Creative Genius Podcast

If you had to choose just one thing in your business that, if you fixed it, would make it hugely successful, what would that be?  Not sure?  Then you’ll want to listen to what our guest has to say. In today’s podcast, Gail talks with Mike Michalowicz, entrepreneur, advisor, and business author.  Having built and sold four multi-million dollar companies, Mike decided to devote his time to...

Most interior designers start a firm because they have a passion for design, not because they have a passion for running an interior design business. In fact, some would prefer not to have anything to do with the business side of their business.  Even if you think you don’t have a mind or taste for business, you can learn to love it. When that happens, see how fast and how much it can grow. I...

Does your interior design business seem stuck in a rut?  Are you dissatisfied with the amount you’re earning for the number of hours you’re working?  Then it’s time to get the help you need to turn your business around. In today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk with Amy Leferink, owner and principal designer with Interior Impressions in Woodbury, Minnesota.  Some years ago Amy signed up for...

Overcoming adversity and rising to the top through strength of character and will is the stuff of fairy tales.  Such stories are always inspiring, even more so when the hero is a fellow interior designer who sees himself as having a lot in common with Cinderella. In today’s podcast Gail interviews nationally acclaimed interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins, founder of Corey Damen Jenkins &...

What is value?  And how do you offer more value to clients?  It may surprise you to learn that the answer is not by being good a what you do. On today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk with Bob Burg, consultant, presenter, and author of a number of books on sales, marketing, and influence. He is perhaps best known as the co-author of the best-selling The Go-Giver and other Go-Giver books, an...

Were you not able to attend Fall Market 2020 at High Point?  Neither were Gail and Erin, but they know some designers who did.  Here’s your chance to find out what you missed. In today’s episode, Gail and Erin take a back seat as a select panel of designers relate their experiences at this year’s revamped Fall Market, sharing insights, trends and favorite products.  This discussion...

What is the future you want for yourself and your business? When you think ahead three, five, or ten years, where do you want to be and who is the person you want to be? How will you get there? In today’s episode, Gail and Erin talk with organizational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Hardy, creator of the Future Self Program, author of Personality Is Not Permanent  and Willpower Doesn’t Work , and a reg...

A natural progression for many new businesses is to add staff bit by bit as you have a need for more help or new expertise. A downside is that you can end up with the team you have instead of the team you want. There is a better way. In today’s episode, Gail and Erin talk with Lisa Kahn, lead designer and CEO of Lisa Kahn Designs in Naples, Florida, who specializes in creating peaceful, nurturing...

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery. — Mr. Micawber in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield By some estimates, 50 percent of all small businesses fail within the first year, and fewer than 1 in 10 is likely to survive 10 years. Why? A major reason is that t...

How do you scale a new business up quickly? How do you find the people you need to make your business grow and succeed? What do you do if things start to go wrong? In this episode, Gail and Erin talk with designer extraordinaire Garrison Hullinger, founder and principal designer of Studio Garrison in Portland, Oregon, specializing in residential, commercial, and hospitality design. In this episode...

Uncertain times call for strong leadership. But how can you lead when you can’t see where you’re going? With courage, grit, and grace. In this episode, Gail and Erin discuss: How do you show up every day as a leader and keep your team inspired? Choose to make a different decision. Don’t depend on what’s always worked in the past. Allow for your creative process to evolve. Do things differently. Lo...

When teams click, they can achieve amazing results. But facilitating team dynamics can be challenging. Employing techniques used by improvisational performers can help ensure everyone on the team has a voice, is heard and is part of the final decision or solution. In this episode, Gail and Erin talk with Joshua Kirk, owner and co-founder of Improv Leap, which provides improvisational experiences a...

Wouldn’t it be great to have a crystal ball so you could see into the future of your business? While there is no such crystal ball, there are things you can do to prepare for what the future may bring and to navigate your business through difficult times. Gail and Erin offer three pieces of advice on how to get through a crisis: Have Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). The faster you make decisions...

Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast with your hosts Gail Doby and Erin Weir , co-founders of Pearl Collective, a creative consultancy for interior designers. In their own honest musings and in their open conversations with industry leaders, experts, authors, and influencers, they share how they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. Anyone can...

Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast with your hosts Gail Doby and Erin Weir, co-founders of Pearl Collective, a creative consultancy for interior designers. In their own honest musings and in their open conversations with industry leaders, experts, authors, and influencers, they share how they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. What does it...

Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast with your hosts Gail Doby and Erin Weir, co-founders of Pearl Collective, a creative consultancy for interior designers. In their own honest musings and in their open conversations with industry leaders, experts, authors, and influencers, they share how they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. Every busine...