Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Kolenda
Hi Lindsey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Interior Design and anything in the housing industry has always been my passion. As a 13 year old, my mom and I designed the house we were building. We were constantly remodeling her house and people would say it looked like the “Better Homes and Gardens Magazine”. In 2017, my mom’s house had a fire and burned to the ground while she was battling stage 4 cancer, she passed away shortly after the fire. During that time, I was renovating my own house to flip- it was an old farmhouse, built in 1899. My mom and grandparents had taught me a ton during my renovation and we did all of the labor ourselves. That same year I had my son, Knox, and completed the renovation. Before I could even list the house to sell, I had a strong offer and it sold. It was that house that people started to see my passion and talent for remodeling and design. As a single mom I tried to stick with a stable carrier using my college degree in health care as the Director of Development for the hospital. Everyone I worked with over the 15 years in healthcare could tell you I would eat, sleep, and breath the housing industry and design. Friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors were always having me help them with design and renovations. During Covid I was laid off from my healthcare job and more and more people started asking for my design help. I lived in a tight condo association and neighbors would come over and see what I did to my new condo and started hiring me to design for them. One amazing neighbor friend connected me with a builder. I was back working in healthcare at this point and ended up getting so busy so quickly that I quit my job in healthcare and went after my dreams of starting my own design business. I dove in full force and had my personal home renovations professionally photographed and built a business. The first two years were the hardest years of my life. Raising a little boy on my own, running a new business, and renovated 3 personal homes all in the mix. But I could not give up even when others would tell me its too hard and too much for one person. In fact, the more people would say I cant do it all, the more motivation I got to push harder. My son is my inspiration and what keeps me pushing (Hence the name, Knox J Design). Its in our blood to be business owners and I have learned through my mom who was also a business owner to be tough and never give up. My son is now 6, and is my number one “employee” and enjoys my passion as much as I do. We just purchased our 4th and largest personal renovation yet and he has helped me push the limits of creativity. I have worked my way into running full on renovations and new build projects for residential and commercial properties. I have an amazing group of self employed tried and true contractors that I bring to every job to create the most custom, timeless, and unique designs. Over the years in design I have met so many amazing people and connections in the industry and we all work closely together. I am in a local designer group that has been a wealth of information. Sharing the same passion and all the new ideas with likeminded people is priceless.
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?
Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. So, with that being said, there were more struggles than I can even remember. Some of the biggest struggles and learning lessons were in developing the process and making sure you have that down. Getting the contract made and edited every lesson you learn is a great way to start. Also, setting the expectations of clients and boundaries is something that took some time, but is so crucial. Being any business owner, you typically have a very independent personality, so delegating is another thing I am still working on. Find what you love most and are best at, and delegate what you can. Some may think that design is just picking out the pretty selections and furniture- but let me tell you it is SO SO much more! You need to learn marketing, accounting, communication, electrical, layouts, furniture venders, contracting, construction schedules, and build a team of trusted trades and run the whole project- just to name a few. There are so many moving parts to create a beautiful home all while creating a fun process for the client.
Some of the biggest learning lessons were enough to make me almost give up. The biggest thing I learned, was just when you feel like giving up and you can’t handle anymore- push harder, and once you do, you will break through and be unstoppable.
As you know, we’re big fans of Knox J Design. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Knox J Design is a full-service interior design firm. We do residential and commercial interiors as well as virtual design. We do tons of renovations, flips, and new builds. We work a little differently than most designers and bring all of the tried and true trades to you. We do everything from layout, flooring, custom cabinets, finish selections, paint consultations, wall treatments, furniture selections to accessorizing. We specialize in a lot of kitchen and bath renovations- designing and building beautiful fully custom cabinetry. We are known for our uniquely timeless and custom designs that fit the personalities and lifestyles of our clients. We think outside of the box and love to bring new designs to west Michigan that you haven’t seen before. Our goal is always to learn as much as we can about our clients and their dreams for the space and deliver something even better than what they could imagine. I want Knox J Design to leave a timeless mark on everything we touch that is so uniquely designed that it is beautiful for a lifetime!
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Like they say- No Risk, No reward. I am a huge risk taker and I think if you are going to run a successful business, you need to take the appropriate risks to elevate. Starting my business was hands down the biggest risk I have ever taken. I had a stable 9-5 career in healthcare when I decided to take the risk to follow my dreams and be the example I wanted to be for my son.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Knoxj.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knoxj_design/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070793786071
