Today’s Interior Design Business Lesson includes tutorials on Money, Sales, Profit, Brand, Leadership, Operations & Automation.

Today’s lessons come from podcast hosts Terri Taylor, Michele Williams, LuAnn Nigara, Melissa Galt, Laura Thornton and Michelle Lynne. Their guest lecturers include Mike Michaelowicz, Rachel Leuck, Jessica Frigon from Project Love Co.

School’s in session. Let’s put those thinking caps on:

• Interior Design Business - Terri Taylor - Money and You - 19 min

• Profit is a Choice - Michele Williams - All Roads Can Lead to Profit - 53 min

• Window Treatments for Profit - LuAnn Nigara - Rachel Leuck: The Best Strategies for Selling Luxury Window Treatments - 1 hr

• The Affluent Creative - Melissa Galt - Who Your Brand Needs To Be For Affluent Clients, Part 2 - 40 min

• The Business of Beautiful Spaces - Laura Thornton - Let's Talk About Business Operations and Automating your Business to get Back your Time in 2024 - 35 min

• Designed for the Creative Mind - Michelle Lynne - Evolving As A Leader In Your Design Business - 19 min

Interior Design Business - Terri Taylor - Money and You - 19 min

In this episode, host Terri Taylor talks about our relationship with money. 

One of the biggest challenges you will face as a designer is your money story. If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about this before, and that’s because I can’t overemphasize how important it is that you work on your money mindset. 

Most of us start with a scarcity mindset through no fault of our own. It could have come from experiences with money in your childhood or messages you’ve received about money from our society, but whatever it was, we’ve got to figure out how to shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset.

Tune into this episode of the Interior Design Business podcast to learn strategies for identifying a scarcity mindset and moving out of it so that you can attract more ideal clients and make bigger sales in your design business. 

Topics covered in this episode include:

• How your childhood shapes your money mindset 

• Examples of how a scarcity mindset affects your business 

• How to identify your money mindset 

• Reflective questions to ask yourself about your relationship with money

• Scarcity attracts scarcity; abundance attracts abundance. Which will you choose?

Profit is a Choice - Michele Williams - All Roads Can Lead to Profit - 53 min

Today, host Michele Williams is bringing us a replay episode from 2018 with Mike Michaelowicz. You may know Mike, he is the author of a large number of books from Profit First to Clockwork to Surge, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur , and The Pumpkin Plan.

Mike and I had a really awesome conversation about how all roads can lead to profit if you set the correct coordinates. I really thought that as we're wrapping up this year, things have been shifting, they're a little bit different, we've been through a pandemic, and we've watched buying patterns change over the years and I think this is a great time to be reminded of the fact that we have agency and choice in our business and that those choices that we're making either lead us closer towards profit or further away from profit. With that being said, I want to introduce to you Mike Michaelowicz.

Topics Mentioned:

• Profit

• Real revenue

• Sustainability and Responsibility

• Ideal Clients and Target Markets 

Thoughts from Mike: 

• Profit means that I continue to deliver what I intend to for my community.  

• Clients want to know that your business is sustainable and sustainability is profitability.  

• It is important to have a realignment of pride in profits.  

• In The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur we learn that lack is our biggest advantage. Lack brings about innovative thinking and challenges us.  

• In Pumpkin Plan we learn how to grow organically and healthily and to identify our best clients.  

• Once we have clarity on a purpose, the journey becomes very rewarding.  

• Surge teaches how to know your industry and to see what the next big thing is.  

• Clockwork teaches that our business can be sustainable and not reliant just on us. 

Window Treatments for Profit - LuAnn Nigara - Rachel Leuck: The Best Strategies for Selling Luxury Window Treatments - 1 hr

In today’s episode, host LuAnn Nigara welcomes Rachel Leuck, a luxury window treatment specialist to discuss her philosophy of positioning herself as a luxury service provider in the window treatment market.

Rachel also shares her journey from the event planning industry to starting her own business, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, quality over quantity, and effective communication with clients. Rachel Leuck was a nationally recognized event designer who decided to transition into the window treatment world! She has owned Gotcha Covered of Sugar Land for almost 3 years and has seen immediate success.

LuAnn and Rachel Leuck's Ah-Ha Moments

• “You’re not selling a commodity, you’re selling you” - LuAnn Nigara

• “Don’t try and be something that isn’t authentically you” - Rachel Leuck

• “Always be marketing” - Rachel Leuck

The Affluent Creative - Melissa Galt - Who Your Brand Needs To Be For Affluent Clients, Part 2 - 40 min

In today’s episode, host Melissa Galt returns for Part 2 of her look at who/what your brand needs to be for affluent (aka rich) clients. FYI, Part 1 is here.

In today’s episode, Melissa dives into communication strategies from social media to socializing. She’s talking about establishing a commanding online presence and remaining consistent with your brand image on different social media platforms, all while building more knowledge of the luxurious pastimes of your most ideal clients. 

Infusing luxury into your brand’s social media presence can significantly up the ante and make sure your clients keep coming back. The affluent are in search of experiences, not just purchases, and the right approach to social media can help you tap into this desire. From understanding the intricacies of luxury to gaining knowledge about exquisite wine, spirits, and travel locations, Melissa shares insights from her own years of experience that you can use to make a lasting impact. 

Discover the essence of maintaining a polished and professional image in your social media presence, email etiquette, and even payment process through the channels that your ideal client looks for the most. We've got a session brimming with insights, strategies, and resources to position your brand for luxury.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The significance of branding in every aspect of your business from travel gear to email signatures

• Ways to enhance brand image for affluent clients

• Tips on creating experiences rather than mere purchases 

• The significance of having knowledge about luxury spirits, wine and other beverages in boosting brand appeal and confidence

The Business of Beautiful Spaces - Laura Thornton - Let's Talk About Business Operations and Automating your Business to get Back your Time in 2024 - 35 min

In today’s episode, host Laura Thornton is diving deep into the business operations and automating to gain back your time with founder and CEO, Jessica Frigon from Project Love Co.

PROJECT LOVE is more than just an operations firm; it's a transformative experience for female entrepreneurs and lifestyle brands seeking to redefine the way they do business. Spearheaded by Jessica Frigon, a seasoned expert with over 15 years of experience in Operations and Integration, PROJECT LOVE offers an unparalleled, full-scale, and elite operational service.

We take a holistic approach to operations, focusing not just on systems but also on the people and technology that make your business run smoothly. Our tailored solutions aim to streamline your processes, automate repetitive tasks, and create a functional ecosystem that allows you to step fully into your visionary role as CEO but also provides you with the freedom to focus on what matters most to you.

Designed for the Creative Mind - Michelle Lynne - Evolving As A Leader In Your Design Business - 19 min

In this episode, host Michelle Lynne is focused on leadership.

Whether you're leading a team or going solo, leadership is the key to unlocking freedom in your interior design business, and how you are as a leader is crucial to your team and business success.

Michelle shares her journey, starting from managing tables in a restaurant at 23 to running her own interior design business.

Whether you have one team member or ten, treat them as collaborators. It's not about hierarchy; it's about working together towards a common goal. Leading a team requires clear communication, accountability and understanding that everyone thinks differently. Be open to learning from your team while teaching them, creating a reciprocal environment where iron sharpens iron.

Being a leader isn't about being perfect; it's about inspiring greatness in those around you. As an entrepreneur, you already have greatness within you. Step into that role and share it with others.