Bria Hammel always envisioned herself as a design principal, though that day seemed far off during one of her very first gigs as a retail designer. In the end, the position proved to be a masterclass in salesmanship that’s carried through her career and taught her how to achieve a vision without sidelining her clients taste and styles—or stepping over their boundaries.
In the earliest days of Bria Hammel’s design business, landing a partnership with a construction firm offered her what every fresh designer dreams of: the chance to build a business with the certainty of a steady stream of projects coming down the pipeline. Of course, the firm eventually reached a point where letting go of that safety net was the only way to vet and choose a more specific clientele—and in doing so, craft an identity for the business that would take it to the next level.
This episode was sponsored by The Savannah College of Art and Design.