Info

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

In today's world being a talented interior designer isn't enough to ensure that you have a profitable and successful interior design business. Design school doesn't always teach you the critical business skills to be sure your interior design business be everything you imagined it would be! A Well Designed Business is here to fill in the gaps and give you real live business skills from some of the top interior designers. Your host, LuAnn Nigara shares her 35 years of success in the interior design industry, and she finds the most successful guests to share their interior design business best practices.
RSS Feed
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: October, 2020
Oct 30, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s Power Talk Friday! Today’s guest is Chris Wallace, co-founder, and President of InnerView, a marketing consulting firm that helps companies align their brand and product stories with their customer-facing teams.

Chris truly believes in providing value to your clients by meeting their needs and making their lives better, and getting all of your industry partners on board with that idea, or finding partners that already are.

Listen in to hear what Chris has to say about leveraging those industry partnerships to do that, so that the customer experience is a focus at every single level.

Chris is the Co-Founder and President of InnerView, a marketing consulting firm that helps companies align their brand and product stories with their customer-facing teams. At InnerView, Chris draws from his nearly 20 years of sales, marketing, and corporate leadership to help companies engage their frontline teams in new ways, producing improved customer experiences and better financial results. Beyond his work with clients, Chris is able to apply his passions as a teacher and thought leader. He has taught as an adjunct MBA professor at Temple’s Fox School of Business and has been published in outlets such as Harvard Business Review and Ad Age. He was also recently named to the Forbes Agency Council. Chris received a B.A. in Public Relations from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School and an MBA from Temple University. He lives outside Philadelphia with his family.

Show Highlights:

  • Chris’s passion is to get the entire value-chain, or industry, focused on the end user, which is the customer.
  • Chris illustrates his perspective with a story around his brother and sister-in-law.
  • There are two approaches to sales and marketing: the “old” product-focused way, and the  “21st Century Sales and Marketing” way, which goes beyond the product you offer and focuses on providing value to your clients by meeting their needs and making their lives better.
  • Chris addresses how designers benefit from asking for this better way of marketing from their brands.
  • Chris shares his philosophy on belief, confidence, and pride.
  • “21st Century Sales and Marketing” is about making your client’s life be easier, it’s about helping them be more successful, and it’s about understanding their needs.
  • Designers should communicate what their needs are by documenting what they’re wanting to deliver to the customer, and helping to educate their industry partners on how they can help with this process.
  • Ask for the things that are going to help make you successful!
  • Chris’s strategies on assessing the industry partners you’re doing business with.
  • Chris shares his thoughts and tips on virtual consultations, how augmented reality can be leveraged to drive better design, and other fascinating tools of the trade.
  • Old-school isn’t cutting it anymore because you can’t meet the modern customer’s needs.
  • Exciting Windows is one of LuAnn’s forward-thinking vendors.

Connect with Chris!

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Links / Resources:

Hey, window treatment friends! Learn more about Exciting Windows and tell the Steves that LuAnn sent you!

Process Leads to Profits - Kicking Off November 4, 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages, and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Investment: $2195

Register HERE!

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

Kravet’s popular visualization tool is now available on Lee Jofa Workroom furniture! Get started on building your custom pieces at kravet Leejofa.

Kirsch’s motorized Briza collection is the perfect answer to high end drapery treatments. Connect with Your Local Kirsch Distributor Now! Kirsch

Episodes mentioned:

John Dupra #329

 

Oct 29, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! Sara Brennan rejoins the show today and she’s going to be sharing how she is managing the recent influx of new clients as she scales her business, how very critical organization is to the process, and a breakdown of the services she offers. We’ll also be touching on her upcoming Process Leads to Profit course, so please join us for some great takeaway ideas to streamline your own business and to learn more about how you can really drill down into what Sara calls “the Four P’s of design: Processes, Partnerships, Packages, and Profits”, to take YOUR profits to the next level.

Sara is a co-author in the upcoming second volume of A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts.

She is an entrepreneur, CEO, and Principal Interior Designer at Sara Lynn Brennan Interiors. Sara has become the first and only full-service interior design firm in Waxhaw, North Carolina, who specializes in Transitional Designs, where she and her design-build team take spaces from Bare Bones to Beautiful by utilizing her exclusive, approachable, and stress-free design process, transforming and renovating homes from start to finish.

Sara’s design work has been nationally published six times in the last year including publications such as Romantic Homes, Traditional Home, Window Fashion Vision, and Cottages and Bungalows, who recently offered her a role as a monthly columnist. She’s also been noticed as a rising star among colleagues in the design industry being invited as a guest on podcasts, as a panelist at High Point Market, and as a host and speaker at local design events and shows.

Show Highlights:

  • Sara has developed a mapped-out process that not only gets compliments from her clients, but she’s even had clients asking her to consult with THEIR clients!
  • Sara details how her clients are set up with the different levels of design services she offers, as not everyone wants or can afford full-service design.
  • A storyboard with different designs and a discussion with what the client hates or loves about them is one unique system that Sara uses.
  • Having the numbers conversation upfront is super important.
  • Sara addresses how to respond to client trust issues.
  • How to stop clients from ‘shopping’ you.
  • Sara’s business model has two sources of revenue: the design fee and the furnishings as a retailer.
  • Sara’s tips when speaking to vendors.
  • Reverse-engineering to make sure that you can be profitable with your model will instill confidence in how you speak to people and what you’re able to offer them.

Connect with Sara!

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Links :

Process Leads to Profits - Kicking Off November 4, 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Investment: $2195

Register HERE!

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast

Other shows mentioned:

#524

#514

#463

 

Oct 27, 2020

Welcome to a Well-Designed Business! Today’s guest is Phoebe Oldrey. Phoebe is the founder of Smartstyle Interiors based in the UK. Oftentimes, designers feel like they can’t niche down, thinking that will close the door on all the other possibilities out there.

When Phoebe reached the point in her career where she felt the desperate drive to do something different with design, she came to realize that design wasn’t just about aesthetics or creating beautiful spaces, but that it opens opportunities to create holistic, life-altering spaces for clients. So, Phoebe did the next practical thing: she niched down, rebranded, and started focusing on the projects that truly made her happy.

Let’s hear what Phoebe has to say about holistic design, niching, and following your passion in your business.

Phoebe is the founder of Smartstyle Interiors, an innovative interior design studio which takes a holistic approach. In 2017, after 15 years in the industry and tired of being asked what the next tread was, Phoebe decided to take an approach to her designs that not only balances how a space works and what it looks like, but also asks “How does it make us feel”. Believing that only when we get the balance right between Function, Aesthetics and Emotions will we create amazing places people are happy in. This led to her TEDx talk “Interior design is about more than wallpaper and bean bags” and numerous speaking opportunities where she shares her passion for putting people at the front of design.


Show Highlights:

  • Talent is a gift, but it is not something that automatically opens doors for you.
  • Phoebe discusses the skills that are needed to be successful in the industry.
  • Phoebe shares the circumstances surrounding her desire to do more profound work.
  • Biophilic design is a study of human beings’ relationship to nature.
  • Niching can be very scary, but since Phoebe wasn’t doing work that she was in love with, she decided to go in a different direction.
  • More people than ever have been interested in holistic design for their work and living spaces for the health benefits since the coronavirus event lockdowns.
  • Holistic interior design focuses on more than just the aesthetics. It also:
    • compliments a client’s lifestyle habits
    • is designed to support the circadian rhythm
    • makes the client FEEL GOOD to be in this space
  • Designers should stop being scared of what’s unique, because what’s unique is amazing!
  • Your niche should be made up of your own authentic passion and drive.
  • Everything is connected: we shape our houses, and our houses shape us.

Connect with Phoebe!

Website

Instagram 

Facebook 

Pinterest

Phoebe's TEDx Talk

Online Course – “Finding your Confidence with Colour”  

Book Referenced by Phoebe:

Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant  by W. Kim Chan and Renée Mauborgne  

Links / Resources:

Designer Discussion: LuAnn Nigara Hosts a Conversation with Kravet Furniture

Oct 29, 2020 12:00 PM EST (United States & Canada)

Register Here

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages, and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

When your client wants the finest in luxury appliances for their kitchen.

Are You Set Up with Monogram's Design Partner Trade Program?

Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!

Be the hero for your clients, and be the solution they need right now with Article.

Other episodes mentioned:

Cheryl Janis #41

Mike Peterson #569

 

 

Oct 23, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s Power Talk Friday! There are so many of us who struggle with communicating who we are and what we do, especially on our websites. Betty Marton, founder of In Your Own Words, is back with us on the show to discuss how important it is in sharing your story to show your humanity, your journey, and your vulnerability.

Betty is a lover of stories, conversation, and talking to people and hearing about their lives. She has her own separate business as a writer, copywriter, and storyteller whose passion is helping people understand their stories and bring them to life.

Think about the way that you are portraying your business with your words, and be sure to listen in as Betty imparts her expertise about storytelling and the impact it can have, both on your business and your personal life.

Writer and editor Betty Marton works with individuals, as well as large and small businesses, foundations, and nonprofit organizations to capture and share the stories they need to tell. She has reported on and written about a wide range of business practices and social change programs. In her work with individuals who want to tell their life stories, her innate curiosity and empathy often helps lead them to gain new insights and reimagine self-limiting beliefs. Betty is, as well, the liaison between her artist husband, Jerry Teters, and interior design clients for whom he creates commissioned paintings. Best known as an abstract artist, Jerry also creates intimate portraits of home, scene from his clients’ lives at home or on vacation.

Show Highlights:

  • As Betty explains, your profession doesn’t matter. Whatever your passion is, she can write about that.
  • Betty loves figuring out the layers beyond the who, what, when, why, and where: the story behind the story.
  • Everybody has a story that matters. Knowing someone’s vulnerabilities helps you connect.
  • Meaningful articles are valuable marketing tools.
  • Word-shaping written copy is one of Betty’s gifts.
  • Betty gives an overview of the different ways she works with clients.
  • In the telling of your story, Betty likes to explore the different angles that helps you see something you didn’t see before.
  • A photo story is something that anybody can do. Betty offers 16 Questions you can ask yourself to help you dig deeper into your photograph. This enables you to learn more about yourself and the person in the picture than you would have known before.
  • There’s also a link to discover your coronavirus photo story on Betty’s website!
  • Check out Jerry's art! It is a valuable resource for designers.

Connect with Betty!

Betty’s Website     

Betty’s Instagram

Betty’s Facebook

Betty's FREE 16 Questions Guide for Telling Your Own Photo Stories

Jerry’s Website

Jerry’s Instagram

Links :

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

Jaipur Living’s Website - Easy to Browse, Custom Calculator, Products Ready to Ship! Open Your Trade Account to Begin Your Relationship with This Admirable Company.

Other shows mentioned to link

#600 Celebrating the 600th Episode, LuAnn is Interviewed!

#574 Power Talk Friday: Deb Mitchell: Attract the Right Clients With Stand-Out Copy

#33 Arlene Angard – Mix 1 Part Passion + 1 Part Strategy = Success!

#80 Asler Valero- Be Intentional- Design Your Business and Your Life

#32 Robin Baron – The President of ASID NY Metro Chapter Talks with us about PR and Brand Development

 

Oct 22, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s time for another riveting episode of “What Would Lu Do?”! LuAnn received a request from a window treatment professional to review the “autopsy” process that LuAnn’s team does at Window Works, so this episode is dedicated to covering the review of a project once it’s completed.

Whether you are a photographer, web developer, architect, or blogger, it is essential for each and every business owner to review their projects for profitability, deficiencies, processes, and client satisfaction.

LuAnn discusses this process mostly from the perspective of a window treatment specialist, so if you are a designer, you have more work to do! But no worries, she’s got you designers covered on that, too! Get comfy, you’ll want to take notes!

Show Highlights:

  • There are 3 main objectives of a post-project “autopsy”. To learn:
    • what it is we do well
    • what it is we need to improve on and
    • what kinds of projects we make money on
  • LuAnn details the items that need to be reviewed:
    • gross dollar amount of the project
    • marketing source
    • net cost of goods on the project
    • review the completed project with installers, sales reps, and the office admin team
    • tag the client in our CRM as ‘market to’, ‘don’t market to’ and ‘request a review’
    • review what you learned
  • Steps you can add to this process as a design firm include:
    • set up debriefs with your key trades especially at the completion of larger size projects
    • ask your client how you did, in a personal, meaningful way
  • By not examining everything, you sometimes don’t learn everything. You only learn what gets caught, not what could have been avoided.
  • Growth and learning and excellence comes from reviewing what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for.

Links :

WCAA's 3x3 Virtual Learning Event

FREE Virtual Learning Event!

October 28-30, 2020

9am, 12pm, and 3pm Daily!

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

Kirsch’s motorized Briza collection is the perfect answer to high-end drapery treatments. Connect with Your Local Kirsch Distributor Now! Kirsch

When your client wants the finest in luxury appliances for their kitchen.

Are You Set Up with Monogram's Design Partner Trade Program?

Shows to include in show notes: #36 Susan Brunstrum

 

Oct 20, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! Today’s guest, Carissa Miller of CC and Mike, shares how a “completely unexpected opportunity” turned into a leap of faith for her and her husband, Mike. Carissa’s journey is so much more than that happy accident, though, as you’re going to hear. Listen in to this inspiring conversation around how an Instagram post that went viral launched her into a rapidly growing business that she never saw coming, as well as how she and her husband navigated the unique challenges that come with running a business with your spouse.

CC and Mike are a husband and wife team who make dream homes happen nation-wide, offering full-service design, build, and remodel services to their clients. Launched in May 2016, their social media and blog following have grown rapidly to include followers from all over the world who look to CC and Mike for design and building inspiration for their own homes. CC and Mike’s audience loves following their adventures as they design, flip, and renovate homes!

Show Highlights:

  • Carissa’s background and professional experience in photography led to a desire to “re-brand” her career.
  • Carissa shares how she has always designed and her husband, Mike, has always built their own homes, and a photo of her bedroom posted to her new Instagram account became an instant hit, with One Kings Lane and Pottery Barn asking for interviews and design advice. From there, she started getting requests from people to design for them.
  • Contracts, policies, and procedures have been the biggest change in their lives since designing for a client, versus designing and flipping houses for themselves.
  • Mistakes and lessons are part of the learning curve, but everybody has to start somewhere!
  • Carissa describes how scary it was to take a leap of faith.
  • Investing the time and money in a business coach or consultant brings another’s perspective and helps you to grow your business the right way.
  • Carissa addresses how she and Mike stayed in agreement during the early days. “Stay in your lane” and work inside your strengths.
  • Hiring the right employees that complement your business is critical.
  • The transition from being business partners during the day and husband and wife after hours takes some conscious effort!

Connect with Carissa!

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Blog 

Links :

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

FREE Trial! A One-Stop Shop to Keep Everything Organized!

Check Out Their Client Portal and Time Tracking Features!

Mydoma Studio: A Well Designed Business

When your client wants the finest in luxury appliances for their kitchen.

Are You Set Up with Monogram's Design Partner Trade Program?

#363 Power Talk Friday: Eileen Hahn: Building An Exceptional Interior Design Team

#06 Identifying Your Transferrable Skills with Erika Ward

#474 Bria Hammel: Keys to Scaling Your Interior Design Firm

#480 Chris Loves Julia: Quality Content Creation is Key to Their Success

 

 

Oct 16, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s Power Talk Friday! Today’s Power Talk Friday is sponsored by Interior Design Business Academy and specifically the Interior Design Business Academy 2020 Summit, which is happening Wednesday, November 4 thru Friday, November 6, 2020.

This event will run from 10:00 am EST to 6:00 pm and it is entirely virtual.

In today’s conversation, Terri Taylor not only shares all the details of the outstanding Summit she has planned for you, but she shares valuable tips for running your firm. After 30 years in the industry, Terri has tons of experience in running her own firm and teaching you how to do it through her Interior Design Business Academy.

And to be clear, the summit is open to all interior design business owners, not just IDBA coaching members, so be sure to check it out at Interior Design Business Academy Summit 2020

Terri Taylor is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer at design conferences and showrooms throughout the country. She speaks on a number of topics related to the business of interior design, including: business practices, sales, marketing, motivation, leadership, success, and personal growth.

Ms. Taylor is nationally known as an interior design business expert and coach who teaches and mentors interior designers to help them create successful design businesses.

Terri has over 32 years in the interior design and construction business. She holds both residential and commercial general remodeling Arizona Contractors Licenses, and qualified for her NCIDQ certification in 1991. Terri is a professional member of ASID, IDS, and NCIDQ.

Her Tucson-based design studio, Taylor Design Group, was a diversified design practice working in the areas of high-end residential design and remodeling, model home merchandising, hospitality, and medical and professional offices. Her studio has been the recipient of ASID Arizona South Chapter Design Excellence Awards every year since 1986 and she received the ASID National Design Excellence Award in 2000.  Terri’s design work has been published in regional and national design journals, including ASID ICON and Wall St. Journal. Terri retired from her studio practice in 2015.

In 2009, Ms. Taylor created Design Biz Blueprint (now Interior Design Business Academy); an education and coaching resource that provides a unique mix of design business strategies and systems, and powerful positive mindset to help interior designers create meaningful success. She’s inspired thousands of interior design entrepreneurs through her speaking engagements, seminars, on-line education, and coaching.

Terri connects with heart-centered designers to help grow their business strategy, accountability, and profitability all while undergoing a beautiful personal transformation.

Show Highlights:

  • The “nuts and bolts” side of how interior designers can get paid what they are worth is a part of the system that Terri teaches at Interior Design Business Academy:
    • Advantages of fees vs. hourly, and design fees in relation to project budgets
    • Pricing product/furniture properly so you don’t get push back and clients are happy
    • How to have profitable remodeling jobs
    • How to present and price a big design fee on a huge new build
    • What your profit margin on a design job  should be
  • Your mindset around wealth consciousness is actually the secret to getting paid what you are worth.
  • Terri provides reasons why and examples of how designers are often in their own way.
  • Once you identify and release those beliefs, rules, and practices that are keeping you “in your own way”, the “how-tos” easily fall into place.
  • Interior Design Business Academy is a blend of educational programs and coaching: It’s lots of step-by-step, how-to-do-it recipes backed up by coaching, which creates predictably successful results.
  • Terri explains the Growth, Structure, and Masters programs that she offers at Interior Design Business Academy.
  • “Fly the plane while you build it.”
  • Terri Taylor is the founder and host of the upcoming Interior Design Business Academy 2020 Summit - “Mastering Design Fees and Pricing”. Although it’s required by her Growth, Structure, and Masters students, this retreat is also open to the public!
  • The 2020 Summit is a very interactive, 3-day virtual retreat, with lots of connection and sharing with designers across the country, breakout groups, all worksheets/handouts, coaching, Q and A time with Terri, and dancing… yes, it’s true, believe it or not!
  • The 2020 Summit – “Mastering Design Fees and Pricing” is where:
    • your passion for design combines with the ability to earn what you’re worth to become a reality.
    • you will gain the confidence to make the shift and get the “recipe” for making consistently profitable fee-based offers for design services.
    • you will learn to embrace your beautiful design gifts and attract high-paying clients to become a confident, well-paid designer.
    • you do the “inside” work that allows you to shift into the abundant, confident, well-paid designer you are destined to be.
    • you will uncover the freedom and fulfillment you’ve always wanted.
  • This Summit is for pros, third acts, stars, leaders, game-changers, beginners, creatives, and IDBA members!
  • There’s a Special Bonus “Wealth Consciousness Intensive Live” with Terri for Early Bird ticket holders only!
  • Don’t miss the virtual mix and mingle event before the Summit!
  • Remember: the only way you breakthrough is to COMMIT to doing whatever it takes to achieve the life, clients, and jobs you want.

 

Connect with Terri!

Instagram

Facebook

LinkedIn

Website

Interior Design Business Academy 2020 Summit

“Mastering Design Fees & Pricing”

Wednesday, November 4th thru Friday, November 6th, 2020

10:00 AM EST – 6:00 PM EST

Virtual experience

Admission: $347 or 2 payments of $207

*Early Bird pricing only valid until midnight, October 20th

*Early Bird BONUS -  A pre-event Wealth Consciousness Workshop with Terri so that you can get a head start into shifting your mindset and getting paid what you are really worth!

Register for 2020 Summit

Links :

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to This Podcast Sponsor:

Interior Design Business Academy Summit 2020

Other shows mentioned:

#548 Terri Taylor

Oct 13, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! Social media guru, Darla Powell from Darla Powell Interiors, joins us in this conversation today on how to get more juice from your social media efforts. We change, our business changes, and sometimes, we need to refresh our minds about what we’re really doing and who we’re doing it for. The goal here today is to talk about honing the message you’re sending out to the world, and if you already did this five years ago, well maybe it’s time to do it again!

Darla is a co-author of the 2nd volume of A Well-Designed Business, The Power Talk Friday Experts that is coming out in November 2020. Darla really is the social media guru. She blew up social from the get-go and she hasn’t stopped since. Thankfully she is just fine with sharing her tools and ideas with us, so we can try to duplicate her success. Please welcome her back to the show!

Darla has a fun, genuine, and down-to-earth approach to the designing of beautiful spaces. Since she launched her career in 2016, she has grown her business almost exclusively by word-of-mouth and her clients have really fallen in love with her work!

In her past life, Darla spent almost twenty years as a Detective Sergeant in Miami Florida, so one might say that she is an expert on the importance of having complete tranquility at home after a stressful day at work! Also, her background has carried over many hidden perks- including a strong sense of integrity, accountability, and a ready-for-anything-ness that is key for home renovation projects.

Darla’s career transformation was fueled by her need to express her boundless creativity. She spent her childhood summers rummaging through her grandmother’s antique store where she developed an extensive knowledge of antiques, collectibles, and of pieces that look perfect together, so Darla’s refined eye definitely sees those diamonds hiding in the rough! Above all, Darla really loves creating rooms that are gorgeous, elegant and soothing.

Show Highlights:

  • This podcast helped educate Darla and gave her the courage to take a leap into a totally different career path.
  • Darla explains how she came to create Wingnut Social.
  • When clients are looking up your design firm online, they are also scoping out your PR sources and checking out your social media to see how you engage with others.
  • Social media is a multi-billion dollar business and is not a trend. It’s here to stay!
  • It’s difficult for a business to survive the long run without having a well-rounded social media presence.
  • Darla offers her social media strategies!
  • Marketing budgets can be 5-20% of your overall annual gross, depending on a few factors. When you’re a newer designer, that percentage should be higher because you’re building brand awareness and a following.
  • Who are you? LuAnn shares what she looks for on designer’s websites.
  • You have to always be able to adapt, especially in marketing.

Connect with Darla!

Darla’s Website

Darla’s Instagram

Darla’s Facebook

Darla’s Twitter

Wingnut Social

The Wingnut Social Podcast

Links :

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?LuAnn Nigara COB 

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

When your client wants the finest in luxury appliances for their kitchen.

Are You Set Up with Monogram's Design Partner Trade Program?

Kirsch’s motorized Briza collection is the perfect answer to high-end drapery treatments. Connect with Your Local Kirsch Distributor Now! Kirsch

Previous Episodes Mentioned:

Darla was on episodes #203 and #330

 

Oct 9, 2020

Welcome to the 600th episode of A Well-Designed Business! In this milestone conversation, LuAnn is the guest today! Deb Mitchell and Betty Marton are two writers and #smartladies who are talking to LuAnn today about the 599 episodes she has under her belt.

LuAnn shares how much her life has changed since she aired her first episode back in February of 2016, how appreciative she is for her guests and listeners who have played such a big part in making this podcast a success, and how grateful she is that you invite her into your lives and your businesses each week. Don’t miss this fascinating glimpse into the heart of the host of A Well-Designed Business!

Deb, or DesignWriterDeb as she’s referred to on Instagram, specializes in copywriting for interior designers and creatives. Betty, of In Your Own Words, helps individuals and businesses tell their stories through narrative.

Show Highlights:

  • LuAnn shares memories from her childhood and how she first learned a good work ethic that carried her into marriage and entrepreneurship with Vin.
  • Focus energy on learning the lessons when you’ve experienced failure. Without failures, there can be no success.
  • If you decide to do something, you can do it. If you don’t do it, you’re the only person standing in your way!
  • LuAnn describes how her podcast came into being and the creative ways she sourced her guests.
  • LuAnn shares her best ‘a-ha’ moments and how every single person on their entrepreneurial journey has something to teach us.
  • Managing a full calendar takes a lot of work, a few shortcuts, and constant conversations with her executive assistant, Lisa!
  • Build a team you trust and have your processes down.
  • Here’s what’s next for LuAnn!
  • Deb, Betty, and LuAnn discuss LuAnn’s BLM special series.
  • “Decide to be excellent!”

High Point Market is the Oscars of the design industry, and this year, for a lot of us, that red carpet feels a long way away. But don’t feel like you have to miss out, because Mydoma Studio is here to bring Market to you, wherever you might be. More than just a virtual High Point, Mydoma’s Backstage at High Point Market will bring you showroom tours, private conversations with industry insiders, and insight you just can’t find anywhere else. Head over to Mydoma Studio HPMKT now to get your own backstage pass!

Links :

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

 Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

Take Advantage of Kravet Inc.’s Extensive Digital Tools & 24/7 Customer Service! Set Up a Virtual Appointment with Your Local Sales Representative: Kravet

FREE Trial! A One-Stop Shop to Keep Everything Organized!

Check Out Their Client Portal and Time Tracking Features!

Mydoma Studio: A Well Designed Business

OTHER EPISODES MENTIONED AND TAG IN SM:

Carol Cox #140

Deb Mitchell #574

 

Oct 8, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s time for another riveting episode of “What Would Lu Do?”, where you ask the difficult questions and LuAnn gives the expert answers you’ve been wanting.

Today’s dilemma comes from an anonymous listener who has been a faithful listener of the podcast since she started her business in 2014. At that time, she took the least expensive options in setting up her business and hasn’t invested since. She received an inheritance right before COVID hit, so this designer is looking for words of wisdom on whether it’s better to hold on to the money for a household expenses safety net since her husband has been furloughed and is not likely to return to work soon, or if it’s better to invest it back into her business, along with a revised business plan.

Listen in as LuAnn digs into the details, susses out the situation, and lays out her reasoning on the resolutions.

If you are not working with a coach or perhaps you don’t have a business mentor or business bestie to provide guidance, this is the perfect opportunity to email LuAnn the burning issues that you need insight on and she’ll answer them on air. Please send your questions to LuAnn Nigara: WWLD!

Show Highlights:

  • LuAnn shares the listener’s email to provide the full context of the issue.
  • If the listener’s husband has not yet been returned to work or gained other employment, then the mortgage, food on the table, gas, and electricity all come first.
  • If the household situation is not so dire, remember that there are many steps you can take to set your business up for success that are an investment of your time and not your money.
  • Review, revise, and reflect on the business plan that she set up in 2014.
  • LuAnn details the steps needed for the listener to get very clear on her mission and how to define her core values.
  • Knowing your numbers are critical! Investing in your business must be done with a plan, so LuAnn walks the listener through some financial considerations.
  • Here are the bottom-line investments that the listener must make:
  • Work with a lawyer to register your business.
  • Open a business bank acct.
  • Hire a p/t bookkeeper or commit to knowledgeably doing it yourself religiously, no messing around.
  • Find and hire a CPA, even if it not the kind like Peter Lang who works with you each month and it is just one who will see to it the quarterly and yearly taxes are filed and paid.
  • LuAnn breaks down exactly how she would spend the $9,000.
  • Final thoughts: Invest in your business but also invest time in planning how you will make money. Be steadfast in doing it!
  • Check out SCORE, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping small business owners get off the ground, set and achieve their goals through free educational resources, and offers free mentoring from retired business people.

Links :

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

Kirsch’s motorized Briza collection is the perfect answer to high-end drapery treatments. Connect with Your Local Kirsch Distributor Now! Kirsch

When your client wants the finest in luxury appliances for their kitchen.

Are You Set Up with Monogram's Design Partner Trade Program?

OTHER EPISODES MENTIONED AND TAG IN SM:

Laurel Smith’s episode #545

Nate Berkus’s episode, #433

Jamie Lieberman’s episode #’s 454 and #547.

Kim Worswick’s episode #234

 

Oct 6, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! Judith Taylor of Judith Taylor Designs returns as a guest today to share her ideas on networking for introverts. As Judith says, it can be a struggle to be an introvert in an extrovert’s industry! She has many things to say that can help not just introverts, but anybody looking to strengthen their networking skills. Listen in to this fascinating conversation about how you can set yourself up for success, even if you’re an introvert, and how to overcome the challenges when it comes to networking.

Judith is an international award-winning designer with a flair for making personal, meaningful spaces. She is the granddaughter of a once-prominent furniture manufacturer, and as such, is passionate about style and the tradition of quality fine furniture making.

Liveably luxury is achieved through her timeless aesthetic. Classic details, and refined clean lines anchor a love of the mix of contemporary traditional, and global influences. Mixing patterns, unexpected combinations, dressmaker’s details, and often vibrant colours distinguish her style. 

A few things you may not know about her:

She started her career in Information Technology as a mainframe programmer/analyst but after 20 years as an IT consultant, her love of colour and pattern got the better of her. While working in IT, she also completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and later studied fine art at Toronto School of Art, and then most recently she studied Interior Design at the International Academy of Design and Technology where she received High Honours for her work.

She is the first (and so far only) Canadian to have won a “Designer of the Year” award from the Interior Design Society out of High Point North Carolina, and was also the first to win Crate and Barrel’s “designer challenge” and you can see the “Judith chair” on the “about” page on her website, or sit on the winning entry in her living room (by invitation only)!

She enjoys travel and always looks forward to spending more time at their summer place at Cape Cod.

Follow along with her blog to read posts about her travels, her design insight, and lifestyle thoughts that cross her mind. She hopes you enjoy the read. 

Show Highlights:

  • Judith shares her personal experience with introversion.
  • There’s a difference between being shy and being an introvert.
  • Judith reveals the ingenious way she prepares herself for a group event.
  • Avoid delivering phony-sounding elevator pitches.
  • Tips and tactics for networking at group events.
  • How Judith handles consultations.
  • Since introverts tend to look inward and be self-critical, Judith had to learn to turn her vision towards her client and assess them.
  • Marketing and writing is a place for introverts and shy people to shine.
  • Building connections is what Judith attributes to getting her jobs.
  • If you care, and you want to help people, potential cients are going to see that.
  • Judith imparts her final thoughts and suggestions on getting new clients.

Connect with Judith!

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Pinterest

Blog

Links :

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

Eileen B. Hahn's Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkit

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

Jaipur Living’s Website - Easy to Browse, Custom Calculator, Products Ready to Ship! Open Your Trade Account to Begin Your Relationship with This Admirable Company.

Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!

Be the hero for your clients, and be the solution they need right now with Article.

Other shows mentioned to link to and to tag in SM

#340 Judith Taylor: Strategies for Working with Family and Friends

#584 Lesley Myrick: Building a Business From the Ground Up, Again

#557 Power Talk Friday: Desi Creswell: Develop Your CEO Mindset

#475 Power Talk Friday: Desi Creswell: How to Create More Time

 

Oct 2, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s Power Talk Friday! Today’s guest is Mary Pat Wallace, the founder of Chicago Luxury Beds, and today’s focus is the luxury client! Mary Pat shares important perspectives about the surprising  opportunities you have today in the midst of the pandemic, and not just how we can deal with it and accommodate it, but how we can truly serve our clients in a bigger and better way.

She also shares her insights on how she’s managed to maintain an excellent client experience and continue to be a strong leader for her team, even in a retail setting, throughout the challenges of Covid-19. Listen in for an inspiring conversation!

Mary is a 30-year veteran of the design industry. Committed to sourcing the highest-quality, bespoke mattresses and sleep products from across the globe, Mary Pat and her team of experts have spent the last 15 years helping clients transform their lives through sleep. Once she spent her first night in a Hästens bed, Mary Pat knew that mattresses should be viewed as a necessity in one’s life. Extensive experience in the design industry allowed Mary Pat to develop a perspective on value per use — we sleep a third of our lives, the mattress is the most important piece of furniture in the home. Restorative sleep is the foundation for optimum health. Having witnessed firsthand that the right mattress is critical to a deeply restful night of sleep she brought that experience and her unique expertise to the luxury market in Chicago, opening the first Hästens retail store in North America in 2005. Mary Pat eventually rebranded the business to Chicago Luxury Beds in order to expand her curated offerings. With the success and longevity of Chicago Luxury Beds, she opened a showroom in Dallas (Dallas Luxury Beds) furthering her team’s reach in helping clients get their best night of sleep. It is Mary Pat’s life passion to help clients create environments that are deeply restful and support transformational sleep.

Show Highlights:

  • As Mary Pat declares, “The time is NOW.”
  • Due to the coronavirus, people are spending more time at home, and that is not likely to change.
  • The luxury clients are working more from home, and they’re all considering how they can reconfigure their spaces to work more productively.
  • Money from luxury clients is being reallocated and being refocused back at home.
  • Mary Pat’s tips on how to revive your client list, even if it’s 15-20 years old.
  • Mary Pat offers strategies for conducting your business virtually, while maintaining or increasing productivity.
  • Being successful with the luxury client involves real expertise. Mary Pat expounds on this philosophy and what the luxury client wants from us.
  • Listening to and understanding your client’s priorities within a budget is critical.
  • Once a client and designer understand each other, the relationship is priceless.
  • The collaborative buddy-system builds confidence with the client and reduces anxiety.
  • Mary Pat explains how to do business with Chicago Luxury Beds.

Connect with Mary Pat!

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Links :

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

FREE Trial! A One-Stop Shop to Keep Everything Organized!

Check Out Their Client Portal and Time Tracking Features!

My Doma Studio A Well Designed Business

Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!

Be the hero for your clients, and be the solution they need right now with Article.

 

Oct 1, 2020

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! Today we are joined by Jamel Williams for another conversation in our Black Lives Matter series. As a young black designer and teacher, Jamel has a unique perspective on what can be done at the university-level to empower students of color. Please join us in this discussion on how mentorship in the university years could be a game-changer for all of our young designers, and especially our black designers, and Jamel’s suggestions on how schools can be that agent of change.

Jamel Williams is a young and passionate Interior Designer, Educator, and Entrepreneur who specializes in Residential Interior Design in all of New York and surrounding areas. Shortly after graduating from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, Class of 2017 with a Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Jamel founded To Be Designed, a full-service Interior Design Studio. Already having an undergraduate degree in Anthropology, his interests in people, cultures, and ways of life fuel his passion to approach design with a multidisciplinary perspective. His delicate persona, fortified drive, and a keen eye for detail provide the perfect foundation for every project he takes on, creating beautiful, and functional spaces in collaboration with his clients.

Also passionate about design education, Jamel took on his first two higher education teaching positions during the Spring 2020 semester at both Pratt Institute and Parsons Open Campus at the New School. He has had the pleasure of teaching both technical and theoretical courses; namely, AutoCAD 1, Professional Practice for Interior Designers, Interior Design Portfolio, Residential Interior Design, and Now Construction and Assemblies. Jamel's active Interior Design practice and educational experience allow him to provide his students with the information needed in order to understand the principles of design so they too can create aesthetically beautiful, functional, and responsive spaces for their future clients.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and racial injustice spread across America, there has been an increased need for awareness, representation, and social change. Jamel has begun to think about ways he can use his platform to evoke change within the industry he serves. Being in direct contact with aspiring Interior Design Students and being a Black Designer in the Industry, Jamel thinks that one actionable solution may be to create relationships between students of color and designers of color, through mentorship, to create a sense of community and support for the young designers who may feel underrepresented once they cross over into the world of Interior Design.

Show Highlights:

  • Jamel addresses the disparities he observed during design school.
  • As Jamel points out, spaces are designed socially and politically to not reflect racism on the surface. It’s the systemic aspect of racism that prevents schools from addressing the issues.
  • Systemic racism is strongly psychological and ingrained. We are all in a system of racism that none of us built but we are left to deal with the pyschological aspects of it.
  • As a teacher at the prestigious Pratt Institute, Jamel’s philosophy is that all students should have a voice and that education should be conversational and collaborative.
  • Ideally, Jamel would one day like to teach a course with a culture-centered curriculum.
  • There seems to be a general disconnect in design education, beyond culture and race, because students do not have the opportunity to choose the track that is most meaninguful to them once they graduate.
  • Offering more classes of diverse subject matters and giving the students opportunities to choose more of the classes they take is one solution to enabling design graduates a more personalized, meaningful career track.
  • Jamel shares his thoughts on black culture in America.
  • Jamel sees a wide-open opportunity for schools to promote community and empower young black designers by facilitating mentorship.
  • True mentorship is a two-way street: The mentor also gains perspective, fresh ideas, and the joy that comes with paying it forward.

Connect with Jamel!

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Great Resources From Jamel to Check Out!

Architectural Digest: 25 Black Interior Designers Speak Frankly About Their Careers, Successes, and Challenges

Interior Design: 7 African American Designers on How They're Pushing The Design Industry Forward

The Designer's Workshop

BAIDA

Black Artists + Designers Guild

Links :

Design-Build For Profit

Coming Back Soon!

Increase Confidence, Increase Profits

Coming Back in February 2021!

The Profit Is In the Numbers

Coming Back Soon!

Process Leads to Profits - Returning November 2020!

Learn the Four P’s of design from Sara Lynn Brennan:

Processes, Partnerships, Packages and Profits…as well as the “secret sauce” that has doubled her business in the last year!

Sign Up For Updates HERE!

LuAnn Live - Coming February 2021

Join the E-Mail List to Get Updates!

Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business?

LuAnn Nigara COB

Get the Goodies! - For checklists, resources, and extra goodies!

To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!

Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:

Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action

Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts

LuAnn’s Website

LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!

LuAnn’s Blog

Power Talk Friday

A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors:

Take Advantage of Kravet Inc.’s Extensive Digital Tools & 24/7 Customer Service! Kravet

Use promo code AWDB10 for a 10% discount on Kravet fabric, trim, and wallcovering!

When your client wants the finest in luxury appliances for their kitchen.

Are You Set Up with Monogram's Design Partner Trade Program?

 

1