Local founder Stephanie Dobson, at a young age, had passion for interior design, but her life took her down a different path.
The Concord native needed to attain a stable job since she got married and had children at an early stage in her life. She landed an internship in high school, which developed into a career of 17-plus years in accounting, payroll and taxes.
"I just kind of peaked where I was at, and I didn't want to start over in a career that I didn't really like," Dobson told CBJ. "If I was going to learn something new, I wanted to be passionate about it."
Dobson said she was approaching her 40th birthday and knew she wanted a change. She questioned herself on what she was passionate about, always coming back to interior design.
So, this time, she followed that notion.
Dobson is now the founder and owner of PersonalizedDesign Interiors, a residential interior design service for the Charlotte area.
The company was established after a friend helped Dobson land her first client. Dobson was still taking a course at The Interior Design Institute when her friend mentioned a woman was in need of an interior designer.
"I don't think I can do that," she told the friend. "I'm not ready. I don't have a business. I'm just getting started."
But she contacted the prospective client anyway, who gave her a chance and paid for a consultation.
Dobson used the money to register her business, obtain a federal tax ID number and take other necessary legal steps to officially launch PersonalizeDesign in February 2020.
At the time, she was still working her full-time corporate job. She was able to leave that position to solely focus on her business in December 2021.
"I like being in control of my schedule and being able to be accessible to my family," she said.
How the service works
Dobson first schedules a complimentary "discovery call" with a potential client to understand their interests and needs.
Next comes a design or color consultation at the project site. A design consultation includes a tour of the area to be customized, photos, measurements and an explanation of the process, according to the PersonalizeDesign website. The color consultation is for those who are more comfortable with designing their own space but need assistance with choosing the right color palette.
PersonalizeDesign's services include full-service design, kitchen updates, bathroom makeovers, home renovations and more. The startup also sells furniture and other accent pieces to customize homes, with items available to order on its website.
Dobson says her designs typically resemble a cozy or transitional style. "So it still has a lot of those timeless features that a transitional style does with more contemporary accents," she said.
PersonalizeDesign's growth plans
Within the next year, Dobson expects to have a studio space for the startup. Her business is currently home-based.
She also plans to expand her team, which, for now, consists only of herself. Dobson said she would also like to add a staging service to her business.
A more long-term goal, she said, would be to establish a furniture storefront to allow clients to see items in person before purchasing for their homes.
"I just want to continue to see where it goes and keep pouring into it and grow and expand, so that I can really diversify my income and be accessible in different ways to all clients," she added.
Dobson noted the experience she gained in her accounting and payroll career was applicable in her entrepreneurial journey.
"You might be really good at what you're doing now. If that's not what you want to do, just think of how much better you'll be when you're really invested in something you want to do," she said. "You don't lose those skills. They really just transfer, and they actually make that new thing even better."
