EP #17 | Dani Haas: An Unconventional Journey to Launching an Interior Design Business
Welcome to the Designers Oasis podcast. I'm your host, Kate Bendewald, interior designer, mama and CEO of a thriving interior design business, built on authentic word of mouth referrals. It wasn't that long ago that I stepped away from my corporate architecture job to build my own dream, one that would allow me more time with the people that I love, the ability to serve my clients at the highest level, and to make a great living. It wasn't always easy, and I've made my share of mistakes along the way. Fast forward to today, and I've learned a thing or two. This podcast is for you - the inspired, creative, ambitious, and let's admit it, occasionally overwhelmed interior designer who shares this dream of transforming lives by transforming homes. Join me and my guests each week as we walk through practical ways to build an interior design business you love, and helps you transform your clients' lives. You can do this.
Today, my guest is Dani Haas, the founder of Dani Haas design, a Denver based interior design firm focused on creating layered, sophisticated and comfortable spaces, while carefully balancing function and aesthetics. Dani's interiors are known for being warm, textured and inviting. before founding Dani Haas design she spent a decade in New York City working with prominent firms like Papas Myron design, and the renowned ad 100 and Elle Decor, a list firm Coleman and Kravis associates. During her eight years at Coleman and Kravis, she had the privilege of designing notable residences in New York City, the Hamptons, Connecticut, New Jersey, Miami and beyond. Her projects have been featured in prominent shelter magazines such as Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, veranda, New York cottages and gardens and Luxe Magazine.
Today Dani shares her remarkable journey, rising through the ranks of Coleman and Kravis from an administrative assistant to lead designer and then deciding to move back to Denver and launching her eponymous company Dani Haas design. Her story is a testament to the importance of being willing to do and try anything, even when you don't know the outcome, alongside resourcefulness and creativity when it comes to getting to where you want to be in life and business. Dani graduated from Indiana University with a degree in interior design. Her passion for food, travel, and art influences her work from the color palette to composition to unexpected textures and forms. In her free time, you can find her testing out new recipes and hosting friends and family or shopping for vintage ceramics and furniture. Dani resides in the West Highlands neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, with her husband Patrick and their beloved golden doodle Jones. And soon to be baby girl coming in early October. I think you're really going to enjoy today's interview. Thanks for listening. Let's get to it.
Hi, Dani, welcome to the Designe’s Oasis podcast. How are you?
Dani Haas
Hi, I'm great. Thanks. Excited to be here.
Kate Bendewald
Oh my gosh, I'm so so so excited to have you. And I know our listeners are going to love hearing from you today. And you are our inaugural guest on the podcast. So welcome. It's really so much more fun to be able to interview and chat with other people. I do love the solo episodes too. But I'm excited to be doing guests as well. So welcome.
Dani Haas
Great, thank you. I'm honored to be the first yay!
Kate Bendewald
well probably won't be the last either. So considered a standing invitation? I think I think our listeners are going to absolutely love hearing from you today because you have such an interesting and incredible story and journey as a designer. That's really not typical, right? We talked about this over coffee one time and just listening to your story. I was like, Oh my gosh, I think other designers would love to hear this because it's it's so fun and it's just so cool. So I Wanna I want to hear we're going to sort of talk today about your journey and where you are today. So you've launched your own design business recently, and so we want to hear about that. But before we get into that, I want to start with, tell me about baby Dani, who is Dani, were you were you that kid? That was like rearranging your room or moving stuff around? Or you're just curious about the spaces that you're in? did? Did this inclination of being a designer ever show up as a youth?
Dani Haas
Yes, absolutely. I've always been super artistic. So as a little like elementary school aged girl, I was very into art and drawing and colors, and I loved helping my mom design my bedroom. I don't know that I necessarily rearranged things, but I was definitely very in tune with my surroundings. And then in middle school, that sort of when the heyday of Trading Spaces on TLC now, and I used to watch it religiously, even though some of it was a little frightening, but and I just sort of knew at that point that I wanted to do something with design, I didn't know if it was gonna be interiors, or fashion, or stationery, or what it was, but something within the realm of design. So yeah, I took a lot of art classes in high school. And then I went to college for interior design, and made sure to only look at schools that had programs and that sort of sent me on my way.
Kate Bendewald
I think I saw in a photograph on your website, which by the way, is beautiful. Dani? Yes. Does that is it Dani Huff design or designs? Design? Yeah, you guys go check it out. It's really just understated and elegant and beautiful website. But it looks like do you do your own hand renderings?
Dani Haas
I do. I've always preferred them over digital ones. I mean, it depends on the project. But in college, we had, obviously the technical training to do everything in AutoCAD. But then I usually opted to do hand renderings with watercolor markers and things for presentations. And at my last job, we did a lot of custom furniture design. So I did a lot of sketches of things by hand and I just like that medium for presenting ideas.
Kate Bendewald
Oh my gosh, well, we're gonna get into that here in a second. I know I love doing hand renderings in college. There was something just kind of cathartic about being there with the paper and your Prisma markers, right? Yes. I would say it's a dying art for a lot of designers who are exclusively using digital techniques to present their ideas. So I love that that is still around. There's there's an elegance about it. And I think that that's probably one of the things your clients find attractive about what you do. Is that kind of traditional art form for presenting your your ideas. I love it. Yeah. So you you mentioned a minute ago that you did a lot of custom pieces in your previous job. So I want you to give us a little bit of a timeline. So you you graduated from college. You had this incredible opportunity then you found yourself at Coleman and Kravis. And for those of you who don't know Coleman and Kravis and then you also worked for another firm and I hope I'm saying this right.
Okay. So you're gonna want to tell us more about that. But Coleman and Kravis, I know a little bit more about their a highly revered interior design firm in New York. And they were, I believe, in my research founded by Ellie Coleman and her late partner, Heidi Kravis, over 35 years ago, and then at 100 firm overseeing these just really incredible and beautiful projects throughout America and but mostly in New York, in the Hamptons. So that was like how you got your start. So let's back up a little bit. So that's the experience that you mentioned a minute ago. Well, let's back up a little bit. So you graduated from college? How did you find yourself at these two firms? Basically, right out of college.
Dani Haas
So it's kind of a wonky road to get there. But I basically I knew I wanted to be in New York. I had interned the past two summers, my final two years in college and I was just totally enamored by the city. So I basically agreed to move in with two of my close friends from college. But before I moved there, I had the opportunity to work at the London Summer Olympic Games. I have a family member who works for NBC Sports, and basically got odd jobs for the nieces and nephews to have the chance to work in the Olympics. So I was in London for the summer which was amazing. And I happen to work in the tape library with this woman who I was talking to. And her next door neighbor's daughter worked for Coleman and Kravis and the city and when I told her I was moving there, she said, Oh, you have to get in touch with Caroline. And I was like, calling in Caracas. Never heard of it.
Long story short, I moved in August. I reached out to Caroline Coleman and Kravis was not hiring. They were taking interns, but they were full until the end of the year. So it was a bit of a moot point. In the meantime, I worked for a relative who's a luxury shoe designer in the city. So I had interned with her for the past couple summers, and she was kind enough to pay me a little bit so I could survive for a few months. So I did that. And then Hurricane Sandy blew through at the end of October and my roommates and I were out of our apartment for about six weeks. And then by the time December rolled around, I still hadn't found something full time and through another odd connection. I was put in touch with purpose. Myron, which is another wonderful firm founded by two close friends. Alexandra Pappas and Tatyana Myron. And they were looking for a design assistant. So I agreed to take that on. And at the same time, Coleman and Kravis had resurfaced. And they had an opening for an internship, which at the time was unpaid. So I was working a few days a week at one firm and a couple days a week at the other and kind of cobbling together whatever experience I could have, but it was really amazing to sort of have these two things going on simultaneously, because Coleman and Kravis has been around for 35 plus years, and they have this big, fancy Madison Avenue office with just a whole different kind of ballpark and Pappas, Myron, who was relatively newer, with their firm at the time, had this little office in Union Square, and everyone was wearing many hats. So I kind of got to see this broad range of, you know, a smaller design firm compared to this big operation that was happening uptown.
So I did that for about four or five months. And then I really was completely taken by Coleman Kravis and wanted to work there full time. And I was lucky enough to get I basically said to them, I'd love to work here. But if you don't have something, I'm going to work for this audit firm. And they said, well, our administrative assistant who was sort of the direct assistant to Ellie Coleman, the founder is ready to be moved up. So you could have her position. Starting in June, this was June of 2013. And I was like, I'll do anything sounds great. So I took that I was basically Ellie's assistant, I made coffee, it got the mail, I was sort of like the office manager slash her direct report. And it was just a great opportunity to really get to know her and get a lot of face time with her and the partners and get to know kind of the inner workings of the office, even if just from an administrative standpoint, but I had sort of shown some of my abilities as an intern. So I knew it was just temporary. And I kind of had told me that we always start people in this position. And then we'll be on to a team within the year.
Kate Bendewald
And I got really lucky, I'm gonna pause right there because I Oh, okay, I want to there's some details, you just go over that I want to go back to, first of all, the word that comes to mind when I'm hearing your journey. There's two words one is serendipity. Like the experience being in this video library and our neighbor's daughter in this random connection, or London, how that has played out for you. But then also just like bravery, your willingness to show up to New York City with no job and just know it's going to work and not knowing how and I absolutely think that it takes like somebody with that almost like grit can't feel
Dani Haas
Well, I don't know if it was bravery or stupidity, but I was just so excited. And I think I had, I was kind of flying on this momentum from graduating college and I thought to myself, if I move back to Denver, where I'm from originally, I'm going to lose this momentum and I'm probably never going to make that leap again. So I may as well just keep moving forward. And I think I was just really You naive thinking that? Oh yeah, I'll just move there. And I'll just pay an ungodly amount of rent to share a bedroom with my friend, and I'll find a job and it's gonna be great. And it was, but it definitely was sort of, kind of a word of mouth connection story of just kind of being in the right place at the right time and things working out. So yeah, got very lucky.
Kate Bendewald
And the other thing that I think is just an incredible opportunity, and I can imagine, why no people who, you know, might look at this opportunity to be an admin assistant, and say, like, No, I want to be a designer, you know, but you, you not only said, Yes, I'll do whatever. But you also recognized this incredible opportunity to be like side by side at the helm of this founding partner, and getting to glean wisdom and insight, knowledge about how business works, and not just any business like a really, really, really successful design firm. And you You recognized how big of an opportunity that was and seized on it. So it sounds like almost that was a little bit of a strategy of theirs. On the inside, was it not?
Dani Haas
Yeah, I think that they, they really pride themselves on their staff being very long term. So the partners have all been there for 20 plus years, which says a lot about the company that they just have had that longevity and never wanted to leave. But it also is nice, because everyone has had that experience. Everyone has their funny stories of answering the phones or overhearing a meeting with Oprah Winfrey, like it just crazy stuff. But it's, it's sort of part of the building blocks to then kind of moving up on the totem pole. And there's just a lot to learn about running an office at that scale. And so I think it's important to kind of see all sides of it. It's kind of like working in a restaurant and you start in the kitchen and work your way out to the front. So yeah, I think it is intentional on their behalf.
Kate Bendewald
Well, I think it's smart. And she she clearly is one savvy businesswoman. I do want to ask you how Okay, so you worked here as her admin assistant, and then you had your sights set on moving up the ranks? I knew that was a possibility. So tell me about how you maneuver to that over the next eight years, I guess.
Dani Haas
Yeah, I sort of I took the position in June. And I thought to myself, Okay, I'll do this for a year. And then maybe they'll move me on to a team. And then just by happenstance, another intern who came in right after me, got hired two months later, and bumped me out that spot much earlier than I was anticipating. So Coleman and Kravis has their business setup in teams. So at the time, there were four design partners, and each partner had two to three people working under them sort of at the junior to senior level. So when I got put on a team, my title was Assistant Project Manager. And basically, you're just like a little sponge that does a lot of the back end paperwork, which is a huge amount. As you know, probably a lot of the designers listening now. It's kind of like 80% of the job. But I was also lucky enough to tag along to a lot of meetings with vendors and architects and clients. And so you really just kind of listening for the first year. And doing a lot of that paperwork, which seeing Kay is a well oiled machine when it comes to purchase orders and proposals. These projects are just so enormous that there's like 12 binders of orders for every client so so I did that. And then I would say about three years into the sort of promoted me to a project manager. And then the more experience you gain with full projects from start to finish with at C and K and at this level can take several years anyway. So by the time I left, in early 2021, I was a senior designer, so over those eight and a half years, I kind of just kept getting bumped up and a lot of that was from helping on larger projects. And then when smaller projects came in, we did a lot of like clients, children's first departments and things like that. So they would sort of put a more junior person on something smaller scale but that sort of taught you the whole process of running a project from start to finish, and that builds your expertise and all of that.
Kate Bendewald
Hey, they're designer. If you like the designers release this podcast, you're going to love the designers Oasis membership, the destination for heart centered and driven interior designers like you to help you run your business with total confidence. The designers Oasis membership is the only membership for aspiring and experienced interior designers that will help you launch establish and grow your business with ease. Here's what you'll get each month when you join the designers Oasis membership, instant access to the interior designers business blueprint course, monthly live q&a calls plus the q&a vault, the private members only Facebook group, the always growing resource library, plus monthly guest experts, including recordings from all the past guest for details, head over to designers oasis.com forward slash join to learn more. Now let's get back to the show. Here sounds like a long time. But when you think about all when I hear the story, I think about all that you achieved in those eight years, it's pretty remarkable to go from admin assistant to senior designer, if you ask me. So I, I, I hope you're proud of that. Because I I would imagine that that's not an easy firm to work for that you really have to have your ish together and really know what you're doing. And be able to prove yourself in order to play in the big leagues like that. So yeah, what what is your experience? So you have this experience with basically project administration? First, so that was the majority of what you were doing? How did that inform you as a designer? Because I would imagine that you understood that piece of it the back end piece so much more thoroughly?
Dani Haas
Yeah. Well, I think coming out of design school, I had kind of a big head about how much I thought I knew. And that was all based on kind of technical skills of doing CD sets and presentations for these like made up clients. And I felt so well equipped. But meanwhile, I knew nothing about actually running the project. So there I think it taught me a lot about the lingo, emailing with vendors, and getting fabric and trim and all the minutiae that goes into these custom orders. There's also a lot of coordination because we would do a big buying trip in Europe and then everything would get put in crates, and then they'd arrived here and then we'd have to go inspect them and then everything had to go to their particular vendor, whether it was a refinisher or an a poster or storage, if it was just like a million moving parts. And so I think that was really helpful for me to learn how to do that side of things. I happened to be very detail oriented, which I think most designers are, because there is just a huge logistical I don't even know, mess with projects that everyone's trying to manage. But it also taught me a lot about materials and fabric and everyone would joke in the office because I have like a weird ability to remember like every fabric name like pattern and color from every project because I typed it so many freaking times doing it on so many orders. It was just like, ingrained in my mind that like Yeah, that's so far from such and such project is Venetian velvet, heavy or whatever, like I'll just never forget. So I
Kate Bendewald
got through like a fabric savant.
Dani Haas
But yeah, it just it really created a great foundation for the project management side of things which they don't really teach you in design school.
Kate Bendewald
No, they don't. And I wish they would I had to take a business I'm sure as you did, you know, business of design type course. And God bless them. I had a great education. But that was one area if I could go back and say it needs some work. You know, the guy who's so sweet, who taught the class was like 90 years old. So he was having us do things that just contextually were not relevant in this day and age but, but he was very sweet. And I also took his wife's 3d art class and they were they had this they had the same name just spelt differently anyway, but that business class was kind of holy. areas have no relevance to actually being in business today. Yeah. But you said something that I maybe want to counter, you said, I think most designers are detail oriented. I know there's a lot of designers that are not detail oriented. And I cannot emphasize enough how important it is, if you're, you know, listening to this, and you're thinking about your career in interior design, or maybe you're already doing it. If that is not a skill set that comes naturally for you, it's really important that you hire somebody that can do that, and be that for sure, that have eyes for you. Because it's, it's something that I would say if I had to grade myself on, maybe like an 85% is probably where I'd stop. I know, I'm very detail oriented about certain things, but then not others. And I fully rely on my assistants to help me keep things straight, both on the design side and designers side. But it is you can't be overstated enough how important it is to have the attention to detail. Because I mean, from an artistry side, it's what elevates a space, right? It's what creates layers of sophistication, and really the true beauty, but also in the product management side. It's the part that if you don't get right, can cost you a lot of money, or Absolutely. Relationships with your clients and Yeah,
Dani Haas
So we've all been there, even the organized ones make mistakes, trust me. Yeah, yeah, I guess important to mention is that in within the teams that work together, I worked with two women in particular for 90% of those eight years. And we definitely all had different strengths amongst the three of us. So I think that helps balance things out. So if somebody is like, the person who's really great at kind of handling correspondence, because they're, you know, thoughtful email writers and have all the details and whatever, and then someone's kind of handling orders, and then someone's more of the big picture, person in presentations, who's sort of leading the meeting, there's definitely a benefit to having those different strengths, which is probably how you feel with your assistants, too. You can't be good at everything. And it's important to recognize what things you're lacking in so that you can tap somebody else in to help you out.
Kate Bendewald
Absolutely, absolutely. And that's one of the things we talk about a lot in the designer choices, membership. And also in you know, their podcast blog posts, is that there is a lot of anxiety and fear around that first hire. We did an episode a few weeks ago on this, but the first hire is always the hardest, but I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have help in your business. Because not only are you not going to be good at everything, but you just simply can't do it all you can't be executing on a project while also being creative and getting those initial concepts together while also business doing business development and finding the new clients and nurturing relationships. So the what you just described is just like alchemy with those the the traits and characteristics and strengths that you all brought to the table sounds like quite the Dream Team. So I'm sure that was a great experience for you. My first the very first person I ever hired Brittany, she was a master email writer. It was always I was just Oh, you got to write this email for me. She was so good. They were synced clear, and always just a little bit funny. And I was just like, Damn, that's a good email. I could never send that better so that you know, even skills like that are so important. Okay, yeah. Now you find yourself. Tell me about transitioning back because you're in Colorado. You're here in Denver with me. This is home for you. I presume your family is here. They are. Yeah. So tell me about the journey getting back to Denver coming home. So
Dani Haas
yeah, so basically 2020 rolls around and COVID hits New York pretty hard. My husband and I jet set it out to Connecticut to stay with family, the same uncle that got me the job at the Olympics. And we thought we'd ride it out for a couple of weeks. And fast forward. We were living there for four months and working remotely. And when it was time to return to our tiny studio apartment, we were like okay, I think this is time for us to start thinking about leaving and I grew up in Denver. My family's still here. My husband has family here. And so we always knew that it was going to be kind of our end goal we just weren't really sure when. So we sort of started putting the wheels in motion that summer and trying to figure out how we were going to do this, he was sort of figuring out with his company how to stay remote, which at that point with COVID, was sort of a non issue. I ended up putting in my notice, with C and K in September, planning to stay through the end of the year, but just to give them ample amounts of time, because there's, it's a big transition and a big loss for everybody, when somebody leaves after that much time. And we had one project in particular that was supposed to install and the install got pushed 100 times. And that was sort of looking like a spring, Tony, Tony line, installation. And so I said, if you would have me, I'd love to stay on remotely, I think we can, I can manage. And then if it's okay, I will come back to install it in the spring. So that's what we did, we moved home, we officially drove cross country in December of 2020. moving in with my parents while renovating a house, that that's another story for another time, but we thought that was going to be like a four month project. It turned into like 15 months living with my parents anyway. So in those months that we were living with them, I was still working remotely for C and K. But at the same time, I knew I have this kind of expiration date when that project completed. So it gave me the opportunity to sort of start getting my ducks in a row for starting my own business. And I had done a lot of research on design firms in Denver, and if I wanted to work for somebody else, and I went back and forth, because obviously starting your own thing is terrifying. But at the same time, I just couldn't find a firm that I felt was the right next step. After leaving Coleman and Kravis, I was kind of in this whirlwind headspace of when How am I going to what's going to, like, feel the same, which nothing will. So I decided I had enough experience sort of to just go out on my own and take the leap. And this seemed like the right time. So that's what I did. And it kind of worked out well, because I had the security of a paycheck while getting those initial things in line, which is really daunting. And I wish I knew about designers Oasis when I started.
Kate Bendewald
Know I I'm sure your experience you especially, you know, working with Eliot Coleman, side by side, you know, just, you are a wealth of knowledge. already. So yeah, but you're right. It's scary. You had you recognize this was an incredible opportunity, though. And I, I would imagine it would be hard coming from a firm, so established, you know that it'd be hard to find something quite like it, you know, not be able to compare. So you had this moment where you decided the only option is to work for yourself, right? How as a family for you and your husband? Was that something that felt like a no brainer? Like it was obvious and you had his support? I I've said this before, I don't think that we need permission to start our own businesses. But it is nice to have loved ones. And yeah, I would say in my case, I was very fortunate. My husband's always been one of my biggest cheerleaders. But that's not the case for everybody. Because a lot of people don't understand the business, but your husband probably did. Did you feel supported that?
Dani Haas
I did. And actually he is like, incredibly ambitious, and a huge risk taker, and kind of all the things that I'm not so he he's been pushing me to do this for years. And even when we were in New York, he was trying to get me to take on side projects. And I was just too timid and scared and whatever excuse I could come up with not to do it. But so he was all about it. And we felt like we were kind of had this somewhat of a safety net, because we were living at home for the time being. So we were saving some money, especially after leaving our rent in New York.
Kate Bendewald
Extra money. Exactly.
Dani Haas
So he was super excited about it. And he's in marketing. So he does have kind of a business brain. And even though he knows nothing about design, no offense. He was just super helpful with a lot of the startup stuff that was just really intimidating for me. So that was very fortunate and he continues to be super supportive. So I'm pretty lucky.
Kate Bendewald
I love that I love that it is it does feel good to have somebody at your side that can be be your cheerleader in this on the good days and the bad, you know, I'm sure they still happen. Okay. So the experience it that you had at Coleman and Kravis and Papas, Myron must have given you tremendous confidence. And so here you are, you're launching your namesake design business. So your name is on the door? Have you been surprised by anything that in running your own business that you maybe thought would have been easier that has posed challenges for you that you maybe didn't expect?
Dani Haas
There's been a lot of challenges. I think that I don't know if I just got lucky again. But the the getting the clients part has actually been the easy part. It's everything else that has been challenging. So I think, in particular, I put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to social media and Instagram. And there's just I spend so much time scrolling through other designers, Instagram accounts. And I think just creating content, when you don't have content to put out there is really challenging. But at the same time, we all are in the same boat with having projects that have delays. And there's not this, you see these beautiful end result photographs, and you have no idea how long it took to get there. And I know from C and K, some things took four years to get those pictures, they just have so many projects because they have such a big team that those photographs are aplenty. So that was difficult for me, I also think I tried to figure out when I was launching, like what things to kind of focus on upfront, one of which was the website. Just so if somebody looked me up, I look semi legit, even though I don't have a portfolio or anything on there. One of my best friends husbands is a web developer, and she has her own business. And the two of them kind of single handedly built that website for me as sort of a trade off, I gave them some design help for their renovation. So that was wonderful. And then I decided to invest in a little photo shoot of myself, which can be a little cringy. Sometimes when you think about it that I needed professional photographs of me that weren't tied to Coleman and Kravis. So in the fall of last year, I actually hired our wedding photographer to take some photos. And those are all the things that are on my website, which are also great filler for Instagram and headshots and things like that. And I invested in quality business cards, and I basically tried to get all of the like, tangible marketing stuff there. Because everyone I've talked to who have started their own companies have always said, like, do that stuff while you have the time because when you get really busy with projects, it's really hard to go back and do those things. So I do think that was worthwhile, even though it was a little daunting in the moment. But
Kate Bendewald
sure, yeah. And that's in their big investments when you're just getting started. But yeah, I want to go back to a couple of things that you mentioned, because these are very common roadblocks that I hear from designers. Being in this chicken or the egg position, just getting started where you don't necessarily you have a tremendous amount of experience, but you can't necessarily show off those photos, because there was another house of a different design firm. And so the portfolio is lacking. But so how do you show your expertise, without photography, which is what people really come to rely on when deciding whether or not to work with somebody? Fortunately, you've got this incredible bio people can look at and be like, Oh, okay, we're good, right. But, you know, I need photography for my portfolio. But I can't get clients because I don't have a portfolio. So therefore, it's, it feels like a conundrum for a lot of totally, and I have a blog post from a long time ago, but it's still one of the most popular blog posts, blog posts, which is four ways to get photos for your business before you ever have a project. And you mentioned two of them, you know, investing in a photo shoot so you can create and you've done this beautifully. It's your like splash image on your website. This beautiful imagery of you doing your craft, right and showing all of the elements of design and the tools of the trade. And I think that can come across so elegantly and beautifully. And your, your photographer did a great job. And so did your your web designer, worth every penny, but also your willingness to be a little bit scrappy and say, Hey, I will trade for this service. So you're trying to figure out, how can I pay for this, find somebody that you can trade with, if that's what it takes to just get started. But the ability to have a, we are so judged by our websites. It's just true. It's our storefront. It's our virtual storefront. Yeah, first thing people say see, and people will make a snap judgment on whether or not it's something they want to continue to look at and consider. So you have just like a split second to make an an impression.
But but then also, as this ties into social media, and the other four things, the other three things on that list, were so doing a photoshoot. Taking your own photos of just like little vignettes around your your own home, or even if you don't have a fully completed project, just little small design moments that are really elegant or beautiful, can be used as filler content while you're working on that. Also social media, you know, taking process pictures, people love to see the behind the scenes stuff. And I'm spacing on the other one, oh, stock photography, which I say with a huge caveat. Very, very, very much filler piece pieces for them. I'm thinking specifically of social media. And and I make the statement, you know, never take a stock photo of like a full room and use that ideas more like to create a mood or a vibe, something like that. So very want to make that distinction very clear about my suggestion for stock photography in very small doses. But yes, investing in a photo shoot is great. Taking your own vignette, photos, and then those process photos, too, are really easy ways to get content when you're just getting started. And then before you know it, you're gonna have more content. I have projects literally that aren't even on my website. And I have, I've had them photographed face to face out a chance to get them on my website. Yeah. You're whoever gave you that advice about do it. Now, before you get exactly, I think really sage advice. And then quality business cards, I think is nice, too. I think there's, we're so digitally driven these days that a lot of people don't even think about business cards, but I still think they're relevant. And I think that when you have a really beautifully designed card that reflects the level of detail, and an elegance that you would want to be known for is really important. So I'm glad you mentioned that too. And what are some other ways that you have been able to address the social media content for your own, say Instagram while you're working on your portfolio?
Dani Haas
Um, so I kind of have this like rotation of content that I put out there where it's like, I tried to weave in photos of myself just so people see my face. So I don't just look like one of these lines of random home decor, things. I do. I do love to do like flatlay. So it does take a lot of time Fourth of
Kate Bendewald
July flatlay was beautiful. Thank you. So she's on Instagram. Is it at
Dani Haas
Dani? Dani house design? Yeah.
Kate Bendewald
That's da N i h a s.
Dani Haas
Yes, design.
Kate Bendewald
We'll link to that.
Dani Haas
So I try, I usually do those like, I'll do five at a time because I end up like tearing apart my sample library and laying everything out. And then they like hate putting it all back. And so it like sits in a bag on the floor for a while. And then if I do have little vignettes of things, I'll occasionally put those in. And then I know this is sort of not it's not my favorite thing to do, but I don't really have another choice is I do reshare other designers work that I think sort of evokes my style. I like for all of the pictures on my feed to kind of have a more finished quality. I think a lot of people a lot of designers and others do the progress shots and their feats to which I think are amazing. If the projects are amazing. Mine just aren't the progress shots are not like beautiful architectural details. Right now. It's more of like decorating things that aren't as interesting, but I like to save those for stories because I think people like to kind of check in on that. I also this home renovation that we've been dealing with personally has been a bit of a journey. So I've been posting things about that and I think For friends who follow us, it's fun for them to kind of see the transformation. But it's hard. I go through weeks where I, you know, put three posts out. And then I have like a two week hiatus because I just can't think of what to post. So I think trying to post more so that I'm coming up in people's feeds, there's like, a whole algorithm thing is a little overwhelming. But understand. So yeah, I mean, it's definitely a work in progress. But I actually do have my first photoshoot scheduled for the end of August at a client's, which is exciting. And it's probably going to be more of the vignette types just because I came in and did only decorating. So there are certain things that I just can't really take credit for, but I think it will at least give me a new onslaught of images that I can use and put on my website. So I'm excited for that.
Kate Bendewald
I'm noticing a theme with your work ethic. And that is just this, like, you're so resourceful. With everything that you know, from the very beginning of like being willing to make that phone call to this person who you didn't know, to being able to take on a position that, you know, maybe wasn't your ideal, you know, position right at first to trading for your first website to, you know, saying I'm gonna take these pictures regardless, because it's my work and knowing that, you know, it may not be the full blown photoshoot that you want. But there's this resourcefulness in you that I think is so admirable. And I think that that is something that we can all take away that we can sort of replace fear and anxiety with creativity and being resourceful will, you'll you'll just find so much more success. And you've you've clearly shown that in your journey. You mentioned sharing other people's designs. I know there's a lot of you're there on the team or you're not on the team with that I I'm Team share, because I I mean, you do it beautifully. And you make sure to credit the designer, the photographer and all of the people. So you absolutely do it right. But being able to show the kind of spaces that speak to your design soul. And the kind of designs that you would want to be known for is a super effective way to weave in some content. Just making sure that you do it right. So I I can appreciate that. And I noticed you had a Nancy Meyers photo on your Instagram feed. Like it makes my heart flutter. So pretty.
Dani Haas
I know that whole project is amazing. And Mark Sykes really nailed it. So
Kate Bendewald
yeah. Okay, I want to wrap up with a couple of questions because unrelated to this, well, sort of, it's all related to running a business. So you have some exciting life changes happening. You are expecting your first child, a little girl here in a couple of months. First of all, congratulations to you. So exciting. Excited. Oh, I'm sure I know. We have a remarkably cool July day here today. And I'm sure you're appreciating. I always had winter babies, but I was like super pregnant in the winter. So yeah, it was it was equally challenging because trying to get layers on and stay warm when you have this massive basketball. And I was I was not cute. Pregnant I was massive. I couldn't find a coat to wear. So equally challenging, but a different ways. So anyway, you're doing October and so excited for you guys. I remember, I was only about a year B year and a half maybe and to running my own business when I got pregnant with my second daughter the first time I was working for a firm. So I had the luxury of just being able to sign off and be like, Oh, I'm
Dani Haas
gonna get on you're out of office. Exactly. Three months. I
Kate Bendewald
know cutting back was the challenge. Right? But the preparations I want to ask you about preparing for time off and what that looks like. You know, we I I certainly had my own experience with that. And I think this is an important topic for everybody because you may want to plan some time away from work whether or not that has to do with having kids or not. Maybe you want to go on a sabbatical. Maybe you want to take a journey to go get inspired and travel the world whatever doesn't matter.
You know, I I mentioned to you earlier I have a or had an employee when I worked in Texas and she was on an adoption journey. And the preparations for that were so different because she let me know that she basically He could get a call any day and all of a sudden she has a new baby. And that is exactly what happened. So we had to prepare so that there was nothing left in her brain that it was all documented, it was all on paper, and we knew exactly where to find it. And all of our clients knew that she could just disappear into motherhood and, and that's where she belonged and needed to be. But that was the case. And they were all super supportive and excited. And we assured them that we had a process for when that happens that we've, we've we're there to support them. So it worked out. But whatever, who, you know, whoever's listening, if you've got, you know, I think you should always have a plan for taking some extended time off, whether that's in an emergent situation or a plan situation. So how are you preparing your business and your existing clients for this very special and much deserved time off.
Dani Haas
So I am, I've been really careful this year, we found out we were pregnant in January. So I, I had a couple clients from last year that sort of trickled into this year with little sort of punch list things. And I was taking on one larger client and I break up my business in full service and consultations. So I also took on a few consultations knowing that they are shorter lives than a full service project. So I kind of had this expiration date, so to speak, in the back of my mind, as the year progressed, but it is just me, I do have someone that helps me part time. And she's been great. And depending on her schedule, and sort of how things transpire, she may kind of fill in the gaps as needed over the next few months. But in general, I try to be really organized with my orders this this one larger project, I've created a status document, which we did at home in kravice, which basically goes room by room with every item where it is where it's going, what the lead time is a note if I need to be handling shipping or someone else's dealing with it. So I update that regularly. And I share it with the client so that if they are like, oh, where's my one site that's here coming again.
As long as I update it regularly, which I tried to do, they can just click into that and sort of see where things are. And that sort of takes a little bit of the burden off me to like scramble every time an email pops up, like Oh, my God, where is that? When is it coming? I also use studio designer, the web where program, which is a great way to kind of organize things and keep notes within each order. And I was very forthcoming with clients. You know, by the time it was safe to share the news, I wanted to let them know so that we can manage expectations, obviously, because of the climate of things and the delays, things are absolutely going to happen this fall while I'm home with baby. But hopefully, I can sort of stay out of it as needed. And then if I need to check in on something a little bit, I can. But this photoshoot, I knew I wanted to get done. I'll be doing it eight months pregnant. So hopefully, that goes smoothly. I have my assistant helping with that. And I'll probably I'm just thinking of this in the moment, but I may take a little Instagram hiatus and just sort of nest and be home because I really don't need the added pressure of that. So yeah, I think just kind of knowing how much I can handle actually just got a submission from my website this morning for someone looking for help. And I haven't responded yet. But I think just knowing what your boundaries are and what you could take on i There's part of me that's like, ooh, could I cram it in the next eight weeks? Everything else I have going on? But the answer is no, that's not a great idea. And hopefully this pregnancy is uneventful and makes it to the very end but you never know. And the last thing I want is to overcommit and then have something come up personally and I'm really stressed so yeah, I think it's just kind of knowing your limits and kind of being really honest and open upfront so that there are no surprises as the end gets nearer. It kind of helps my own psyche and my clients.
Kate Bendewald
Yeah, I love that. So being super organized, which you obviously are very natural at and your IT COMES honestly to you. I love we have a we don't call it a status document but I like that term because it's very clear, but we have a similar one i We Use Air table, but we don't necessarily share it with the client. But I just got to thinking there's no reason why we couldn't, especially with air table, it gives you this ability to turn on and off what people can see. Because ours does have pricing and stuff. But in any case, I love the idea of calling it a status document. And it has been a it's saved me so much brain damage from having to figure things described as Yeah, because as we all know, now, things, you know, project that, you know, previously would have taken six months is now like 18 months if we're lucky. So Right. And then what about how are you responding to or planning to respond to inquiries that might come in while you are on maternity leave? Do you have?
Dani Haas
That's a good question. Probably come up with a plan for that. I think.
Kate Bendewald
I didn't mean to put you on the spot there. No,
Dani Haas
I need to figure that out. I think what worries me a little bit is if I turn down everything that like, January, February is gonna roll around, and it's going to be like, Am I coming out of this hole or am I kind of just stay here a little while longer, I do have a couple of projects that are in permitting mode. So they probably won't even pass through that and then start up until next year anyway. So that's kind of nice to have something waiting in the wings. But I'll probably create some sort of an out of office or something on my website that just says I'm taking some time. As of now my, my thinking is all just take, I'm due October 4. So basically October through the end of the year, which is kind of my own three months, which time's up nicely with the holidays and things kind of quiet down or gear up, depending on what your install date is.
Kate Bendewald
If you ask me, you couldn't have planned that better.
Dani Haas
Yeah. So we'll kind of get to that point and then evaluate, I think one of the biggest things that I was attracted to was starting my own business is to be able to do both and be a mom, which I've always wanted to do, but also work. And if there's some world in which I can do both successfully, that would be ideal. So it's going to be a bit of a learning curve, while I figure out what that time split is, as I'm sure you know, with two children, if I can sort of phase back in part time, and still be home and not feel like I'm stretched thin, or I don't know, needing childcare right away. Because I've overextended myself, I just kind of want to give myself some time. So we shall see. Stay tuned.
Kate Bendewald
It's all so exciting. And these are conversations I've had with many of my designer friends. You know, I was talking to one of my friends Whitney the other day, who just had her third baby, and she's like, I have to figure out a new way to do this. This is not working. It's it's and I've had my own experience and hiccups with this because it's one of these things, you know, where you're like, I love being a mom, I also want to work and have this career. And I think that there are ways that you could do it that are successful, but it's not gonna look the same for everybody. It's, you know, works for me, it doesn't work for Whitney or may not work for you. But collectively, I think we can lean on each other and learn from each other and then just adjust as you go. But I think it is possible to do both. If that's your goal, right? And it but it just takes, you know, being creative about your time. You said a minute ago holding boundaries and knowing what you can take on and just having that self awareness about what's going to work for yourself is just like the biggest piece of it and then everything else are the details. So I am so excited to see your continue to watch this amazing journey unfold for you as a business owner as mom. I just wanted to ask you a few rapid fire questions as we wrap up. Are you okay with that? Sure. Right. Where do you go to find inspiration? Or what do you do for inspiration, creative inspiration?
Dani Haas
Oh, my immediate thought is Instagram, which is embarrassing. I'd like to say travel. I do think I, especially in the last couple years, we've all gotten so used to being behind the computer. So it is very inspiring to get out and go do something even if that's like going shopping or going somewhere to just experience things from out of the office setting. Yeah, that was not a rapid fire answer, but no, that's
Kate Bendewald
great. That's great. I love it. In one word, Good design is
Dani Haas
timeless.
Kate Bendewald
Yes. One book that has changed your life.
Dani Haas
Wow, that's a tough one. The first thing that comes to mind is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I don't know if anyone's read it. It was about a little boy whose parents were lost at 911. And it's just really interesting story.
Kate Bendewald
Oh, my gosh, were you living in New York during that?
Dani Haas
No, I was in seventh grade.
Kate Bendewald
The answer to this is probably a pretty obvious one, but I'll let you answer. The thing I'm most looking forward to right now is
Dani Haas
my baby.
Kate Bendewald
Oh, my gosh. Dani, thank you so much for sharing your journey and your story and your expertise. You guys can find her on Instagram at Dani Haas design. We'll link to it in the show notes. And your website is Dani Haas design.com. Have a wonderful, am I saying that right? It's not plural. I keep questioning myself
Dani Haas
isn't singular. That is correct. Yeah. Okay.
Kate Bendewald
Perfect. Have a wonderful rest of your week. Thank you so much.
Dani Haas
Thank you so much to chat with you. And I loved it. I could chat all day.
Kate Bendewald
I know. It's fun. It's just like, it's just like hanging out having coffee.
Dani Haas
Take care. Thanks!
Kate Bendewald
thank you so much for letting me spend part of this day with you. If you're loving this podcast, please share it with a friend who you think might also love it. Or perhaps you can take just 30 seconds to open your podcast app and leave us a five star rating. And if you have just an extra minute, go ahead and leave a review. This helps me so much and it helps other designers like you to find the podcast. It also adds fuel to my motivation to keep making great episodes just for you. However you choose to help. Please know I appreciate you so very much. Thank you, my friend. Have a wonderful rest of your day and I'll see you next time.
