust, and this was an effective way of doing that. But they were attentive to the shot clock on organizing for others before they were fully seen as organizers, and pivoted quickly to offer services aligned with their actual goal.

Also, Their Work Is ✨Stunning✨

Let’s take a second to talk about the actual work they do.

It’s not minimal or beige. It’s bold and balanced: deep blues, greens, patterned tile, historic trim, bright color. But it still feels refined and livable.

At one point, I said to them: “Your work feels like my style, but elevated. Like how I wish my house looked if I were better at editing.”

And I meant it. Most interior designers I see online just don’t excite me. A lot of it is nice in that safe, expensive, polished kind of way, but not something I’d ever want in my own space. I’m drawn to more maximal design with lots of bright colors. I love doing things to my house that make it feel like a kid designed it - but I don’t necessarily expect anyone to walk in and say, “Wow, I want my house to look like this.”

But their work? “It’s like my aesthetic, but so fancy and nice.” It’s thoughtful and composed. It has personality, but it’s not chaotic. It has color, but not in a way that overwhelms the room. It feels classic but not boring.

They told me that not every project gets professionally photographed, but the ones that do make it online are a great reflection of how intentional they are. They’re designing spaces that people feel happy to be in.

What’s Evolving Now?

Question: You’re five years in now. What are the challenges and goals at this stage?

Katie: “We want to do more whole-home projects — remodel and furnishing, start to finish. Right now, most people find us through referrals for kitchen remodels, which we love, but we’re ready for more.”

Amy: “And that’s tricky, because those types of clients are different. It’s not necessarily the people we’re already connected to — it’s a new audience. One that values this work and has the budget to invest.”

I’ll just say it: if you have big bucks and want your brand new (or very old - they are eager to do a historic home!) entire house to look amaaaazing, hire them!! Hire them now!

Any Advice for Creatives Starting Something New?

Question: What would you say to someone trying to take the leap?

Katie: “Be brave. Very few choices in life are permanent. You can always evolve.”

Amy: “It’s okay to start small. Just don’t get stuck doing something forever that doesn’t fulfill you.”

Okay these are both going on prominent post-it notes a la Jenn Alvin from an earlier interview.

And I love that they seem kind of contradictory in my mind but actually don’t have to be at all: be brave but start small! Not that Katie and Amy necessarily started small in every way - I mean they straight up quit their jobs. But they weren’t attempting to do a full-blown historical home remodel on day one. They did what was accessible, established a foundation, and now they’re doing it for real!

You Should Follow Them

If you’re dreaming up a remodel, living in a historic home, or just want beautiful interiors on your feed:

📍 kithandkininteriordesign.com
📸 @kithandkininteriordesign

Thank you Amy and Katie for a wonderful conversation and for being so inspirational!

And thank you to everyone reading through - it’s fun to send something to you and I’m no longer making any promises about when you’ll get the next newsletter, BUT I can tell you there is one more interview coming from another great chat with my friend, Whitney.

Please respond if you’re in the mood, and let me know what creative dreams you’re working towards at the moment!

Your Friend,

Colleen