Interior Design Business Podcasts - Episode 35
Interior Design Business Podcasts Episode 35 - December 6, 2022
Just 2 interior design podcasts to share today :)
Happy listening…
A Well-Designed Business - LuAnn Nigara - Christie Fleming: From Occupational Therapy to Interior Design - 53 min
Business of Design - Kimberley Seldon - Client Gifting Experience with Porsche Williams - 35 min
A Well-Designed Business - Christie Fleming: From Occupational Therapy to Interior Design - 53 min
In today’s episode, host LuAnn Nigara is joined by Christie Fleming, principal of Lennon Nora Interior Design.
If you would have told me that there were any similarities between Occupational Therapy and interior design, I would have thought you were telling a joke. But for Christie, her experience as an OT led to her perfect niche, the one that let her leave her old career and strike out as the go-to designer for Aging in Place design.
Highlights
[1:56] Christie shares how she went from occupational therapist to interior design.
[6:52] LuAnn and Christie discuss the value in working for another firm at the beginning of your career.
[14:03] Christie talks about how she stumbled onto her goldmine niche.
[17:45] Christie discusses Aging in Place Design and what it entails.
[35:58] Christie shares how she markets such a specific niche.
LuAnn Nigara and Christie Fleming's Ah-Ha Moments
“I’m a huge proponent of working for another firm. Some of the most successful designers I have interviewed stayed with other firms for 5 or 6 years. There’s a difference there when you work for another firm, even for just one year. You’re seeing more than you would have on your own.” -LuAnn
“I didn’t know how much OT and interior design truly overlap until I really got into the business aspect of it. I just knew that my area was so saturated and I wanted to figure out how to make myself stand out from other designers.” -Christie
“I get this question all the time. People will say, ‘I don’t know how to figure out what my Fred Berns only or my transferable skill or my pot of gold.’ One of the big things is just to get quiet with yourself and to just really keep insisting on going through a mental inventory of all the things that make you you.” -LuAnn
You can check out this podcast episode here:
Business of Design - Client Gifting Experience with Porsche Williams - 35 min
Wouldn’t it be amazing if your clients actually got the warm and fuzzies from the gifts you give them?
Strategic gifting can lead to increased referrals, longer retention, and an elevated client experience. Everyone loves to be surprised and delighted by an unexpected and personalized gift. A gifting system make this relationship building exercise part of your turnkey client experience.
In this episode we learn:
gifting without a strategic plan will lead to an inconsistent and lackluster experience for your client
quality over quantity is a good motto (the good stuff isn't cheap, and cheap stuff isn't good)
nobody needs another branded mug; gifts should be personalized and used frequently
gifting during non-peak seasons allows you to stand out from the crowd
business is about relationship building and gifting is unconditional, there are never strings attached
You can check out this podcast episode here: