Welcome to this episode of A Well-Designed Business, it’s Power Talk Friday! LuAnn chats with Sandra Funk about Sandra’s amazing new program for the interior design community.
Her program is called “The Interior Design Standard”. Just wait until you hear about it, you’re going to LOVE this!
Sandra Funk is the CEO and Principal Designer of House of Funk, a greater New York area design firm working wherever great clients need us.
This is interior design with a soul and a sense of place; reflecting your desires, personality, and style.
House of Funk creates thoughtful homes with an emphasis on clean lines and soulful touches, all rooted in tradition.
Sandra is an Accredited Professional for the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
Sandra’s award-winning design work has been featured in publications such as Elle Decor, House Beautiful, The Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, Aspire Design & Home, and Luxe Interiors + Design.
With almost two decades in the interior design industry, Sandra is launching the Interior Design Standard in the spring of 2020 – a template for designers to utilize her streamlined processes and business structure to bring joy and profit to their own design business.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Sandra!
Sandra Funk is a game changer for our industry. In April, she’s launching the Interior Design Standard - a digital program that covers everything you need for running an efficient and joyful business. Click here to take her FREE Demo Module to get a taste of what’s to come: Interior Design Standard
April 8th: Registration opens
Note: If designers register before April 22nd, they receive VIP access which grants them 3 group Zoom calls with Sandra.
April 22nd: VIP Access closes and general enrollment begins
May 5th: Enrollment closes at 11:59 PM
May 6th: Module 1 is released and the program begins
FREE Trial! A One-Stop Shop to Keep Everything Organized!
My Doma Studio: A Well Designed Business
Podcast Sponsor:
Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!
Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! LuAnn has been considering adding a Wednesday show answering straight-up questions that you ask her via email and SM, and with everything happening in the world right now, she thought this was the perfect time to debut “What Would Lu Do?”
On today’s episode, she will be discussing doing business through a crisis. In the 40 years, she’s been in business, she has had to weather all kinds of crises, such as recessions, acts of terrorism, and viral pandemic scares.
Listen in to learn how you can be smart, strategic, and patient to help you get your business to the other side of this!
Be sure to join her next Wednesday as she shares some additional tips to help you through this difficult time.
Show Highlights:
Links:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Tips for Building Future Success When Your Interior Design Business is Slow
Episode Mentioned:
Welcome to A Well Designed Business! It’s WTF, Window Treatment Friday! In today’s episode, LuAnn and her friend and co-host of WTF, Vita (Vitalia) Vygovska, cover effective communication between the interior designer and the workroom to ensure a successful project.
One of the private Facebook groups that Vita belongs to is the “Soft Furnishings & Upholstery” group. Prior to this show, she posted a query asking for their stories on the topic of communication, both good and bad, that members’ workrooms have had with their designers.
She received some really good feedback on what worked and what didn’t work, and she and LuAnn will be sharing their collective wisdom with you today.
Listen in to take advantage of what others have learned from their experiences, and remember the most important thing of all: communication is key with everything!
Vitalia Vygovska (Vita for short!), CWFP, MBA, is an award-winning window treatment specialist, author, speaker, mom, wife, and a ballroom dance enthusiast.
Her company, Vitalia, Inc, provides all-encompassing concierge-level, tech-driven fabrication, measurement, installation, and project management services exclusively for interior designers.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
My Doma Studio: A Well Designed Business
Vitalia Inc. Grand Opening!
All are invited to join us for Vita's grand opening!
June 16th, 4-7pm
LuAnn is excited to be there and all are invited to join!
RSVP at Vitalia Inc Events
To learn more about working with Vita and Vitalia Inc: Vitalia Inc
To learn more & register for Vita's course: Profit With Window Treatments
Thank You to This Podcast Sponsor:
Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!
Mentioned Shows:
Links to previous WTF episodes #462, #471
Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! LuAnn’s guest today is Melissa Lindsay, Co-Owner of Pimlico Interiors, located in Westport, CT. She will be sharing some of the methods and tactics that she and her partner, Jill Kakaletris, use when dealing with difficult conversations and difficult clients.
As #seasoned designers, Melissa and Jill have had their share of difficult conversations with clients and together they have developed a personal philosophy for handling these as well as some actual tips to help you navigate them, too.
Whether you are crafting an email or having a hard person-to-person discussion, there are some strategies here that you can most certainly find useful!
Melissa brings 20 years of luxury residential design experience and award-winning interiors to the firm. Named at home Magazine’s A-list award winner multiple years over, she has been lauded by industry professionals from Celerie Kemble to Bunny Williams.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Melissa!
Mydoma Studio: Well Designed Business
Stamford Waterside Design District
March 19this the 4th birthday party for this podcast! Thanks to Kravet Inc for hosting this. Please join us 5:30- 7:30 pm at the Kravet Work Space Showroom at 200 Lexington Ave NYC. You can find the RSVP on EventBrite as well as on the website under the Events Tab.
March 21stto 24th Exciting Windows and IWCE / March 25th to the 27th
Teaching the Professional Window Coverings 7 Step Process, which is open to the public. Go to Exciting Windows. At the IWCE, Luann will be doing Closing the Sale Begins with Hello, as well as moderating some panels on Profitability with the Vin Man and Michele Williams. Next, LuAnn has a panel with Sara Brennan on Packaging your Process and Working with Window Treatment Professionals with Sara Brennan and Vita. Please visit IWCE-Vision.
April 2nd, Thursday, East End Interiors is celebrating 30 years in business this year and they have invited LuAnn to speak at their showroom in Long Island NY. If you were at LuAnn Live last year, then you know Sal and Enza and you already know what a fantastic family business they run. If you are in the NY Metro area, especially LI, you must make the time to join us so you can see everything they have to help you complete all of your design projects. They are a strictly to the trade showroom featuring furniture, lighting, accessory and more. LuAnn is also delighted to share that they are the Exclusive VIP Experience Sponsor for LuAnn Nigara Live 2020.
High Point Market in April. It all starts with LuAnn’s PTF Tour on Friday, April 24th, 8am to 11:00 pm. Yup, all day, this event is jam-packed, loaded-to-the-gills, with eye-opening A-ha’s and advice specific to your business. LuAnn brings you 3 of her PTF Experts and one of them is Sandra Funk, the CEO of HOF. Sandra will be on an upcoming PTF where you will learn how she truly runs the back end of her business. And then, get to spend the whole day picking her brain? Uhmmm, the price of admission is worth it right there, no question. During the next few days at HP, LuAnn will have several presentations and panels. Saturday, April 25th, she’ll moderate a panel at the showroom of the newest sponsor to join the show, Jaipur, which will be co-hosted by Revelwoods and the Interior Design Society. They will be talking about the Design-Build Process and how to navigate the big-ticket projects.
On Sunday, April 26th, LuAnn will be in the HP Theater at 12:00 noon for a very special one-on-one conversation with a very special friend, designer, and all around outstanding human being…not sure if ASID wants the proverbial beans spilled yet…so just put LuAnn on your dance card! Here’s a hint: If you were at LuAnn Live, you could probably make a good guess as to his name… Sunday at 4:00 pm you can always find LuAnn at the Kravet showroom. This is a wonderful opportunity to see and meet the incredible leadership team atKravet Inc. Later at 6:00 pm Sunday, there will be a special VIP party with Mydoma Studio. YOU are the special VIP :) This is a kickoff event to celebrate this new collaboration, so please join us.
I THINK THIS IS THE PART IN QUESTION
Monday morning, LuAnn will moderate a panel all about Process Leads to Profits. LuAnn’s friend and Process Leads to Profits course teacher, Sara Lynn Brennan will be there along with a few others yet to be announced. This is also hosted by Mydoma Studio. Check LuAnn’s Website later this month for all of the locations and details.
Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. It’s Power Talk Friday! On today’s show, Jude Charles joins LuAnn for a chat about videos, and how important they are to our websites.
He is here to explain that compelling video is achieved through storytelling, and how we can’t have video just for video’s sake. It must be compelling and it must do the heavy lifting of attracting our ideal client to us.
Jude is talented and clearly passionate about helping business owners tap into their unique value by creating the videos that help your clients feel like they already know you.Don’t miss this insightful and inspiring episode!
Jude Charles is a story-driven filmmaker, brand strategist & speaker. For over 13 years, he has been producing documentaries & videos for purpose-driven entrepreneurs. He lives and breathes YOUR brand. He digs deep to find the compelling stories that no one else knows & then leverages those stories to scale your business.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Check Out LuAnn’s Second Book!
A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts
Connect with Jude!
Jude’s Website
Thank You to This Podcast Sponsor:
Other guests mentioned for Shownotes and to tag in SM:
Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! In this episode, LuAnn chats with Jaclyn Lankiewicz, the woman behind the Instagram handle, Jaclynmari_.
She is the principle of Jaclyn Marie Interiors based in Long Island, NY.
Her journey into interior design, like many, has not been a direct line. Basically, Jaclyn created an Instagram page that was getting so much attention that it prompted person after person to ask her if she would design their space. As you will hear today, her response was, “I finally said to myself, ok, let me do this”.
Jaclyn created an Instagram that has created a design business, and since you already have a design business and want to create more clients through Instagram, perhaps you’ll find her tips to be very helpful.
Listen in to see what we can learn about how to attract clients through Instagram!
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Jaclyn!
Jaclyn’s Website
Jaclyn’shouzz
Jaclyn’s Instagram
Thank You to These Podcast Sponsors:
Connect with Your Local Kirsch Distributor Now!
Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!
Other guests mentioned from previous episodes:
Sara Lynn Brennan #’s: 463, 514
Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! In this episode, LuAnn recounts the way that Sara Lynn Brennan, from Sara Lynn Brennan Interiors, went from being a stranger to her, to someone she treasures as a friend, all in less than two years.
As an entrepreneur, Sara stands out as one of the most unusual LuAnn has met during her entire business career and her podcast journey.
You may have noticed lots of collaboration with Sara over the last few months, and wondered why.
There’s a lesson to be learned here, and LuAnn is eager to share it with you! It has to do with investing in your success.
One of the ways that LuAnn noticed Sara investing in her success was that she steps outside the box by working on things that may have been intimidating or scary. Another way is that Sara has put in the blood, sweat, and tears. A third way that Sara has brought her business to a place of success so quickly is that she invested her dollar bills. When she made money, she evaluated it, and invested money back into her business.
Listen in today to find out what Sara has to share concerning success!
Sara 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:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Sara!
Sara’s Website
Sara’s Instagram
Big Thanks to ThisPodcast Sponsor:
Book Mentioned:
Other shows mentioned:
Michele Williams: 137, 180, 395, 424
Nancy Ganzekaufer: 15, 159, 256, 389
Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! On this episode, LuAnn sits down for a chat with Denise Wenacur, the principle of DW Design & Décor in Croton on the Hudson, which is a beautiful community just outside of NYC.
Design-build is the hot topic of the day, and you’ll learn the importance of having an interior designer as the point person for the client between the architect, the builder and themselves. She discusses the ways having an interior designer on their team from the outset truly benefits the process and the result of the project.
If that wasn’t enough, Denise will share tips for connecting with people who can introduce you to the type of projects you are looking for.
Tune in to this engaging and informative conversation!
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Denise!
Denise’s Website
Denise’s Facebook
Denise’s Instagram
Denise SINGS!The 1-4-5's YouTube Channel
Podcast Sponsor:
Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!
Other episodes mentioned:
#380 Circle Design, John and Theresa Dorlini
#441 4Pt Design Build, Laura and Cliff Muller
#181 H2 Design Build, Angela Rasmussen
Welcome to A Well Designed Business! It’s WTF, Window Treatment Friday! It’s been a while since LuAnn has had a window treatment episode, so she’s super-excited to have her co-host of WTF, Vita (Vitalia) Vygovska back on the show.
Hardware is the subject of today’s show, and if talking about ripple folds, pinch pleats, stationary rods, rod pockets, and rods with c-rings make your heart beat a little faster, then you’ve found your people!
Drapery rods can be a super-complicated thing, but LuAnn and Vita have a way of making this a fun conversation. Join them in this educational and insightful journey into the world of window treatment hardware.
Vitalia Vygovska (Vita for short), CWFP, MBA, is an award-winning window treatment specialist, author, speaker, mom, wife, and a ballroom dance enthusiast.
Her company, Vitalia, Inc, provides all-encompassing concierge-level, tech-driven fabrication, measurement, installation, and project management services exclusively for interior designers.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
To learn more & register for Vita's course: Profit With Window Treatments
To learn more about working with Vita and Vitalia Inc
To learn more about working with Window Works
To receive a free subscription to Window Fashion Vision Magazine
To attend the IWCE where both LuAnn and Vita will be presenting: IWCE
To learn about the WCAA (Window Coverings Association of America)
To learn about Exciting Windows
Podcast Sponsor:
Connect with Your Local Kirsch Distributor Now!
Welcome to this episode of Power Talk Friday! Join LuAnn and her guest, Victoria Sanchez, in this thought-provoking conversation about changing things up in the way we educate interior designers. Her concern is if we don’t start to make changes in the design curriculum, then we, as an industry, are at risk.
At one time, Victoria served as in interior design professor at Marymount University and this is where the conversation begins today. As LuAnn will tell you, this is a totally new idea to her and many of us, and sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know! Just wait until you hear what Victoria proposes!
Victoria Sanchez, one of America’s premier design professionals, has been creating one-of-a-kind interiors for hundreds of prominent clients over the past three decades.
Dubbed a home décor “style maker” by Luxe magazine, Victoria is an award-winning designer who offers services ranging from project management and space planning to kitchen and bath design and furniture selection. She and her team are backed by the region’s leading contractors, painters, architects, kitchen and bath pros, flooring specialists, audio-visual experts, and other professionals.
Victoria, whose work has appeared in publications nationwide, is known for her extraordinary customer service, fee integrity and ability to help clients get the highest return on their design investment. She has designed multiple homes for the same clients and has worked with companies to design the interiors of apartment buildings, boutique hotels, and law offices.
Victoria spent the majority of her career in Alexandria, Virginia, providing design services to Fortune 500 executives, lobbyists, military generals, doctors, lawyers, investment specialists and other professionals throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and along the east coast. While there, she also ran her ‘Victoria at Home’ shop, the area’s leading source of elegant home furnishings and accessories. Her collection of the finest upholstery, furniture, art, lighting, and pillows was carefully and proudly curated from an international network of vendors and suppliers.
Now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Victoria is keeping busy in ways she had never imagined. From charitable design work to the restoration of heritage buildings, the depth and breadth of her work have expanded while her style becomes more and more influenced by the new colors and nature that surround her. She continues to travel back to the East Coast on a regular basis, taking on projects across the country.
Victoria also speaks at design industry events across the United States. She is currently active in the American Society of Interior Designers and holds Bachelor of Arts and Masters degrees in Interior Design from Marymount University. She also previously served as an interior design professor and was a board member of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Victoria!
Victoria’s Website
Victoria’s Pinterest
Victoria’s Facebook
Victoria’s Instagram
Podcast Sponsor:
Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!
Mentioned Episodes:
Welcome to this episode of Power Talk Friday! Today, LuAnn shares her findings on coaching a diverse group of entrepreneurs. As it turns out, they have several tangible things in common that she was so impressed by that she decided to dedicate a podcast to complimenting these special people and laying out for you what she has discovered in their time together.
As she relates, this has been an ‘A-ha!’ moment for her, and she hopes it will be for her listeners, as well. If you don’t already see yourself in these descriptions, perhaps it’s time that you do something to work toward them.
Additionally, LuAnn brings you exciting news of her upcoming LIVE events that she will be attending spring and summer, and invites you to join her because she LOVES meeting you in person!
Show Highlights:
Resources:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Special Thanks to Podcast Sponsor:
Welcome to this episode of Power Talk Friday! Nicole Cole joins LuAnn today for a chat about a-ha moments and the ensuing mindset shifts.
Nicole will be sharing five takeaways she’s learned from both Power Talk Friday and her time with business coach, Nancy Ganzekaufer.
You’ll want to listen in to hear her tips on how she accomplished her mindset shift to being a CEO so that you can implement these ideas for your business, too!
Nicole Cole is the CEO and Principal Designer at vestige HOME, a Philadelphia based residential interior designer firm focused on creating spaces that are interesting, engaging, and that encourage people to live well. As a young adult, Nicole served in the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer before leaving to pursue work in the corporate world. With her new-found freedom outside the military, she realized that she missed the curiosity and creativity she enjoyed as a child, and decided it was time to build a creative business. Thus, vestige HOME was born!
Nicole and her team provide turnkey design services, which include trade resource coordination, sourcing expertise, creation of detailed plans, and open communication with her clients. With her many years of project management experience, she consistently delivers her projects in the most streamlined fashion with clear goals and expectations and a plan that provides the least amount of disruption possible to her client’s lives.
Nicole studied interior design at Monterey Peninsula College and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Information Systems from the University of Kansas. She believes in creating beauty and exercising a little creativity wherever possible, whether designing a room in a client’s house, picking the perfect pairing of plants for the garden, or just setting the table for breakfast on a Wednesday morning. Nicole’s greatest joy is helping clients to create homes that reflect their lives and personalities while honoring the buildings that contain them.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
Join us for The Power Talk Friday Tour at High Point Market
Friday, April 24th, 2020 from 8am - 11am!
Sign Up For Updates HERE!
Sponsors:
Start Your Trial Now!
Mydoma Studio- Your On-Stop Client & Project Management Tool!
Jaipur
A Well Designed Business Podcast® 4th Birthday Party
New York City, New York
Thursday, March 19th
5:30 – 7:30pm
Kravet Workspace, 200 Lexington Avenue, Suite 210
RSVP HERE!
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Nicole!
Nicole’sWebsite
Nicole’s Instagram
Nicole’s Facebook
Podcast Sponsor:
Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!
Links to other shows mentioned:
Taylor Dieterich & Yashlie Negron #346
Welcome to today’s episode of Power Talk Friday, where LuAnn chats with Nikki Rausch, a fellow seasoned sales guru with a passion for the art of selling.
Nikki has the unique ability to transform the misunderstood process of selling into techniques, tools, and tips that can successfully be incorporated into a duplicatable process.
Nikki Rausch is the Founder and CEO of Sales Maven, where she leverages her 25 years of sales experience to help entrepreneurs learn to sell in an authentic way. As a sales coach, trainer, author, and speaker, Nikki teaches her clients how to authentically move people through the selling process in a way that builds relationships, creates true connection, and results in more closed deals and long-term clients.
Her latest book, Selling Staircase, is sure to leave you feeling confidently equipped to develop a genuine sales process that gets those deals closed.
Listen in to this jam-packed conversation to find out more about how showing up from a place of credibility and being more strategic will help you to reach your sales goals.
Show Highlights:
Resources:
Join us for The Power Talk Friday Tour at High Point Market
Coming Spring 2020!
Sign Up For Updates HERE!
A Well Designed Business Podcast® 4th Birthday Party
New York City, New York
Thursday, March 19th
5:30 – 7:30pm
Kravet Workspace, 200 Lexington Avenue, Suite 210
RSVP HERE!
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review!
Purchase LuAnn’s Book!
Connect with Nikki!
Nikki’s Website - Free E-Book ‘Closing the Sale’! Learn why you might be fumbling sales calls and what to do instead, how you can establish yourself as the expert and language to use when asking for the sale.
Nikki’s Sales Maven SocietyFor 10% Off Membership, Use COUPON CODE: luann
Nikki’s Selling Strength Assessment
Nikki’s Facebook
Nikki’s Instagram
Nikki’s Linkedin
Nikki’s YouTube
Nikki’s Books<— Get Them Here!
Podcast Sponsor:
Open Your Trade Account with ARTICLE.com Here!
Recommended Previous Shows
Welcome! On today’s show, the creative force behind the Barclay Butera Design Firm, joins us on the show for the second time on the podcast. We pick up with Barclay today, where we left off with him in our previous conversation in episode # 122. He talks to us about his corporation, how it has changed, how he vets potential licensing partners, and what his responsibilities are, in terms of his relationships with his licensing partners. Be sure to listen in today, to find out what Barclay has to share.
Barclay has been the creative force behind his prestigious design firm since 1994, and he is well-known for his approachable elegance and glamorous coastal-chic interiors. He has showrooms in New Port Beach, California, Corona Del Mar, California, and Park City, Utah.
Apart from his thriving interior design business, Barclay is also a stand-out leader in our industry for developing and earning licensing agreements. His licensing partners include Kravet, Jaipur, Bradburn Home Lighting, Castell Outdoor Furniture, Eastern Accents, Leftbank Art, Lexington Home Brands, Mirror Image, Napa Home and Garden, and many others. Barclay also has a long list of esteemed press and media publication credentials. Tune in today, to find out more.
Show Highlights:
Previous Episode Mentioned:
Links:
My Doma Studio: A Well designed Business
Welcome! We have Natalie Norcross, the CEO and Founder of A Design Partnership, back on the show today. (She was previously in episode #162.) Natalie started her career as an interior designer. She then built a highly successful residential and hospitality design firm, and after she sold it in 2008, she was repeatedly approached by interior design and architectural firms to assist them with their marketing and business development. And this was how A Design Partnership was born. In today's episode, Natalie talks about the four areas you need to focus on when going after press for your design firm. She also discusses how to make PR more accessible to designers, and she shares her strategies for goal setting, running her firm, and achieving success. Be sure to listen in today, to find out what this #smartlady has to share!
A Design Partnership has grown to become a dynamic group of experts who are passionate about helping clients transform their brands and evolve their businesses. From content curators to data-obsessed experts, Natalie leads a dynamic team of design-savvy people who know the industry, love their craft, and are fanatical about helping brands grow.
Natalie has more than nineteen years of experience, working for interior designers, architects, builders, developers, and hotel and home brands. Her firm has a proven track record of driving exposure and placements through their PR. Natalie is an Official Member of Forbes Agency Council as well as a regular speaker and panelist in both the communications and design industries. Tune in now, for more!
Show Highlights:
Previous shows mentioned in this episode:
Natalie Norcross 1st show #162
Links:
Website: A Design Partnership
Instagram: A Design Partnership
Pinterest: A Design Partnership
Facebook: A Design Partnership
New Launch: Interior Design PR
Welcome to our special bonus show! Today, as promised, we will be sharing our conversation with Eric Ross about his business philosophy, his process for selling accessories, and the way he manages his reveal install day. Eric's process is unique and very unusual. Be sure to listen in, to hear what he has to share.
Eric has been a professional decorator for more than twenty years. Although his preferred design style is traditional, he listens to his clients, to help them discover what they love, and what they respond to because he believes that everyone's home should represent who they are on their best day. Tune in today, to get some great advice from Eric!
Show Highlights:
Links:
Website: Eric Ross Interiors
Facebook: Eric Ross Interiors
Instagram: Eric Ross Interiors
Pinterest: Eric Ross Interiors
Mydoma Studio: A Well Designed Business
A Well-Designed Business® 4th Birthday Party
Welcome! Today, Eric Ross joins us on the show. Eric is a charming southern gentleman and a well-experienced design professional. He is also a seasoned businessman who has figured out how to run his firm in a unique way that really works for him. In today's episode, he describes how he runs his private interior design studio like a retail store. He explains that he no longer feels the need to change, apologize or adjust the way he works to conform to a client’s expectations. Eric knows himself well, he understands his passions, and he is very clear about what he will and will not do. Be sure to listen in today, to find about his very interesting business model.
Eric is from Nashville. He has been in love with the traditional living design style since he was a child. He has more than twenty years of design experience and his work has been published in Traditional Home, Southern Style, Southern Lady, The Cottage Journal, as well as in many other publications. Eric's passion is to fan the flame of traditional decorating with a deeply Southern esthetic. Tune in now, for more!
Show Highlights:
Links:
Website: Eric Ross Interiors
Facebook: Eric Ross Interiors
Instagram: Eric Ross Interiors
Pinterest: Eric Ross Interiors
Mydoma Studio: A Well Designed Business
A Well-Designed Business® 4th Birthday Party
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! Traci Reuter, the founder, and CEO of Divine Social joins us today. Traci loves to uplift and inspire business owners, entrepreneurs, or anyone with an amazing idea! She has a knack for uncovering just the right strategy for everyone and then helping them map things out to make the execution simple and easy. In today's episode, Traci shares tons of ideas, strategies, and tips for paid marketing on social media. Be sure to listen in to find out more about the paid advertising aspect of Instagram and Facebook.
Traci has twenty-five years of experience in sales and marketing. She is passionate about supporting businesses and growing their brands through real and meaningful social media advertising. She has a special gift for mapping out the perfect strategy to get a brand in front of the right people at the right time. Traci truly knows her stuff when it comes to high-level marketing strategy. She also co-hosts the Social Media Happy Hour podcast with Dawn Marks. Tune in today, to learn what she has to share.
Show Highlights:
Bio:
Traci Reuter is the founder/CEO of Divine Social. She’s passionate about supporting businesses in growing their brands through authentic, meaningful social advertising. Traci has an uncanny gift for looking at any business’s mission, vision, and message, and mapping out the right strategy to get their brand in front of the right people at the right time. With 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, Traci knows her stuff when it comes to high-level marketing strategy. Combined with her tactical knowledge of social advertising, Traci can write the recipe for any brand’s success, and she would love to share some of her greatest secrets behind mapping out your own powerful social advertising strategy.
Previous shows mentioned in this episode:
Nicole Heymer #125, #317, and #466
Links:
Website: Divine Social
Instagram: Traci Reuter
Facebook: Traci Reuter Social
Youtube: Traci Reuter
Please take advantage of Traci’s gifts:
For the 15-minute audit, if you are spending more than $3000 a month on social media marketing, email Traci at info@divinesocial.com.
For Traci's free mini-course, 3 Pillars To Successful Social Ads, go to A Well Designed Business
Book mentioned:
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
Welcome! Today, we have Lisa Haude, of Paradigm Design Group, joining us! Lisa built her firm from ground zero to a firm with gross revenues exceeding fifty-million dollars. And she showed her relentless commitment by doing that the old-fashioned way, by calling on her contacts week after week. In today's episode, Lisa talks to us about how she runs her business, and she explains how all her success can be attributed to her commitment to delivering an exceptional project, regardless of the situation. Tune in today, to find out how planning to exceed your clients' expectations in every aspect of a project will always bring about a successful result.
As the lead designer and founder of Paradigm Design Group for the last fifteen years, Lisa Haude is an expert in livable luxury. She has built Paradigm Design Group into a hospitality design powerhouse. With projects ranging from The Roosevelt Waldorf Astoria in New Orleans to the award-winning Portland Marriott Downtown, to boutique hotels and numerous Hilton hotels across the United States, Lisa prides herself on her design versatility. Be sure to listen in today, to find out more about Lisa, and her work ethic, and her successful design firm.
Show Highlights:
Previous shows mentioned in this episode:
Links:
Website: Paradigm Design
Facebook: Paradigm Design Group
Instagram: Paradigm Design Group
The 4th Birthday Party for the podcast will be at Kravet's new workshop center at 200 Lexington New York on March 19, 2020, at 5.30 pm. Use this link to RSVP - Event Brite
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! Today, we have one of our early guests back on the show. Diane Gardener, known as The Tax Coach (Episode #54) is back with us to talk about the specific niche of seven-figure interior design firms. Although LuAnn has done a lot of shows about getting a design business off the ground, she realized that she's done way fewer shows about what to do when you are in the seven-figure bracket. And there are very specific challenges that come with this area. When moving into the seven-figure bracket, business owners frequently experience higher expenses, cash flow problems, and higher taxes. So be sure to listen in today even if you're still a #babydesigner because LuAnn fully intends for you to become a seven-figure interior designer someday.
Diane Gardner is a Certified Tax Coach, a Quilly award recipient, and a best-selling author whose expert planning approach has saved her clients over three-million dollars in taxes. Her expertise lies in the area of tax planning. And her goal is to make sure that successful entrepreneurs across the United States are paying the least amount of income tax that they can legally pay. She aims to save taxes, one business at a time, through the use of pro-active tax planning. Diane has been featured on popular podcasts such as CEO Warrior, For the Love of Money, Listen Money Matters, Investing in The U.S, Cashflow Ninja, SharkPrenuer, Wealth Formula and Profit Boss. Tune in today, to learn about what you need in your seven-figure business to mitigate risk, increase your profits, and legally decrease your taxes.
Show Highlights:
Other guests mentioned in this show:
Diane Gardner was on the show before in episode #54
Links:
Diane's website: Tax Coach 4 You
Diane's offer: Planning guide for the new tax law vs old tax law.
Diane’s Facebook handles:
@taxcoach4you
@AdeptBusinessServices
Welcome to the epic 500th episode of A Well-Designed Business! So far, it's been a wild ride, and we've fully enjoyed every minute of it! Even LuAnn, the consummate positive thinker, ever-optimistic dreamer, and earnest believer in the truth, could not foresee all the joy she has experienced, and the delightful connections she has made, because of this podcast! Join us today, for this truly memorable episode!
Recently, LuAnn has been spending time reflecting on all the pleasure that this podcast has brought her. She's been thinking about all the people she's met, the invaluable relationships she's formed, the opportunities she's been given, and the ones she has helped to create through this podcast. She has also taken the time to break down the various business strategies she's used in running this platform. In today's episode, she shares the five things that she learned behind the scenes, from doing this show. Be sure to tune in today, to hear about the 5 Keys that LuAnn believes were essential for her to have in place, to allow for her calling to happen.
Show Highlights:
Previous shows mentioned in this episode:
Nicole Heymer #125, #317, and #466
Taylor Spellman #106, #390, and #467
Michele Williams #137, #180, #395, and #424
Sarah Daniele #91, #119, and #177
Links:
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! We have Shauna Lynn Simon with us today. She is an award-winning home staging industry expert and business strategist, and she's also one of the co-authors of LuAnn's second book, A Well-Designed Business, The Power Talk Friday Experts. Shauna Lynn is seriously committed to helping aspiring entrepreneurs achieve success in their businesses. In today's episode, she explains how to become unforgettable to your clients. She shares several ways to make yourself memorable so that you're always the first person that your clients think of when they need an interior design or a window treatment service. Be sure to listen in, to find out what this exceptional businesswoman has to share with you today. You're really going to love her!
Shauna Lynn Simon is dedicated to creating educational content that builds successful relationships between like-minded professionals. She partners with CEOs, executives, and solo-preneurs to grow their brands. Shauna Lynn has built a thriving home staging and design business. She has designed a comprehensive and systematic program for teaching the technical and the business side of the home staging world. She also offers core and continuing education for home staging professionals through Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy. Tune in now, for more!
Show Highlights:
Bio:
Shauna Lynn Simon is an award-winning home staging industry expert and business strategist, committed to guiding aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve success in their business. After building a thriving home staging and design business, she founded Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy, a comprehensive and systematic program providing core and continuing education training for home staging professionals.
Analyst turned home stager, Shauna Lynn combines creativity with logic and problem solving to achieve incredible results. Dedicated to creating educational content that builds successful relationships, Shauna Lynn partners with CEOs, executives and solo-preneurs in the creative field to grow their personal and professional brands, providing real-world insights and actionable tips for conquering their business dreams.
Links:
Website: Beyond The Stage Homes
Facebook: Beyond The Stage Homes
Pinterest: BTSHomes
PowerHouse Smart Luxury Conference - phs20.com
Previous shows mentioned in this episode:
Shauna Lynn Simon # 76, #84, and #102
Nicole Heymer #125, #317, and #466
Welcome! Today, we have Claire Staszak back on the show with us. Claire, who was previously in episode #166, is the principal of the Chicago-based firm, Centered by Design. Claire is a kind and genuine lady, and LuAnn has always had a very soft spot for her. In today's episode, she explains how to create excellent, top-quality content for social media. She and LuAnn also talk about how they met at the Design Influencer's Conference in 2017, and they discuss how Claire's blog, Centered by Design, was honored with an award for Best Design Writing. Be sure to listen in, to hear what Claire has to share about creating quality content for social media.
Centered By Design, is known for its holistic design process, which combines Claire's passion for wellness with her well-trained eye for interiors.
Claire studied interior design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and she holds a Certificate of Kitchen and Bath Design from Harper College.
She is also a certified yoga instructor with more than 500 hours of training.
Claire's work has been featured by The Chicago Tribune, Modern Luxury, HGTV, Domino, Architectural Digest online and more. Tune in now, to find out more.
Show Highlights:
Links:
Claire's online shop pages:
Claire's Instagram and Pinterest:
Claire's giveaway - Social Media Prompts for Seasonal & Evergreen Content Goodies
LuAnn and Claire will be speaking at the Power House Smart Luxury Conference this February 5, 2020
Previous shows mentioned in this episode:
Shea McGee - episode #’s: 236, 270 - Keynote Speaker 2017 at Design Influencers Conference
Amber Lewis – episode #’s: 168, 184 - Keynote Speaker 2017 at Design Influencers Conference
Wendy Cohen: #483 - Organizer of the 2020 Power House Smart Luxury Conference
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! Today, we have a business strategist, Kim Dawson, joining us. Kim enjoys working with business owners, helping them earn more and grow their businesses into successful enterprises. Her superpower is helping the owners of service-based businesses work out their ideal pricing formula. In other words, she guides them through a process of figuring out how much they should be charging, either per hour or for an entire project, to be profitable. Kim's advice is to always start with the numbers so that you can plan and strategize to accomplish your goals, rather than wishing for them to happen. Be sure to listen in today, to find out what she has to share.
Kim is a lifelong entrepreneur. She has started many businesses of her own, including a local health and fitness studio, and she has also co-founded a software setup. Kim's experience lies both in locally-focused, service-oriented businesses, and in online product-based businesses. Tune in now, to find out how to set and track your yearly financial goals, and make more profit from your business.
Show Highlights:
The shows to go with this show:
Links:
Welcome to the last podcast for 2019! Today, we have Sally Williams, the owner of Colorful Concepts Interior Design, based in Raleigh, New York, with us on the show. Sally knows who she is, what she is capable of doing, and what sets her apart from other designers. And this comes across very distinctly in her carefully thought-out and exceptionally well-written bio. Listen in today, to hear what Sally has to share about the way she markets and grows her design firm.
Sally is very clear about what she will do and what she won't do in her business. And she knows precisely what to say when she has to have difficult conversations with her clients. This is Sally's secret sauce because certain conversations can be very hard to have if you're not prepared. In today's show, Sally explains how she's equipped herself for having these hard conversations with clients, and she talks to us about two changes that she made in her firm, which have resulted in a 40% increase in her gross sales in just one year. Be sure to tune in today, to find out more!
We wish you the happiest and most successful of years in 2020!
Show Highlights:
Bio:
Sally Williams, the Owner and Principal Designer of Colorful Concepts Interior Design has a design aesthetic that is timeless and free of stylistic premises working in contemporary and traditional spaces alike.
Sally is a CQRID-certified Interior Designer who has also earned an Accounting degree from the College of William and Mary. She worked in Corporate Accounting Management prior to following her life-long passion for Fine Art and Craft by opening a Gallery in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. During her seven years of Gallery ownership, Sally’s eyes were opened to the world of Interior Design. With the encouragement of Gallery clients, friends, and family, she pursued vigorous self-study of the field. In 2002, Sally closed the Gallery and Colorful Concepts was born.
The gallery and artists Sally worked with continue to inspire her design approach today. She begins her designs with the color palette, which sets the tone for the entire project. Sally transforms a space artistically, providing balanced composition and soulful color schemes set in crisp optimistic environments. She has a strong philosophy that environments impact peoples’ daily lives, and she works with the client to deeply understand what they want and need in their space.
As the daughter of a United States Foreign Service Officer, Sally spent much of her childhood overseas. A multi-cultural heritage of French-Canadian on her Father’s side, and Peruvian on her Mother’s, has also inspired Sally’s creativity, which is delivered beyond her client’s expectations.
Sally is a Past President of the Triangle Chapter of the Interior Design Society; a member of numerous Professional Associations including the Home Builders Association and the Remodeler’s Council; and is a volunteer with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Carolina Designer Craftsmen Guild. Sally has lived in Raleigh for thirty years, where she and her husband, Richard, raised their two daughters - Angela and Nancy.
Colorful Concepts Interior Design is a full-service Interior Design studio providing professional services in residential renovation design, space planning, new home materials selections, custom window treatments, and furnishings, fine art and craft consulting, and more. At Colorful Concepts Interior Design, long-term client relationships are valued, and we look forward to working with you on future projects as well. We are fortunate to serve clients in a way that truly enhances their lives.
Previous shows mentioned in this episode:
Nicole Heymer # 125, #317, and #466
Fred Berns #22, #48, #96, #174, #226, #289, #337, #393, and #460
Links:
Colorful Concepts Interior Design
My Doma Studio: A Well Designed Business