Welcome to Power Talk Friday! Today we have the first of our brand new on-air coaching shows and Stephanie Castillo, of Rumble Interiors in Washington State, will be joining us. Stephanie is a new designer and although she is still finishing her degree, she does have business experience. On the show today Stephanie will be asking LuAnn some really interesting questions about how to set up vendor accounts and setting up accounts with the trades. They talk about whether or not Stephanie should niche her firm, and if she needs a receivership for the products she sells to clients. They also have a discussion about a collaboration that Stephanie is developing with two other interior designers. Listen in to LuAnn's excellent coaching session with Stephanie on the show today.
Stephanie has been a hairstylist for 27 years and she's worn many hats in that industry, Stylist, Educator, Manager, and Recruiter. She has two kids in grade school and she volunteers as the Board President for the Ellensburg Downtown Association in Washington state.
As her body was beginning to get tired from her work, Stephanie began thinking about what else she could do. As interior design has always been a love of hers, she enrolled at the New York School of Art and Design and started taking classes online.
Now that she's close to finishing up with her studies, Stephanie has gone ahead with the process of starting her own business, Rumble Interiors. She has done some practice work of what has become re-styles which involves taking someone's house and using what they already have and reworking it. And this really brings her so much joy! To set herself up for success, she has been reaching out to mentors, like LuAnn, because she is ready to learn about all the details of running an interior design business. Listen in to find out more.
Show highlights:
Stephanie has her license and she has her social media sites set up, but she does not yet have her website set up.
Stephanie has a blog that you can find via Instagram.
The collaboration that Stephanie is developing with two other interior designers.
Stephanie is into re-styles and would like to get into feng shui.
The design styles of Stephanie and her partners are very different.
Things to bear in mind when leasing a design space in partnership with someone else.
Finding the best vendors and tradespeople.
How to establish great relationships with sales reps.
The need for having a receivership for your shipped goods.
Finding a good and reputable receivership.
Running your business like a big-girl one, even if you're still a baby designer.
Do you really need licenses and accreditations?
How to work out how much to charge when you're starting out as a designer.
Is having a niche the best way to go?
Deciding whether to go to design school or not.
Why you really need to have a website for your business.
Creating content for your website.
Other episodes mentioned on the show:
Nicole Heymer, Ep 125 - Curio Electric, Ep 387
Links:
Facebook: Rumble Interiors
Instagram: Rumble Interiors, mangossalon, @Stephanieatmangossalon on Instagram