Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

Have you ever thought about what makes your interior design business stand out in a crowd?  This shorty is aimed to get you thinking about what makes you unique! I call this finding your core differentiators. You should highlight and celebrate these core differentiators to stand out from the crowd and become immediately distinguishable to your ideal client. Through the episode, I provide a resourc...

If you're an interior designer with your own business, you've likely dealt with clients who were less than ideal - and some that were just toxic to work with!  Even though toxic clients are not the norm, they are out there and when you encounter them it can strongly affect your business, team, personal life, and even your mental health. In this episode, I share exactly what I define as a "toxic cl...

I used to be chained to my inbox, running from one task to a completely different one, always reactive, always full of anxiety with the giant TO-DO list, and just constantly playing catch up.  This was before time blocking! Time blocking was a huge game changer for my focus, my efficiency, and the success of my business. You may have heard me talk about it before but today I'm sharing 3 actionable...

I'm bringing back a popular episode from our very first season! An oldie but goodie! If you're a designer struggling with getting clients to trust, who has clients that micromanage or ask a million questions and you're feeling exhausted because you can't get ahead, this episode is for you! Cynthia Soda of Soda Pop Design dives into managing client expectations and getting clients to trust us as de...

So many of us have experienced the dreaded scope creep and all of the complications that come with it! I'm here to tell you that you can embrace this as an actual potential revenue source. Listen to this episode to learn how you can make scope creep work for you! Over the decade running my interior design business, I've had my fair share of clients trying to get more work out of me and my team tha...

We all need to take breaks to recharge, step away, and get re-centered and part of that break is ignoring your inbox. In this episode, I'm diving into the importance of an OOO or an Out of Office Email. Business does not stop just because you aren't in the office, but you deserve a real chance to pause and step away. I share my own experiences of what I used to do versus what I do now when I'm inc...

Have you ever looked in your closet and thought "I have nothing to wear"? If so, my guest is going to rock your world. Angela Foster is a style coach for high-achieving women and has made it her mission to assist them in creating and claiming a consistent, visible brand image through their personal style. She shares an overview of the step-by-step process she takes clients through as well as the t...

Let's talk about the difference between working ON your business and working IN your business. If you don't know the difference this episode is for you! In this episode, I lay out examples of what tasks fall into each of these categories and share some advice that, at first glance, may seem counterintuitive. I outline the differences, demystify them, and share why it matters that you do both strat...

This conversation is one for the books! I'm joined by CEO and business coach Katie Decker who shares the most incredible, on-point thoughts on creating a sustainable business that works for you. Katie speaks about her career trajectory, why she left residential design, why she is so committed to her coaching business, and who her most important clients are. She talks about using intuition to tailo...

This short episode is chock full of hard learned wisdom so listen up! I'm sharing the top 3 most important things that I would do if I were starting my business from scratch again, today. Since I don't have a time machine, I'm going to settle with sharing these tips with you. These 3 steps would have made the biggest differences for the early success of my business, not to mention the headaches an...

Discussing your interior design business with someone else in the same boat is invaluable!  Your partner, friend, or even neighbour are great for talking about your day-to-day, but when it comes to talking about the ins and outs of your interior design business and the hurdles you're facing, there's no one better than a like-minded designer who has struggled through the exact same thing! This is t...

One of the best parts of Designer's Room is the immense wealth of knowledge we as a collective share and gain from each other. It is truly a space that is all about collaboration over competition! That is why I'm thrilled to announce the  Secrets Showcase !  This is an exclusive Zoom event where designers will share insights, hacks, lessons, and tweaks that have made the biggest impacts in their b...

In this episode I speak with Alex Back about his innovative new platform, couch.com, and why he decided he wanted to solve a problem for customers and retailers by matching them with the couch of their dreams. Alex and I get design geeky and go down a few rabbit holes as we discuss fabric pilling and cleaning, the educational resource library he's created and why building a curated list will assis...

Let's dive into the age old question that troubles every interior designer from the very beginning of their business journey: how do I accurately estimate project costs? In this episode, I provide 3 key ways to help you with this common issue so that you don't make the same mistakes I used to. Follow the thoughtful internal exercises I share to prepare your client for the financial commitment. Rem...

Get out a notebook because this episode is overflowing with knowledge and actionable advice from an SEO and website designer expert - Robyn White. Robyn shares her expertise as she dives into the art and science of Search Engine Optimization to help designers stop chasing and start attracting their ideal clientele. She defines and demystifies many behind the website scenes elements and shares how...

Tough Love Rebecca is making an appearance in this shorty to give you permission, motivation, and a kick in the butt to get out from behind your desk and in front of some people. In this episode, I emphasize the importance of personal connections and intentional networking in building a thriving interior design business. I share my own methodology for getting out of my comfort zone, how I organize...

In this treat of an episode, I sat down with the spectacular and talented Toronto Designer, Allison Willson to talk about all of the things - life, career changes, aesthetic, pricing and more! Allison shares why she finally decided to go out on her own and start her design firm after working 11 years at Sarah Richardson Design. She explores how she'd describe her distinctive style and how saying N...

In this episode I dive into an ordeal every designer deals with at some point in their business - the client pricing pushback!  My short and simple answer is: get ahead of it and communicate everything early and often! Through the episode I share exactly why I believe that early communication about pricing is the key to facing this objection head-on and lessons I've learned the hard way over the y...

In this episode we welcome back an amazing guest Jami Sparling to talk about her big geographical shift from Ontario to Nova Scotia and the even bigger shift in her life of going from successful interior designer to authentic mindset coach, and all of the things that led her there! Jami is no stranger to change, in the previous episode on the podcast she shared her move from paramedic to interior...

This shorty episode is for all of the mompreneurs who are looking for ways to lighten the load by hiring help without taking on a full-time employee or payroll - the answer is Virtual Assistants! Hiring a virtual assistant can be a game changer as you grow your business. If you are beginning to toy with the idea of hiring employees, this is a terrific way to test-drive that process. I walk you thr...

In this episode we welcome back the talented and wonderful Elizabeth Cinquini to talk all about restarting her interior design business after her big move from NYC to Naples, Florida, and dive into her experience getting featured in magazines and other publications without using a publicist!  During the episode, we go into detail as Elizabeth catches us up on her big move, how she had to re-grow h...

Let's tackle the stigma that exists against decorating! A lot of designers, my past self included, hesitate to call themselves decorators, and instead go by designer because they believe it sounds more prestigious.  In this episode, I'm diving into why using the term decorator doesn't mean anything less than designer, and why I've decided to lean into my decorating services and how it's boosting m...

We're bringing back this fantastic episode that is short, sweet, and straight to the point: social media is an incredibly valuable tool to share your "why" with your ideal client and you need to participate even if it isn't perfect. Jump in! ---- When I initially started my Instagram account years ago, I struggled with the idea behind it, was it for vanity or competition? I think this is sometimes...

Running your own business is like living on a roller coaster, we're up and we're down constantly. We all go through this and sometimes can get stuck in the messy middle, so this episode is all about keeping the tank full of motivation. Even if you are passionate about your work, there will be ups and downs. Accepting this as a reality can be pretty powerful and noting that motivation ebbs and flow...

What can possibly change in an interior design business that's been running successfully for 30 years? A lot! It's all about finding the problem areas and taking what's working to the next level!  In this episode, I chat with Katherine Joy Porath, founder of Katherine Joy Interiors, about all of the things that have allowed her to run her interior design business successfully for many years and ho...