Aga Artka Interior Design, LLC

I am Aga. Aga is my brand

June 12th, 2009 4:45 pm

I must be doing something right if the Web414 group wanted to talk to me to find out how I started and continue on using the world wide web to create and sustain an active presence for me and my business.

Women all know that the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Because most of the techie people are guys (sorry ladies), I decided to entice the participants of the June Web414 meeting with a homemade treat. I announced this wonderful news in the morning via Twitter to create some hype and…..it worked! Thank you everyone who chose the Web414 group over any other way of spending the evening. I like to think that you all just wanted to meet me in person and hear me talk about interior design, my business and my passion. And if that wasn’t the case and you only came to test whether I am truly as good of a baker as I claim to be, I hope you enjoyed the little chocolate pieces of goodness, which I carefully prepared that morning and packaged neatly in the cutest gift box ever. For those of you who requested the recipe, here it is:

Almond Chocolate Truffles

1pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

1 cup crushed vanilla wafers

1/4 cup strawberry preserves (or fruit of your choice)

1 1/4 cups chopped almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in chocolate, wafers crumbs and strawberry preserves. Cover and refrigerate for 1h. Shape into 1inch balls. Roll the balls in almonds. Store in the refrigerator.

My passion for interior design is the driving force behind all that I do. Besides designing functional and unique home and office spaces, I think outside the box when it comes to branding myself, marketing my servicing, networking with industry professionals as well as reaching out to potential customers. I appreciate the positive feedback from the attendees of Web414 on my brand consistency and quality. But I don’t deserve all the credit.

This passionate and driven web designer, Brian Artka (who just happens to be my husband) played a crucial role in creating my brand . He has helped tremendously with designing my logo first, to then designing the website, and now implementing that unique brand in other marketing media like social networking sites, my blog, print ads and promotional materials and more…I concentrate on interior design and let others do what they are good at.

I hired an accountant, Even&Better Accounting right of the bet. I’m still a growing business and the amount of work that comes through my desk could easily be handled by an accounting software, but I didn’t want to do that. I like the personal interaction and attention that I get from “real” people.

I worked with a graphic design studio, VanderBloemen Creative on a magazine ad. I could have easily put something together myself (especially having access to the array of cool templates and designs on my Mac) but I chose to trust a professional and invest in a unique design that they came up with. And let me tell you – the work they do is a 100 times better than a template could ever give you. It’s about personal attention and approach. That’s the role of a designer (whether it’s graphic, web, interiors). I know it first hand and will always support other local businesses and talent.

The point I’m trying to make is this: do what you are good at. You can’t be a master of all trades. Concentrate on your strengths and learn how to delegate. Surround yourself with a team/network of trusted professionals that you can call upon when needed and you will lead a much happier life and a successful business.

Lastly, I’d like to share this cute looking drawing of me done by my good friend and a fantastic graphic designer Mike Rohde of Rohdesign. He sketched my avatar using Brushes, an iPhone ap, in a few minutes while listening to me talk. Pretty good, isn’t it?

Thank you Pete for inviting me to the meeting and thank you Gabe for being such a wonderful host