The BEST Interior Design Business Podcasts - Episode 245

In today’s installment of interior design business podcasts, we’ve got four fantastic episodes from hosts Kimberley Seldon, Gail Doby and Erin Weir, Desi Creswell and Darla Powell.

Today’s podcast guests include Joanne Swisterski, Victoria Valentinas and business coach Andrea Liebross.

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

Today’s Interior Design Podcast Episodes:

• Business of Design - Kimberley Seldon - Innovate Ruler with Joanne Swisterski - 47 mi

• Creative Genius Podcast - Gail Doby and Erin Weir - Putting It All Together (Victoria Valentinas) - 35 min

• The Interior Design Business CEO - Desi Creswell - What Story Are You Rehearsing? - 17 min

• Designed by Wingnut Social - Darla Powell - Big Thinking and Empowering Entrepreneurial Women - 38 min

Business of Design - Kimberley Seldon - Innovate Ruler with Joanne Swisterski - 47 mi

Innovators see challenges as opportunities. That’s what our guest today, designer Joanne Swisterski tells us. When there is a problem that can't be solved, she does a deep dive and sets out to create solutions or at least, workarounds. These solutions can range from small daily tasks that can be MacGyver-ed into submission, to huge challenges that, once solved, turn into new business opportunities. Are you an innovator?

In this episode we learn:

• if someone else is capable of doing it, so are you

• nothing will get done if you wait for someone else to do it

• the sooner something you find intimidating is demystified, the more empowered you'll feel

• hire a specialist for each task

• before you buy a new software, check out the comments on reddit

Creative Genius Podcast - Gail Doby and Erin Weir - Putting It All Together (Victoria Valentinas) - 35 min

Sure, design is your passion. But it’s probably not your only one. What if you could combine your love of design with some other passion, or passions, and create a dream business? It can be done. You just need to find the right kind of client.

In this podcast, host Erin Weir has a sit-down at High Point Market with interior designer and artist Victoria Valentinas, president and principal designer, VLV Designs in Pinehurst, North Carolina. In 2020, Victoria decided to start her own firm, combining her background in interior design and the furniture industry with her love of art. She offers both interior design and custom art services, including faux finishes, painting and murals.

While studying interior design at High Point University, Victoria got to learn a lot about the furniture industry. Upon graduation, she worked in the industry for a number of years, where she developed a love of textiles and upholstery. In her design business, she specializes in highly furnished areas of the home. She told Erin she hopes to have her own line of furniture someday.

During the pandemic, Victoria found time to return to her passion for drawing and painting. She also began experimenting with faux finishing. As she became more adept, she started filming herself at work and posting the videos on Instagram. Suddenly, she found herself in demand for her artistic abilities as well. That led her to start her firm.

“I didn’t really know what I could do until I had the time to do it,” Victoria told Erin. Starting a business during the pandemic was challenging but seemed like the right time for her. “It’s never a good time to take the leap, to do something risky like starting your own business,” she said. Nearly four years later, her blend of art and design has proved a successful formula.

Victoria credits social media, along with a strong support network, with helping her to launch her business. “It’s a way for people to get to know you without knowing you,” she said.

She is relying on social media again to help her break into the design market in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she and her husband recently moved. She would also like to do some commercial design projects, particularly hotels, restaurants and bars.

Erin asked Victoria what advice she had for listeners. She mentioned three things:

• Develop your network and use it. Be both a good mentor and a good mentee.

• Look for unique pieces of art of use in your design projects. Support local artists.

• Be flexible with your plans. You never know where things are going to lead. Also be open to using experts who can help you. You can’t be an expert in everything.

To hear more of Erin and Victoria’s conversation, which touched on a number of other topics, including the importance of networking and building relationships, marketing strategies and creating a support team, listen to the entire podcast.

The Interior Design Business CEO - Desi Creswell - What Story Are You Rehearsing? - 17 min

All of us have stories running through our minds that define who we are, how we show up, and what we think we’re capable of, and some of them simply aren’t serving you or your business. The more you rehearse a story about yourself, the more ingrained it becomes, and the more you automatically begin to take action from that place. If your stories are producing outcomes and experiences you don’t want, it’s time to consider dropping them, and I’m showing you how.

Join host Desi Creswell as she examines how the stories we’re currently telling ourselves might not be ones we want to keep. Hear how there is no one absolute truth about you or anyone else, why you must become conscious of how you speak about yourself, and a pep talk challenge that will help you question the stories you’ve been rehearsing. 

What You’ll Discover from this Episode:

• What rehearsed stories mean.

• Why I don’t believe there’s one true story about ourselves or anyone else.

• The role of your mindset in creating outcomes you may or may not want.

• Examples of stories I frequently hear interior design CEOs rehearse. 

• How to continually question your stories and consider other truths that are available to you.

Designed by Wingnut Social - Darla Powell - Big Thinking and Empowering Entrepreneurial Women - 38 min

Looking to evolve in your entrepreneurial journey, but not sure where to start? Or maybe you’re feeling stuck and frustrated? Today’s guest, Andrea Liebross, tells us how to take charge and move forward through “stuck stress.”

Note: Andrea Liebross is a certified business and life coach, specializing in empowering female entrepreneurs to infuse thinking with action so they can drop the drama and figure out how to think like a CEO, manage like a CEO and believe in themselves to achieve success in their business and at home.

If you would like to learn more about Andrea’s approach to business coaching for interior designers, check out the Q&A we did with her for our educational series on interior design business coaching.