The Grit & Grace Leadership Podcast

Designing Success: Fostering a Mindset of Growth and Innovation with Candice Kaye

• Jen Kelly • Season 2 • Episode 6

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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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Jen:

Today I'm speaking with Candace Kaye, the spoke textile designer and go-to creator that brands like Nike, Microsoft, Mamon Cafe and Bacardi colon when they need an unforgettable interior.

Candice:

It was a lot of mental work and personal growth that I had to go through and continue to go through, as a woman, as a person, as a being, human being. That has supported the growth of my business.

Jen:

In a world where famous faces are often photographed in front of her work, this episode delves deeper into balancing artistic integrity with high-profile brand expectations, the art of networking and tapping into creative abundance, and prioritizing self-care rituals and inner growth or success. Let's dive in. Candace is great to have you. We have so much to talk about. I am very curious to kind of get all of your insights on. You know, your design meets entrepreneurship and being able to have the foresight to see something that wasn't there. There was a prime need in the market. So we have a lot to talk about today. So thank you for joining us, Thank you for having me. Let's go to the backstory and let's just talk a little bit on the inception. How did you really recognize there was a need for your work, as it relates to what you've gone and built today?

Candice:

It started because I would walk into restaurants when I was living in New York and I was in textile. I worked at Holland and Sherry at the time and every single like wallpaper in a restaurant was like mmm. And then at work I would see the beautiful handmade rugs for interiors and that would be in our residential spaces and I'm like why is this not happening here? And at the time there wasn't a lot of options for commercial grade prints. They weren't cute and it started as what if I did a one-of-a-kind print and then just repeated it? So like the concept of like one-of-a-kind for each restaurant wasn't really a thing then when I first started.

Jen:

Were people receptive right away or did you? Were you hit by a lot of no's?

Candice:

Well, new York was a hard place to start and one of the things that I was I learned really early on when I would talk about what I was doing and I was young, I was like 23, 24 and I was like I'm gonna transform textile and this is what I'm gonna do. And I was at the sew house with a friend and there was a guy, this guy and he, he just looked to me and he was like in this town, you can't tell people what you're gonna do unless you have something to show for it, and I'll never, ever forget that conversation. From there I would go home and like make my own wallpaper. I started doing my own prints, painting and doing and creating, and I would make up launches and like launch a collection that nobody bought, all in the while of working full-time. So by the time that, when the client start coming, I had practice, but then not even realizing that I was practicing.

Jen:

Right, like what was the process of gathering clients.

Candice:

My first client was a cafe called my mom in New York and me and Alisa would sit and I would tell her what I wanted to do in the industry and I think that inspired her to be like wait a second, there's something here. And then I didn't know that she was gonna start a cafe. So six months later she was like Candace, what you've been talking about and what you've been like sharing with me, let's do four custom prints, we'll put them on the cups, we'll make them the brand and let's just see if this works. And it blew up and it was just one of the coolest moments of my still in my career of watching like people in Soho with a mama cup, you be in a subway and you see you like that's my print and because it was so recognizable, the people that really wanted it organically just came to me. That was the beginning.

Jen:

It was very word of mouth that uniqueness in the restaurant space and you know Instagram and having a lot more sort of social media around your brand experience. What year was this, by the way?

Candice:

So this was 2014, so it was like the rise, the mecca of social media, and that was also part of it. I think, regardless of what I was building, I would also watch how everyone interacted with the prints and what they were doing, and they were taking pictures. And that's when New York Fashion Week had all the influencers come in and everyone rolled through my mom, and so it was this beautiful union of like how socially people were operating with with social media, how people were interacting with the prints, how people were finally taking pictures and they were tagging where they were going. So not only am I doing one-of-a-kind prints for restaurants, but this is going to be the mark when people take pictures, you're going to know exactly where they are, you're going to know what location they're in. I think what?

Jen:

you're really talking about is a blend of strategic thinking meets creativity. You know, when you think about sort of the next moves in building against high-profile brands, collaboration, bigger interiors, was that the next chapter in the journey for you?

Candice:

I left New York. It was so expensive and the city was so fast-paced. But maybe also part of me wanted out of that for a bit. You know it was a long. It was a lot of years of like hustle and I wanted to really create and have the time to do so. But I had to leave my full-time job, my apartment, my visa, everything to start a business in Toronto and I lived with my mom. I couldn't worry about the money because I wanted to make sure that the clients that I was, I were finding, were perfect for what I was building and not just take on clients because I needed to make rent.

Jen:

Those tips are really important. There is a big rise right now in sort of the side hustle and people really wanting to get into entrepreneurship on the side and dabble into it, but I think what you're really saying is like giving yourself that time, giving yourself that financial security allowed for you to curate the right clients at the right time and go slower. As you've been working with these, you know major brands who all have their own opinions of what their spaces should look like, what their brand experience should be. How do you go about sort of managing expectations?

Candice:

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 in what 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 corrections, it's like you cannot take it personal. There have been moments where we put up wallpaper and they didn't like it and we had to take it down and start again. Wow.

Jen:

At the very end of the project right.

Candice:

Yeah, and it's just you. I've developed this endurance of like, it's okay, I always deliver. We're going to figure this out together, and my clients have incredible taste. Like people that operate at that type of capacity know exactly what they want when you show them and they're already doing incredible things. Their taste is already there and 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's that. I was wrong, that's the print that we should do, and so we we've developed this beautiful collaborative relationship where we trust each other.

Jen:

What you're talking about is really important as it relates to giving and receiving feedback and how foundational trust is like trusting yourself, trusting the person you're working with. Oftentimes, when there isn't trust, I think that's where we get defensive Also. I think that's just beautiful insight that you shared. I'm imagining that people are kind of listening to the story, thinking, well, how did you get these clients? Is there any early lessons in that for anyone who's seeking to build a network of high profile clients?

Candice:

That wasn't my intention at the beginning of my career. I had no money, so I was like I want 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. So, because that was the true intention at the beginning, where I was like I want to transform commercial, because it was so niche, that organically brought me people through word of mouth that wanted the same thing and truly saw the value in what I was building. So these high profile clients that have they not only have one restaurant, they have multiple, and they also understand the value of social media and they also understand the value of marketing and I truly am so invested in their brands.

Jen:

And when you think about sort of leveraging that network, how do you think about kind of playing the short game versus the long game as it relates to relationship building within your network?

Candice:

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 many things that I've done, just like hey, candice, we need this done tomorrow. Any chance you can get that done yet, no problem. Whatever you need, hey, candice, we need this ship. Before payment. If it's a smaller wall, just say no problem, you know it was. It was years and years and years of understanding the system. Lee and we're going to help each other and if you need anything, no matter what, I got your back. If you have a client base that you want to keep, you need to show that client that, no matter what, you're going to be there, and my clients know they're getting a level of detail from me.

Jen:

Candace, share with me some of the brand collections that you've done.

Candice:

I've collabed and still am with CB2. We did a full rug line and then we did drapery and pillows and we did a full tablewear line. Together. I work with Nike. I did a really cool installation with Bacardi, and then I'm working with a lot of interior designers now to create collections that I can also sell by the panel. So if you don't want bespoke, or maybe you don't really need it, you can go on my website and you can at least feel like you're getting that level of attention through the panels and stuff that I sell online. Yeah, the collaborations are fun.

Jen:

What did the collaboration bring to you from a personal growth perspective?

Candice:

Every single surface is a different application and different technique and a different skill set and every single collaboration that I took on was a new challenge. So when I did plates, I was designing that at a very small scale and then doing layout, and what that would look like on a table is a very different process as doing wallpaper for large interior spaces that was sold for residential Like. Is anyone going to buy this? Because the color choices that you use in the commercial spaces are different. So the whole process is a different mindset, skill set, clientele and that's just been so fun to explore because it keeps me on my toes and challenged and just constantly learning. Do you have any sort of like?

Jen:

daily tips, like do you reflect every night? Like how do you kind of keep on top of the iteration and self learning when you're taking on so many new things?

Candice:

It's just making sure that, yeah, your your mind's right, your ego's, in check. Are you really doing what you're doing because you love it? Are you doing it because you like the praise of it? And I have to check myself all the time. Is this what I want? Does this client make sense?

Jen:

The spaces that at least what I'm seeing on social media, like those spaces, celebrities photograph themselves in front of those spaces. Your work is quite prominent out there in the world, so I was wondering how you do kind of make sure you stay grounded in you know what you are doing, versus getting caught up in what you said you know. I have to check my ego.

Candice:

Yeah, because it's not about me. You know, this is about them. This is about, like setting a client up properly so that when a celebrity does walk through their door, that picture is perfect. I set that up for their success and just, and I just benefit from the fact that, like JLo's at my restaurants that I worked on. You know, that's cool, it's still cool. I obviously like I saw a share recently at Vegas opening and I was like this is crazy, I love this. But yeah, you, just it's the perks of it, if that makes sense.

Jen:

Where do you get your inspiration for these ideas?

Candice:

A lot of silence, and I think that's why I love LA, because it allows me to get into nature and just like just zone out. Travel is so important to me. Travel is the idea of being on a plane and landing somewhere that I've never been before and just kind of shocking the system and being completely present allows me to turn off, and it's really important for me to see different things. All the time I'll find inspiration from a little flyer somewhere or a conversation with someone that I just met in some restaurant, and they'll mention something. I'm like oh, I never thought about it that way, understanding that there's no lack of creativity, and it took me a long time to learn that, and I think that's a big thing for creatives.

Candice:

People would tell me like, how are you going to do bespoke? It's never going to work. I got somebody knows the beginning, because no one understood it. How are you going to create different designs for every single client over and over and over again? How are you going to make money? This is not profitable, it's not scalable. It was their misunderstanding of how abundant we are as people, naturally, and when you tap into your creative abundance, there's no lack. It doesn't make it, it's impossible. So the eight, and it's trusting yourself that the ideas will always come. And yes, there's so many moments where I'm nothing's coming and I'm like I suck, like this is like I should just quit, you know. But it always happens. You always get the idea and it's just. I trust myself in that space so fully I have to.

Jen:

Is there something you do on a daily, like everyone's always, you know, asking about what are the daily? What's your morning routine? Like what? What are the daily practices? Anything that you kind of have to, kind of must do for yourself in order to make sure that your creativity is abundant and flowing.

Candice:

I think the biggest thing is making sure that my mind is at peace at least one part of the day. So in the morning I go for walks. I have a like my coffee mug and I just go for a walk in the neighborhood. I'm just put my earphones on and by myself. Alone Time is so important. I wouldn't say I have routines, because it's impossible with my work, but I do have rituals, so it's alone time. Go for walks, go on a hike, I work 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:

When you look back at who you were six or seven years ago to today, what are the some of the biggest areas that you have seen your own personal growth?

Candice:

The biggest thing in business was confidence. Money is scary as not to pernure too. You don't know when it's going to come and where it's going to be, and it's just learning how to calm those nerves. It's going to be okay, but you have to work your ass off. You got to be so patient. But patient doesn't mean do nothing. Patient means do everything that you possibly can and be patient all at one time. That was a big lesson for me, and whenever I get caught up in my head it's remembering that Just calm, you're gonna be okay. I have confidence now when I'm building, so that helps obviously a lot.

Candice:

When I started, I was just an overthinker and I would go in these spirals, and that's definitely stopped. And then there's a personal side. As an entrepreneur, you know you're alone a lot. That's a big reality. You're alone by yourself, no one gets it, no one's helping you, no one's going to save you. You know, and it was a lot of mental work and personal growth that I had to go through and continue to go through as a woman, as a person, as a being, human being that has supported the growth of my business. So the more mature that I've become and emotionally mature, emotionally aware and that support of the business in such a way that has allowed me to not only communicate better with people, have more empathy or even just be more intuitive and be able to feel what my clients needs are, and also make sure that I take care of myself.

Jen:

Was there anything that came up in those early days that just really put it front and center for you or like, oh, this is the lesson.

Candice:

The biggest lesson that I learned during those beginning days was ego and understanding that there's a gap between what you are now and who you are now and how you create and what will happen eventually. But there's an in between space in the creation process that you're gonna really have to learn how to sit in and not allow the ego to get ahead of you. So it's when I get a project I'll be better, when I, when I move back to New York, I'll be happier. When I live here, I'll be happier. Like that's all your ego making up these stories about what's gonna make you right now, present moment, better.

Candice:

So I had to learn gratitude and I had to become so thankful for, like, the pencil that I drew with, because it just felt so caved in and I felt so alone and isolated. And also, too, it was paired with. Is this even gonna work? Like what am I even doing? Like who? Who's gonna buy this? Is this, like you know, yes, I had my mom and I planted behind me, but you know you need some more clients to make some money. And how is it translated in the business? I just was able to be so focused in my intention and when I was building it in my mission that I didn't let all the other noise get to me and it still dies, like with people and friends and you're dating and that's gonna affect you. You have to learn how to not listen to the noise because it will just, it will take up your mind space.

Jen:

When I need that space to be creative, I just think these are invaluable lessons and I think in today's world right now, obviously, with digital and social media being ever prominent, but I also think, like there's a lot of young people who are aspiring to be entrepreneurs today Like this is a big trend and a big shift. So this has just been a fantastic conversation. Thank you so much for joining us here today, and I think so many people are going to really learn and benefit from your journey and your story. So thank you so much.

Candice:

Thank you so much for having me.

Jen:

Thank you for joining us. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn, where we transform the wisdom from our podcast into practical tips, tools and takeaways for your leadership journey. Find us at gritgracepodcast. See you next week.