A feature about women who overcame obstacles, faced challenges head on, who dealt with work and home demands, climbed to a place of influence, and took their own path to success.
Creating designs of distinction for 30 years, Susan Fredman, one of Chicago’s most prominent residential Interior Designers, is founder and CEO of her namesake firm, Susan Fredman Design Group. As one of the largest design firms in the Chicagoland area, Susan Fredman Design Group has earned a national reputation and established full-service offices in downtown Chicago and Michigan’s Harbor Country. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Fredman is widely recognized as a leader in the Chicago design community and beyond. In addition to her signature At Home With Nature home store and fabric line, Fredman’s work has garnered the attention of numerous media channels including Architectural Digest, Better Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Chicago Magazine, Chicago HOME, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Lake Magazine, The New York Times, Traditional Home, Crain’s Chicago Business, Interiors & Sources, HGTV, FOX and NBC. She is the celebrated author of At Home With Nature: Great Interiors from the Great Outdoors, which includes a portfolio of her work. Susan has also shared her expertise as a speaker at the National Conference for the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID), as well as at NEOCON, the industry’s largest tradeshow. Additionally, she was a speaker at one of the country’s premier fine craft shows, the American Craft Exposition, held annually in Evanston, Illinois.
As the result of numerous hours dedicated to her own firm’s pro bono design projects, Susan Fredman was motivated to act on her beliefs and vision, and thus, this idea was born. In 2000, she founded Supporting the Spirit Foundation, now known as Designs for Dignity of Heartland Alliance, as an avenue for interior designers to truly transform the lives of those served by nonprofit organizations. A nonprofit design resource, Designs for Dignity (DFD) provides pro bono design services by professional interior designers to area nonprofits as well as Heartland program sites to create environments that reflect dignity, hope and comfort.
When you first started your career/business did you feel passion for your work?
Of course I felt passion for my work….it was really the only thing that I knew. That I loved this work…that I was born to do this work. Design homes that serve people.
When you first started were you able to visualize your final outcome?
There is no way that I could possibly have understood where I am today 33 years ago when I started my firm. I did understand that goals are important & I have spent time steering my business, charting the course, but there have been many spurts of growth along the way.
What were your top three obstacles/challenges?
The absolute overriding challenge has always been capital. I have funded my business & its growth pretty much from the growth of the business & out of the cash flow. This has not been easy…trying to have a stable business & a growing one at the same time without much debt.
More obstacles, I guess I would say my lack of formal business education has been somewhat of an obstacle. I am self taught as a designer & self taught as a business woman. And, I have spent a great deal of time learning, reading, understanding, getting myself equipped to run my business, not just working in my business but on my business.
How did you deal with doubt, fear & self recrimination?
Doubt, fear, self recrimination? Keep going. I am clear that doubt & fear are just part of life & do not have to be in charge….notice it but not necessary to pay attention to it. Take the learning, keep moving.
Did you feel that the traditional male dominated workplace affected you at all? If so, what did you do about it?
The interior design field has many successful women owned businesses.
Did you have mentors?
I come from an entrepreneurial family. I grew up in family businesses. It is natural for us. Everyone in my family who is not an entrepreneur is an artist—this is a good combination.
Do you feel you were traditional in terms of your steps to your Optimal Level? If yes, if no, please explain.
I am not traditional. I know that this will sound ridiculous but in my management team we study & then we make it up. I think ultimately everyone learns to trust their judgment.
Good judgment, sprinkled with luck….& do your best to be in the right place so that luck will find you.
As you look back, what is the one thing you wish you knew when you started?
I think the most important skill needed is perseverance. If I had known how much perseverance needed, the journey might have been different for me. This is the quality that surprises people….how much just simple ‘getting back on the horse’ is needed.
Any regrets?
Not being smart enough, fast enough.
Do you believe luck had something to do with your rise to where you are now? Do you feel you paid a price to be as successful as you are now?
Luck…see above. We create our own luck. Luck is a belief, in my opinion. I believe we are all entitled to be lucky & that it is our own context which creates how we see what luck is. Paid a price….my business & the people I have worked with, both clients & colleagues, have done nothing but grow me & enhance me.
What is the best piece of advice you have for other women on their way to their Optimal Level?
Never give up. Keep learning. Trust your instincts.
Do you have any other tips for career or business women?
Surround yourself with amazing, talented people. Share yourself generously & openly. Do not hold back.
What do you think is the biggest mistake career/business women make?
Spend enough time really carefully examining your mistakes so that you learn. I do not call it a mistake until I make it a second time.
Do you have any other tips for career or business women?
Look at every situation as an opportunity to expand your understanding. Opportunities for learning come in many forms; Surround yourself with people who challenge your way of thinking—help you to see perspectives distinct from your own; understand the power of collaboration; Be fearless in your pursuit of your dreams.
Take time to set goals. Be specific in the goals you set. Dream Big.
