Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Sneed.
Hi Katie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Franklin and have actually lived here almost my entire life. I fell in love with Auburn University when touring schools and it just so happened that they had a top 10 program in interior design. Up until my senior year of HS, I had no idea that I could actually major in interior design- which is something that I had been interested in since I was very young.
After graduating, I knew that I wanted to come back home and start my career in residential design. I started doing side projects to build my portfolio while working for a hospitality design firm for stability. I always knew that my goal was to work for myself full time, I just thought it would be years down the line. Once Covid hit, the hospitality market tanked and my hours were cut back at work.
Thankfully, I had my own business on the side and my business exploded so I was able to leave my full-time job a few months later in order to pursue this dream. It was definitely a scary jump, and one I never expected to make so soon, but it has been the greatest blessing being able to work for myself full time and do what I love.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Graduating and going into the real world is such a hard transition for everyone. There were actually several moments my first year to year and a half out of school that I almost gave up on design altogether. I had a second job along with my design job and still could not afford to move out of my parent’s home. I also was unhappy which further made me question my career choice.
I actually interviewed for jobs in another field at one point but thankfully my parents encouraged me to stick with design. Shortly after that, I was hired at a hospitality design firm and knew it was the right decision to not give up on my design career. I was also thankful it allowed me to do my residential work on the side. After the Covid hit, I think everyone was worried about how that would impact their job- I thankfully did not lose my job, but my side projects did slow down at first.
The residential business ended up booming with everyone being at home for so long and projects started to pick back up and more projects came in. There was definitely a lot of anxiety as I didn’t know whether I had enough work to leave my job but I had too much work to keep doing both.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a residential interior designer. I specialize in renovations-mainly kitchens and bathrooms. Several people have joked that I am the bathroom queen!
I am really proud of myself for taking this risk- I am a planner and so not knowing what the future holds can be really hard. My mom and Jesse (boyfriend) were so encouraging and wanted me to go for it- but my dad had the same concerns that I had and thought it could be risky. I never doubted that he believed in me, but I think my proudest moment was last August when we went to our weekly Olive Garden lunch and he told me that my business had done a lot better than he had expected.
My dad and I have always been really close, so it meant a lot that I had made him proud.
What matters most to you?
My client relationships hands down. I am really proud that my business has been completely word of mouth (and Instagram). A lot of my clients will start with one project and then we end up doing several together or I will then work with their best friend or the neighbor down the street.
I think the hardest part of my job is when a project ends- it feels like a breakup after seeing each other daily and communicating constantly for months. It is also the most rewarding moment when the project is complete and I get to see how excited they are about their new space.
Contact Info:
- Email: katie@ksneeddesign.com
- Website: www.ksneeddesign.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ksneeddesign/
Image Credits
Allison Elefante Photography
