With me on the podcast today is Brad Clinard of High Point Financial Design located in, you guessed it, High Point, NC. Brad’s firm supports interior designers in the journey to financial independence. We will talk more about what financial independence means, the building blocks to creating this, and how Brad’s firm differs from others. You will easily see the connection as well as the overlap between your business financials and family financials. Lot’s to consider with this topic. Enjoy!

Have you ever been in a place where you were getting all the jobs you wanted and dreamed of? All you have been working for. And the challenge is that it all came in at once – and now you are completely overwhelmed. Maybe you can feel your heart rate speeding up and a light sweat breaking out even as I say these words. Well, if so – this is the podcast for you. We are going to talk about how to manage and overcome the overwhelm in your business.

Joining me today is Traci Reuter of Divine Social. Her firm supports businesses in growing their brands through authentic, meaningful social advertising. We are going to discuss Facebook and Instagram ads. We will be looking at the difference between organic posts, boosted posts and paid advertising. Listen in if you think your company is ready or might be soon for digital paid advertising.

In Steven Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the second habit is this; begin with the end in mind. We are going to talk about this habit and see how it applies to the business we are building not only at the strategic level but at the tactical level. Enjoy the podcast.

With me, today on the podcast is Brandi Bernoskie of Alchemy and Aim. Brandi is a digital strategist, web developer, and tech expert. Our conversation is focused on updating your digital strategy. Many of us have a plan to show up online, but how often do we refine it, and what prompts us to do so? These are the questions we will be digging into.

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.

Joining me on the podcast today are Michelle and Alex Gage of Michelle Gage Interiors and Business Measurements. We are focusing our attention on the need for business financial measurements that allow a business to know where it is and use the data to make decisions on where it is going.

If you have been listening to my podcast for any time, you know how much I focus on profitability – hence the name of the podcast, as well as, the importance of not only knowing your numbers but knowing what they are telling you. The story of your numbers if you will. What Michelle and Alex have created is a dashboard that will help you know your numbers at a glance whenever you want. And knowledge is empowering.

No matter where you are with your financials, listen in today. And don’t forget to go to my website and check out the Understanding Your Financials course and Master Your Profit course to really understand what all the numbers are telling you.

Joining me on the podcast today is Eileen Hahn. Eileen is a leadership consultant who partners with organizations to assist them in hiring and leading exceptional people. Today we will be exploring the 5 keys to success that exceptional leaders employ. Eileen joined us on episode 50 where we talked about hiring exceptional people. See the connection? Eileen is all about working in and with the exceptional. Grab a pen and paper and get ready for a great conversation.

On the podcast, today is Keith Knapp. Keith is a nationally recognized speaker and educator in business, marketing, and credit. We are going to focus our conversation on business credit. We will be defining what it is, why you need it, how to get it – and how to keep it. This is a very interesting and timely discussion. Hope you enjoy!

On the podcast today is Maddie Poteat, the founding partner, and lead marketing strategist at MP Consulting based in Nashville, Tennessee. Maddie and I are going to jump into a conversation about testimonials. We're going to talk a little bit about the difference between just asking for feedback from your client and really having those social proof testimonials. We're also going to look at how to create the questions, how to collect that information, where to put it online, and why we need to do it. We're going to discuss the benefits, and then even what not to do, or what's not really the best way to go about gathering testimonials. Testimonials, as many offer to us, are a free way to have a large marketing impact, so we don't want to overlook how to get, use, and manage them properly in our business. So I hope you'll walk away with a couple of ideas of the testimonials you need to get, how to add that into your process, and where you want it to show up.

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.

On the podcast, today are Darla Powell and Natalie Grafe of Darla Powell Interiors and Wingnut Social. Together Natalie and Darla manage multiple businesses (design, podcast, social media, fire-fighting, and a family business.) We are going to discuss how they started these businesses, how they don’t do it alone and have delegated with a team approach, and how they schedule time to pull away from the business. We are also going to talk a little about social media, some of the changes that have been happening and how to get started if you have more time than money. Hope you enjoy the podcast. 

On the podcast today we are going to tackle excuse that I hear sometimes. “I cannot do Profit First because I don’t have enough profit. I’ll get to that later when I am profitable.” What if I told you that not doing PF prior to having profit could be the problem. Listen in today to learn how to save your profit before you have any.

Ok, Let’s just get this out on the table early. I am a certified Profit First coach and have been since 2015. This method of managing your money works. I also have facilitated the Financial Peace education from Dave Ramsey. I serve creatives – like you – and my focus is to help you create and maintain profit in your company so that you can have a sustainable business. Let’s talk about how to create a profit first strategy even if you don’t yet have a penny of profit.

On the podcast today is Glenna Stone. Glenna is the owner of Glenna Stone Interior Design, located in the Philadelphia area. Her background is in engineering and we're going to discover how her knowledge of supply chain and prior work in the consumer products industry have formed her business model for her design company.

Glenna and I are having this conversation during the time of COVID-19 and we address some of the nuances that this business disruption has brought into our ways of doing business. We also talk about what we think business will look like on the other side of shelter in place. Glenda is such a smart businesswoman. She loves the numbers side and that thrills my heart. She is just gracious and sharing. I'm sure you're going to be inspired by all she has to share. Enjoy the podcast!

On the podcast today we're going to look at how to dissect our businesses so that we can analyze them and perhaps put them back together again in a different way. Really knowing the pieces and parts, as well as what we're great at, or core competency, helps us to determine the best ways that we can show up and then serve our ideal client. And so in the podcast today, we're going to focus on how to be nimble in an ever-changing world. How to grow and scale while keeping flexibility, which is not always easy. That will allow us to maneuver through any change. I hope you enjoy.

Kimberly Sundt is with us on the podcast today to discuss all things branding. Kimberly, in her business, focuses on the 4 C’s of Branding: clarity, communication, consistency and conversation. We will discuss why being super clear on your branding will increase your confidence and actually make “selling” your services so much easier. We also discuss why client experience and perspective matter and the roles they play in your brand story. 

Joining me on the podcast today is Alyce Lopez. Alyce owns and operates the True House, which is a full-service interior design firm that specializes in residential design for busy young families. Alyce began her career in interior design after purchasing a fixer-upper with her husband. She describes it as a 1950’s rambler and learned so much, documented it and her business just blew up. She also has young children who are at home. She's a mom and a wife and a business owner.

On the podcast today is Veronica Solomon of Casa Vilora Interiors out of Katy, Texas. Veronica is a designer, design mentor, blogger, speaker, and micro-influencer. Veronica and I first met on Facebook in her designer group. Then we met in real life at High Point Market in the spring of 2019 where we shared together about building a business and looking for a new hire. Veronica is the real deal. She has a heart to help and does it in a very straight forward and grace-filled way. In that, she speaks my language. In our conversation today, Veronica shares her journey to profitability – and it is not a straight line, by any means. It is inspirational and actionable. I hope you enjoy the conversation and take away a new idea or even just grace for your own business journey.