# 93 | The Risk-Averse Guide to Switching to an Interior Design Career with Rasheeda Gray

Interior design BusinessMindsetAttracting Client2-Establishing1-LaunchingTime ManagementOrganization

Sep 26

"We can get so ingrained in these habits of what we think we need to be doing and having our fingers in all the things." - Rasheeda Gray

In today's episode, I catch up with Rasheeda Gray, founder of Gray Space Interiors to discuss her transition from a corporate marketing career to interior design. She emphasizes the importance of mentorship and the value of insider tours at High Point Market. Rasheeda and I discussed her journey, including her gaining her first client in 2016 and making the decision to go full-time in 2018. Rasheeda shares her approach to balancing work with her husband's general contracting business and hiring a business coach. Rasheeda and I also discuss the progress in elevating black designers in the industry and her hope for continued growth and representation.

Switching Gears: From Marketing to Design

Rasheeda started her early career in corporate marketing for insurance companies like Progressive Insurance and State Farm. Rasheeda describes her transition to interior design, inspired by her love for decorating her own home and taking a six-month program at Temple University before landing her first client and starting Gray Space Interiors.

Hiring and Scaling your Interior Design Business

Rasheeda shared how to make it work while still working in a full-time job and building our design business on the side. This may include long hours and weekends, but it is so important to have a solid book of business before making the full-time transition to design. As her business grew, Rasheeda found the need to hire for the first time in 2018 and how to reinvest in your business. Managing your time and priorities as a business owner involves the requirement for clear time management strategies and delegation. It's important to trust your team to handle administrative and project management responsibilities if you really want to grow.

Making time means getting super clear on what your priorities are so that you can use this filter to decide when to say yes and when to say no. Having time freedom is the most important type of freedom that building your business can grant you.

Diversity in Interior Design

The interior design industry has had a diversity problem for many years. We've seen decades of media featuring a lot of white designers working for white clients. The irony is that many of them have showcased design elements/patterns taken directly from black culture. Black designers have to work harder to get the same recognition as their white counterparts. While we are hopeful that this is changing, organizations like the Black Interior Designer's Network are helping to elevate black designers giving the design community the much-needed perspectives and voices of black Americans.

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