Paula Benton and Mary Adams of Cocoon Interior Design in Brevard, NC provide an example of how an entrepreneurial partnership can work. Paula started the business and Mary joined her later, and they have combined their backgrounds in art, advertising, and interior design to offer full service residential and commercial design services.
1. How did you get started in interior design?
Paula – About 24 years ago I went to an ASID show house and thought, “I can do this!” Before that I had been helping friends. For three years I commuted to WCU and earned my degree in interior design. I was excited about the art of it – I didn’t know as much about the “science” at the time.
Mary– My journey was a little different. I have a degree in art and started in marketing at an advertising agency. I helped friends with design for years. My father was an architect and I got my training at the dinner table. When I moved to Brevard, travel for the ad agency wasn’t feasible. Paula had a business foundation and I learned that it is helpful to be able to bounce ideas off of someone. We work well together.
2. What challenges did you face in starting your business?
Paula – I had no idea how to start a business. I knew I needed a license. The business part was always the challenge. I tried to do my own bookkeeping, and then I found Mary Jane Bennett.
Mary– What makes you an entrepreneur is blind faith. Just plow ahead and learn what your strengths and weaknesses are. As you grow your needs change. You have to recognize when you might need to bring in other talent. The skills of an entrepreneur are not necessarily the same as the skills needed to work in a large corporation.
Paula– You have to have no fear of the risk. Just have a belief in yourself- plenty of other people have done it before you. At the time I started, no one in Brevard knew what interior design was. It is much more sophisticated now, and it is a very different market.
3. How do you find new clients?
Paula– In the beginning Al Platt, a local architect, was very helpful in sending clients my way.
Mary– Brevard has changed a lot – it’s become much more cosmopolitan. Baby boomers are retiring here, and there’s the college and the music center. It is transitioning to be a “cool place” to live for young adults. This makes it fun, because we can work not only on vacation homes but year-round homes. Mostly people come to us. We’ve recently been featured in Carolina Home & Garden with ads and feature articles. We haven’t really done much advertising. We are targeting a narrow audience. We try to cultivate people who can refer business.
We have learned the cycle of the year and when the lulls are in business – usually after school starts. Business picks up before the holidays. It is important to know the cycles of business so you know when the normal slow times are. Those times give us time to organize and think, which is key for a business. A luxury for entrepreneurs is to stand back and look at your business and how you are practicing your business.
4. How do you keep up with trends and best practices in your industry?
Paula – We read all the time, particularly the shelter magazines. We talk to people and are involved in organizations. If you love it, you’re plugged in.
Mary– if you’re good at this business then you know what the trends are. You hear what people are talking about- you’re always listening. You’ll have a gut instinct about what’s good and put your spin on it.
Paula– Our industry partners help as well –the reps who show us the “latest and greatest.” We go to the market when we can. We can also usually find the information we need on the Internet.
5. What research tools/resources do you use (for things like demographic research, suppliers, materials, etc.)?
Mary– in my previous career I did research projects all the time, but not so much now. Our industry partners do a lot of psychographic research. For example, Benjamin Moore translates this research into paint colors.
6. What advice do you have for someone starting a new interior design business?
Paula – Today it is a different environment than when I started. I would contact an entrepreneurial incubator. I actually got advice from SCORE. My advice would be to get a lot of good advice.
Mary– It is better if you love it for its sake – do or die. Think about where your business comes from. For instance, right now no one is buying or selling houses.
Paula– You need to know when you need a CPA or other advisors, too. And you need to spend money- you need capital.
7. What have been some of your greatest challenges?
Mary– One challenge is when you have a client who doesn’t know what they want. This can be frustrating because you can’t read minds.
Paula– The challenge can be knowing your client and wanting to please the client without sacrificing design integrity. Sometime this may mean that you don’t get a job, but that’s why they hire you- for your expertise.
Mary– Another challenge is knowing how to part ways if the chemistry isn’t there, knowing how to do that well.
8. Greatest accomplishments?
Paula – Every time we satisfy a client. It’s not about money; it’s about the psychology and the art of it. Giving someone a fresh start – sometimes there’s a lot of comforting and soothing that’s needed, which gives it a higher purpose.
Mary– We become friends with our clients, so it’s joyful to see their happy faces when they see their project.
