We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Randall and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, what do you attribute your success to?

I think investing in myself and my education has been huge. Being an “Instagram Influencer” is certainly not something you learn about in college, so this industry kind of felt like the Wild West when I got started. It’s not a normal job with a boss explaining to you how things work. I had to find the right people, the right conferences to attend, and ask the right questions. Even after all of that, I had to remember to take everything with a grain of salt because the advice I was getting was what worked for other people (and might not work the same way for me.) I am constantly gathering info, testing things, shifting gears, and seeing what sticks and resonates with my audience. The social media world is constantly evolving, and I have to be willing to keep learning and adapting to its changes.
I remember at the beginning of all of this, I signed up for a couple of online courses from some industry leaders that I looked up to, and spending a few hundred dollars felt like a big risk. A year later, I paid $5,000 for an in-person retreat, and that stung a little at the time too. But I can honestly say that every penny spent on furthering my career has proven worth it. I’ve seen the return on investment every time, and now I actively seek out ways I can further my education and that of my team.

 


Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

On my account @sarahellenrandall, I take my audience along for the ride as my husband and I transform spaces. We travel all over the country doing room makeovers, and we are renovating our 1950’s home in San Diego as well. We love teaching our followers how they can do it themselves. We have inspired thousands of people to start picking up power tools for the first time and creating homes they love!
It took two years of consistently posting our work on Instagram before we were able to do this full-time together. My husband got laid off during the pandemic, and it happened to be at the perfect time. I was overwhelmed and needed all the help I could get, and we had just started making enough money through my account to support ourselves financially.
We started traveling doing room makeovers. It had always been a dream of mine, but I didn’t want to do it alone. Now that Jake was on board, we went full speed ahead. In 2021, we travelled to 16 different states. We were CONSTANTLY flying, almost never home. It was exhausting, and an absolute emotional rollercoaster with high highs and low lows. So many deadlines, clients to please, and brand deals to post. I wouldn’t trade that year for anything, but I have never worked harder in my life. Thankfully, there was an end in sight- by the beginning of 2022 we were fully supported by our brand partners and were able to select just a few design projects that we were really interested in.
We are finally at the point where we are able to grow our team and are starting to delegate some work, and we are thrilled to be at this stage!


Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

We LOVE San Diego! In the morning, we’d head to Revolution Roasters for their monkey bread and iced matcha lattes and head south for a walk at Torrey Pines.
We’d grab sandwiches at Board and Brew and take them down to Warm Waters in Carlsbad to spend the afternoon at the beach. At sunset, we’d head to Mission Pacific in Oceanside to check-in for the night, and enjoy cocktails in the jacuzzi with an amazing waterfront view! We’d walk around downtown Oceanside to grab some Thai food after dark.


Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m thankful for the mentorship of Cynthia Harper (@cynthia_harper_) (hers was the first course I took) and Suzy Holman (@suzyholman) (hers was my first in-person conference). They both helped me understand the importance of telling a cohesive story online and sticking to a niche. I would have been lost in this online world without them. They taught me that big things are possible through social media and to “Feel the fear, but do it anyway” (Cynthia). I’m so grateful for their direction; I would not be doing what I do today without them.

Website: attherandall.com

Instagram: @sarahellenrandall

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.