We recently connected with Robyn Branch and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Robyn, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Three steps and a lot of time and mistakes….
I have always jumped in with both feet and arms in the air, before I look, so it’s the only way I know! I realized my talent was easy and had always been there. The design is the easy part because I can see it and feel it. What I did not know was how to be successful and run a business. Even though my parents were entrepreneurs, and I grew up in the furniture industry, I came along after their success and only saw the fun side of years of hard work. I was in retail and times were tough. I was designing for customers and other designers without being paid for my time and resources. Once I made the switch, with a lot of help from the SBA and coaches, I lost a lot of people. Some of my customers were rude in fact, but my life has been so much better without them and we just had our best year ever!
I started ballet classes late in life (I’m a late bloomer) and learned best by positioning myself behind the best dancer in the classroom. After I mimicked her on one combination at the barre, we would turn and she would invariably correct me if I got it wrong. Gracious excellence is like that. People who are inherently successful with nothing to prove are the most giving. She made me one of the best dancers in the class in a few short months. That lesson stayed with me and gave me a weird sense of confidence. I was never afraid to ask for help, so I did it over and over in my life. Learning all I could from people I saw as great and accomplished. I still do the same and I ask to be let in. I’ve learned to put myself out there.
A great designer once kissed my ring, Raymond Waites, a nod to a piece of jewelry I had designed. That brought alot of happiness to me and I knew I could do this. Another great designer, Serge de Troyer, said to me, “Baby, it is not the ASID, it is the EYE. I slid sideways into ASID, once I even knew what it was, and have really advocated for them and licensure. Now I understand what designers go thru and how long they study! It is important to be safe and understand how to best benefit our client. If I do not know something, I collaborate! I don’t believe I am an imposter any more.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I do alot. My coach says to focus, well….that may be impossible! Notice I spell A LOT as one word….Design is my favorite, but the clients can often drive that train and forget why they have hired me. They are successful people and often believe they can do anything, I am not the smartest in the room, but I know to let the best do their job and give them the freedom to work. When a client restrains me constantly, it tends to take my joy from my process, so I fill that hole with better projects.
Real estate has been mentioned to me by two of my three coaches, I am investing and developing with my love, John. That gives me great joy, but I want to get to a point where it is all the two of us, no investors or partners. So I have lofty goals there. I also want to grow my design firm and show the world that the older broads have much to offer. In a young industry, I saw how much the young people starting out were at a disadvantage. They need that good dancer to lead them in the way. Because of this, I am going to work with my ASID chapter on mentorship. Young designers are not prepared out of school and it takes a village to help them. They think if they brand themselves and get a cool logo, the work will come. It’s a daily hustle!
I also design furniture on a regular basis for clients and actually get paid for it now! I designed a piece for Kindel Furniture and they have been so kind to me over the years, I am so proud to know them and love my relationship with them. They have celebrated many designers and still do, it’s a wonderful environment to be a part of and learn about the factory and the process! Three brands under one roof and still here since 1886, they are American made and hand crafted to heirloom quality. Truly a treasure!
I believe charity comes in many forms, it should happen everyday. So many good people have helped me and still do help me, I just try to keep the circle going whenever asked.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think my skill set is so bizarre that it’s tough to explain. An abstract brain doesn’t easily reveal the end result. I see it before it happens. Not to say, I don’t veer at the first curve and take off on a new journey, that could definitely happen! I will get back on track, though.
Use what you have, cultivate what you don’t and outsource what you cannot.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I LOVE to collaborate! That’s how I met Isabella of Theodore B. Interiors. The brilliant young designer from NC that is my sister child! LOL, I call alot of contemporaries sis, honey, baby…because I am Southern and that habit makes me love them instantly. She came down at the Julian Price showhouse and asked for help and when I saw what she was doing as a student, I was in love with her eye and work ethic!
Yes, please reach out to collaborate. real estate investors, design junkies, clients, designers starting out or winding down. You’d be surprised how many designers want to retire and want their good clients left in good hands. Being of service leaves you with love for your clients and the time you spend in their homes is a treasure, not to be taken or given lightly. My greatest collaboration is the next generation! I have a number of my client’s children that I work with now and it is so much fun. They are very often nothing like their parents and it’s just fun to mix things up!
I really want to build a collaborative team of realtors, builders, subs and financiers to accomplish beautiful, ethical and gracious neighborhoods. All they have to do is call me or email. I do love to talk, so the phone is my groove!
803 553 4555
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Image Credits
Photos of homes and work: Zeke Ruelas
