Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Britney Johnson, owner of B Design, located in Olympia, WA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
B Design Interior Design Coaching and Design YOUR Dream Home online course prepare homeowners for the interior design and construction process of your next home building or remodeling project.
After years in the home building industry, I was tired of seeing the look in people's eyes when they realized building a home was not as much fun as they thought, that their dream had turned into a nightmare. They don’t know what to do, and there’s no clear path for help. I pivoted my business and found my true passion.
I don’t design houses anymore. I prepare and support homeowners, especially women, through the interior design and construction process by arming them with the background knowledge they need to make decisions, the questions they need to ask themselves to understand the project better and their direction, along with the confidence to know that what they want is possible and that they can absolutely have it! Confidence, clarity, and action!
Tell us about yourself
As an artist, Enneagram 8, and Manifestor / Generator, I live by the thought ‘create the things you wish existed.’ As an interior designer, I have worked on hundreds of projects, walked on the construction sites, counseled the clients, and answered all the questions. I was tired of having the same conversations, seeing self-doubt crumble the most beautiful projects, turning an authentic vision into something ordinary.
I oversee clients, especially women who get walked on, talked over, and unconsidered within their own projects. ‘Something needs to change!’ I thought. There needs to be a different way. So I created one (my course, Design YOUR Dream Home).
I can’t change the construction industry alone, but I can create more prepared clients with confidence in their vision and voice to stand strong at the design table and on the construction site. Owning their project and getting what they want. Seeing my clients no longer need me, taking charge of their projects, and forging their own paths — that’s what keeps me doing what I do. Knowing that I am the single drop that creates a ripple motivates me daily.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Creating my online course Design YOUR Dream Home. I sat down for months and literally wrote everything I know about the interior design and construction industry. I walked through the entire process of building a home and explaining everything homeowners need to know in an orderly and efficient manner. It’s a lot. Building a home is a lot, and there’s a lot to learn. I see so many issues and areas of the home building industry that I would like to change, and instead of complaining, I created a solution.
Design YOUR Dream Home is my best effort, at this moment, to move the field of residential construction forward for everyone. To help homebuilders better understand the process they are getting into, what it will entail for them and how to end up with a home they truly love. Creating educated, confident homebuilders so they can accurately express themselves to their contractor, speak the same language, have much more productive conversations, and build better homes.
I am extremely proud of myself for even putting this course together. I pulled from my brain a wealth of knowledge, and I created it into a physical product people can see and buy. I can use my knowledge to help people, which will impact their next home project and lives for the years to come. When I go back and review the videos or read the scripts, I am so proud of myself. I love the information I am providing. The fact that I could dedicate the time and focus on pouring through my knowledge, to share the way I think and authentically express myself. I have been chipping away at a stone until I found myself, and ultimately that’s my biggest accomplishment. Really see me in my business.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Creating something that you know is so awesome and going to help so many people, and then it just sits there, on the digital shelf, collecting dust. It’s reminding yourself every day that what you have and what you do is of value, even if no one sees it yet. It doesn’t always make sense, but I keep going because I know that what I am doing is worthwhile and will help many people, even if they don’t know it yet.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Make sure you are fundamentally and wholeheartedly invested in your business. The world will test you in so many ways, and you have to have a deep commitment to why you are doing this. This is where your strength and inspiration come from, and if you are going to survive a long-term entrepreneurial journey, you will need it.
- Set your business up for how you like to live your life. There are many ways to do business, and you don’t need to be traditional about it. Make room for your life, happiness, and ease. Running your own business is hard, but the joy is that you can do it however you want! Have an abundance mindset and know that your business can support and enhance the life you want to live.
- Be authentically yourself in your business. In the world of niches, there is room for everyone. Be clear about who you are, and don’t be shy about it. The world needs your gift, and only you can create it the way you do.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.b-design.us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bdesigncoaching
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdesign.coaching/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/designyourdreamhome/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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