Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Candice Luter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Candice, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
As a child I always had to work hard for whatever I wanted in life. There wasn’t enough extra funds in the family finances for school clothes shopping or an allowance. Anything that I wanted I either had to get a job and earn money to be able to save up to afford it, or, I simply made it on my own. That mentality to go after what I wanted and to put my hand to something was instilled at a very early age.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I first started out making decor and furniture for my home. With little means to make my house a home, I set out to cut costs and improve the overall aesthetics that I was after by doing it myself. Overtime I started to get noticed by retailers who were also interested in what I had to offer and the rest was history. Losing my full-time job during the pandemic I decided to jump in with both feet and see if I could make this ship sail. It sailed and it sailed fast! It has been extremely challenging navigating the waters of a small growing business when I had only set out to make a few items for my home. It forced me to enlist the help of other small businesses who were good at what they do best to help my business grow so that I could stick to what I was good at, design. Overtime I began to add to that team a strategist, an HR company, a bookkeeping/CPA firm, a legal team, and finally employees to help produce my designs to stay on schedule in order to properly scale in the right ways. I’m extremely proud of the places my team and I have been able to place products which includes but not limited to West Elm, Lulu and Georgia, Wayfair, All Modern, Sweet July, and Bloomingdales. In 2021 I had the honor of designing a collection for Black History Month for Target and what an incredible experience it was! Also in that same yar I was the grand prize winner of the Etsy Design Awards for one of my mirror creations. I am excited to see what 2024 has to offer and am currently working on a new line of work. Tapping into my personal journey over the last few years, I’ll be morphing that story into my design work with some additional pattern play and artwork that can help serve as a mental/emotional health reminder to keep going, to set healthy boundaries, and to finding your voice. I’m excited!
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?
Understanding your boundaries. Constantly (if not hourly) reassessing the priority list.
Maintaining quality output over quantity.
Understanding my personal and professional boundaries have really allowed me to develop habits that work for me as an individual. As a small business owner there are certain limitations that every person has in one day, whether they would like to admit it or not, in terms of the capacity they are able to handle tasks, retain attention in the daily workload, as well as understanding how to balance stress. Understanding my personal limitations have helped me to have more quality output rather than quantity and has been crucial in my ability to perform without burnout. Every morning I reassess what needs done and at what capacity I am able to perform those tasks for that particular day. Sometimes what I set out to do and what actually gets done are two different things. That is healthy. We cannot control what that day holds and how obstacles are thrown at us. Instead of pushing through, if I do not have the mental stamina to achieve that task, I hold off until I can provide the proper attention that it deserves. This ebb and flow of when/how, has allowed me the freedom to design when I feel inspired without the guilt of the “to do” list looming over my head and it has also allowed me to thrive in a pressure-free environment when deadlines are looming.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking for good partners with good values. I love to design and am always up for a challenge. Whether its freelance design, installations, or product collaborations I think it’s important to stretch myself creatively beyond where I think I can do. As of the last year, I have even taken to fashion design in my spare time which has oddly enough has influenced alot of current and upcoming designs I’m working on. Sometimes getting outside of the medium you work in can really help to refresh those creative juices. So whether you are a manufacture, a small business owner, or a retailer I’d love to see how I can support the design direction your company would like to head!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://candiceluter.com
- Instagram: candiceluter
- Linkedin: Candice Luter
Image Credits
Dan Rolling Photography
