Hello, and welcome to Episode 22 of design.
Curious podcast, I'm your host and Mentor Rebecca Ward.
Today, I have a great interview with Ellen Walker of Alan Walker
design and she is out of Canada. As I've gotten to know her over
the last year and a half. It's been really fun watching
her really Branch out and start to work with Builders and get
Awards and things like that. So I love her story.
You'll enjoy Hearing from her today, let me tell you just a
little bit more about her. Ellen loves to travel and draw
inspiration from art architecture and beautiful
fabrics and Furniture. Wherever she happens to be
interior design, however, encompasses more than a visual
aesthetic. Great design is characterized by
functionality timeless style and a positive emotional connection
with those who use the space. As an industry, leader, in
incorporating, the psychology of design into her projects, she
solves people's Design problems and has access to experts in
both design psychology and environment design allowing her
to deeply understand what people need in their spaces in order to
live better. Throughout the years.
She's worked on Renovations ranging from one room to a full
house as well as new builds. That vary from small to large
projects, in both residential and Commercial spaces.
She's obsessed with creating and remodeling spaces of all stories
and she is out of Red Deer County.
In Alberta Canada and you can find our Ellen Walker
design.com. So let's hear from Ellen today.
You're now listening to design, curious a place where you
creative one are here to learn about what it really is.
Like, to be an interior designer and I'm your host and Mentor
Rebecca, Ward, if you're worried about how to succeed in a
creative career, if you're ready to learn your next steps to
become an Interior Designer. And if you want the satisfaction
of doing something you love every day, you are in the right
place. Grab a coffee, a notebook.
And let's dig into today's episode.
Well, hi Allen. Thank you for coming on the
podcast today. It's great to have you.
Thank you. Looking forward to it.
Yeah. So why don't you tell us the
name of your company and why are you located?
So the name of my company is on Walker Design Group.
I am located in Red, Deer, Alberta in Canada.
So, a little bit farther north and I've had my business now,
since 1995, actually, May, 15th of 1995, so that is a few years,
28. Eight years, I guess.
Yeah, yeah, that's great differently.
Yeah, well, we can talk about that.
So let's go way back before 1995, when you start your
business, how did you get into design?
Did you go to school for it? Actually, I did go to school but
then that wasn't B online. It was true cassette tapes and
online version. But mailing system, Sure yeah,
something I always wanted to do as a child and something I
dreamt of and when I graduated from high school, my remember my
father just said, no Alan just go get a real job.
Yeah, I put it off for a few years.
Oh, poor interior design. Career always gets like
pooh-poohed by parents. I think as not being a legit
career but we know better. That's right.
So, how long did it? Take you.
Q. And what what did you decide to
do in the meantime before you came back to design?
So I worked as an administrative person for a few larger
companies and it did serving as well.
And then the company I was working for a petrochemical
company. I really didn't like it all.
I could think of was to somehow get into design.
So they actually were downsizing their all their stuff, they
called it re-engineering. So they were offering packages
and my husband were They're too. That's how we met.
So one of them was an educational package, but we had
just adopted our son, who is a toddler and one was an
entrepreneurial package. There was other ones to to go to
school physically from where we are because we're an hour and a
half from to big cities, like Edmonton and Calgary.
That just wasn't going to work with having a two year old and
new. So I took the entrepreneurial
package which gave you some money to start up, and And in
the meantime, somebody I had bought it window window covering
business, like for small amount of money, like 5,000 dollars.
And so then I decided to take more deaths, then an online
course, which is was done by cassette tapes.
So I did that, it took me about two years, but in the meantime,
I was doing mainly window coverings and then I also my
little shop was out of the local paint store Benjamin Moore
dealer. Oh yeah.
Um, so I one of my clients at that time said, you know, you
should partner with you, thought you should partner with map,
make an alliance so I did. So I was there for nine years.
Also, I learned how to mix paint and when that wasn't super busy.
So I did lots of other things and then just some things in my
life with kids and stuff. I am running around all the time
like, because I never charge to go out to somebody's place and I
was starting to burn out. Yeah.
Yeah, tired. So one of the local flooring
company's sibilant you just come work for us and so I thought
about it and thought about it, okay, well, I'll have more
opportunity for design because I found in the paint business.
People are already building, you're too late, right?
Yeah. Or in the window covering
business and, you know, they're they're beyond the initial
stage, right? So I had, I did go to this
company. After two months, I just told I
was so used to my own schedule, my son was 11 at the time and I
found that he it was very had to have longer hours and it didn't
really work and I just got frustrated.
And I just finally said to them, I said this isn't working for
me. I'm going to quit and the owners
as well. Ellen don't quit.
Just do what you can. Yeah I said okay, fine I'm about
to have my own business too. So I freelanced for the next
nine years. I learned a lot boring.
You know, took a started to slowly get some more design
projects and then Yeah. So then nine years I guess it's
been nine years. I still always work with them
because I was always I was hardly ever there.
I just occupied a space, okay? And they had changed the way
they did things. The son took over and they
wanted me to be there from 9 to 5:30 at mean that.
And it would mean a couldn't do my own, my own business anymore.
And I just did. No, I said that.
Feels like a dog, chained to a pole.
To mine just can't do it. Yeah, so yeah, it's been nice.
Wow, very good. Wow.
That is a very is kind of like a organic approach to creating
your own company and becoming a designer, just happened a little
by little step by step in that direction.
And then eventually now, here you are with a successful firm
in a project. That didn't you get published
recently or won an award or Something I want an award.
This past spring, for excellence, in interior, design
was true, it's a Builders Association.
So it's the association, there's home.
Builders contractors trades. Suppliers are all members of
this. It's a national Canadian
actually company is divided into regions.
So there is a project that's a builder and I have worked on.
So, I decided to enter it and I've entered before.
Hmm. Yeah.
And I've won so wonderful awesome.
Yeah, wow. So along the way as you're
building your business and becoming more confident as a
designer, what were the challenges that you face, if
there were any that you thought of, as far as confidence of what
you were doing, was it just experienced giving you that
confidence, or did you not? Truly fall into it as a natural
Talent OR feedback from clients. Like, how did you keep going in
that direction? Well, that was the hardest
thing. For me in the conference area is
that I didn't have the full degree.
Yeah. And I still don't know Kat and I
had just actually no, I refuse to learn it.
I don't want to learn it. Somebody else can do it for me.
Yeah, you can Outsource that. But but do you think it's just
this the mental step of life? Like I don't have a degree in
this and that's was the mindset of it was holding you back
sometimes in your confidence. Yep.
Yeah. It was not always easy.
I ran into some a couple of really nasty clients.
A couple things which I think lots of designers face.
One really shook my confidence. Yeah, I did have a hard time
like with confidence building my confidence.
I also became also have been a business of design members since
its first started. So I would slowly start to try
to implement those steps but it knit was approached.
It was a process. Yeah, and then it's been five
years now, just things started to really kind of start to
really kind of Click. I got better clients and maybe
because I use the system's more. Hmm.
And I know I'm well known in the area.
I mean, I don't I don't I'm not in a large Center so sometimes
that's a little bit frustrating. Sometimes it's the mindset to
All here, but I seem to be doing okay.
So yeah, I'm actually making money.
Yeah, well, that's really important.
A lot of my accounts, did you know, you'd be better off
working at Starbucks? You'd probably leave.
Oh, my goodness. And was that because your fees
weren't high enough or you just weren't tracking your hours or a
combination of the way that he's.
Yeah. My fees weren't high enough.
Yeah, I wasn't tracking all my hours.
It wasn't charging for all my hours and I was just doing
things different. Yeah, it took me a while to
learn. Yeah.
Well, and then a couple coach it now had a couple coaches to that
helped me. See things in a different way to
which really helped but yeah, it's yes, it's still been a
process. Yeah it's not been one straight
line. Right.
I think that is often the case we learn from our mistakes.
We learn from Projects that cost us some money to fix a problem.
You never make that mistake again.
Yeah. Yeah.
So would you say that there is there any, like, secret sauce or
to becoming a successful designer?
Is it take a lot of perseverance being an entrepreneur?
What would you say about that? I think it takes a lot of
perseverance. I think it takes a lot of
surrounding yourself with. Other like-minded people who are
successful to learning from other people.
I do think coaching is a huge part of it.
Yeah, it's not an easy job. It is not an easy job and then
it's also learning people's personalities which yeah really
found. Like learning your your clients
personalities and understanding when you're meeting with them
for the first time. What kind of a client?
They're going to be? Yes.
Yeah, trying to analyze. I feel, I've gotten better at
that. Try to, okay.
And maybe this is a person. I don't want to work with right
going. Very well, right.
Did you get coaching early on in your career or was that later?
Mmm. No.
That was probably 15 or so between 10 and 15 years.
Yeah coaches. Yeah.
And I needed one again. I think at least in my case when
I started getting coaching realizing that how helpful
coaching can be, that's when my business started to really turn
a corner and be profitable and actually was able to grow In a
more sustainable way. So, our this, is there anything
that you wish you had known when you are starting out that, you
know now. But like if you Ellen from way
back then, would you, what would you tell her if she's just
starting out? Taking this cassette tapes, I'm
listening to them. It's not a glorified easy job,
actually. I just had one client.
Who said, you know, I should charge you for shopping.
I said, okay, wait a minute, wait a minute.
That's called sourcing. That is not shopping shopping is
something that you do for yourself and it's enjoyable.
When I go sourcing in and I am focused on you.
Yeah, it's it was a joke. She made she even said it today,
then her sister. Yeah.
Ellen, corrected me on that. I said, yes.
But back, I would have, if I hadn't known about the system
that I use, now back then I'd say that's a huge part of it is,
I'm having some definite systems and procedures in place that you
can Implement on a regular basis.
Yeah I think that's so important I get cooking right away.
Right. Yeah yeah I think it's easy for
in our industry for designers to fall into business and not
really think about the systems and procedures right away
because they might have started out as a hobby or something that
they really want, you know, really enjoyed.
My name in decorating but but then it's not the business part
of it, but they're really thinking about and that's really
the most important part of it. If you want to do it for a
living as a career, it's burnt me out a couple times.
Yeah where it's you know, did I want to actually continue to do
that? Hmm.
And you never worked for another designer or with another
designer. Just did it always sort of the
local group here. There's a few of us that is Us.
But six of us that we get together on a regular basis.
We've got to know each other, not everybody uses the same
system I use. There's couple those with that's
it. Hmm.
Yeah. They want to do their own thing.
I've tried. Yeah, some people are kind of
yeah, stubborn about their own process and that's fight if it
works for them. I guess that's fine.
As long as they're being profitable, yeah.
Yeah, any other advice for up-and-coming designers who
would be considering becoming an interior designer, something
you'd recommend to them, I would suggest go work for an
established firm. Hmm.
First. Learn how they do things.
What's required just to gain some at least to gain some
experience. If you're going to go, if you
want to go the Rope to the entrepreneur, Because it's not
as easy to me. I think it would be would be an
easier path. So, yeah, I don't Junior
designer. I have right now.
I said, you know, my goal is to eventually retire, and she's
plans on staying. And she said, I said, well,
maybe you can just take it over for me.
One day. Yeah, she's happy to be doing it
for, for me, it's working out. Great.
So I'm getting her slowly to do more and more and more stuff.
Yeah, good. And as long as she has a desire,
ER to be a business owner, as well.
I think because there are going to be some designers that work
for other designs, who don't really want to own their own
company because rather than a lot of hats to wear.
But yes, if she's interested in being kind of a successor to you
than, that would be great to groom her for that.
Mmm. Yeah, we'll see where that goes.
Yeah. Well, where can everybody go to
see your beautiful award-winning work to?
Go to do w, dot Helen Walker design.com, that's my website.
Okay, any on Instagram on Instagram as well?
Okay, great, wait a moment and Facebook, okay, I like Jim, what
are you on the most, what we're doing Instagram, Instagram,
okay. We'll put that in the show notes
for everybody. Check out what?
Thank you, Ellen, for sharing your Expertise in your path.
And it's really helpful to hear how everybody gets their own
ways to success, and it's a different story for everyone and
I love hearing yours. So thank you for that.
You're welcome. So fun talking with Alan, just
all of her experience that she's been in a gang for a while.
But it shows you that there's always room for growth and
Improvement and she's a testimony of that and she's
doing great today in her design, such an inspiration to me.
Again, you can find all of our contact information in our show
notes, and you can find that our word design.com forward slash
podcast. Don't forget to leave me a five
star rating and review. I love reading those reviews.
You. And if you want to reach out to
me podcast at our war design.com is the email.
I love connecting with people on Instagram as well.
So go check us out at our war design and you can see all the
podcast that I we post on there and as well as our projects from
my own firm. And don't forget to check out my
design Mentor that program is for people who are wanting to
know a little more like this podcast about the career.
Interior design and seeing if it's the career for them.
So stick around for another great episode next week we'll
talk to you then until then stay creative.
Thanks for listening. If you loved this episode,
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