Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Weerts.
Hi Caitlin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I grew up being surrounded by creative and driven family members, so being creative has always been in my blood. However, the thought that someday I would have my own design business was not something that even crossed my mind.
Agriculture has also been part of my life. I grew up in Starbucks, Washington where my dad managed the farm we lived on. We then moved to the Midwest when I was in 4th grade. After completing college at SDSU with a degree in Business Marketing and management, I moved back to Washington, where I worked for some time for Daktronics and the Seattle Mariners. However, due to the economy crashing, I was laid off but found my way to Minnesota for another job.
It was when I moved to Minnesota, that my creative side really began to come out. I had a job in medical sales, meaning I was on the road all the time. I used DIY projects to unwind, get work and travel off my mind, and just be me. Also, at this time, I embarked on something that I had no experience in… building a house. I learned so many things from that experience, which truly helped set me up for one of the biggest projects I would complete just 6 years later. This building experience lit a fire in me. All I wanted to do was decorate our home, DIY on a hard-core budget, flip furniture, and help friends with their homes or make things for them. I’ll never forget the very first piece of furniture that I redid. It was a dresser that I had found on the Facebook marketplace for $50. I wanted to give it a shabby chic look (that was right when all kinds of little boutiques were opening up selling pre owned furniture that had been repainted with chalk paint and roughed up a little, to give that shabby chic kind of look). My basement was not finished, so I hung up big plastic sheets and created a paint spraying room. As soon as I completed it, I sent pictures to a couple of girlfriends, and immediately they asked if I could make one for them too. That dresser then turned into me buying power tools and building my own shelf/entertainment center in our family room. It also led to me doing a feature wall in a friend’s house, a nursery room makeover, a whole house design layout, and so much more.
Fast forward to today. Since that first home build and truly realizing that I could do anything I set my mind to, I have been able to accomplish so much more than I could have ever imagined. After living in the twin cities for close to 8 years, I moved back to South Dakota and married my husband. He is a 5th generation farmer, which meant that I was going to be a farm wife, and I no longer would have the luxury of having 3 mega targets within 10 min of my home. This would be more of an adjustment for me than I realized.
At the time, I was still working in medical sales, which meant I was on the road at least 3-4 days a week. So, once we were married, we decided that it would be best for me to quit my job so that we could start a family. I not only wanted to live in a house that we created together, but a house/home that I loved. This was the start of the biggest project I have ever done.
Once we had the plans nailed down, we dove in feet first. We hired an architect to provide insight on how we should go about a remodel and achieve the overall look we wanted, but the rest was what we designed. Not only did we change the layout of every single room/space on our main level, but we also took the ROOF off of our house and changed the overall roof line! (I don’t recommend this unless you want to have many panic attacks, cry a lot, and then cry some more.)
During this time, I decided that I wanted to start sharing this whole process on Instagram. I had been following many fellow DIY/designers and thought I’d also try it and see what happened. As I mentioned, moving to the country was an adjustment; getting on Instagram was also a way for me to connect with people, make friends, and feel like I was still a part of the outside world.
Since starting my account, I have helped countless friends, family, and strangers (that I now consider friends) with their homes. Never in a million years did I think that growing up on a farm, going to school for business, working in medical sales, and living a city lifestyle would lead me to living back on a farm and starting my own virtual/in-person design business.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
Smooth road? Haha, what’s a smooth road?
Getting to where I am has been 3 years in the making, and I am still trying to figure things out and improve daily. I never realized nor understood how complex marketing yourself on social media could be. It’s not something that can be learned overnight and certainly not something you can see results from immediately. It’s something that you have to put HOURS and HOURS and HOURS into. Even then, you may not see the results you want right away. Plus, on top of that, it takes a lot of time trying to figure out and learn everything there is to know. The ins and outs of starting a business and all that goes into it. That’s a whole ‘nother ball game. However, if I could give advice to someone looking to start an online business, it would be: Don’t wait- go for it, and you WILL figure it out as you go. Nothing is perfect and it never will be, so jump in and go for it. Give yourself grace because, at times, it will be draining, exhausting, and overwhelming, but if you are doing what you love and it brings you joy, it will be so rewarding for you in the end.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I sometimes feel like I am the “Jane of all trades” because every day is so different for me. When I am not working on a DIY project around the house or helping others create homes that they love, you can probably find me running around the house after my 20-month-old, or helping drive a tractor on the farm, running to town to get parts for something, or spending time with my family. Never a dull moment on the farm, that’s for sure.
However, when it comes to my business, I’m primarily focused on residential design and DIY projects. I believe that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to create a home you love. A lot of times, you can repurpose things that you already have in your home and achieve a completely different look. I also firmly believe that we can truly do hard things if we put our minds to it. So why not learn how to install flooring if that saves $5000. I recently did just that, and now when speaking to clients, I can provide options for doing projects themselves, or they have the option to hire it out, but at least they know that if I can do it, they can too. I also spend a lot of time on remodels. The aspect of trying to solve a pain point in someone’s home brings me so much joy. It’s providing another set of eyes on something that someone else might be so used to seeing that they can’t see the possibilities. It’s like solving a puzzle; when you find that one piece that you have been looking for, and it just fits, it feels so exhilarating. When working with clients, I try to provide a service that makes them feel completely heard and cared for. I know how overwhelming home builds, remodels, or cosmetic updates can be. There are always so many decisions to make, and typically those are expensive ones, so making sure you are making the right one can be difficult. However, I can speak through experience on many different things, which is so reassuring. A client will never talk to me just once. I spend time getting to know my clients and ensuring they feel completely confident in what we have come up with, whether continuing on themselves or handing off work to a contractor. With any project, questions always arise, and sometimes you need to bounce those questions off someone, so I stick around to ensure they have someone to bounce things off of. Again, they will feel confident they can execute the project themselves or pass it off to someone else.
If you were to ask any of my followers/clients what I am known for, it would probably be that I don’t hold anything back. I pride myself on being completely open, honest, and transparent, no matter what it is. When working on a project, I show all the steps I utterly fail on. There isn’t one project that I have not messed up on and not shown how I messed up and then figured out a solution. It’s how we learn; it also provides a sense of realism. No one is perfect, and there is no way that even the best DIYers don’t make any mistakes. I also am extremely open and honest about the products I share and recommend. I would not recommend or share anything that I would not truly use or put in my home.
I also laugh things off a lot. Sure it’s a bummer when things do not go right, but there is no sense in getting super upset about it. I laugh at how ridiculous my mistake was and move on. We all should laugh a little more anyways. Laughter truly is the best medicine. I feel like a lot of these things truly set me apart. It means the world to me, not only that so many have trusted me, but that I’ve gained so many amazing clients and friends along the way. The fact that they put their trust in a stranger they met online is such a special feeling.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
I believe that it’s so important to continue to learn every day because it’s how we grow. A couple of books that have made an impact in my daily life would be ”Atomic Habits” by James Clear, ” Dare to Lead ” by Brene’ Brown, and I am currently reading “With Great Leads ” by Michael Masterson. Some of the apps I use that help me with my business are Adobe Lightroom, Airtable, and Spoak.
Pricing:
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Virtual Consultations : Start at $500 with the option for additional add ons. However, this service includes One hour of design consultation /Q & A, One 3D mock up, delivered within 14 days. Add on: 30 days of voxer/marco polo access for $289.
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In Person Consultation: Starts at $1200. This includes up to 120 miles drive time, access to paint, flooring, cabinet samples during apt. 2 hours of hands-on measuring, visioning and question and answering. One Room 3D mock up but access to additional rooms for a discounted rate of $150 a room. Add on: 30 day access M-F access through voxer/marco for $289 for further questioning and help.
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Signature Design Service: $5000 with payment plan option. 3 months of full access M-F on voxer/marco polo. Covering all of the details that you may have not thought of from the roof to your shower grout and all the details in between. Mood board and 3D mock up included of the entire home or commercial space. Includes 2 site visits . Access to designer discounts
Contact Info:
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Website: www.pleasanthill.co
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Instagram: Pleasanthill.co
Image Credits
All of the photos were taken by myself.
