Client Case Study Maggie Stephens - When I Grow Up

Client Case Study Maggie Stephens - When I Grow Up Um, do you know that Ive coached hundreds of women since I started offering dream career guidance in 2008? And that these women are freakin rock stars, leaving soul-sucking jobs and traveling the world and launching creative, grown-up businesses and simply doing work that fits their lifestyle goals? Well ya do now and youll hear their stories firsthand in my  Client Case Studies series!  Maggie Stephens worked with me when she was still Maggie Morgan, working in fundraising and development for a county library back in 2010. Now shes an Interior Designer extraordinaire, and Im so thrilled to share her evolution with you!  So much  can change in 8 years, in the best way possible Why did you decide to work with me, a creative career coach?   I had been in a job I didnt like for a few years, and had fallen out of love with my career path only about 4 years after graduating college. I had entrepreneurial ideas around interior design and was writing a blog, but I was having trouble focusing on what path to follow or steps to take. Most of the business advice I was reading was focused on retail or producing a product, not on a service and certainly not a creative service! What were you doing work-wise when we started our sessions?   I was working in non-profit fundraising, mostly writing appeal letters and coordinating events. What was your biggest takeaway from our time together?   I loved our one-on-one sessions and group sessions! I think my biggest takeaway was to break ideas into actionable steps with deadlines, and to celebrate even small victories. Even now when I feel overwhelmed, it always helps to step back and break things down into singular tasks. Was there anything else you tried to do as a career between the time we stopped our sessions and what you do for work now?  If so, how did it inform your current business? I quit my day job and went straight into business for myself, but my business has definitely evolved over the last 5 years, especially so in the last 2 years. When I was first on my own I was blogging regularly, writing for other design sites, and taking on some e-design projects. Now I rarely blog, and focus all my work on in-person residential design. I think I was dabbling a bit, finding what felt right, and saying yes a lot at the beginning. As I had more success, and especially once I had my son, I started to say no to things that didnt excite me anymore. We also moved twice in that time (from Washington to California and back again), and those moves were also a time of reflection and evolution. What would you tell someone now that was in your shoes when we first started working together? Whats your best tip to allow them to make a grown-upliving doing what they love? One regret is that I was SO anxious to leave a toxic work environment that I didnt listen to Michelle about saving up a cash cushion. I relied a lot on my now-husband to be the main breadwinner and had to take some opportunities and clients that werent a great fit because I needed the cash flow. In hindsight, if I could have stuck it out for even 3 more months and socked that away, I would have been in a much better position to make healthy business decisions. It also would have let me spend more on quality photography right from the get-go (I only use photos from one project from those early years!). On a related note get those billing practices set in stone (with an accountant and lawyer to back it all up). Whats on the horizon for your business? Wed love to hear about any upcoming offerings or goals!   I recently moved back to my home state of Washington and am looking forward to increasing my client load in the fall when my son starts preschool. The last year has been full of change on a personal level, but Ive also had some great learning experiences in my business, like specifying more custom high-end pieces and Im excited to do more of that. One business goal is to always be getting my projects photographed! Its the best marketing tool. Another would be to finally bring in some help, especially with drafting and installs, which would allow me to take on more clients. Hopefully the next year will be full of growth.