Name: Sara Eizen
Age: 39
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Education: B.A. in Interior Design, Michigan State University
Job Title: Interior Designer and Organizer, Nest
What She Does: As the owner of an interior design business, Sara helps people re-create their homes through color consultation and home organization services. She specializes in putting the objects, furniture, and art people already have on hand together to give their “nest” a fresh look.
How She Got Her Gig: After college, Sara started down the traditional interior design path and went to work for a midsize interior firm. A year later, she worked as a manufacturer’s representative for fabric and furniture companies, but the career didn’t stick. “I quickly realized that even though I was good at sales and I was still in the interior design world, it wasn’t where my heart was,” says Sara. “I was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. I had saved a lot of money, and after eight years in sales I quit and took a year off to travel around the world.” Armed with a fresh perspective post-trip, she discovered a passion for helping friends with their homes and made the leap to founding a company focused on those services.
Creating a Niche: Sara’s learned that the best way to land clients is to offer them whatever level of design assistance they need, from just wanting her to share ideas to having her redesign their entire home. “I’ve also made my business unique with my offering of services [design, color, and organizing]. I can work with people in all areas of their home—almost like one-stop shopping,” she says.
Work the Web: Sara has learned firsthand how the look of her website reflects on her skill and tastes as a creative professional. “I am consistently told how much people like my website. I think it’s very important if you are in any kind of creative field to make sure your website is well designed, because for most people it’s the first impression they have of you and your business,” she says.
Help Wanted: Owning her own company has opened doors to meet interesting people and be creative constantly, but Sara also learned that it creates a lot more work for her. “I wouldn’t change the part of being in business for myself, as I don’t think I could ever work for someone else again,” she says. “But I would love to have people take over some of the behind-the-scenes part of running a business like accounting, marketing, PR, etc.”
This Job’s for You if: You are a go-getter, don’t take things personally (the client has to live in the space, you don’t), and can handle the ups and downs that come with being your own boss. Having cash flow and flexibility helps too. “I advise having a nest egg to fall back on if at all possible, to do as much research ahead of time as you can, and to have a network of like-minded people who you can count on for emotional support,” says Sara. “It’s scary, but if you are doing what you truly love, then it’s worth it.”
