The BEST Interior Design Business Podcasts - Episode 176

In today’s curated collection of the best interior design business podcasts, we’ve got episodes from hosts Dennis Scully, Rebecca Ward, LuAnn Nigara, Beth Bieske and Rhiannon Lee.

Today’s podcast guests include Elizabeth Graziolo, Sara Hamza and Penny Wilson.

BUT…unless you want to improve your interior design business, I highly recommend not listening to these podcasts..

• Business of Home - Dennis Scully - Elizabeth Graziolo : "What your team really wants is more of you"

• Design Curious - Rebecca Ward - Which Interior Designer Path Should You Take? - 13 min

• A Well-Designed Business - LuAnn Nigara - Sara Hamza: Building a Design Business Aligned with My Fred Berns "Only" - 1 hr 11 min

• Design Dialogues - Beth Bieske - Digital Marketing : A Dialogue with Penny Wilson - 38 min

• Designing Success - Rhiannon Lee - Flipping the Pancake: Flip the Limiting Beliefs that hold you back and GROW - 37 min

Business of Home - Elizabeth Graziolo : "What your team really wants is more of you"

Born in Haiti and raised in a strict home where education was the focus, Elizabeth Graziolo emigrated to the United States as a young girl. After graduating from the prestigious Cooper Union, Liz ultimately became a partner at Peter Pennoyer Architects, where she would go on to hone her craft for nearly 20 years.

Ready for a change, Liz opened Yellow House Architects in February 2020, just as COVID-19 was about to shut down the world.

On this episode of the podcast, she speaks with host Dennis Scully about hiring during the pandemic, the pressures that can come from winning early acclaim, and the realization that when you are running your own firm, there’s never enough of you to go around.

Design Curious - Which Interior Designer Path Should You Take? - 13 min

For today’s episode, host Rebecca Ward has created a fun quiz to help you find out what type of interior designer you should be. It's quick and easy, with just six simple questions, and you'll gain valuable insights into your personal style, design preferences, and the type of environments that fuel your creative fire. The quiz will ultimately lead you to your design niche.

She’s also discussed the four conclusions or result answers - Residential, Commercial, Hospitality, or Spatial Experience Design, shedding light on the different roles, approaches, and challenges each one presents.

Interior Design is so diverse, but there's something for everyone in this creative field! And if you're multi-faceted like me, try the quiz a few times and see how your answers lead to different outcomes.

Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode:

• Discover the 4 conclusions/results I reached for this quiz & analyze each role and type

• Determine what kind of interior design suits your unique strengths and interests

• Learn about spatial experience design and its connection to retail, museums, and set/production design

A Well-Designed Business - Sara Hamza: Building a Design Business Aligned with My Fred Berns "Only" - 1 hr 11 min

In today’s episode, host LuAnn Nigara is joined Sara Hamza, a Danish-Egyptian designer and the founder of Nina June, a custom furniture and styling brand. Based in Cairo, Egypt, Sara operates her business from a place of compassion, genuinely seeking to know and understand her clients so she can serve them better. 

Sara is sharing how being diagnosed with RA as a teenager impacted her life and career, how she currently defines success, and what listening to the podcast for the past few years has taught her.

Pick It Apart

• [6:33] Sara talks about how she operates her design business in Egypt and how the podcast has helped answer many questions she has along the way.

• [12:17] LuAnn and Sara discuss why connecting to your clients with compassion is important, and how Sara’s medical history has informed this lesson in her business.

• [19:34] Sara explains how being diagnosed with RA forced her to make difficult choices, prioritize her activities, and delegate from a young age, which all serve her in her business now. 

• [24:49] Sara tells LuAnn that she learned to define her own success by listening to the podcast.

• [32:31] Sara describes her furniture lines and what she offers at Nina June.

• [36:22] LuAnn and Sara discuss how her Danish and Egyptian roots contribute to her character and influence her designs.

• [49:36] LuAnn and Sara talk about the importance of wellness, in life and in order to sustain a successful business.

LuAnn Nigara and Sara Hamza's Ah-Ha Moments

• “Compassion means that you're actually willing to do something about it, versus empathy—where you just feel with a person.” – Sara Hamza

• “People really pick up when someone is genuine, and when someone is reliable and trustworthy. And when your client sits in front of you and feels that—you're booked on the spot.” – Sara Hamza

• “We're not looking for something so far away—we're looking for something that's truly part of us…What is my real “why” here?” – LuAnn Nigara

• “I think much of the maturity that I've obtained the last three years is because I had to look inward.” – Sara Hamza

• “If we want to change ten things, we have to start with actually changing one thing.” – LuAnn Nigara

Design Dialogues - Digital Marketing : A Dialogue with Penny Wilson - 38 min

In this episode of the Design Dialogues podcast, host Beth Bieske interviews Penny Wilson, a social media and digital marketing expert. They discuss the importance of having a digital marketing strategy and how it goes beyond just posting on social media. Penny emphasizes the need to identify objectives, understand the target audience, and differentiate yourself from competitors. She also highlights the importance of regularly revisiting and revising the strategy as the business evolves. The episode concludes with a discussion on the role of analytics in assessing the effectiveness of the strategy. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights into developing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

Key parts in the Dialogue. 

• 11.38 Penny talks about the difference between working with an agency or having a marketing person in house

• 18.32 Penny talks about why it is so important to have a digital marketing strategy that means more than just posting on instagram. 

• 24.32 Penny talks about being on your objections for being in the digital space.

Designing Success - Flipping the Pancake: Flip the Limiting Beliefs that hold you back and GROW - 37 min

In today’s episode, host Rhiannon Lee tackles a handful of common limiting beliefs that hinder aspiring interior designers. As a business coach, Rhiannon has seen these mindset blockers crop up relentlessly, especially in the critical first two years. 

She’s compiled a list of the top five that she sees most often and a few actionable and proactive ways to work through them.

Let’s talk about embracing a growth mindset, learning from failures, and seeking support from your design community. Charge what you're worth (and also consider your individual circumstances) researching industry pricing and offering value-based packages. 

Get creative with business investments through cost-effective tools. Boost your self-promotion confidence by showcasing your work and gathering testimonials. Let go of perfectionism and learn from mistakes to refine your offerings.