108: 50 Lessons Learned for Interior Designers
108: 50 Lessons Learned for Interior Designers
with Michele Williams
Today marks the beginning of year 3 of podcasting and the wrap up of year 2. This has been such a fun time, and it is difficult to believe that two years is behind us. Each year I love to stop and reflect on all that I have learned from hosting this podcast. Each person and topic have a teachable moment and almost always more than one. My continued hope is that each of you listening has had your life and business enriched in countless ways from this podcast. I ask you to review this podcast wherever you listen. I have not asked for reviews in more than a year – but it helps others find us. So, if you could take a minute to do that, I would be very thankful.
Topics Mentioned:
Scaling
Intentional decision making
Financials
Business Hierarchy of Needs
Listen to the Episode
As many of you know, I contemplated two years before even starting this podcast in 2018. I purchased everything I needed, put it on a shelf, and waited. Because at that time, I did not have the bandwidth to produce it and keep it going. It took me two years to clear my head and schedule to be able to commit to what it would take for a podcast. It is a lot of work, but well worth it. While some podcasters watch the number of listeners and subscribers, I check it very little. Why? Because if you are the only one listening and if you are able to shift your mindset around profitability – then it is worth it. You. I decided at the very beginning, and still hold this dear – I am willing to do this work and share it as long as I am learning and offering the same to you.
So, like the two years before, I would love to share with you my favorite highlights of each episode from the last year. This offers not only a refresher on my guests, but if you are new to the podcast, a hint of what you might want to go back and listen to.
I am starting this yearly reflection with Episode 57, which was Ashley Uhl’s episode.
Ashley Uhl – Be intentional in creating a client experience. Define what you want it to be and work towards it. Always keep yourself in the mindset of your client.
Jennifer Smith – creating a board of directors for your business is vital. This board helps you see your business in different ways and gives you a sounding board. It also helps to create a board of directors for your life. Who are the top 5 people you hang out within business and in life? They are shaping who you are at any given moment.
Jana Phipps – Jana shared her journey of courage to leave a corporate job and branch out on her own following her passion for beautiful embellishments. This was a great reminder that adding a bit of flair can also add to our bottom line.
I started doing more solo podcasts in this last year and really enjoy being able to provide insight based on my expertise. In this next episode, I talked about trust being what we are selling. Trust in ourselves builds confidence, and with confidence, we can gain the trust of our clients.
Amy Ferrer – Amy shared with us her journey in business and how she has pivoted within the industry more than once. Her care for other designers came through loud and clear, as she has worked to focus on supporting them through procurement services.
Richelle Plett – Richelle joined us again as a follow up to episode 8, where she shared the struggles that led her to close her business. From her lessons learned, she shared that Profit First really changed her finances providing freedom, and to ask for help when you know you need it.
Jaime Lieberman – Jaime immediately showed us that there are attorneys who are approachable. She offered such great information about business formation all the way to business protection.
On the next very special episode, my husband, Joel, joined me. This has been one of my most listened to episodes this year. He and I talk candidly about what it is like to be married to an entrepreneur and to navigate 20 years of this together while growing our family. One of the highest praises for this episode was when our grown sons listened – they called us and said how much they loved it, what they remembered from growing up – and that it felt like they were in the room having a conversation with us. That made my heart explode.
Amber De Le Garza – Amber joined us and gave us her definition of productivity, which I love. It is this, productivity is investing your best time into your best activities. Such a great reminder.
Cindy Lin – Cindy helped break down the profitability of staging as a business. She reminded us that there can be a blurry line between staging and design these days and that there is room for all of it.
Sherry Wilson – Sherry offered insight into some of the complexities of bookkeeping for the interior design industry. This industry hits almost every aspect of bookkeeping, and it can be complex. The more a business grows, the more assistance is needed in this area.
On my solo for episode 68, I talk about transparency in pricing. The main point – you don’t have to tell everything. Be honest and price with integrity – but quit giving away all your business operations information. Other industries don’t do it, and neither should we.
Brenda Thompson – Brenda shared candidly with us about the weight of entrepreneurship. This is a topic that I see and hear about often, and Brenda was kind enough to give it voice. Being aware of the amount of work that it takes to build a firm, and keeping your sanity takes intention. And I am thankful to Brenda for talking with me about a topic that we don’t talk about enough.
Annette Faber – Annette was one of the first to join me in the business challenges series. She wants to build a legacy in her workroom and was struggling with the next steps. I saw this a lot last year in my private coaching practice. We identified her barriers to scaling and talked through each one to help remove what was stopping her.
Sheri Corey – Sheri shared with us her pivot in business. With this pivot came fear and a lack of confidence. We worked through identifying her fears and addressing each head-on. Great strategies in this one if you have imposter syndrome at all.
Ceil DiGuglielmo – Ceil was back on the podcast for a year-end review. In this episode, we both shared how we do a year-end review and what that looked like. It is a great episode to help you build your year-end review process.
Episode 73 was all about scaling your business. I debunk the myth that there is only one way to scale – and that is by growing a larger and larger firm. If you are thinking about business growth – start here.
Shari Walla – Shari joined us as another in the business challenge series. Shari had a job that went sideways, and it really shook her confidence. Years upon years of work and success was easily forgotten with one really bad job. We worked through this in the podcast. And Shari came out a totally different business owner. If you have had that job that still has you shaky – listen to this episode. I offer strategies for putting the experience in context and moving forward with rebuilt confidence.
Cynthia Bleskachek – Cynthia is a visionary. And if you are similar, you know that your goals are always big, hairy and audacious. And with that comes overwhelm on what to do next, what to let go of, how to prioritize. On this episode, we dig into that. The overwhelm is real, but it does not have to stop you from your dreams.
Virginia Toledo and Jessica Geller – Virginia and Jessica share a bit of their journey to scaling. They were running a successful company but felt like the financials were getting away from them. They share what they did to regain control and remove stress. I love the comment that they made about their partnership: We don’t always align, but we always respect each other.
And you remember that episode with my husband that my kids called home to talk about? Well, that led me to invite them on the podcast to hear from them about how it felt to grow up in a home where I had a home-based business. Many of us can feel that mom guilt, and I am no different. It was interesting, the things I thought would scar them didn’t. And the things I thought were no big deal they remember. Harrison and Brantley were definitely not holding back in what they shared, and I love that they learned a lot of great things from watching and seeing each step of growth in my entrepreneurial journey.
Jessica Williamson – Jessica joined us to talk about growth strategies for her company. That was a big request all last year – how do I grow, when do I grow, and can I afford it? Jessica was challenged with all of this -and how to move forward. We walk through her WHY to help connect it to her company’s growth.
Stacie Kennedy – Stacie brought us another facet of scaling. How to scale two parts of a business at once. This takes effort and focus. We dig into what and how to do this, all while trying to get the day to day work accomplished.
Jeremy and Chandler Quarles – Jeremy and Chandler shared with us how they have had a focus of integrating their life and business. They work in their design firm together and have a small toddler at home. They share home and business responsibilities so that they can grow the business and family together.
In episode 81, I share my AIM with Intent methodology to scale your business. We have three levers to growth – people, process, and profits. And my methodology helps you focus with intention on all three.
Brita DeRemee – Brita had an a-ha moment in our coaching. It was that she could do things her way and create a business that fit her strengths. When she realized this, the world opened up to her, and she no longer had to try to fit into a mold that left her feeling stagnant and uninspired. She shares in this episode that I really challenged her on this phrase, “starving artist.” I asked her why it had to be that way. Why do artists have to starve? And we agreed they didn’t ….and that changed everything.
Meg Casebolt – Meg joined us to share all about SEO. What it is, why we need it, and where to start. I love how she broke it down and made it easy to grasp.
Todd Palmer – Todd shared a very difficult journey in business with us. But it was this difficulty that empowered him to create the life and business he wanted. Mindset work was instrumental in changing his thinking and, therefore, his actions. Learning to be vulnerable in safe spaces offered him a chance to heal and move forward.
As we were in the beginnings of COVID, I did two solo podcasts back to back. One was Perspective in a Crisis, and the other was Creating a Transition and Restart plan. And while we are still navigating this pandemic, the lessons in both of these podcasts can still serve us well regardless of the crisis or need to start and stop in our business.
Veronica Solomon – Veronica offered a big business lesson she has learned, and that is to be consistent. She consistently works on her business, her brand, and her offerings. She plans and researches, then trusts the work and moves forward. Her story is inspirational.
Alyce Lopez – Alyce and I were chatting one day, and she said, “I want to talk about the challenges to run a business and raise a family.” Of course, I said yes. (Let this be a hint to all of you – if there is something you think I need to tackle on this podcast, don’t be shy – let me know.) So we jumped into the discussion of the seasons of life and work and how to set priorities and growth strategies as the kids age. I am very thankful that Alyce not only asked for the topic to be covered but was willing to dive into the conversation with me.
Kimberly Sundt – Kimberly brought us a deep dive into brand clarity. How do we make certain that we are not giving off conflicted messages? I often hear that you all might be getting a lot of calls, but they are not from the ideal clients you want. This is a good episode to help you dial into who you may be attracting and why.
In episode 90, we look at our business as a set of building blocks and how to perhaps rearrange them for maximum success.
Glenna Stone – Glenna and I chat about evolving business, multiple income streams, and the supply chain disruption. She also talks about being intentional in creating a team from the beginning.
I love episode 92 – How to start Profit First with no profit. Because this is all about mindset and choices. We learn how to create healthy financial habits before the first dollar comes in so that we can be good money managers when all the money comes in.
Mike Michalowicz – Mike and I talk about the Fix This Next business hierarchy of needs. I am asked over and over – ok, so what’s next. This episode shows you how to answer that for your company.
Episode 94 begins my 5-part series looking at each level of the business hierarchy as defined in Fix This Next. This episode focuses on the first level, which is sales. Sales are the lifeblood of the company, and we look into what satisfies the sales needs of a company.
Darla Powell and Natalie Grafe – Darla and Natalie share their journey to run two different companies: a social media company and a design firm. We talk about systems, processes, social media, and financials. A little bit of everything!
The second part of the Fix This Next deep dive is a focus on profitability. What does it mean to satisfy the profitability needs of a company? What is needed to do that? Listen in to episode 96 for the answer.
Kara Cox – Kara joins us to share the importance of supportive relationships in your business. I loved hearing her tell how she was mentored and then encouraged to go out on her own. And, how she now tries to pay that forward.
Katie Baldwin – Katie used to struggle with FOMO, and with building a business, she thought she should. Both of these left her drained. In this episode, we chat about the journey to do what she loves and let go of the ‘should’ mindset, and we create a framework to make decisions that alleviate the FOMO.
Episode 99 is all about level 3 of the Business Hierarchy of Needs – Order. Listen in as we discuss why order is important and how to satisfy this need in a company to move it forward.
Erika Ward and Veronica Solomon – Erika, Veronica, and I share how we have chosen to integrate our faith in our business. This is a heartfelt episode and was so inspirational.
Episode 101 is a look at Impact, the 4th level of the Business Hierarchy of Needs. At this level of business, we focus on the transformation we really offer and the complementary network we have created.
Maddie Poteat – Maddie offers us a chance to build a testimonial strategy. I have to say, after her episode, I have put some new things in place to gather testimonials, and it has been such a game-changer to create trust with new clients. Listen in for actionable take-aways.
The last level of the business hierarchy of needs is legacy. In episode 103, we define this and make note of what is necessary for this to happen. This is where we are really focused on a clear separation of the owner and the brand.
Keith Knapp – Keith brings to light the need to have business credit – not just personal credit. We chat about what this means and how to acquire it.
In episode 105, we look at the 5 barriers to scaling your business. These are the roadblocks we all run into at some time.
Eileen Hahn – Eileen shares with us the keys to success that we need to spur exceptional growth. Learn about strategy, hiring, KPIs, and so much more.
Michelle and Alex Gage – Michelle and Alex share with us their drive to understand the numbers in their business and to have measurements they could use to analyze the business. This led them to create an online system to do this for them – and then for others. You know how I feel about the numbers, and this is a good one.
WOW – that was a year. I love that in this entrepreneurial journey we are always learning, and we have the opportunity to learn something from almost everyone we meet. Thank you for hanging out this next year, and I am excited to bring you another year of amazing, educational, actionable content.
If you want more help scaling your business, than you can get from all the podcasts – please reach out. You can find out more on my website scarletthreadconsulting.com/work-with-me-page. I would love to have a discovery call with you to see how to help. And now I end year two like I always do – be intentional about your profit – because profit doesn’t happen by accident.
Key Thoughts:
Discussing client service strategies on Episode 57 with Ashley Uhl. Michele (3:46)
Sherry Wilson discusses Detailed Bookkeeping for Designers on Episode 67. Michele (8:29)
Learn about the Dynamics of an Entrepreneurial Family with Harrison and Brantley Williams on Episode 77. Michele (13:13)
Veronica Solomon discussed Consistency in Business on Episode 87. Michele (18:58)
Discover all about How to Build Supportive Relationships Within Your Design Business with Kara Cox on Episode 97. Michele (22:20)
In Episode 107, learn about how Alex and Michelle Gage encourage others to use Business Measurements for Your Interior Design Business. Michele (25:00)
Contact Michele:
Email: Team@ScarletThreadConsulting.com
Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting
Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL
References and Resources:
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