Interior Design Business Podcasts - Episode 237

Today’s curated collection of interior design podcasts include episodes from hosts LuAnn Nigara, Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan, Kate Bendewald & Anastasia Casey.

Podcast guests include Vita Vygovska, Libby Rawes, Samantha Struck and Bernadette Smith.

5 great interior design business podcasts. Get ready to learn something…

Episode Highlights:

• Window Treatments for Profit - LuAnn Nigara - Vita’s Tip in 10 with Vita Vygovska: Do You Pay Yourself A Salary? - 13 min

• Damn Good Interior Design - Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan - The secret weapon you never knew you needed! - 45 min

• Designer’s Oasis - Kate Bendewald - Transitioning to an Interior Design Career with Libby Rawes - 51 min

• The Interior Collective - Anastasia Casey - Samantha Struck: Design Documentation - 1 hr

• A Well-Designed Business - LuAnn Nigara - Power Talk Friday: Bernadette Smith: Her ARC Framework to Create an Inclusive 350 Interior Design Business - 49 min

Window Treatments for Profit - LuAnn Nigara - Vita’s Tip in 10 with Vita Vygovska: Do You Pay Yourself A Salary? - 13 min

In today’s episode of Window Treatments for Profit, LuAnn University instructor Vita Vygovska asks a very simple, yet important question: Do You Pay Yourself A Salary?

Damn Good Interior Design - Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan - The secret weapon you never knew you needed! - 45 min

"Are you ready for this?? I think you are! My contention is designers do not hire soon enough. They are driving the boat trying to navigating the rough currents alone. Don't let this be you--Look for an integrator to climb into the boat with you. ( And if you are an integrator and need the visionary to get you onto a bigger boat--well that can happen too! )

 If so, consider bringing an Integrator on board! Cheryl and Liz delve into an Integrator's pivotal role in this episode. Cheryl characterizes an Integrator as a collaborative partner, working alongside her “in the boat.” Cheryl also assists listeners in recognizing whether they might benefit from having an Integrator by posing questions such as: Are you grappling with wearing all the hats? Do you feel like your business is running you instead of vice versa?

 Are you encountering challenges in achieving the growth you envisioned? If your response to these questions is affirmative, the missing piece may be an integrator.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [07:30] Cheryl explains why everyone should have their own role and responsibilities 

• [13:58] Cheryl describes the role and skills of an integrator

• [25:19] Liz talks about growing professionally in her role

• [28:08] Are you an integrator or a visionary?

• [29:27] Cheryl and Liz each share what their roles are and what the other team members do

• [37:46] What bugs Cheryl and Liz about each other, and what do they love

• [44:11] Cheryl’s damn good truth for this episode 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• You must stay in your lane—and collaborate together. Let the integrator do their job and manage! Visionaries need their jamba juice for the big ideas and problem solving. 

• Once you reach half a million dollars in sales, you will benefit from an integrator to reach your first million.

• Often, employees will follow the visionary, even if the visionary is down a rabbit hole , and it takes an integrator to pull everyone back on track and refocus and make time to follow the visionary! 

Designer’s Oasis - Kate Bendewald - Transitioning to an Interior Design Career with Libby Rawes - 51 min

Starting an interior design business is easy, but growing an interior design business is so much harder because you just don't know all the answers and sometimes it's using your own intuition. In today's episode, host Kate Bendewald chats with Libby Rawes about how she successfully transitioned into an interior design business and what it took to really make the career shift from branding to interior design.

Here's a glance at this episode:

• We discuss how Libby made the career shift from branding to interior design.

• We discuss the evolution of the client process, client experience, and home design.

• Libby shares how investing in her business growth through hiring, PR, and setting intentions has really helped her business flourish.

• We discuss how to hire and work with contractors and build partnerships.

• We talk about everything related to pivoting careers and how to leverage past experiences when building an interior design business.

The Interior Collective - Anastasia Casey - Samantha Struck: Design Documentation - 1 hr

Construction documentation is the most critical piece to executing designs of the highest caliber. We searched far and wide for examples of the very best in construction documentation and were wowed when we saw the materials presented by Sam Struck at StruckSured Design.

In today’s episode, we’re chatting with the mastermind behind the documentation, principal and lead designer of the Hood River based design studio. From initial client education documents all the way through to Construction packages and everything in between, you’ll want to listen to this episode in entirety first, then come back a second time to take thorough notes.

A Well-Designed Business - LuAnn Nigara - Power Talk Friday: Bernadette Smith: Her ARC Framework to Create an Inclusive 350 Interior Design Business - 49 min

In today’s episode, host LuAnn Nigara is joined by Bernadette Smith, Founder and CEO of the Equality Institute, a boutique diversity, equity, and inclusion firm whose mission embed equity and inclusion into organizational systems and culture, enhancing outcomes for employees and customers. When we are afraid of offending someone, we tend to say nothing. We get so comfortable in our lanes, that we don’t do much to move diversity forward. Bernadette and LuAnn discuss how to have the courage to address diversity. She talks about her ARC Method that helps people become open and actionable, and much more!

Pick It Apart

• [5:28] Bernadette explains how her experience with DEI derived from the wedding industry.

• [13:22] Bernadette shares actionable strategies that anyone, from any size company, can put to use.

• [20:38] Both Bernadette and LuAnn relating to fear of saying the wrong thing in the past.

• [24:00] Determining your personal role in all of this.

• [29:58] What designers can do in their own businesses.

LuAnn Nigara & Bernadette Smith's Ah-Ha Moments

• “My approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion is that we are all in this together and can learn from each other.” - Bernadette Smith

• “I have a lot of privilege. Some of it I’ve earned like my master’s degree, but a lot I didn’t earn, so I feel like I have a responsibility and a sense of purpose to know how much power I have by accident,” Bernadette Smith

• “A positive ROI of creating meaningful conversations among your team, is that they will become better equipped to have meaningful conversations with their clients.” - LuAnn Nigara