Listen in as Cara shares her journey as an artist at heart and why she chose to pursue interior design. She describes her “whimsical” style, unafraid to blend the old and the new depending on the client’s taste, and how her love of travel influences her aesthetic.

Cara also talks about the business side of owning a design firm. She says that, while design school can be incredibly valuable and provides a foundational knowledge and skill base for aspiring designers, ultimately, nothing beats actual, on-the-ground experience.

Finally, Cara shares how she was able to build a successful brand on Instagram and her keys to doing PR successfully as an interior designer.

Sponsors:

• Visit https://buildertrend.com/aft/ to get a 60-day money-back guarantee on your Buildertrend account!
• Pella Windows & Doors - https://www.pella.com/

Events:

• Learn More/Register for Contractor Coalition Summit November 06-09 https://www.eventcreate.com/e/contractorcoalitionsummit

Topics Discussed:

• [03:05] How travel influences Cara’s designs
• [07:38] Cara’s attention to detail
• [14:01] Developing your skill as a designer after design school
• [18:37] Collaborating with other creatives
• [22:28] Cara’s Instagram success
• [28:56] Different business models in the design world
• [37:51] Why Cara decided to go into interior design
• [41:27] Navigating the business side of running a design firm
• [50:32] What Cara finds most rewarding about running her own company
• [55:57] Knowing how much work to take on at a time
• [58:17] The keys to effective PR as an interior designer
• [1:04:16] What’s next for Cara

Connect with Guest:

• Website - www.carawoodhouse.com
• Instagram - @carawoodhouseinteriors 
• Website - www.carawoodhousecollective.com
• Instagram - @carawoodhousecollective 

Connect with Brad Leavitt:

• Website - https://www.aftconstructionpodcast.com/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/aft_construction
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aftconstruction
• Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/aft-construction/aft-construction
• Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.ph/AFT_CONSTRUCTION/
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzB4R_DHPVV1SPh7RUfR5jg

Key Quotes by Cara Woodhouse:

• A huge part of success is to be able to brush failures off and use them as motivation to get to the next step, whatever that next step may be.
• An architect looks at a space from the outside-in. A designer looks at a space from the inside-out.