Today with Kathleen Jennison Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Some of us come into this business because we’re naturally-born creatives that never imagined doing anything else. Others spend time in the corporate world but embrace an inner passion. But my guest today is unique—for Kathleen Jennison, a brain injury changed the way her mind functioned and opened the door for a new path as an interior designer. Today, she’s sharing her journey and the lessons she learned along the way.  Pick it apart: [6:34] Kathleen shares her journey through trauma and how she grew her design talents from it.  [15:32] Kathleen discusses her decision to start her own business and how systems and organization helped her.  [22:39] Kathleen describes the way her business grew and the big decisions and leaps of faith she had to take as it did.  [40:38] LuAnn and Kathleen discuss evaluating projects and profitability.  [52:39] Kathleen discusses how marketing is always important, even when your business is thriving. LuAnn and Kathleen Jennison’s Ah-Ha moments: “You have to be willing to take a risk. Some people are risk-averse and some people aren’t. There’s nothing wrong with having a home office and working by yourself, because you can still be successful, but it just depends on what you want to do and how you want to feel.” -Kathleen Jennison   “I look at the profitability on the project before I even present it to my client. I do a spreadsheet and see if there are adjustments I need to make ahead of time. Maybe there’s a coffee table we specified that they can find on the internet for cheaper...so let’s pick a different coffee table that is available to the trade only so we can increase our profit on it before we present it to the client.” -Kathleen Jennison   “I love that you brought out the very real point of always be marketing, but as you are building the business and you’re fine-tuning who your ideal client is, you want to always be evaluating that marketing. So we’re not going to start whatever we’re doing, but as your pipeline gets consistently full we can say, ‘Maybe we have 15 active projects in the pipeline but are they all our ideal clients?’ When you do have those projects in your pipeline you can be a little bit riskier in your marketing and start speaking just to the ideal client.” -LuAnn Nigara More about Kathleen Jennison: About KTJ Design Co. Kathleen Jennison | Owner & Lead Designer Hello! I’m Kathleen Jennison, and I offer interior design services for forward-thinking homeowners, regardless of whether they know what their style is. I specialize in helping people just like you create an environment with resources and materials appropriate for their needs and budget. As a full service interior designer, I use the Meticulous Method, providing plans with complete interior design specifications for both new and existing properties. My goal is to thrill and delight each client with every project. In addition to my suite of interior design services, I also own a general contracting company. Because of this, I’m happy to provide general contracting services for your project as needed. I also welcome partnerships with any professional who is serving your project, including architects, other general contractors, and landscape designers. This multifaceted approach helps me provide creative and technical solutions while also enhancing the quality of life for my clients.   Before becoming an interior designer, I enjoyed a long career as a Certified Public Accountant and was an auditor of many large corporations. This highly analytical and technical career coupled with my (second) Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design ensures that I am well-equipped to handle any challenges that might arise during a project. A traumatic brain injury propelled this talented interior designer to unexpected heights. . . .  When you are introduced to a person’s life story, you often can’t help but believe certain things happen by design. In some instances, thi