Today we are going to talk about leadership. As many of us are growing our teams, we should consider how our role, and perhaps that of some of our team, is shifting into more of a leadership focus and not simply executing details.

On the podcast today I’m going to share my origin story. Some of you have reached out to me and asked me to share more and that you want to hear more. And so I thought it would be a great thing to just put my story out there beginning to end. That's what I'm going to do today. I hope that there's something that you can take away from it and that it inspires you.

Each firm needs a CEO. A Chief Executive Officer. Perhaps, the position does not use that label – but the work of the CEO is still needed. On the podcast today we are going to look at the role of the CEO, why it is needed, and how to protect it no matter the size of your firm.

Here we are, midway through the year. And the question becomes, are you on track to meet your goals? I believe that July is a great time to renew your energy and also to renew your goals with a goal setting session. Listen in as we chat about the 3 reasons to set new goals in July.

Years ago, employee reviews were done yearly, and they were so very formal that most people entered with some form of fear. Even those who were high performers. Why? Because you never knew how they were going to go – and the sentiment was that the reviews were always done in favor of the company.

Listen in as I break down how to do a mid-year review with each of your team members, why this is important, and how to balance the scales between what the company needs and what the employee needs.

The last year and a half have been taxing for businesses, and for business owners. The time we used to take to create a great team culture and to do things together was changed to how do we all do things apart from each other. On today’s podcast, we are going to dig into why it is important to have fun in the workplace and how to do that in a multitude of ways. I hope you can take away a few new ideas for your team to build fun again.

Everything we do begins in our minds. Yes, you heard that right. Our work is based on our thoughts about what we can and cannot accomplish. In today’s podcast we will discuss the mindset that allows us to upscale our design firm. Enjoy!

With me today is Jessica Harling of Behind the Design. Jessica loves to work with organizations to create training and operational systems to inspire their employees, streamline costs and develop a Rockstar culture. On the podcast today we are going to tackle the topic of employee retention. What are the 5 big tips to creating an environment where our employees want to hang around and work for the success of all? Enjoy the podcast.

How often do you consider the idea of a team in your business? Perhaps you are a solopreneur and think you work alone. Or maybe you have a huge group of employees and sub-contractors. Either way, and everywhere in between – we work as teams to get things done. On today’s podcast, we will look at the 5 areas to focus on for our teams to be strong.

On the podcast today is Kris Plachy of Kris Plachy Coaching. Kris’s focus is to guide leaders through the tricky path of learning to lead a team. We talk about her Five-Step Management System on the podcast as well as many other aspects of leading, coaching, and managing a team. This is such a great topic because many of you are growing your teams and focusing on this aspect of your business. Kris and I think alike on these topics so it was fun to dig in.

If you have ever read the book, Book Yourself Solid, by Michael Port, you may be familiar with his velvet rope policy. This policy is created to establish boundaries for working with your ideal client. You identify your client and give them access to cross the velvet rope to work with you. In this podcast, we are going to dig into creating barriers and then removing barriers for entry to working with your company.

On the podcast today are Erika Ward from Erika Ward Interiors, and Veronica Solomon of Casa Vilora Interiors. Both of these women have a very strong faith. They are living it out in their day to day transactions including how they respond to people. They are very transparent with what they believe, and how it drives their lives and their businesses.

I invited them on the podcast to talk about how they integrate faith and business. Whether this is what you believe, or what you don't believe, I want to invite you to listen with an open heart. Then maybe ask yourself, "What do you believe, and how does that fit into how you live your life and run your business?" Again, we can all respect each other, and we can believe different things, but it is interesting to listen and to understand. As I love to say, seek first to understand and then be understood. I hope you find today's podcast different and interesting, but also enlightening. I also hope that it gives you food for thought for your own business. Enjoy the podcast.

On the podcast today is Katie Baldwin, the founder of Katie Baldwin Designs out of Lakeville, Connecticut. Katie is an awesome designer who has started shifting her business just a little bit to focus on some of the areas that she really loves, instead of doing what she thought she had to do. She's following her heart, her strengths, and skill set and finding that her joy has been increased. In addition this focus has brought great opportunities for collaborations with other professionals.

I hope that you enjoy listening today. Maybe consider taking a step back and looking at your own life and your own business. Ask yourself where you're doing what you think you have to do, and maybe where you have an opportunity to do what you want to do.

On the podcast today is Kara Cox, of Kara Cox Interiors. I’ve just got to tell you this was such a fun and a delightful conversation. It was recorded in mid-April while we are kind of figuring out how to work around the COVID disruption, and how things are going to start back up. What I love so much is Kara’s open and inviting personality. She just draws you in and has that beautiful southern speech.

Something that struck me in our conversation was the idea of how beautifully she was mentored and taken care of by another designer. This designer then also encouraged her to launch her own design firm. We don’t hear that very often, so listening to her share the story and sweet relationship was such an encouragement.

Kara goes on to talk about how she has worked really hard to figure out how she serves others; not only her staff and her clients, but her community. I think you will be encouraged. Hope you enjoy the podcast.