We recently connected with Iga Soszynska and have shared our conversation below.
Iga, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I believe that finding your purpose in life directly affects your mental health and longevity. There’s actual scientific proof for it too! To me the word PURPOSE was always directly connected to my job, and I never wanted to just “work”, without a bigger idea behind it.
Being a European, I started my career as an interior designer, working for a small multidisciplinary company (interior design, graphic design, event/exhibit design) in Heidelberg, Germany. I’ve learned a lot during my time there by mostly observing others and analyzing their day-to-day. I was very inspired by the multidisciplinary character of what that firm was doing, and realized that it’s something that I would love to do one day as well. After that experience my path led me to Chicago, US, where I was able to progress in my interior design career at a high-end, residential company. Yet again observing and learning, but now also implementing my own ideas and taking ownership of my projects. But to be honest, I didn’t see much purpose in my work. I was designing homes for the rich, who needed them to represent their status and rarely saw the beauty and artistic sensibility in what we did as designers. It didn’t feel meaningful enough for me to continue to do that. Certain life events helped me make the decision to move on from it as well.
I ended up finding a small interior design business ran by 1 person, who really needed my expertise and skills. It felt great to build something from the ground up, and within 2.5 years and some ups and downs, I grew the company into a prosperous business. It was very rewarding to see my systems and ideas being implemented and then seeing the company grow and thrive thanks to that! I was also managing a team and mentoring people in how to become better designers and coworkers. I felt like finally my purpose was something more than just designing luxurious residences, because apart from being the business manager, I was also working with homeowners with smaller budgets, and more down to earth clients who really valued my work. It felt fulfilling for the time I spent there, but after a while I felt the need to explore my purpose further.
At that time I decided to work with a career coach to help me determine what actually drives me to wake up every day. It was something I really needed in that point in time- I was turning 30 and felt a little lost. I knew that Chicago wasn’t the end of it, that being an interior designer was not enough, and that I wanted something more for my life! After learning so much about myself, my needs, strong suits, weaknesses, and hopes and dreams, it was clear that my purpose was to help others grow, and overcome their own barriers. I wanted to fix what’s broken, and empower what’s dying- that was my purpose. So I took that thought with me and decided to move to Los Angeles and start a new path with Designed by So – my own brand.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
These days in my own work at Designed by So I focus on supporting small, creative businesses within the interior design industry (from interior designers, to photographers, textile & wallcovering brands, furniture designers etc.) in their marketing efforts, as well as helping interior designers with their back of the house operations. My marketing services include branding, Squarespace web design, Instagram management, brand collateral and marketing/business templates. My business consulting services range from mini sessions to personalized business support.
All that is possible because of my own valuable industry experience that I gained while working as an Interior Designer: lessons learned, mistakes made, managing employees, dealing with difficult clients, and building someone else’s small business into a successful firm, before starting my own. So my purpose in my day-to-day work is supporting other small, creative business owners in their lonely journey as creators. Because it’s so hard to do things on your own all the time!
My business clients are these passionate, talented people, with certain budget limitations and an imposter mindset. My ultimate goal is to dig them out of the hole of self-doubt and equip them with a few essential tools that will boost their confidence- that honestly applies to all my offerings.
I still take interior design projects but at a smaller scale- I’m more focused on providing helpful consultations to people trying to improve their homes with a few simple additions. It feels meaningful and supportive, and I get to see quicker results and a lot of gratitude coming my way after the projects are complete. It also helps my business clients to view me as someone who is not considered their direct competitor. (that promotes trust)
In 2024 I’m planning to show more of my face on Instagram and provide even more free business and marketing tips. There will be some helpful seminars and interviews as well, so make sure you sign up for my newsletter! I’m also working on another business endeavor behind the scenes, which will also be very connected to my purpose- more soon.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I will make this one brief. Empathy, Integrity and Vulnerability. I could talk on and on about the importance of learning the right software, familiarizing yourself with business terms, and taking the right marketing classes. These are all very important things if you’re trying to start your own business and hopefully succeed in it! BUT it’s even more crucial to train yourself to be a good leader, problem-solver and project manager. Here are 3 qualities I’m constantly working on in my career:
1. You’ll need empathy in any business to understand your client, coworker or boss. Don’t mistake that with people-pleasing though- that can bea very toxic and bad place for many. Empathy in business is about getting to know people and their backgrounds before you make a judgement or a decision. It helps us validate people’s emotions and opinions, while also presenting ours. It creates a discussion, instead of a conflict.
2. Integrity- doing the right thing, no matter what. When mistakes are made, you take responsibility, you provide a solution, and you learn from what happened. When you get tricked into something, you don’t badmouth the trickster. You rise above it and you prove your worth with your actions. People appreciate integrity more than anything else.
3. And finally vulnerability- or learning to be imperfect, admitting that we don’t know something, asking questions, taking our time to think before we respond with conviction. Vulnerability opens us up to feedback (so important in business!) and knowledge. Most experts are vulnerable because they never stop questioning their approach and learning from it.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
It’s very hard to pick just 1, but I will say this: if you’re a creative in need of a little push or inspiration, “The Creative Act, a Way of Being” by Rick Rubin should be your book for 2024. As the author says himself: “I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.” —Rick Rubin. It’s worth it, I promise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.designedbyso.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designedbyso/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/igasodesign/
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/designedbyso/
Image Credits
All photos by Ben Speckmann Photography https://www.benspeckmann.com/
