Meet Lauren Holmes

We recently connected with Lauren Holmes and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
I would say the real journey started when COVID-19 hit the U.S. Life was unstable and it was the first time we realized that even full-time jobs weren’t secure. I got furloughed from my full-time job, when I was already weighing the pros and cons of starting my own design practice, and decided it was now or never.

— We tend to resist change, unless the change itself is less uncomfortable than our current situation. —

The best way to develop your risk-taking ability is to start taking risks. It was risky to start a business during COVID, but my current situation didn’t look much brighter so… I learned to say yes to opportunities, take mistakes as learning lessons, and distinguish reason from fear.

Mostly, I realized life is too short to not take risks. One trick I use to decide which risks to take is to ask myself the question, “Is this something I would regret [doing or not doing] on my deathbed?” I want to be sure I don’t have any regrets and that I can say I put my all into my dreams & goals.

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?
In 2020 I started Corl West, an experience design studio that helps established businesses update their outdated digital systems. You can find more details here: corlwest.com

In 2023, I started a camping business out in Joshua Tree. The Sunbeam Ave Desert Camp is on 2.3 acres of desert land, surrounded by our bespoke fence, raised cacti garden beds, and 360° views of Joshua Tree. Enjoy the breathtaking starry nights, astonishing sunrises over nearby mountains, and picturesque sunsets.
You can find more details here: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/california-the-sunbeam-ave-desert-camp-1xmhqep6?adults=1&children=0

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Find what you’re passionate about – what can you get lost in and do for hours?

2. Find your unique intersection of skills – What are you good at and how can they work together to make you stand out? (Read the Medici Effect for more ideas on how this works)

3. Take jobs that help you learn something new, once you’ve mastered it, move on to the next area you’d like to improve. Working for someone else is useful when you’re first starting out (there’s so much you can learn from others), but don’t the idea of security stifle your growth and prevent you from acting on point #1 and #2.

How would you describe your ideal client?
Businesses with large amounts of data that are extremely passionate about providing top-notch user experiences to their customers and employees. We redesign internal and customer-facing digital systems that help your business run more smoothly. This includes websites, apps, Salesforce clouds, and more!

Contact Info:

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