Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

In today's episode, I interview another talented designer and successful female entrepreneur, Sarah St. Amand of Sarah St. Amand Interior Design. I've been wanting to have Sarah on the podcast for a while because I LOVE her Instagram messaging. Her design style is beautiful and classic, but what I admire the most is how well she communicates her process to her audience and clients. They feel infor...

Today's episode is very different, and I know I say this often but one of my favorites to date. Two of my designer besties and I talk shop in a roundtable discussion all about process. In today's episode, I chat with Jessie Kelly, of Jessica Kelly Design, and Carly Nemtean of Carriage Lane Design + Build and Co-founder of the Collective Workspace. Both of these successful ladies have been in the i...

Today's episode is a treat because I'm welcoming back Bryan Kaplan, from Construction Consulting Co ,  to talk all about working with trades. Bryan is the contractor coach and Guru and has years of experience working with designers on both sides of the fence. Having worked for high-end construction as well as for design firms, he lends a unique perspective to bridge the communication gap between t...

BONUS EPISODE The client experience is EVERYTHING in a service based business!  In today's episode how I learned the importance of providing a good client experience and how my clients' journeys affect my internal process.  As designers and business owners, we always want to leave a lasting impression on our clients. We often focus on just giving them a beautiful and perfect final product. But gue...

Here's what Mel Robbins has taught me: Confidence isn't a personality trait, it's a learned skill. Today's episode is all about how I learned to be confident in my process, and in turn, in my business. Being confident has nothing to do with being an extrovert, and those who lack confidence are not all introverts. Confidence is not dependent on your personality traits and whether you're a social in...

Today is an exciting day! My free masterclass is now OPEN for REGISTRATION! Save your seat! In today's episode, I wanted to share what I've learned about presentations. Before I implemented presentations into my process I was incredibly wary of doing them because I didn't know how successful I would be at them. They seemed like a "nice thing to do" but I thought they wouldn't make a huge impact on...

My guest today is Ching Tan of Tan Interiors and she is another awesome MOG (Momentum Member).  Ching has been running her own Interior Design business for the past two years, previous to that she worked freelance for Jo Alcorn, a Celebrity designer, and TV personality. She and I talk about why you need systems in your business to give you confidence.  This conversation will resonate with designer...

Today's episode turned out to be a lesson and therapy session for myself about my very own home renovation. I believe the saying goes "Do as I say not as I do" - and boy am I doing that to myself! My home reno has been in the back of my mind, off and on "in the works" for a few years. But this is the year I am FINALLY pulling the trigger. You'd think that with the solid process I have for my busin...

Interview with Sarah Walker of The Curated House In today's podcast, Sarah Walker and I take a deep dive into all things health, wellness, and sustainability with a special focus on how interior designers fit into the mix. Sarah Walker is an internationally published designer based in Oakville, Ontario. As a renowned expert in healthy and sustainable design, Sarah's passion is to help people use t...

Today I interview Joanne Dolan, one of my Momentum Members! She is a shining star and business savvy lady! If you're looking to hire extra help in your design business but are unsure where to start or how to do it then this episode is for you! Joanne and I discuss the value of hiring a freelancer to assist you in executing design projects and how they can help you make more money. Joanne officiall...

Not many designers I know use change orders. It seems like something only contractors would need right? Wrong! In fact, I have been desperately trying to implement them into my process! Today's podcast guest is Bryan Kaplan and he shares how change orders can change your business (no pun intended ) for the better. We go into depth about when to use them and how they will help keep everyone on the...

I just ordered Tim Ferris' book the 4-hour workweek and it got me thinking about the simple ways that I have streamlined how I run my business & what I've done to increase my productivity and decrease the chaos and stress. But running a design biz can be sooo stressful... Am I right? Today I share the hacks that I have used over the years and even more recently to streamline my workload to reduce...

Thalia Toha is an experienced business strategist who specializes in helping emerging business owners get their companies off the ground. Her analytical approach helps entrepreneurs figure out how to overcome growth challenges whether they're struggling with getting clients, scaling up their business, email marketing, monetizing a product, or chasing down leads. Her expertise has been featured in...

My guest today is my good friend Heather Hadden. She is the Realtor, owner & team leader at Hadden Homes here in Toronto. She also happens to be one of the most real and authentic people I know. I've always looked up to Heather. We met at summer camp years ago as counsellors. She was the leader that all the other counsellors were drawn to for her brilliant story-telling abilities. In ths episode H...

My guest today is Brittany Steptoe-Wright of BSW Design, who left her high paying job in the corporate world when she was offered a Design Assistant position with Scott Brother's Entertainment on HGTV. She now runs her family owned design business with her dad and is committed to sustainable and vegan design.  In this episode we talk about how she is a certified Vegan Designer and tries to wrap su...

This one is for all the Millennials out there (turns out that I'm a Millennial also)!  My guest today is Arika Pierce. She's a Millennial Success Strategist and expert on multigenerational workforces. She is a keynote speaker and author of The Millennial's Playbook to Adulting which provides straightforward guidance and techniques for success.  In this episode, she talks about the power of convers...

If there's ever been a year filled with change - 2020 is that year. I recorded today's episode at my family cottage in Muskoka. It's a reflective one about the necessity of change in our lives and how we handle it. Whether it's your business, your love life, your living situation or other - change can be scary but also good. I'm not quite on the either side yet but I'm sharing what I've learned in...

When you first start out running your own business you're grateful for whatever work you can get. But if we're not careful we end up going down a path that feels frustrating, working with clients that don't make us love our job anymore. T oday I'm sharing the importance of recognizing the WRONG clients and how to stop working with them. It's as much about understanding your ideal client as it is r...

Lisa Canning is a true inspiration. She's an author, speaker, coach, mom of eight spreading the word that motherhood doesn't have to be so hard. She is my friend, my college and my own coach and cheerleader. In today's episode she and I share how we met (in HGTV) and how her career transitioned from TV host to scattered designer to writing a book and finally moving to Florida to pursue the life of...

Today's episode is all about process and why every business needs one. Process keeps you organized Process reassures your clients that you're not a fly by night designer. Process gives clients comfort in knowing what to expect Process makes selling your services so much easier Without a process your business and live can be Chaotic. I share my story and how I never knew how many hours it would tak...

Resilience means pushing through when you doubt yourself and feel overwhelmed by the competition. But failure can be a good thing! This my first episode in a soon to be series of non-designer interviews. Sometimes we find parallels to other industries that help us gain perspective in our own. That's exactly why I am interviewing my good friend Stephanie Davenport, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Phys...

My best advice to students looking to get their foot in the door in the design industry.

This is a direct response to a request by one of my Instagram followers who asked me to talk about project productivity. If there's a topic you'd like me to talk about please send me a DM to @MsRebeccaHay. In this podcast I compare running a design business to running a restaurant. It's all about PROCESS. Without a dialed-in process you will spin your wheels running a design job. I share why I thi...

How do you build the confidence to go after your dream client? Before you can even start marketing to attract the right clients you need to recognize yourself as an expert. And I'm talking about how until you feel it you can't be it. I'm sharing a few simple ways to communicate to your ideal client to let them know that you are the right fit for them.

In this mini BONUS episode, I break down the basis behind setting goals for your business. I share the strategy I use and share examples of goals that I have achieved in recent years. It all starts with goal setting and writing your goals down. Growing your business, marketing your business all starts with knowing where you're going and setting out a clear path forward.   https://www.rebeccahay.co...