Blooming Where Planted: Catherine Arensberg Designs

In honor of International Women’s Day, which fell on March 8, 2020, I’m highlighting several successful women business owners in the Mobile, AL area. Today I’m sharing my first interview with Catherine Arensberg of Catherine Arensberg Designs.

When I think about “exterior design,” I think about HGTV.

I also think about heavy machinery, male contractors, and lots of prayers to the gods of gardening (I do NOT have a green thumb).

Until meeting the charming and kind Catherine Arensberg, I probably wouldn’t have thought of an energetic, young mom of 4 who is killing it in her business—a (literal) home-grown labor of love and creativity that seemed almost destined to bloom.

I’ve been following Catherine Arensberg Designs on social media for several months, so I was excited to kick off my “Local Women Entrepreneurs” interview series over a delicious cup of coffee with Catherine in her own home.

Did I mention that, in addition to running a full-time business, she and her family are also living in the middle of a home renovation—that they are largely completing themselves? Even amidst the visible work-in-progress, I felt comfortable and relaxed in their clutter-free kitchen and living area.

After we talked for a bit, I wasn’t surprised at all by the “can do” vibe I felt from Catherine and her growing business and home projects.

From her early years spent gardening and tending to plants alongside her mother and aunt to discovering the value of a dollar from yard sale shopping and reselling as a child, Catherine has learned to speak up for herself, capitalize on opportunities, and forge her own path.

After majoring in landscape architecture at Louisiana State University, Catherine got her hands dirty working in landscape before realizing that her passion lay more in design, filming, and content creation than in the planting itself.

In her words, “I made my [landscape architecture] degree into what I wanted it to be.”

Image courtesy of Catherine Arensberg; taken by Elizabeth Gelineau Photography

Building a thriving business while raising 4 young children isn’t easy, though.

“In the beginning, it was 90% kids, 10% work,” Catherine explained. But as she began filming on her YouTube channel, building relationships (which Catherine claims to be a key in the success of her business), and putting in loads of hard work, things began making more sense.

When asked what kind of advice she’d give to busy moms in the infancy of entrepreneurship, she reiterated that everything has a season. “Try not to feel like you’re falling behind because you’re not doing it all right now.”

I love Catherine’s tagline: Simple. Honest. Design. Naturally, I asked her to elaborate on this a bit more, seeing how designing for various clients is a delicate art.

“I like for people to feel comfortable where they live,” Catherine explained, “but you have to be willing to be the voice of practicality.”

We laughed about “perception vs. reality,” and how quickly 9-5 working parents or traveling business executives with no gardening experience may not really need the outdoor oasis they’d envisioned.

Another key to keeping her business running smoothly is being flexible, and, borrowing one of her favorite sayings, figuring out how to “bloom where you are planted.”

For Catherine, entrepreneurs must “be willing to change what you’re doing at any time” and work hard at “identifying opportunities for what they are and taking them.”

Being willing to take those surprise opportunities has its challenges, but the payoffs seem worth it.

I asked what Catherine likes to do when she’s not in “business mode,” and the immediate response was, “there is no NOT in business mode.” But after some thought, Catherine did reply that when her family isn’t working on their personal construction projects, she enjoys exercise, exploring the neighborhood, watching “a lot of Netflix” and listening to podcasts.

She also takes advantage of the ability to create her own schedule and take necessary time off to attend her children’s field trips and assemblies.

If you’d like to view Catherine’s portfolio or inquire about services with Catherine Arensberg Designs, visit catherinearensberg.com. She can also be found on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and can now be seen at 12:30 pm in her own segment on Gulf Coast Today.