The BEST Interior Design Business Podcasts - Episode 240

In today’s installment of interior design business podcasts, we’ve got seven fantastic episodes from hosts Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan, Gail Doby and Erin Weir, Marc Muskens, Josh Cooperman, Desi Creswell, Darla Powell and Kaitlin Petersen .

Today’s podcast guests include Tamara Day, Steve Griggs, Lorena Pulichino, Jeanne Chung, Stephanie Hatten and Kim Colwell, Ashley Marques and Blair Moore.

So much good stuff to help grow & improve your interior design business :)

Today’s Interior Design Podcast Episodes:

• Damn Good Interior Design - Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan - This Just Takes the Cake - 45 min

• Creative Genius Podcast - Gail Doby and Erin Weir - Dream Big (Tamara Day) - 29 min

• Beyond Interior Design - Marc Muskens - How to Get High-End Interior Design Clients - with Steve Griggs - 52 min

• Convo By Design - Josh Cooperman - Reflecting on Summer Vibes and 4 Incredible Designers - Design Leadership LIVE from Design Hardware featuring; Lorena Pulichino, Jeanne Chung, Stephanie Hatten and Kim Colwell - 57 min

• The Interior Design Business CEO - Desi Creswell - Time Management Mistakes: Are You Setting Yourself up for Failure? - 20 min

• Designed by Wingnut Social - Darla Powell - Tips for Taking the Leap to Start Your Own Business - 36 min

• Trade Tales - Kaitlin Petersen - Why Blair Moore brought receiving in-house - 52 min

Damn Good Interior Design - Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan - This Just Takes the Cake - 45 min

The word “transparency” has been hijacked. Cheryl and Liz discuss the cake story and how it relates to business by stressing the importance of clear communication, pricing, and setting expectations with clients. They emphasize building trust from the start and having a structured business plan to succeed in the design industry. Designers should be asking themselves "How can I improve transparency and communication in my business to build trust and better serve my clients?" Cheryl provides invaluable insights into solving this problem and achieving success in the design industry.

• [0:33]Cheryl and Liz discuss their recent projects and what is going on in their business today.

• [5:21] The word "transparency" is overused in the interior design industry, and what should it actually mean in the context of business by understanding business and processes in order to be able to sell your services.

• [8:21] Cheryl talks about baking a cake and how this can relate to your business

• [11:25] Managing client expectations emphasizes the importance of explaining why you do what you do. The ideal customer wants a seamless cake-buying experience, including quality ingredients and a reputable baker.

• [14:37]Cheryl emphasizes the importance of building trust with clients from the beginning, laying a strong foundation for every decision made and communication.

• [21:44] You need to have clear communication in business to avoid confusion and foster the connection you need to have with your client.

• [25:44] Having a business plan (or a recipe) and a system for charging clients is crucial for designers to run their businesses effectively.

• [29:16] Cheryl and Liz encourage small business owners to be brave and take risks to succeed. There are many ways to approach business and it is important to find a unique approach that works for each individual or company.

• [33:02]Cheryl wishes that designers would start taking responsibility and not blaming clients for design issues and instead develop the proper communication and understanding between each other.

• [37:17] Liz highlights the benefits of a flat fee model, including more transparency and engagement from clients, and the potential for better scalability in the business.

• [42:57]Cheryl’s damn good truth

Creative Genius Podcast - Gail Doby and Erin Weir - Dream Big (Tamara Day) - 29 min

What dream do you have for your business? Do you aim for national recognition? Do you want to be sought after for your unique design talents? Do you wonder what it would be like to have celebrities and the ultra-rich as clients? No dream is too big to be out of reach. Many successful entrepreneurs will tell you, if you can dream it, you can make it happen.

In this podcast, Kansas interior designer and design TV personality Tamara Day drops by to chat with Gail and Erin at High Point Market. Tamara is the owner of Tamara Day Design, headquartered in Prairie Village, Kansas. She is also the host and designer on the highly successful Magnolia Network design TV show “Bargain Mansions”—now in production for its seventh season—in which she and her team bring all types of neglected houses in Kansas City back to life. Tamara has also collaborated with a number of manufacturers to design her own line of products for the home, including Kaleen, Varaluz, and Forum.

Just prior to her conversation with Gail and Erin, Tamara launched a new upholstery line with Spectra Home Furniture. Gail asked her about her experience working with manufacturers. She said she has been very impressed with the product designers’ talents and the quality of the craftspeople who make the products. “I feel like I’m learning design again in a whole new way,” she said.

Gail was interested in how Tamara started doing product design. She said it just happened as a result of relationships she had formed with reps at High Point. It was something she had wanted to do but hadn’t planned on. One collaboration led to another. She has a new one in the works and plans for more in the future.

Ten years ago, Tamara said, she would never have believed she would have her own lines of products and a national TV show. “I didn’t anticipate any of it,” she said. “I just followed my instincts. It’s put one foot in front of the other every day and follow your intuition.” She truly believes anything is possible, so why not dream big?

Erin asked Tamara if she had any advice for listeners. She offered the following:

• Hire someone to do the things that you don’t want to do or don’t do well.

• Invest in social media

• Rest when you can. You can’t be productive every minute of every day.

Beyond Interior Design - Marc Muskens - How to Get High-End Interior Design Clients - with Steve Griggs - 52 min

In this episode, host Marc Muskens shines the spotlight on Steve Griggs, New York's premier landscape designer. Steve's journey from humble beginnings, armed with just a wheelbarrow, to building a thriving business in the competitive world of design is nothing short of inspiring. His approach to landscape design breaks the mold, prioritizing functionality and inspiration over standard aesthetics. We dive deep into the essence of design, transparency with clients, and how passion can be a powerful driver in transforming a humble start into a flourishing business.

No design journey is without its challenges, and Steve Griggs shares his secrets to confronting these hurdles like a hero. We explore a world where trust is the crucial bridge between clients and designers, and creative freedom flourishes in the absence of micromanagement. Listen to him reveal his tactics for handling unexpected obstacles, the art of leading a team through complex projects, and the importance of clear communication before the construction phase begins.

In the final stage of the conversation, Steve gets candid about managing projects from design to construction and ensuring success at each stage. He shares insights into maintaining the integrity of the design throughout the project and the complexities of navigating different types of sites. Whether you're designing a cityscape or a mountain retreat, Steve's strategies for developing solutions in the most challenging environments are invaluable. And if you're wondering how to find clients in a saturated market, Steve lays down the importance of building trust as the foundation to growing a successful business. So, come join us and discover how Steve Griggs has scaled from planting two trees to constructing entire micro-resorts.

Convo By Design - Josh Cooperman - Reflecting on Summer Vibes and 4 Incredible Designers - Design Leadership LIVE from Design Hardware featuring; Lorena Pulichino, Jeanne Chung, Stephanie Hatten and Kim Colwell - 57 min

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. This Summer, I spent some time back in LA visiting with some very talented designers and I wanted to share some of those conversations with you.

But first, you should know that if you are in LA and listening to this episode the week it was released, November 14th, the WestEdge Design Fair is happening RIGHT NOW and you should come down to Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and take in some of the incredible conversation being produced by yours truly. These are highly curated conversations that were crafted specifically for those in the trade as well as those who love design. So check out @ConvoXDesign with an “X” on IG and message me for more details and tickets. If I have any left, they’re yours for the asking. We’ll be right back with this weeks episode, right after this.

The Interior Design Business CEO - Desi Creswell - Time Management Mistakes: Are You Setting Yourself up for Failure? - 20 min

A business that runs like a well-oiled machine always starts with you and how you manage your time. There’s more to effective time management than just using a particular planner, app, or tool. Time management is the first foundational pillar of running a thriving interior design business.

Discover the top three time management mistakes that host Desi Creswell sees as preventing interior design CEOs from staying in the driver’s seat of their business. In this episode, she’s offering the solutions to these mistakes so you can stop setting yourself up for failure, chaos, and stress, and instead, create a sense of authority and control over your calendar. 

What You’ll Discover from this Episode:

• The top three time management mistakes you must be aware of.

• What happens when you don’t believe you have authority over your time.

• How to use a commitment protocol to avoid overcommitting yourself.

• The value of pausing and considering the math before committing.

• Why scheduling yourself down to the minute sets you up for failure.

Designed by Wingnut Social - Darla Powell - Tips for Taking the Leap to Start Your Own Business - 36 min

Have you been dreaming of taking the leap and starting your own design firm, but you just need that final push? Today’s guest, Ashley Marques, is a true success story; with a little help from our Instagram for Interior Designers course, her business has blown up in just a month or two. Stay tuned for some tips on preparing for your own leap!

Marques Living Co is an Interior Design Studio located in Ontario, Canada focusing on a modern organic aesthetic, tailored to your lifestyle and functional needs.

Trade Tales - Kaitlin Petersen - Why Blair Moore brought receiving in-house - 52 min

Blair Moore set out to create designs that last—and found that the industry wasn’t quite ready for her. Her response was to build a firm that forged its own path to quality design: by operating its own warehouse, crafting a line of furnishings and training the next generation so the legacy will live on.