Beth Smith began her professional career as a certified public accountant (CPA). However, a rise in her business job led her to discover her genuine love. She took a week off to reflect on her professional trajectory and to instill a sense of tranquility in her life.
What began as a vacation turned out to be a new professional path as an entrepreneur. She quit her corporate career and remade herself as a full-time interior decorator in the creative industry.
Her motivation for making the decision was mixed, she said, adding that the “universe kept on aligning” with her new route.
“I want to say it was all my doing, but the universe kept on aligning,” she told Baucemag. “It got to a point where God was pushing me and eventually He was like, ‘Girl, you’re not listening to what I’m saying.’ So the missions got harder. I discovered interior design very much by accident and have never considered myself to be a creative. So to be in a creative space is still very surprising to me.”
Another source of inspiration, she claimed, was a buddy. According to her, she discussed the concept with a buddy, which lead her to where she is now. Her friend, who worked in corporate America, had recently had a baby and was talking about starting to do kids’ parties. Smith was motivated by her friend’s decision and has worked as an interior designer for companies such as HomeGoods.
“I discovered interior design just by redoing my own home and I am very process driven. So I literally was just doing what I call, like, usual research, like ‘Oh, let me read some publications. Let me find some inspiration,’” she recalled. “My eyes were opened. I didn’t even know this kind of thing existed at the time and I didn’t know that there were interior design schools. I was so detached from anything creative and then as time went by, I really did try to push the interior design bug away, but it kept on repeating itself.”
Smith stated that before leaving corporate America to pursue entrepreneurship, she evaluated her finances to determine if she had enough money to last six months. She stated that her goal at the time was to take interior design classes on nights and weekends while studying for a degree in interior design.
She began her dream job with just a few clients. Smith now wants to inspire other black entrepreneurs to start their own businesses.
“I hope this inspires other Black women to really explore interior design because I hear so many times from other Black designers how this wasn’t their first career,” Smith told Baucemag. “This is their second career, and it’s rare when I meet someone where this was their first career.”