Design Business Freedom

Jumping into a new career can be both exciting and a bit scary, especially when you are diving into something as creative as interior design. Thankfully I have good news for you! The experience, skills, and achievements of your past job are not just baggage. They are your secret weapon in your new career.  In this episode, I want to encourage you as you venture into your second career of becoming...

As an interior designer, your job is much more than choosing the right color palette or picking out the perfect piece of furniture. You are a master of many trades, balancing creativity with practicality, and empathy with expertise. Each decision you make shapes not just the space, but the mood and lives of your clients. I want you to understand just how multifaceted and indispensable your role tr...

Efficiency is the cornerstone of a thriving design business. As a business owner, your ability to streamline processes, enhance client interactions, and empower your team directly impacts your overall success. Welcome to part 2 of our series on boosting efficiency in your design business. Make sure you go back and listen to Part 1 for 10 more useful tips.    In this episode, we dive into 15 more t...

In the fast-paced world of design, staying ahead of the curve is a must. One powerful way to achieve this is by implementing the use of AI, aka: "artificial intelligence." Gone are the days when AI was seen only as a novelty, used for writing love poems. Today, it's a powerful tool that can transform your business. From automating repetitive tasks to generating fresh ideas, AI is changing the way...

Running a design business can be both rewarding and challenging. With tight deadlines, demanding clients, and the pressure to stay creative, efficiency sometimes takes a backseat. What if there were simple, actionable tips that could transform your workflow, boost your profits, and ultimately lead to more satisfying work and happier clients? In this episode, you will discover 10 tips to help you r...

As a designer, you might find yourself stuck in old patterns and beliefs that are preventing you from reaching your goals. You may think you aren't good enough to be published. You may believe that you have to always say "yes" to every single prospect, regardless if it's an ideal project or not. These types of patterns and beliefs don't just affect your business, but your personal life as well. In...

Many business owners fall into the trap of "doing" too much and forget the simple joy of just "being." If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. We "do-ers" feel like we are being lazy if we aren't constantly performing. Let me clue you in on a lesson I had to learn the hard way. If your switch is always set to "do" instead of set to "be," your creativity, productivity, and profits will suffer. ...

I'm sure you've heard business and life coaches advise on the importance of creating a vision board. Essentially, a vision board is a tool for personal development and achievement. The purpose is to motivate and inspire you as you work towards accomplishing your dreams. While vision boards have been a traditional tool for goal-setting, they aren't as effective as they could be. It's time we upgrad...

In the world of interior design, design firm principals are constantly juggling a million and one tasks. From design discovery to client onboarding, floor plans to renderings, networking to social media, project management to client care, you do it all. Let's face it, you're wearing upwards of 36 hats at any one time, and it can leave you feeling overwhelmed and under-earning. And that leaves less...

Working in design, we know how important a living space can be for our clients' well-being. We design entire rooms looking for ways to make our clients' lives easier, more efficient, and more beautiful. But, how often do we do the same for ourselves?  I'm not just talking about our curated office spaces. When was the last time you purged yourself of those old files, cleaned up your drive, and real...

Feeling like you're constantly chasing your tail in your design practice? I know I've been there—drowning in emails, juggling multiple tasks, and never quite feeling like I'm on solid ground. However, the most important thing to remember about overwhelm is that it is just your perspective on a moment in time. It does not have to be your reality. I've found a lifeline through simple, yet effective...

Free: what does it make you think of? A bargain? A steal? Now consider…are those concepts really the ideas you want your clients to associate with your brand? Whether we like it or not, words are loaded with associations and, starting now, this is one word I want you to avoid in your branding. Free does not encourage engagement or investment into your services. A complimentary gift, however, is pr...

Ever felt lost in the maze of design decisions, wondering if you're making the right choices for your clients? As a designer, it is important to embrace your role as a navigator, steering your clients towards the beautiful and functional spaces they dream of. This episode is brimming with insights on how to assert your expertise from the get-go, ensuring your clients see you as not just a designer...

Did you know that there are three actionable ways to guarantee every project that you take on will grow your business? Leveraging client testimonials, referrals, and photography are the best ways to use your prior successes to propel your future ones. Today, I'm deep-diving into each so that you can be more successful with every project you take on. From the art of amplifying your brand's credibil...

What if I told you that at this time next year, you could be taking a client Zoom call while in Thailand, with another trip to Italy planned for the following month, all without missing a beat–or a profit–in your creative business? My special guest today, Megan Siason of M Studio Interior Design is here to prove that such a claim isn't a pipe dream, it can be your reality! On this episode, we're r...

As we round out our tour of the design discovery process, it's time to explore the art of the home review report. In guiding you through the third installment of our design discovery series, I'll explore the art of conducting a thorough home review to assess the style and comfort of your new clients. Though this is a straightforward process, you must take the right steps to vet the project for com...

As creatives, we often fall into the temptation of leapfrogging the business aspect of a new project in order to dive right into the creative. However, if you want the most creatively satisfying projects, you need to take care of the business side of things with your client first. This means crafting rapport and a quality relationship with your clients that will allow them to trust your vision who...

Ever felt like you're running a marathon with business opportunities, only to end up with a hodgepodge of projects that leave you breathless and unfulfilled? I've been there, juggling clients and deadlines, until I realized the power of the Golden Door Qualifier. It's a game-changer: a four-step method that starts with an intricate website inquiry form and ends with selecting projects that mirror...

Embark on an enlightening journey with financial guru-turned-designer Bethany Palmer as she sits down with me to unravel her life-changing switch from working with an interior designer to being one. Bethany's backstory of swapping stock markets for swatches illustrates how a keen understanding of a client's financial demeanor can transform the interior design process. She is proof that with a lot...

If you've been feeling the burn-out of doing things the way you've always done them, you definitely want to tune in today. In today's episode, I had the delightful opportunity to sit down with the remarkable Catherine Hersacher, president and interior design principal of Bespoke Fine Interiors in Aiken, South Carolina.  When we met last year at my designer training day, Catherine was already a sea...

Ever wondered how a design goes from a creative's mind to the glossy pages of your favorite magazine? My superstar guest, Molly Schoeneveld, CEO of The Storied Group, pulls back the curtain on the world of design PR for an enlightening discussion on public relations within the design world. A boon for designers during the pandemic and beyond, Molly's concept of a Library Card membership for design...

Ever wondered how the splash of recognition from a published piece can rain new clients into your creative business? Getting your work published can be a gratifying ego boost, but it's also crucial for securing more clients by getting your name and work out there in the wild. Today, I'm revealing the blueprint for harnessing the power of print and digital media to attract your ideal clientele.  In...

It may sound truly counterintuitive, but being cheap is killing your profits. We often look for ways to complete important tasks for our business by ourselves to save money. We think that this will maximize our profits because we aren't spending the money to outsource the job. But taking on too many tasks that you don't enjoy or aren't skilled at is really just taking you away from your zone of ge...

The past few years were a great time for design firms, with an extraordinarily high demand for our creative services. However, the times are beginning to change and we are seeing more and more economic uncertainty, which can be unsettling for many designers. Recessions are a normal part of economic cycles and we can't avoid them. But, we can be prepared to not only survive them, but to even thrive...

Are you ready to redefine the landscape of your design career as well as your personal well-being? In chatting with the designers I coach, I've noticed that a fog of uncertainty has started to settle over many of us. I'm here as your beacon of hope through today's pivotal and life-changing episode. Today, we're peeling back the layers of confusion and resentment that we often find ourselves dwelli...