Transforming a side hustle into a full-time interior design business

I’ve got another short story for you today with a talented and inspiring POP Alumnus! Andrea Krill shares how she went from being a CPA to a full time designer.

Coming from a family of home buidera and designers, Andrea originally walked the corporate path and spent many years in her first career as a CPA. When she decided it was time to start her second act, design became the obvious path! While she originally made her design business as a side hustle, her experience implementing the POP principles gave her to confidence to leap into full time and double the number of leads she received!

Her expertise and infectious energy for her work is so inspiring, I know that by the end of the episode you’ll  have renewed excitement to leap forward in your business journey!

Episode Highlights

• Andrea Krill transitioned from a CPA at a hedge fund to start her own interior design business as a side hustle.
• She operated her design business part-time for over three years before going full-time.
• Andrea credits the Power of Process course for providing the confidence and tools needed to make her business sustainable.
• Key steps in Andrea’s transition included refining her onboarding process, improving client consultations with a pitch deck, and marketing herself consistently on social media.
• She found success in local Facebook community groups, where she offered her design services and generated leads.
• Andrea emphasizes the importance of persistence, doing the work, and taking small steps toward business growth.

Episode Resources

• Learn more about Andrea Krill at her website and follow her on Instagram.

• Learn about Power of Process.

Read the Full Transcript ⬇️

Rebecca Hay: Hey, hey, hey! It’s Rebecca, and you’re listening to Resilient by Design. Today is a shortie episode with a POP alumna, Andrea Krill of Andrea Krill Interiors in Philadelphia. She shares her story of building a business after coming from the financial sector. She was a CPA at a hedge fund and decided to start an interior design firm as a side hustle, which has now transformed into an incredibly profitable design business. She shares exactly what she’s done. In this shortie episode, listen to her tip on getting leads—I think you’re going to like this. Enjoy this shortie episode with Andrea. Welcome to the podcast, Andrea!

Andrea Krill: Thank you, Rebecca. I am so excited and very honored to be with you today.

Rebecca Hay: I’m so excited to have you here. We got to meet in person at High Point Market this year, which was amazing. There’s something to be said for actually meeting someone in person—it’s just so different than being online. When I met you, you had signed up for Power of Process, but the course hadn’t started yet, and you were ready and willing to go. I just want to hear a little bit about your story and how you got to where you are today. This is a shortie episode, so we’re going to keep it tight and juicy. Before we dive into that, though, could you just introduce yourself to the listeners?

Andrea Krill: My name is Andrea Krill, and I am the founder and lead designer of Andrea Krill Interiors. We are a small design firm based out of Philadelphia’s Main Line area, and we offer full-service design for both decorating and renovation projects. I am also a wife and a mom of four kids, so it’s a very busy household here as well. Prior to design, I spent nearly two decades in the accounting and finance industry. I worked as a CPA for a hedge fund before pivoting to design. There’s a long story there, but essentially, I always felt in my heart that there was something bigger and better for me out there in my second act. And what I dreamed about turned out to be design. I’m really grateful to now be running my own interior design firm. I have two part-time employees working for me, and every day I wake up feeling grateful that this is my life. I get to serve lovely clients and do beautiful work.

Rebecca Hay: I had forgotten that detail about your life. How did I forget that? This is a really big deal! Oh my gosh, I always love chatting with designers who have previous experience with numbers. I just feel like it’s a different ballgame, a different set of skills and tools. I love that you have that. Also, if you’re watching on YouTube, Andrea, you look so young! How is it possible that you’ve been working for two decades doing something else? I’m sorry, it can’t be possible.

Andrea Krill: Nearly two decades. Thank you, thank you—I appreciate that compliment. I will take it.

Rebecca Hay: Oh my goodness! And four kids? Wow, you do have your hands full—amazing! What I loved about meeting you in person was that you have so much energy. There’s such a joy about what you’re doing, and it’s interesting to hear you say you’re so grateful for what you’re doing now. It really does come across. I think it’s neat to see someone tackle an entirely new industry, an entirely new career. I’m going to say later in life, because after two decades, it feels like it’s later in life—but you’re not old, so that’s probably the wrong terminology. But as a second career, right? As a second or third career. I love that this podcast—most of the women I interview start design as a second or third career. It’s the most common path, which I find so interesting. For me, it really was more of a first-ish career. I don’t call my acting and working in a restaurant a career, so I think that’s really interesting. I think you bring a whole new skill set to the table. What made you decide to make that jump from working for hedge funds, doing accounting and numbers, to interior design? Can you talk us through that?

Andrea Krill: I’m a very practical person, to be honest. So when I imagined what my career would look like, majoring in business and accounting was a practical decision. But probably shortly after starting my career, while I was fulfilled and it was successful, I just knew that it wasn’t what I was meant to do for the rest of my life. I used to come home and tell my husband, “I can’t do this until I’m 65. I just know there’s more out there for me.” How it came to design was mostly influenced by my upbringing. I was raised in a family where my dad was a contractor and a master carpenter. He built the house we grew up in, nail by nail, board by board, with the help of friends and family members who were also in the trades. During that time, we lived with my grandparents, who were antique dealers and collectors. I spent a lot of time with them going to antique markets on the weekends. My parents were so influential in instilling a love of home and taking pride in your home. Those values naturally parlayed into my life when I became a homeowner and started raising my family. I guess I had a knack for it, and friends and family noticed. Neighbors would ask for help. When I realized that I didn’t want to do accounting and finance for the rest of my career and was really looking for a second act, design was the natural fit for me.

Rebecca Hay: Let’s talk about that transition. I think it’s so fascinating that you were surrounded by design more than most people, and you really went in the opposite direction, which I find interesting. What was it like when you made that decision? Did you stay working and start your design business as a side hustle? If so, for how long? What did that transition look like for you?

Andrea Krill: Yes, it was absolutely a side hustle for me. Like I said, I’m a very practical person, and it’s really important for me to contribute to my family financially. I’ve always worked—I have four kids, but it’s always been important for me to have a career and contribute to my family. I wasn’t willing to take the risk of just quitting this steady, wonderful W-2 job to hopefully make it as a designer. So I operated my business as a side hustle for over three years before I felt comfortable going out on my own. I have to say, there were a lot of things that contributed to my success in making that decision, but Power of Process was truly instrumental in being able to go from side hustle to full-time self-employment.

Rebecca Hay: When I met you and you said, “I just registered for the course, and I’m going to be joining this cohort,” had you already quit your day job?

Andrea Krill: I actually signed up for Power of Process for spring 2023. By the time we went to High Point, I had already completed Power of Process.

Rebecca Hay: That makes more sense.

Andrea Krill: Yep, I had already completed it, and I was in the process of implementing everything—the client-facing documents.

Rebecca Hay: You know what I’m thinking of? I’ll share it later, but I’m thinking of the beautiful email you sent me around the time of Power of Process, which is why I’m getting confused. When you took the course in the spring, were you also still working your day job?

Andrea Krill: Yes, I was. The first time I signed up, I didn’t get through the course. Then I really wanted to commit to it, so I did. I couldn’t always join the live sessions, but listening to the course in the car via the private podcast was super helpful. The main thing was doing the work—even if I couldn’t keep up with the live sessions, implementing what I learned was crucial. Getting that onboarding process, those client-facing documents, was huge.

Rebecca Hay: Did you find it hard to implement the course while also working a day job? Or was it just something that happened little by little?

Andrea Krill: Yeah, it’s hard—four kids, it’s hard. I don’t want to sugarcoat it. I think a lot of people, myself included, listen to these podcasts and think, “Oh my God, they’re just an overnight success,” but they’re not. It’s about doing the work and showing up. Even if you’re not implementing 100% of it, just start. You always reiterated this: You’re not going to do everything on the first round, and that’s okay. So I really just started in order, with onboarding, making sure discovery calls were going well, nailing those initial consultations—the client pitch deck at a consultation was a game changer for me in converting leads and such. I haven’t even implemented everything in your course, but little by little, doing the work, it compounds over time.

Rebecca Hay: At what point did you decide to go full-time?

Andrea Krill: It was early 2024. Your course gave me so much—mainly confidence in my business to know I had a repeatable and sustainable business model. I felt so much better about what I was offering clients and more confident in my business. For the first time, I marketed myself, put myself out there, posted more on social media and in local community Facebook groups, and showed up to networking events. I just felt so much more confident after taking your course that it allowed me to put myself out there. By doing that, my leads doubled, and I could no longer stay in my day job. It was a wonderful thing!

Rebecca Hay: I’m so proud of you. That’s amazing. So many people are too scared to put themselves out there. How did you find those leads doubled—was it just putting yourself out there on social media? Was that the number one thing?

Andrea Krill: Yeah, it was definitely social media and being consistent on Instagram. Showing up in stories was big for me, just showing up as the face of my business. But what really made a difference was joining local Facebook groups and offering my services in community groups. I got so many leads by just going to these groups and saying, “Hey, I’m Andrea. I own Andrea Krill Interiors, and we’d love to help you with your next renovation project or decorating your home.” I was just putting myself out there and offering my services. Once I got the call, I knew my process and the value I could offer. It became much easier to convert the lead to a paying client.

Rebecca Hay: I love that you share that tip. There are so many things I could ask you, but I want to keep this short. I want to make sure our listeners know how to follow you and find you—where should they go?

Andrea Krill: They can follow me on Instagram @AndreaKrillInteriors or find me at andreakrillinteriors.com.

Rebecca Hay: Love it! You’re amazing. I’m so grateful you joined me for this shortie episode. Hopefully, people got some great takeaways. If you’re in your car or you’re running errands, or maybe you’re at the gym, remember: it’s just one small step at a time. Just like Andrea, just keep going and do the work, and little by little, you’ll find that success. Thanks for joining me today, Andrea.

Andrea Krill: Thank you so much, Rebecca. It was such a pleasure being with you.

Rebecca Hay: So much fun! We’ll see you soon. Alright, bye for now!