Lessons from the Fyre Festival Documentaries

A few months ago the internet blew up with news about the Fyre Festival documentaries that were premiering on Netflix & Hulu — same topic, different documentary. In case you missed it, the Fyre Festival was slated to be a massive music festival intended to be the modern-day luxury Woodstock.

What it was, instead, was a clusterfuck of poor planning and even poorer execution that resulted in social media going crazy over how hundreds of people lost thousands of dollars to attend an event that never came to pass.

The documentaries, each in their own unique style, illustrated how this event, and the aftermath, played out. After watching both, and having a hearty laugh, it hit me that there were many lessons to be learned from what transpired, especially for those of us in the entrepreneurial space.

BusinessAlbie KnowsFebruary 4, 2019designpreneur, the design influence, fyre festival

What I Really Learned By Going Back To Design School

Pursuing my masters degree what something that I’d always wanted to do when “the time was right” but after almost a decade of being out of school, in 2016, I made the choice to go for it, studying interior architecture & design. While this wasn’t exactly the same type of architecture program I was studying back in 2003, talk about full circle! Have I completed the degree yet? Nope! Yet in the 2 and a half years since I started the program I’ve learned more about myself (and the industry) than I bargained for — and spoiler alert: none of it is actual lessons in design (but don’t tell my professors that).

Business, LifestyleAlbie KnowsJanuary 23, 2019behind the scenes, mompreneur, grad schoolComment

How I Secured Six Brand Collaborations With Less Than 1,000 Followers

Let’s talk about that time in 2018 when, four months into the year, I returned from a yearlong social media sabbatical and over the next eight months spoke on a panel at High Point Market, appeared on four interior design podcasts, launched a virtual conference, secured sponsored collaborations with six brands, and put into motion launching a brand new podcast with sponsorship.

I share this with you as a sort of humble brag because, while I am immensely proud of those accomplishments, what I am most proud of is the circumstances under which I hit those milestones — I did all of the above with less than 1,000 followers/subscribers across any of my social channels. While we often hear about the pressure to have high numbers as social proof, there is something to be said for the micro-micro-influencer who, as the saying goes, is small but mighty!

SO HOW DID I SECURE INTERVIEWS AND COLLABORATIONS WITH A SMALL AUDIENCE?

BusinessAlbie KnowsJanuary 21, 2019the design influence, sponsored post

20 Books to Help You Launch & Propel Your Interior Design Business

We’ve all heard the debates on whether or not you should go to school & get formally trained as a designers, or if being self-taught will suffice. While I can’t answer that for anyone but myself, what I can say is that no matter which path you choose, you never really stop learning.

A lot of that learning can come by way of doing — there’s no substitute for experience — but some of that learning you have to actively pursue, whether it’s taking CEU courses, watching webinars, listening to podcasts, or good ol fashioned books!

Business, ShoppingAlbie KnowsJanuary 14, 2019books, free resource, the design influence

2018 Year in Review: Progress Not Perfection

This past year was quite possibly one of the most exciting in my business & I cannot thank you enough for being part of this crazy, unexpected, one of a kind ride — whether you’ve been here since the beginning in 2016, or you just found me a week ago. The year started off on a great note, which in hindsight, I wished I had paid more attention to because it definitely the start of a theme this year — lots of “oh shit, that really happened” moments for sure!

BusinessAlbie KnowsJanuary 1, 2019year in review, new yearComment

Favorite 2018 Resources That We're Taking Into 2019

From new platforms that needed decoding to new resources we didn’t even know we needed, 2018 was definitely the year of a lot of tech! After 12 months of continuing to use old faithfuls from 2017 and diving into the new goodies of 2018, here are the resources we loved from 2018 that we’ll be taking into 2019.

BusinessAlbie KnowsDecember 30, 2018the design influence, free resource, edesign, new yearComment

Cost Breakdown: How Much It Cost To Refresh My Bedroom

As you may already know, for the Fall One Room Challenge, I refreshed our master bedroom — a few major upgrades & some minor decor updates, but all renter-friendly. The transformation made a huge difference in the function & aesthetic of our bedroom, and when I shared it on Instagram, I got quite a few questions surrounding the cost of doing something like this. So I said to myself, “why not breakdown the cost of everything — past, present, and sponsored, that went into creating my Hygge bedroom?”

Why The Name Change From The E-Design Experience to The Design Influence?

In spring 2018, The E-Design Experience was launched as a passion of mine because as an e-designer I noticed very early on that there was a huge void in the industry when it came to dealing with e-design.

While the name made perfect sense for a conference, as the mission continued to evolve, we quickly realized that "e-design" wasn't just about designing online. Yes, it will always, first & foremost, be about the online designer, but the bigger picture has always been about being better online — as a designer, as an influencer, as a brand.

Changing the name allowed us to get back to this objective of decoding this new landscape so that it made more sense for you, whether that specifically meant e-design, or if it meant figuring out how to build your email list. The conversations weren’t being limited to just e-design so the name needed to start reflecting that.

BusinessAlbie KnowsDecember 26, 2018the design influence, edesign

5 Lessons I Learned From High Point Market

BusinessAlbie KnowsNovember 4, 2018the design influence, high point market

High Point Market: Fall 2018 Noteworthy Events (That You Won't Wanna Miss!)

Whether you’re going to market for the first time, still pretty new to market & getting your feet wet, or a seasoned market veteran going for the umpteenth time, navigating which events are happening when & with whom can be a pretty daunting task. As an e-design community and designpreneurs looking to elevate in the online space, it was amazing quite a few events that really catered to the current industry landscape — tech savvy, social media inspired, systems driven, influencer friendly, and overall really future facing.

BusinessAlbie KnowsSeptember 22, 2018high point market, edesign, the design influence

What You Need To Know About Web Based Design Tools: Roomstyler & Homestyler

No matter if you're an in-person designer or an online designer, deliverables are a huge part of our client experience, and for many of us, rendered designs are often part of those deliverables. For creating renderings there is no shortage of amazing resources. There are also two web-based platforms that are super affordable (how does free sound?) and all things considered, easy to use.

Amazon Prime Day Must Haves For Your Business

With thousands of deals all over the site, most people prep early to plan ahead for what can be potential savings via Prime Day. Here are some business favorites that you should look out for during the 36 hours shopping bonanza!

BusinessAlbie KnowsJuly 17, 2018the design influence, amazon, prime day, shopping

5 Steps to DIY Your Business Checkup

For many, a business checkup may come by hiring a business coach or business manager or some other expert to help in the areas that need attention in your business; but maybe you're not there yet, so here are 5 steps you can take on your own towards giving your business a self checkup:

BusinessAlbie KnowsJuly 9, 2018the design influence, behind the scenes

How To Choose The Best System For Your Business

When you're working for someone else, there are a lot of business responsibilities that you don't necessarily have to worry about -- things like administrative systems & back-end operations -- but as an entrepreneur, all of these are up to you to coordinate, which can be overwhelming & intimidating. As part of our initiative to educate designers & provide them with curated resources, we hosted our Savvy Systems Week with 5 platforms that could suit your unique business model.

BusinessAlbie KnowsJuly 5, 2018the design influence, design therapy

10 Lessons I Learned Hosting A Conference

Putting together The E-Design Experience was not something I took lightly. It was a beta launch, yes, but I knew I wanted this to lead to bigger, better, and more beautiful opportunities & so I jumped all in! Now that a launch is in the books, I can truly say I’ve learned a lot up to this point.

BusinessAlbie KnowsJune 16, 2018the design influence

Sassy & Charming Los Angeles Apartment Redesign

Take it from me, moving across the country can be equally exciting and nerve wrecking. You're literally kicking off a brand new adventure, no matter the reason you're moving & mo matter how prepared you think you are. Personally, I never truly appreciated the differences in the two coasts till having moved from east to west; so I could 100% empathize with this client as she kicked off a move from Virginia to California.

Mood Board Monday: Quirky Coastal Half Bath

This half bath was a renovation of a closet -- yes, closet! This really excited me because this closet was flanked by her daughters' bedrooms, and so the new bathroom would be for them to use.

Talk about making use of the space you have to create the space you need!

Business, VideoAlbie KnowsOctober 30, 2017national kitchen & bath month, bathroom, renovation, nyc living, edesign, small spaces

Elegant Boho Living Room

The foundation was already laid with a new sofa & rug, however, we needed to break up all that gray; so I created a design, anchored by those gray tones & featuring organic fibers & metallic accents for a cozy & eclectic setting. By introducing woods, leathers, and other natural materials, we would make the space feel pulled together & inviting, while still maintaining a modern appeal with clean silhouettes. As we worked through this design & brought this mood board to life, we were ultimately able to create the perfect setting for relaxing, working, and entertaining.

Business, VideoAlbie KnowsSeptember 11, 2017nyc living, edesign, small spaces, shoppingComment