Hidden Gems: Meet Kim Sovik-Siemens of Pretty Up Interiors

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Sovik-Siemens.

Hi Kim, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
To make a very long story shorter-since I can remember as a kid I was always very taken by homes and the style and comforts of the home. I remember doing book reports on Frank Lloyd Wright in High school and creating projects that centered around home design. This is a weird fact looking back, but when I was down time I used to go to different home stores and look around and just imagine homes and spaces. It is not strange now but as a 17-year-old, that was a bit of an odd hobby!

When I went to college, I went away from my gut and listened to my parents (I love them dearly but they only wanted me to have stability and a good income) and I pursued a general business degree. I was under the impression interior design being a creative field, I would never make any money. That perception is much different now, but 20 years ago, I allowed that to change my course. I spent 15 years in a financial world that never filled my cup. It certainly was lucrative but I never found much joy in it. I hated the culture and I never found any of it interesting.

Fast forward to my second pregnancy, and my company was sold right before I went on maternity leave. Everyone in our office was laid off and I took it as a sign to take a break and truly be present with my girls and figure out how to pursue this dream I have had for so many years. I started out thinking I would only offer home staging as it felt less scary than taking the full leap, but I attended some conferences, started taking some online courses, and fortunately had some people willing to take a chance on me and close to 4 years later I am doing it all!

I am able anything from home staging, simple room refresh, and furnishing to offer full remodel designs, I truly love what I get to do every day and feel like my layoff was the biggest gift I could have ever received. I am not sure I would have had the courage to walk away and take this leap without that little push.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! There have been some major bumps and dips along the way. I struggled a lot with confidence and pricing appropriately. I said yes to absolutely everything in the beginning out of fear that if I said no, nobody would refer me and my business would immediately dry up. I was far too flexible with the terms of my contracts (or no contracts at all in some jobs) and I really let some clients walk all over me.

I had no boundaries on communication and felt the need to answer people 24/7 vs. respecting fairly regular business hours. I felt very burned out early on with some fairly low-paying jobs and questioned if this was really what I wanted to do several times. I made plenty of mistakes and really beat myself up over each and every one. Each project did however slowly build my confidence.

Finally, I really had a serious talk with myself. This is what I have always wanted to do and failures mean you are trying and growing. I started to let go of the constant fear and embrace learning along the way. Every project gave me new skills and new questions going into the next. I finally got more serious about my contracts and pricing to protect not only my business but the end client as well.

Having very clear expectations on both sides has made a world of difference in the process. Home renovations can be very stressful and emotional and I have learned a great deal over the last few years on how to manage this piece and make it as painless as possible. I now am in the process of taking on a business partner as well which not only makes the creative process so much more fun, we will be able to take on more and larger scale projects.

We’ve been impressed with Pretty Up Interiors, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Pretty Up Interiors is a small interior design and home staging company that specializes in making your space feel beautiful and functional for your life. I work closely with my clients to create a design that meets their needs and brings their vision to life. From concept development to installation, we guide you through every step of the process to ensure the project is a success.

We also do a great deal of home staging. We will come in and fully furnish and accessorize your home to ensure we highlight the best use of your space so that it sells faster and for the highest price possible. While we offer a vast array of services, we are different from other companies in that we are a boutique operation. I would always prefer to have a smaller number of projects at a time that we can fully focus our attention on, versus a larger firm that cranks out many projects at a time with a large team.

While that model can also be valuable, I prefer to have that personal touch from start to finish. Our list of services includes but is not limited to Vacant home staging, Furnishing residential and rental properties, full kitchen and bath remodeling, new builds and additions, space planning, and decor.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
For me, I think having a mentor can be critical to getting you out of your head and helping you grow in many ways. I have reached out to people I follow or look up to somewhat regularly. I also went on a design retreat that was put on by a designer I had followed for years.

This was incredibly helpful to me when I was just starting my business. It helped me to focus and move forward instead of getting overwhelmed by how much I wanted to accomplish. I have looked to her as a mentor ever since as well as others in my industry to learn and grow from. I am grateful to have the network that I have built and I continue to search for more mentors along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.prettyupinteriors.com
• Instagram: @prettyupinteriors