March 3, 2024 • 20 mins
Join us in this enlightening episode, where we sit down with Candice Kaye, visionary textile designer and founder of Candice Kaye Design. Her innovative designs have graced the spaces of iconic brands like Nike, Microsoft, Maman Cafe, and Bacardi. Dive deep into Candice's journey from the bustling streets of New York to establishing a unique niche in the competitive world of design, providing invaluable insights for entrepreneurs, designers, and creatives alike.
What you’ll learn:
- The Birth of a Vision: Discover how Candice identified a gap in the market for bespoke textile designs, transforming ordinary spaces into memorable experiences.
- Overcoming Challenges: Hear about the resilience required to build a thriving business, including handling rejection and the importance of showcasing your work.
- Strategic Partnerships: Learn how collaborations with high-profile brands and local cafes propelled Candice's career, emphasizing the power of networking and word-of-mouth.
- Navigating Client Expectations: Gain insights into managing diverse client demands while maintaining artistic integrity and fostering collaborative relationships.
- Personal Growth: Explore the personal journey of growth and innovation that underpins Candice's success, including daily rituals, self-reflection, and the critical role of mental well-being.
- Creative Abundance: Uncover the mindset shift required to tap into endless creativity, ensuring a constant flow of innovative ideas.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a creative looking to scale your project, or simply intrigued by the intersection of design and business, this episode offers a treasure trove of lessons on perseverance, creativity, and the importance of nurturing a growth-oriented mindset.
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Learn more about Candice Kaye Designs at https://www.candicekayedesign.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jen (00:00):
Today I'm speaking with Candace Kaye, the spoke textile
designer and go-to creator thatbrands like Nike, Microsoft,
Mamon Cafe and Bacardi colonwhen they need an unforgettable
interior.
Candice (00:13):
It was a lot of mental work and personal growth that I
had to go through and continueto go through, as a woman, as a
person, as a being, human being.
That has supported the growthof my business.
Jen (00:25):
In a world where famous faces are often photographed in
front of her work, this episodedelves deeper into balancing
artistic integrity withhigh-profile brand expectations,
the art of networking andtapping into creative abundance,
and prioritizing self-carerituals and inner growth or
success.
Let's dive in.
(00:45):
Candace is great to have you.
We have so much to talk about.
I am very curious to kind ofget all of your insights on.
You know, your design meetsentrepreneurship and being able
to have the foresight to seesomething that wasn't there.
There was a prime need in themarket.
(01:06):
So we have a lot to talk abouttoday.
So thank you for joining us,Thank you for having me.
Let's go to the backstory andlet's just talk a little bit on
the inception.
How did you really recognizethere was a need for your work,
as it relates to what you'vegone and built today?
Candice (01:24):
It started because I would walk into restaurants when
I was living in New York and Iwas in textile.
I worked at Holland and Sherryat the time and every single
like wallpaper in a restaurantwas like mmm.
And then at work I would seethe beautiful handmade rugs for
interiors and that would be inour residential spaces and I'm
(01:46):
like why is this not happeninghere?
And at the time there wasn't alot of options for commercial
grade prints.
They weren't cute and itstarted as what if I did a
one-of-a-kind print and thenjust repeated it?
(02:07):
So like the concept of likeone-of-a-kind for each
restaurant wasn't really a thingthen when I first started.
Jen (02:14):
Were people receptive right away or did you?
Were you hit by a lot of no's?
Candice (02:19):
Well, new York was a hard place to start and one of
the things that I was I learnedreally early on when I would
talk about what I was doing andI was young, I was like 23, 24
and I was like I'm gonnatransform textile and this is
what I'm gonna do.
And I was at the sew house witha friend and there was a guy,
this guy and he, he just lookedto me and he was like in this
(02:41):
town, you can't tell people whatyou're gonna do unless you have
something to show for it, andI'll never, ever forget that
conversation.
From there I would go home andlike make my own wallpaper.
I started doing my own prints,painting and doing and creating,
and I would make up launchesand like launch a collection
that nobody bought, all in thewhile of working full-time.
(03:04):
So by the time that, when theclient start coming, I had
practice, but then not evenrealizing that I was practicing.
Jen (03:15):
Right, like what was the process of gathering clients.
Candice (03:18):
My first client was a cafe called my mom in New York
and me and Alisa would sit and Iwould tell her what I wanted to
do in the industry and I thinkthat inspired her to be like
wait a second, there's somethinghere.
And then I didn't know that shewas gonna start a cafe.
So six months later she waslike Candace, what you've been
talking about and what you'vebeen like sharing with me, let's
(03:40):
do four custom prints, we'llput them on the cups, we'll make
them the brand and let's justsee if this works.
And it blew up and it was justone of the coolest moments of my
still in my career of watchinglike people in Soho with a mama
cup, you be in a subway and yousee you like that's my print and
because it was so recognizable,the people that really wanted
(04:05):
it organically just came to me.
That was the beginning.
Jen (04:09):
It was very word of mouth that uniqueness in the
restaurant space and you knowInstagram and having a lot more
sort of social media around yourbrand experience.
What year was this, by the way?
Candice (04:21):
So this was 2014, so it was like the rise, the mecca of
social media, and that was alsopart of it.
I think, regardless of what Iwas building, I would also watch
how everyone interacted withthe prints and what they were
doing, and they were takingpictures.
And that's when New YorkFashion Week had all the
(04:42):
influencers come in and everyonerolled through my mom, and so
it was this beautiful union oflike how socially people were
operating with with social media, how people were interacting
with the prints, how people werefinally taking pictures and
they were tagging where theywere going.
So not only am I doingone-of-a-kind prints for
(05:02):
restaurants, but this is goingto be the mark when people take
pictures, you're going to knowexactly where they are, you're
going to know what locationthey're in.
I think what?
Jen (05:13):
you're really talking about is a blend of strategic
thinking meets creativity.
You know, when you think aboutsort of the next moves in
building against high-profilebrands, collaboration, bigger
interiors, was that the nextchapter in the journey for you?
Candice (05:30):
I left New York.
It was so expensive and thecity was so fast-paced.
But maybe also part of mewanted out of that for a bit.
You know it was a long.
It was a lot of years of likehustle and I wanted to really
create and have the time to doso.
But I had to leave my full-timejob, my apartment, my visa,
everything to start a businessin Toronto and I lived with my
(05:54):
mom.
I couldn't worry about themoney because I wanted to make
sure that the clients that I was, I were finding, were perfect
for what I was building and notjust take on clients because I
needed to make rent.
Jen (06:09):
Those tips are really important.
There is a big rise right nowin sort of the side hustle and
people really wanting to getinto entrepreneurship on the
side and dabble into it, but Ithink what you're really saying
is like giving yourself thattime, giving yourself that
financial security allowed foryou to curate the right clients
(06:30):
at the right time and go slower.
As you've been working withthese, you know major brands who
all have their own opinions ofwhat their spaces should look
like, what their brandexperience should be.
How do you go about sort ofmanaging expectations?
Candice (06:48):
Everyone has an opinion , everyone has a style, and
there had to be this like yes,I'm an artist and I love what I
do and I take so much pride inwhat I do, but it wasn't about
me, this is not about my art,this is about the restaurant and
my client and what they want,and if they came back to me with
(07:10):
corrections, it's like youcannot take it personal.
There have been moments wherewe put up wallpaper and they
didn't like it and we had totake it down and start again.
Wow.
Jen (07:20):
At the very end of the project right.
Candice (07:22):
Yeah, and it's just you .
I've developed this enduranceof like, it's okay, I always
deliver.
We're going to figure this outtogether, and my clients have
incredible taste.
Like people that operate atthat type of capacity know
exactly what they want when youshow them and they're already
doing incredible things.
(07:43):
Their taste is already thereand oftentimes I've been wrong
where I thought it was something, and then I'd be like, oh my
gosh, no, you're right, that'sthat.
I was wrong, that's the printthat we should do, and so we
we've developed this beautifulcollaborative relationship where
we trust each other.
Jen (08:01):
What you're talking about is really important as it
relates to giving and receivingfeedback and how foundational
trust is like trusting yourself,trusting the person you're
working with.
Oftentimes, when there isn'ttrust, I think that's where we
get defensive Also.
I think that's just beautifulinsight that you shared.
I'm imagining that people arekind of listening to the story,
(08:22):
thinking, well, how did you getthese clients?
Is there any early lessons inthat for anyone who's seeking to
build a network of high profileclients?
Candice (08:35):
That wasn't my intention at the beginning of my
career.
I had no money, so I was like Iwant to do commercial, that
makes sense.
I want to change.
I see a hole in the market Okay, that makes sense.
We're going to use social media, but also I get to use these
photos as my marketing tools.
(08:55):
So, because that was the trueintention at the beginning,
where I was like I want totransform commercial, because it
was so niche, that organicallybrought me people through word
of mouth that wanted the samething and truly saw the value in
what I was building.
So these high profile clientsthat have they not only have one
(09:16):
restaurant, they have multiple,and they also understand the
value of social media and theyalso understand the value of
marketing and I truly am soinvested in their brands.
Jen (09:29):
And when you think about sort of leveraging that network,
how do you think about kind ofplaying the short game versus
the long game as it relates torelationship building within
your network?
Candice (09:40):
Just say it was only about the money.
If that's what I'm after,people can feel that you know,
like there, there are so manythings that I've done, just like
hey, candice, we need this donetomorrow.
Any chance you can get thatdone yet, no problem.
Whatever you need, hey, candice, we need this ship.
Before payment.
If it's a smaller wall, justsay no problem, you know it was.
(10:05):
It was years and years andyears of understanding the
system.
Lee and we're going to helpeach other and if you need
anything, no matter what, I gotyour back.
If you have a client base thatyou want to keep, you need to
show that client that, no matterwhat, you're going to be there,
and my clients know they'regetting a level of detail from
(10:26):
me.
Jen (10:27):
Candace, share with me some of the brand collections that
you've done.
Candice (10:31):
I've collabed and still am with CB2.
We did a full rug line and thenwe did drapery and pillows and
we did a full tablewear line.
Together.
I work with Nike.
I did a really coolinstallation with Bacardi, and
then I'm working with a lot ofinterior designers now to create
collections that I can alsosell by the panel.
(10:53):
So if you don't want bespoke,or maybe you don't really need
it, you can go on my website andyou can at least feel like
you're getting that level ofattention through the panels and
stuff that I sell online.
Yeah, the collaborations arefun.
Jen (11:08):
What did the collaboration bring to you from a personal
growth perspective?
Candice (11:11):
Every single surface is a different application and
different technique and adifferent skill set and every
single collaboration that I tookon was a new challenge.
So when I did plates, I wasdesigning that at a very small
scale and then doing layout, andwhat that would look like on a
table is a very differentprocess as doing wallpaper for
(11:36):
large interior spaces that wassold for residential Like.
Is anyone going to buy this?
Because the color choices thatyou use in the commercial spaces
are different.
So the whole process is adifferent mindset, skill set,
clientele and that's just beenso fun to explore because it
(11:58):
keeps me on my toes andchallenged and just constantly
learning.
Do you have any sort of like?
Jen (12:06):
daily tips, like do you reflect every night?
Like how do you kind of keep ontop of the iteration and self
learning when you're taking onso many new things?
Candice (12:15):
It's just making sure that, yeah, your your mind's
right, your ego's, in check.
Are you really doing whatyou're doing because you love it
?
Are you doing it because youlike the praise of it?
And I have to check myself allthe time.
Is this what I want?
Does this client make sense?
Jen (12:32):
The spaces that at least what I'm seeing on social media,
like those spaces, celebritiesphotograph themselves in front
of those spaces.
Your work is quite prominentout there in the world, so I was
wondering how you do kind ofmake sure you stay grounded in
you know what you are doing,versus getting caught up in what
you said you know.
(12:52):
I have to check my ego.
Candice (12:54):
Yeah, because it's not about me.
You know, this is about them.
This is about, like setting aclient up properly so that when
a celebrity does walk throughtheir door, that picture is
perfect.
I set that up for their successand just, and I just benefit
from the fact that, like JLo'sat my restaurants that I worked
(13:16):
on.
You know, that's cool, it'sstill cool.
I obviously like I saw a sharerecently at Vegas opening and I
was like this is crazy, I lovethis.
But yeah, you, just it's theperks of it, if that makes sense
.
Jen (13:34):
Where do you get your inspiration for these ideas?
Candice (13:38):
A lot of silence, and I think that's why I love LA,
because it allows me to get intonature and just like just zone
out.
Travel is so important to me.
Travel is the idea of being ona plane and landing somewhere
that I've never been before andjust kind of shocking the system
and being completely presentallows me to turn off, and it's
(14:02):
really important for me to seedifferent things.
All the time I'll findinspiration from a little flyer
somewhere or a conversation withsomeone that I just met in some
restaurant, and they'll mentionsomething.
I'm like oh, I never thoughtabout it that way, understanding
that there's no lack ofcreativity, and it took me a
(14:23):
long time to learn that, and Ithink that's a big thing for
creatives.
People would tell me like, howare you going to do bespoke?
It's never going to work.
I got somebody knows thebeginning, because no one
understood it.
How are you going to createdifferent designs for every
single client over and over andover again?
How are you going to make money?
This is not profitable, it'snot scalable.
It was their misunderstandingof how abundant we are as people
(14:46):
, naturally, and when you tapinto your creative abundance,
there's no lack.
It doesn't make it, it'simpossible.
So the eight, and it's trustingyourself that the ideas will
always come.
And yes, there's so manymoments where I'm nothing's
coming and I'm like I suck, likethis is like I should just quit
, you know.
But it always happens.
(15:07):
You always get the idea andit's just.
I trust myself in that space sofully I have to.
Jen (15:15):
Is there something you do on a daily, like everyone's
always, you know, asking aboutwhat are the daily?
What's your morning routine?
Like what?
What are the daily practices?
Anything that you kind of haveto, kind of must do for yourself
in order to make sure that yourcreativity is abundant and
flowing.
Candice (15:33):
I think the biggest thing is making sure that my
mind is at peace at least onepart of the day.
So in the morning I go forwalks.
I have a like my coffee mug andI just go for a walk in the
neighborhood.
I'm just put my earphones onand by myself.
Alone Time is so important.
I wouldn't say I have routines,because it's impossible with my
(15:55):
work, but I do have rituals, soit's alone time.
Go for walks, go on a hike, Iwork out, I need to be active
and I also go to movies alone,often like the theater, and then
I go for dinners alone.
Jen (16:10):
When you look back at who you were six or seven years ago
to today, what are the some ofthe biggest areas that you have
seen your own personal growth?
Candice (16:19):
The biggest thing in business was confidence.
Money is scary as not topernure too.
You don't know when it's goingto come and where it's going to
be, and it's just learning howto calm those nerves.
It's going to be okay, but youhave to work your ass off.
You got to be so patient.
But patient doesn't mean donothing.
Patient means do everythingthat you possibly can and be
(16:41):
patient all at one time.
That was a big lesson for me,and whenever I get caught up in
my head it's remembering thatJust calm, you're gonna be okay.
I have confidence now when I'mbuilding, so that helps
obviously a lot.
When I started, I was just anoverthinker and I would go in
these spirals, and that'sdefinitely stopped.
(17:02):
And then there's a personalside.
As an entrepreneur, you knowyou're alone a lot.
That's a big reality.
You're alone by yourself, noone gets it, no one's helping
you, no one's going to save you.
You know, and it was a lot ofmental work and personal growth
that I had to go through andcontinue to go through as a
(17:23):
woman, as a person, as a being,human being that has supported
the growth of my business.
So the more mature that I'vebecome and emotionally mature,
emotionally aware and thatsupport of the business in such
a way that has allowed me to notonly communicate better with
people, have more empathy oreven just be more intuitive and
(17:47):
be able to feel what my clientsneeds are, and also make sure
that I take care of myself.
Jen (17:54):
Was there anything that came up in those early days that
just really put it front andcenter for you or like, oh, this
is the lesson.
Candice (18:00):
The biggest lesson that I learned during those
beginning days was ego andunderstanding that there's a gap
between what you are now andwho you are now and how you
create and what will happeneventually.
But there's an in between spacein the creation process that
(18:20):
you're gonna really have tolearn how to sit in and not
allow the ego to get ahead ofyou.
So it's when I get a projectI'll be better, when I, when I
move back to New York, I'll behappier.
When I live here, I'll behappier.
Like that's all your ego makingup these stories about what's
gonna make you right now,present moment, better.
(18:42):
So I had to learn gratitude andI had to become so thankful for,
like, the pencil that I drewwith, because it just felt so
caved in and I felt so alone andisolated.
And also, too, it was pairedwith.
Is this even gonna work?
Like what am I even doing?
Like who?
(19:02):
Who's gonna buy this?
Is this, like you know, yes, Ihad my mom and I planted behind
me, but you know you need somemore clients to make some money.
And how is it translated in thebusiness?
I just was able to be sofocused in my intention and when
I was building it in my missionthat I didn't let all the other
noise get to me and it stilldies, like with people and
(19:24):
friends and you're dating andthat's gonna affect you.
You have to learn how to notlisten to the noise because it
will just, it will take up yourmind space.
Jen (19:37):
When I need that space to be creative, I just think these
are invaluable lessons and Ithink in today's world right now
, obviously, with digital andsocial media being ever
prominent, but I also think,like there's a lot of young
people who are aspiring to beentrepreneurs today Like this is
a big trend and a big shift.
So this has just been afantastic conversation.
(19:59):
Thank you so much for joiningus here today, and I think so
many people are going to reallylearn and benefit from your
journey and your story.
So thank you so much.
Candice (20:10):
Thank you so much for having me.
Jen (20:13):
Thank you for joining us.
Don't forget to follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn, where we
transform the wisdom from ourpodcast into practical tips,
tools and takeaways for yourleadership journey.
Find us at gritgracepodcast.
See you next week.
Today I'm speaking with Candace Kaye, the spoke textile
designer and go-to creator thatbrands like Nike, Microsoft,
Mamon Cafe and Bacardi colonwhen they need an unforgettable
interior.
Candice (00:13):
It was a lot of mental work and personal growth that I
had to go through and continueto go through, as a woman, as a
person, as a being, human being.
That has supported the growthof my business.
Jen (00:25):
In a world where famous faces are often photographed in
front of her work, this episodedelves deeper into balancing
artistic integrity withhigh-profile brand expectations,
the art of networking andtapping into creative abundance,
and prioritizing self-carerituals and inner growth or
success.
Let's dive in.
(00:45):
Candace is great to have you.
We have so much to talk about.
I am very curious to kind ofget all of your insights on.
You know, your design meetsentrepreneurship and being able
to have the foresight to seesomething that wasn't there.
There was a prime need in themarket.
(01:06):
So we have a lot to talk abouttoday.
So thank you for joining us,Thank you for having me.
Let's go to the backstory andlet's just talk a little bit on
the inception.
How did you really recognizethere was a need for your work,
as it relates to what you'vegone and built today?
Candice (01:24):
It started because I would walk into restaurants when
I was living in New York and Iwas in textile.
I worked at Holland and Sherryat the time and every single
like wallpaper in a restaurantwas like mmm.
And then at work I would seethe beautiful handmade rugs for
interiors and that would be inour residential spaces and I'm
(01:46):
like why is this not happeninghere?
And at the time there wasn't alot of options for commercial
grade prints.
They weren't cute and itstarted as what if I did a
one-of-a-kind print and thenjust repeated it?
(02:07):
So like the concept of likeone-of-a-kind for each
restaurant wasn't really a thingthen when I first started.
Jen (02:14):
Were people receptive right away or did you?
Were you hit by a lot of no's?
Candice (02:19):
Well, new York was a hard place to start and one of
the things that I was I learnedreally early on when I would
talk about what I was doing andI was young, I was like 23, 24
and I was like I'm gonnatransform textile and this is
what I'm gonna do.
And I was at the sew house witha friend and there was a guy,
this guy and he, he just lookedto me and he was like in this
(02:41):
town, you can't tell people whatyou're gonna do unless you have
something to show for it, andI'll never, ever forget that
conversation.
From there I would go home andlike make my own wallpaper.
I started doing my own prints,painting and doing and creating,
and I would make up launchesand like launch a collection
that nobody bought, all in thewhile of working full-time.
(03:04):
So by the time that, when theclient start coming, I had
practice, but then not evenrealizing that I was practicing.
Jen (03:15):
Right, like what was the process of gathering clients.
Candice (03:18):
My first client was a cafe called my mom in New York
and me and Alisa would sit and Iwould tell her what I wanted to
do in the industry and I thinkthat inspired her to be like
wait a second, there's somethinghere.
And then I didn't know that shewas gonna start a cafe.
So six months later she waslike Candace, what you've been
talking about and what you'vebeen like sharing with me, let's
(03:40):
do four custom prints, we'llput them on the cups, we'll make
them the brand and let's justsee if this works.
And it blew up and it was justone of the coolest moments of my
still in my career of watchinglike people in Soho with a mama
cup, you be in a subway and yousee you like that's my print and
because it was so recognizable,the people that really wanted
(04:05):
it organically just came to me.
That was the beginning.
Jen (04:09):
It was very word of mouth that uniqueness in the
restaurant space and you knowInstagram and having a lot more
sort of social media around yourbrand experience.
What year was this, by the way?
Candice (04:21):
So this was 2014, so it was like the rise, the mecca of
social media, and that was alsopart of it.
I think, regardless of what Iwas building, I would also watch
how everyone interacted withthe prints and what they were
doing, and they were takingpictures.
And that's when New YorkFashion Week had all the
(04:42):
influencers come in and everyonerolled through my mom, and so
it was this beautiful union oflike how socially people were
operating with with social media, how people were interacting
with the prints, how people werefinally taking pictures and
they were tagging where theywere going.
So not only am I doingone-of-a-kind prints for
(05:02):
restaurants, but this is goingto be the mark when people take
pictures, you're going to knowexactly where they are, you're
going to know what locationthey're in.
I think what?
Jen (05:13):
you're really talking about is a blend of strategic
thinking meets creativity.
You know, when you think aboutsort of the next moves in
building against high-profilebrands, collaboration, bigger
interiors, was that the nextchapter in the journey for you?
Candice (05:30):
I left New York.
It was so expensive and thecity was so fast-paced.
But maybe also part of mewanted out of that for a bit.
You know it was a long.
It was a lot of years of likehustle and I wanted to really
create and have the time to doso.
But I had to leave my full-timejob, my apartment, my visa,
everything to start a businessin Toronto and I lived with my
(05:54):
mom.
I couldn't worry about themoney because I wanted to make
sure that the clients that I was, I were finding, were perfect
for what I was building and notjust take on clients because I
needed to make rent.
Jen (06:09):
Those tips are really important.
There is a big rise right nowin sort of the side hustle and
people really wanting to getinto entrepreneurship on the
side and dabble into it, but Ithink what you're really saying
is like giving yourself thattime, giving yourself that
financial security allowed foryou to curate the right clients
(06:30):
at the right time and go slower.
As you've been working withthese, you know major brands who
all have their own opinions ofwhat their spaces should look
like, what their brandexperience should be.
How do you go about sort ofmanaging expectations?
Candice (06:48):
Everyone has an opinion , everyone has a style, and
there had to be this like yes,I'm an artist and I love what I
do and I take so much pride inwhat I do, but it wasn't about
me, this is not about my art,this is about the restaurant and
my client and what they want,and if they came back to me with
(07:10):
corrections, it's like youcannot take it personal.
There have been moments wherewe put up wallpaper and they
didn't like it and we had totake it down and start again.
Wow.
Jen (07:20):
At the very end of the project right.
Candice (07:22):
Yeah, and it's just you .
I've developed this enduranceof like, it's okay, I always
deliver.
We're going to figure this outtogether, and my clients have
incredible taste.
Like people that operate atthat type of capacity know
exactly what they want when youshow them and they're already
doing incredible things.
(07:43):
Their taste is already thereand oftentimes I've been wrong
where I thought it was something, and then I'd be like, oh my
gosh, no, you're right, that'sthat.
I was wrong, that's the printthat we should do, and so we
we've developed this beautifulcollaborative relationship where
we trust each other.
Jen (08:01):
What you're talking about is really important as it
relates to giving and receivingfeedback and how foundational
trust is like trusting yourself,trusting the person you're
working with.
Oftentimes, when there isn'ttrust, I think that's where we
get defensive Also.
I think that's just beautifulinsight that you shared.
I'm imagining that people arekind of listening to the story,
(08:22):
thinking, well, how did you getthese clients?
Is there any early lessons inthat for anyone who's seeking to
build a network of high profileclients?
Candice (08:35):
That wasn't my intention at the beginning of my
career.
I had no money, so I was like Iwant to do commercial, that
makes sense.
I want to change.
I see a hole in the market Okay, that makes sense.
We're going to use social media, but also I get to use these
photos as my marketing tools.
(08:55):
So, because that was the trueintention at the beginning,
where I was like I want totransform commercial, because it
was so niche, that organicallybrought me people through word
of mouth that wanted the samething and truly saw the value in
what I was building.
So these high profile clientsthat have they not only have one
(09:16):
restaurant, they have multiple,and they also understand the
value of social media and theyalso understand the value of
marketing and I truly am soinvested in their brands.
Jen (09:29):
And when you think about sort of leveraging that network,
how do you think about kind ofplaying the short game versus
the long game as it relates torelationship building within
your network?
Candice (09:40):
Just say it was only about the money.
If that's what I'm after,people can feel that you know,
like there, there are so manythings that I've done, just like
hey, candice, we need this donetomorrow.
Any chance you can get thatdone yet, no problem.
Whatever you need, hey, candice, we need this ship.
Before payment.
If it's a smaller wall, justsay no problem, you know it was.
(10:05):
It was years and years andyears of understanding the
system.
Lee and we're going to helpeach other and if you need
anything, no matter what, I gotyour back.
If you have a client base thatyou want to keep, you need to
show that client that, no matterwhat, you're going to be there,
and my clients know they'regetting a level of detail from
(10:26):
me.
Jen (10:27):
Candace, share with me some of the brand collections that
you've done.
Candice (10:31):
I've collabed and still am with CB2.
We did a full rug line and thenwe did drapery and pillows and
we did a full tablewear line.
Together.
I work with Nike.
I did a really coolinstallation with Bacardi, and
then I'm working with a lot ofinterior designers now to create
collections that I can alsosell by the panel.
(10:53):
So if you don't want bespoke,or maybe you don't really need
it, you can go on my website andyou can at least feel like
you're getting that level ofattention through the panels and
stuff that I sell online.
Yeah, the collaborations arefun.
Jen (11:08):
What did the collaboration bring to you from a personal
growth perspective?
Candice (11:11):
Every single surface is a different application and
different technique and adifferent skill set and every
single collaboration that I tookon was a new challenge.
So when I did plates, I wasdesigning that at a very small
scale and then doing layout, andwhat that would look like on a
table is a very differentprocess as doing wallpaper for
(11:36):
large interior spaces that wassold for residential Like.
Is anyone going to buy this?
Because the color choices thatyou use in the commercial spaces
are different.
So the whole process is adifferent mindset, skill set,
clientele and that's just beenso fun to explore because it
(11:58):
keeps me on my toes andchallenged and just constantly
learning.
Do you have any sort of like?
Jen (12:06):
daily tips, like do you reflect every night?
Like how do you kind of keep ontop of the iteration and self
learning when you're taking onso many new things?
Candice (12:15):
It's just making sure that, yeah, your your mind's
right, your ego's, in check.
Are you really doing whatyou're doing because you love it
?
Are you doing it because youlike the praise of it?
And I have to check myself allthe time.
Is this what I want?
Does this client make sense?
Jen (12:32):
The spaces that at least what I'm seeing on social media,
like those spaces, celebritiesphotograph themselves in front
of those spaces.
Your work is quite prominentout there in the world, so I was
wondering how you do kind ofmake sure you stay grounded in
you know what you are doing,versus getting caught up in what
you said you know.
(12:52):
I have to check my ego.
Candice (12:54):
Yeah, because it's not about me.
You know, this is about them.
This is about, like setting aclient up properly so that when
a celebrity does walk throughtheir door, that picture is
perfect.
I set that up for their successand just, and I just benefit
from the fact that, like JLo'sat my restaurants that I worked
(13:16):
on.
You know, that's cool, it'sstill cool.
I obviously like I saw a sharerecently at Vegas opening and I
was like this is crazy, I lovethis.
But yeah, you, just it's theperks of it, if that makes sense
.
Jen (13:34):
Where do you get your inspiration for these ideas?
Candice (13:38):
A lot of silence, and I think that's why I love LA,
because it allows me to get intonature and just like just zone
out.
Travel is so important to me.
Travel is the idea of being ona plane and landing somewhere
that I've never been before andjust kind of shocking the system
and being completely presentallows me to turn off, and it's
(14:02):
really important for me to seedifferent things.
All the time I'll findinspiration from a little flyer
somewhere or a conversation withsomeone that I just met in some
restaurant, and they'll mentionsomething.
I'm like oh, I never thoughtabout it that way, understanding
that there's no lack ofcreativity, and it took me a
(14:23):
long time to learn that, and Ithink that's a big thing for
creatives.
People would tell me like, howare you going to do bespoke?
It's never going to work.
I got somebody knows thebeginning, because no one
understood it.
How are you going to createdifferent designs for every
single client over and over andover again?
How are you going to make money?
This is not profitable, it'snot scalable.
It was their misunderstandingof how abundant we are as people
(14:46):
, naturally, and when you tapinto your creative abundance,
there's no lack.
It doesn't make it, it'simpossible.
So the eight, and it's trustingyourself that the ideas will
always come.
And yes, there's so manymoments where I'm nothing's
coming and I'm like I suck, likethis is like I should just quit
, you know.
But it always happens.
(15:07):
You always get the idea andit's just.
I trust myself in that space sofully I have to.
Jen (15:15):
Is there something you do on a daily, like everyone's
always, you know, asking aboutwhat are the daily?
What's your morning routine?
Like what?
What are the daily practices?
Anything that you kind of haveto, kind of must do for yourself
in order to make sure that yourcreativity is abundant and
flowing.
Candice (15:33):
I think the biggest thing is making sure that my
mind is at peace at least onepart of the day.
So in the morning I go forwalks.
I have a like my coffee mug andI just go for a walk in the
neighborhood.
I'm just put my earphones onand by myself.
Alone Time is so important.
I wouldn't say I have routines,because it's impossible with my
(15:55):
work, but I do have rituals, soit's alone time.
Go for walks, go on a hike, Iwork out, I need to be active
and I also go to movies alone,often like the theater, and then
I go for dinners alone.
Jen (16:10):
When you look back at who you were six or seven years ago
to today, what are the some ofthe biggest areas that you have
seen your own personal growth?
Candice (16:19):
The biggest thing in business was confidence.
Money is scary as not topernure too.
You don't know when it's goingto come and where it's going to
be, and it's just learning howto calm those nerves.
It's going to be okay, but youhave to work your ass off.
You got to be so patient.
But patient doesn't mean donothing.
Patient means do everythingthat you possibly can and be
(16:41):
patient all at one time.
That was a big lesson for me,and whenever I get caught up in
my head it's remembering thatJust calm, you're gonna be okay.
I have confidence now when I'mbuilding, so that helps
obviously a lot.
When I started, I was just anoverthinker and I would go in
these spirals, and that'sdefinitely stopped.
(17:02):
And then there's a personalside.
As an entrepreneur, you knowyou're alone a lot.
That's a big reality.
You're alone by yourself, noone gets it, no one's helping
you, no one's going to save you.
You know, and it was a lot ofmental work and personal growth
that I had to go through andcontinue to go through as a
(17:23):
woman, as a person, as a being,human being that has supported
the growth of my business.
So the more mature that I'vebecome and emotionally mature,
emotionally aware and thatsupport of the business in such
a way that has allowed me to notonly communicate better with
people, have more empathy oreven just be more intuitive and
(17:47):
be able to feel what my clientsneeds are, and also make sure
that I take care of myself.
Jen (17:54):
Was there anything that came up in those early days that
just really put it front andcenter for you or like, oh, this
is the lesson.
Candice (18:00):
The biggest lesson that I learned during those
beginning days was ego andunderstanding that there's a gap
between what you are now andwho you are now and how you
create and what will happeneventually.
But there's an in between spacein the creation process that
(18:20):
you're gonna really have tolearn how to sit in and not
allow the ego to get ahead ofyou.
So it's when I get a projectI'll be better, when I, when I
move back to New York, I'll behappier.
When I live here, I'll behappier.
Like that's all your ego makingup these stories about what's
gonna make you right now,present moment, better.
(18:42):
So I had to learn gratitude andI had to become so thankful for,
like, the pencil that I drewwith, because it just felt so
caved in and I felt so alone andisolated.
And also, too, it was pairedwith.
Is this even gonna work?
Like what am I even doing?
Like who?
(19:02):
Who's gonna buy this?
Is this, like you know, yes, Ihad my mom and I planted behind
me, but you know you need somemore clients to make some money.
And how is it translated in thebusiness?
I just was able to be sofocused in my intention and when
I was building it in my missionthat I didn't let all the other
noise get to me and it stilldies, like with people and
(19:24):
friends and you're dating andthat's gonna affect you.
You have to learn how to notlisten to the noise because it
will just, it will take up yourmind space.
Jen (19:37):
When I need that space to be creative, I just think these
are invaluable lessons and Ithink in today's world right now
, obviously, with digital andsocial media being ever
prominent, but I also think,like there's a lot of young
people who are aspiring to beentrepreneurs today Like this is
a big trend and a big shift.
So this has just been afantastic conversation.
(19:59):
Thank you so much for joiningus here today, and I think so
many people are going to reallylearn and benefit from your
journey and your story.
So thank you so much.
Candice (20:10):
Thank you so much for having me.
Jen (20:13):
Thank you for joining us.
Don't forget to follow us onInstagram and LinkedIn, where we
transform the wisdom from ourpodcast into practical tips,
tools and takeaways for yourleadership journey.
Find us at gritgracepodcast.
See you next week.
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