Georgia-born Jenna Gross could have followed directly in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother (both interior designers) when it came time to choose a career, but she decided to forge her own creative path—at least at first. After earning her degree in fashion merchandising at the University of Georgia, she set off to New York and found her perfect style match while working at Marc Jacobs.

“[He’s] my favorite fashion designer: fun colors, prints, really loud, a little different,” Gross tells host Kaitlin Petersen on the latest episode of the Trade Tales podcast. “I did quickly realize I wasn’t cut out to live in the North. I wanted to be back in the South, but I [realized I] didn’t have to be so traditional, and I could bring that edginess of New York back with me.”

Once she returned to Georgia, Gross’s career quickly came into clear view. After her renovation for her Decatur home landed her on a design TV series, it soon became apparent that she would be continuing the family legacy in interiors after all. The show netted Gross one client, then another—by 2013, she launched her firm, Colordrunk Designs, named for her embrace of bold, vibrant hues and patterns.

At first, it was difficult to fully realize her design vision. She couldn’t always be selective about the clients she took on in the early years—and then there was the issue of properly communicating her creative perspective to turn those rare perfect fits into a steady pipeline of work. It wasn’t until last year that Gross finally hit the sweet spot: nailing a showhouse opportunity by leaning into her striking design style and then using the ensuing momentum to welcome an influx of clients who understand her brand.

Elsewhere in the episode, Gross shares how she uses social media to forge connections with future clients, and how her business had to level up before she could take on a more elevated clientele.

Crucial insight: For Gross, social media isn’t just a place to showcase her favorite projects or gather inspiration—it’s also where she’s cultivating her next generation of clients. “It creates a place where I can interact with people who aren’t ready to hire me now but may have a project in two years, four years,” she says. “They’re learning to trust me, they’re learning how I work and what my personality is like, so that they’re not afraid to reach out. I do think some people never reach out to designers because it can seem like a stuffy business if you’re not spending [a certain] amount of money, so just putting myself out there and showing that I’m easygoing helps people feel OK about reaching out, and also seeing what I do and how I do it.”

Key quote: “I’m going to lean into who I am, [because] there are people who also love it, and we’re going to color the world, one house at a time.”

This episode was sponsored by Klafs. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.