Spotlight is a series that features a past or current client of mine as they share a bit of their story, their talents, their insights, and their process with you. You might learn something from their journey, or you might just discover an amazing new business!
Fernanda Bertrand is a interior designer who works with people to help them build a home that truly reflects who they are. Her clients tend to know what they like and dislike as far as style goes, but they have a hard time putting it together so that it's both beautiful and functional. When I first started working with Fernanda, it was immediately obvious to me that her approachability and warmth gives her clients the reassurance and ease they want throughout the design process, and her skills and aesthetic delivers amazing results! Check out these before and after photos here to see what I mean.
Fernanda shares a bit about her business journey below:
1. What drew you to the work you're doing now?
When I decided to go to school for interior design all I ever wanted was to have a predictable office job. Motherhood totally derailed my initial vision and drew me to starting my own business. After I had my first child I knew I wanted to have flexible hours so I could spend more time with her and I couldn’t have that flexibility working for someone else. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing husband that supported me in that decision and just like that it was the beginning of my little business!
It’s not always easy letting go of limiting beliefs and having the grit to persist through ups and downs but ultimately I feel incredibly blessed to be pursuing something I’m passionate about and having the flexibility to be present for the most part of my children’s lives.
2. What do you like most about your work?
I love the creative side of my business and being able to experiment with different colors, textures and shapes in order to create a unique experience for each one of my clients. I find that most people have a pretty good idea of what they like and dislike but they have a hard time putting it all together and making it cohesive and that’s where I come in! I listen carefully and I try to understand what is truly important to my clients and help them merge the functionality and beauty together. Bringing every little aspect of an initial vision to life at the end of a project is a pretty awesome feeling!
3. What have been the biggest “a-ha” moments in your business journey so far?
I would have to say the biggest a-ha so far occurred during one of the coaching sessions when I realized that it’s not enough to just think you’re committed to growing a business. You have to be married to it and willing to stick around by doing the work day in and day out no matter how hard things get. Basically it's doing the hard work even when you don’t feel like it and coming to a point where failure is just not an option.
I’m sure I’ll have many other a-ha moments ahead of me but if I can give someone in their own business journey an advice it would be to learn from each time you take a fall but quickly pick yourself up and move on to the next journey. Don’t wish for fewer challenges as they will always exist, wish for more wisdom in how to to overcome them. And if the wisdom doesn’t come from within you, hire a business coach, preferably Katie! She rocks my entrepreneurial world!!
"I realized that it’s not enough to just think you’re committed to growing a business. You have to be married to it and willing to stick around by doing the work day in and day out no matter how hard things get."
4. Any big goals on the horizon?
My biggest one at the moment is hiring my first assistant to help me manage all my projects and free up some of my time to be spent intentionally with my little family. I’m also pursuing other dreams like mentoring other moms wanting to start their own businesses and changing the world. You know, finding ways to give back for all that I have been given.
5. How do you overcome the hard stuff? What motivates you to keep going?
Surrounding myself with positive people like you Katie! Seriously, you’ve been instrumental at getting me to see things from different perspectives and overcoming feelings of doubts. We are the average of the 5 people we most associate with and I really believe if we pick our top people correctly they can keep motivating us to be our best version every day.
6. How do you manage your time when working for yourself? Do you have any routines or morning rituals that you swear by?
That’s a super tough one -especially- with little kids at home! I do A LOT of work during nap times so I guess a ritual I swear by is continuously bribing my kids to sleep 2+ hours every afternoon. I also started journaling and find my productivity definitely DOUBLES when I actually plan my days [shocker]!
7. What do you hope to be known for in the long run?
You might have heard of this quote by Tony Robbins that says “Life is a gift and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” I think about this quote a whole lot and my ultimate goal as cliche as it sound is to become more. When I feel like I have no more room to grow, I want to grow even more. At the end of the day, I hope to be known as a person that left a legacy of love and service through everyone that crossed my path as well as raising two solid and compassionate human beings that will each leave their very own positive impression in this world.
"At the end of the day, I hope to be known as a person that left a legacy of love and service through everyone that crossed my path."
8. Where can folks find you?
My website is: https://fernandabertrand.com/
