Podcast
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 business. Design school curricula doesn't always equip you with the business skills to have 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 40 years of success in the interior design industry, and she finds the most successful guests to share their interior design business best practices. This podcast is sponsored by Kravet Inc and Mydoma Studio.
- Episodes
- 1,242
- Releases
- Twice a week
- Typical length
- 1 hr 4 min
- On air since
- 2016
- Latest episode
- 21 hours ago
Episodes
1,242 episodes, newest first
-
26 min
1241: What Would Lu Do: Does Your Dream Team Still Depend on You?
Show notes
Today With LuAnn Nigara:
You hired the team. You built the systems. You have good people working alongside you. So why does it still feel like everything depends on you?
In this episode of A Well-Designed Business®, LuAnn Nigara examines a leadership challenge that can show up at different stages of growing an interior design firm: the difference between hiring people and actually transferring responsibility.
Drawing on her experience growing Window Works with Vin, LuAnn shares how even a profitable, system-driven company with excellent employees can run into trouble when responsibilities gradually shift without being formally assigned.
She also looks at two other common situations: owners who hire management positions before their businesses are ready for them, and owners who delegate work but continue making every decision themselves.
You'll learn why clearly defined roles, decision-making authority, consistent standards, and accountability matter as your company grows. And you'll be challenged to consider whether you're building a team that can operate independently or one that still needs you at every turn.
In this episode, LuAnn discusses:
•
Why hiring employees and transferring responsibility are not the same thing.
•
The risk of creating management positions before defining what the business actually needs.
•
What LuAnn and Vin learned when trusted Window Works employees took on more responsibility without formal role changes.
•
How micromanaging can teach employees to bring every decision back to the owner.
•
Why the CEO must remain accountable for the company without personally managing every responsibility.
Ready to strengthen your leadership skills? Explore the Leadership Track in the Boardroom for Creatives and connect with experienced Board Members who help interior design business owners develop teams, establish expectations, and build accountability.
Find a Board Member in the Leadership Track at boardroomforcreatives.com.
And listen for Friday's MBA episode, A Stronger Design Team Starts With Stronger Leadership, when LuAnn will teach the practical steps for transferring responsibility within your design firm.
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
Boardroom for Creatives
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
-
1 hr 4 min
1240: Tyler Vieira: What AI Built for Interior Designers Could Mean for Your Business
Show notes
Today with Tyler Vieira:
How much of your workday is spent doing things that have nothing to do with designing? Checking order statuses, entering product specifications, reconciling invoices, following up with vendors. It's all necessary work, but it's also time you aren't spending on your clients, your creativity, or growing your business.
In this episode of A Well-Designed Business®, LuAnn Nigara welcomes Tyler Vieira, CEO of Studio Designer, for a conversation about what happens when AI is developed specifically for the interior design industry.
Since joining Studio Designer in 2022, Tyler has overseen the company's growth from approximately 30 employees to more than 120, serving around 10,000 design firms. With a background in software, Tyler brings a valuable perspective to the challenges of building technology that doesn't just demonstrate what AI could do, but works reliably enough to become part of your everyday business operations.
LuAnn and Tyler discuss why general-purpose AI tools aren't always equipped to handle the complexities of an interior design firm, where industry-specific AI can make a meaningful difference, and how technology could reduce the time you spend on purchasing, tracking products, reconciling invoices, and managing project information.
Tyler also shares a striking example: Studio Designer users created approximately 4.5 million product items in one year. If AI could save just one minute per item, that would represent 75,000 hours of potential time savings across the industry.
But this conversation isn't about replacing your judgment or creativity. It's about understanding where technology can support your business so you can spend more time doing the work that actually requires your expertise.
If you've been wondering how AI fits into your design business, this episode will help you think beyond the headlines and consider the practical opportunities.
Special offer from Studio Designer: Visit studiodesigner.com/awdb to receive 20% off your first two months on a monthly subscription to either Studio Designer or Mydoma.
More about Tyler Vieira:
Tyler Vieira is the CEO of Studio Designer. He has been with the company since 2022 and overseen its growth from 30 employees to over 120 employees. Tyler comes from the software industry and is new to design (his designer and family make interiors decisions at home). When not at work, he and his wife are kept plenty busy by his 6-mo-old and 2.5-year-old sons.
Connect with Tyler Vieira:
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Boardroom for Creatives
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
-
1 hr 27 min
1239: Nicole Heymer & Kate O'Hara: Going Local vs. Going National: The Choice That Changes Everything
Show notes
Today with Nicole Heymer and Kate O'Hara:
Today with Nicole Heymer and Kate O’Hara, the new owners of the Design Influencers Conference, we’re talking about one of the biggest decisions in a design business, one that most designers never actually make on purpose: local or national. Nicole has spent more than 15 years helping interior designers, architects, and custom home builders build their brands and get found. Kate built the marketing engine behind O’Hara Interiors across multiple markets before launching her own business consulting practice. Between them, they’ve seen this from every side.
We get into how to tell which kind of firm you really are, and why working outside your area doesn’t make you national. Kate and Nicole walk through the formula behind each strategy and what it changes about your website, your social media, your press, and your photo shoots. We also cover which awards are worth chasing and why they now affect whether AI recommends you to the clients looking for you. If you’ve been wondering whether going bigger is actually better, this conversation will help you decide, and you’ll know exactly what to focus on at the Design Influencers Conference, March 1–3, 2027, in Atlanta. Got to http://designinfluencersconference.com
Aha Moments with Nicole Heymer and Kate O'Hara
“National strategy, going after…a home feature in a national magazine, that takes a lot of bandwidth, a lot of effort, a certain kind of work…You really have to do it on purpose. These things cannot happen accidentally. The decision has to be made.” - Nicole
“This isn’t a coincidence. This is a strategy. This is intentional.” - LuAnn
“There’s so much opportunity. It is overwhelming. And that’s why it is so important to get really clear about who you are and what your goals are and get ruthless about focusing on those because the opportunities become costly distractions very quickly when they pile up.” - Kate
More about Nicole Heymer and Kate O'Hara
Nicole Heymer: Owner and Creative Director, Glory & Brand Nicole Heymer is the founder of Glory & Brand, a boutique creative agency specializing in branding, websites, marketing automation, and strategy. Since 2011, Nicole has worked with a wide variety of clients at every stage in their development, from nationally known interior design firms to local custom home builders. Nicole’s clear, practical take on branding has been featured by a range of design industry resources—from the Wingnut Social podcast to the Design Influencers Conference to the . You’ll find her methods in print, on industry webinars, and as the framework for branding workshops.
Kate O’Hara: Kate O’Hara is the founder of Lake House Group, an advisory practice that helps founder-led and second-generation businesses navigate growth, operational blind spots, and transitions. She previously served as the second-generation CEO and Creative Director of O’Hara Interiors before intentionally closing the prominent design firm to focus on advisory work and co-owning the Design Influencers Conference. [1,2,3]
Connect with Nicole Heymer and Kate O'Hara
Design Influencers Conference Website
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
Boardroom for Creatives
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned: Episode 830:Anne Gillyard: Capitalizing on Your “You” to Grow Your Interior Design Business
Episode 323:Amy Flurry: How to Pitch Press and Build Relationships
Episode 369:Power Talk Friday: Stephen Karlisch: Professional Tips for Getting More Out of Your Interior Design Photoshoots
Episode 138: Power Talk Friday – Charlotte Safavi- Why Even An Interior Designer Can Benefit From a Professional Stylist On The Photo Shoot
-
34 min
1238: MBA: 4 Ways to Find Interior Design Clients Now and for the Future
Show notes
Today With LuAnn Nigara:
Is your interior design business slower than you’d like right now? This episode covers 4 proven ways to find clients and a 30-day plan so you can start this month.
On Tuesday’s What Would Lu Do, we talked about choosing the marketing that fits who you are. Today is the how. I walk you through 4 strategies. Each one comes with a designer who has done it and has the results to show for it. Listen like a CEO who’s shopping, and choose the 1 or 2 that fit you.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
•
How Fred Berns (AWDB 226) uses a simple September letter to bring past clients back and position you as their one-stop shop
•
How Vita Vygovska (WTFP 143) built relationships with 27 firms, and why 10 to 20 targets can give you 3 to 5 real referral partners in 2 to 3 years
•
How Carolyn Flannery (AWDB 453) turned school auction donations into ideal clients and the friends who follow them
•
How Jessica Matteson (AWDB 683) used $35 postcards and phone calls to win projects, and how 6 of her 8 projects traced back to that outreach
•
How I found designers for Window Works in the Yellow Pages in 1984, and how 1 showhouse turned 2 relationships into 5
•
A 30-day plan that works like a gym habit: 30 minutes, 3 days a week
The years are going to go by whether you do this or you don’t. Choose your 1 or 2 and start this month.
Pair it with Tuesday’s episode: What Would Lu Do: Good Marketing Advice Can Still Be Wrong for You
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned
Episode 226: Power Talk Friday: Fred Berns – 5 Keys to a Fabulous Fall
Episode 143:Vita Vygovska: Market to Interior Designers by Building Relationships
Episode 453: Carolyn Flannery: Impact Your Pipeline With This One Strategy
Episode 683: Jessica Matteson: The Client Experience Is #1 in Design
-
26 min
1237: What Would Lu Do?: Good Marketing Advice Can Still Be Wrong for You
Show notes
Today With LuAnn Nigara:
Video works. Instagram works. Plenty of designers are building 6- and 7-figure businesses on it. So why do so many interior designers keep promising themselves they’ll start, and never do?
In this What Would Lu Do episode of A Well-Designed Business, LuAnn Nigara shares a recent conversation with a designer who had been saying “I should do video” for 8 years, and the 2-word answer that surprised her: “Why bother?”
LuAnn explains why the most expensive place in your marketing is the middle, where you spend the time, the energy, and the guilt and collect none of the results. She shares her own decision to skip video for 10 years, knowing exactly what she was leaving on the table, and the charity ball she passed on at 30 even though her clients’ names filled the program.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
•
Why good marketing advice can be right for other designers and still wrong for you
•
The 2 questions that tell you where to put your marketing time, money, and energy
•
How to tell the discomfort that comes with the job from a preference about a channel
•
What the big law firms teach about finding your business development style
•
Exactly what to do this week to decide what stays in your marketing and what goes
Pair this episode with Friday’s MBA episode, 4 Ways to Find Interior Design Clients Now and for the Future, for proven ways to find new clients that fit the way you work.
Listen now, and choose your marketing on purpose.
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
Boardroom for Creatives
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
-
1 hr 15 min
1236: Audrey Faust: You’re Good at Making Money. But Are You Managing It?
Show notes
Today with Audrey Faust:
You can be very good at making money and still avoid looking at what happens to it once it comes into your business.
That’s the tension at the center of LuAnn’s conversation with returning guest Audrey Faust, MBA, The Manifesting CFO. Audrey works with multi-six and seven-figure women business owners who may be generating significant revenue while still struggling to understand their profitability, pay themselves appropriately, or feel confident making financial decisions.
And sometimes, the problem isn’t simply knowing which report to pull.
Audrey explains how our beliefs and experiences around money can influence the way we price, spend, save, grow, and even how willing we are to look at our own financial information. She shares the story of one interior designer who had been in business for 20 years and was approaching seven figures in revenue, yet was barely making a profit and barely paying herself. Her belief? She should know this by now.
But how would she know if no one ever taught her?
LuAnn and Audrey explore the connection between money mindset and financial management, why more sales may not solve a profitability problem, and what changes when you stop avoiding your numbers and start using them to make informed business decisions.
They also discuss Audrey’s Manifest, Manage and Multiply Money approach, why an underlying money story can feel like having one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake, and why understanding your numbers is not about judgment. It is about having the information you need to lead your company.
Because running a profitable business is a skill set. And like every other skill you’ve developed as a designer or window treatment professional, it can be learned.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
•
Why strong revenue does not necessarily mean you have a profitable business
•
The difference between earning money for the work you perform and being rewarded for owning the company
•
How money beliefs can influence pricing, growth and financial decisions
•
Why avoiding your financial reports does not change what is happening in the business
•
How understanding your numbers can help you make better decisions about pricing, clients, hiring and growth
•
Audrey’s free monthly Where Is All My Money Going? event for business owners ready to become more comfortable with their P&L
More about Audrey Faust
Audrey Faust, MBA is The Manifesting CFO, a CFO strategist who works with financially phobic women business owners at the multi six and seven figure level. Her clients consistently grow their profit between 20-100%, but the transformation they talk about most is finally feeling safe enough to look at their numbers and having the confidence and clarity to lead like the CEO of their business. She is a 2x Amazon bestselling author and host of the Manifest, Manage and Multiply Money podcast.
Connect with Audrey Faust
YOU ARE SAFE WITH YOUR NUMBERS
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Boardroom for Creatives
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
-
1 hr 4 min
1235: BEST OF: Sponsored Show: Dezign Assist: The Smartest Way to Buy Back Time in Your Interior Design Firm
Show notes
Today with Reed Humphrey of Dezign Assist
Is your team maxed out, or are you stuck doing $10-an-hour tasks when you should be focused on leading your business?
In today’s sponsored episode, I’m talking with Reed Humphrey, CEO of Alder & Tweed Interior Design and founder of Dezign Assist, a remote staffing company built specifically for interior designers.
Reed created Dezign Assist after solving a bottleneck in his own firm. When his team couldn’t keep up with project demands, he built a scalable system using experienced remote designers. The result? More capacity, less burnout, and happier clients.
If you’re a larger firm looking to support your in-house team or a solo designer ready to stop doing it all yourself, this episode will challenge how you think about delegation and show you how to buy back your time without sacrificing quality.
Connect with Reed Humphrey
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Connect with LuAnn Nigara
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
Other Resources Mentioned:
This podcast supports the Savvy Giving Design Coalition. Learn more about it here!
AWDB #717 Susan Wintersteen: Interior design firm standards in a nonprofit passion project
AWDB #164: Susan Wintersteen- Savvy Giving by Design
Other Shows Mentioned:
AWDB #194 Reed Humphrey Alder and Tweed
-
1 hr 22 min
1234: Melanie Zaelich: Your SEO Is Working. But Is Search Changing?
Show notes
Today with Melanie Zaelich:
You invested in your website. You took SEO seriously. You may even have professionals managing your SEO and Google PPC, and people regularly tell you, “I found you online.”
That’s good. Keep doing it.
But the way potential clients search is changing, and strong SEO is no longer the whole conversation.
In this episode of A Well-Designed Business®, LuAnn Nigara sits down with interior designer, branding strategist, and SEO educator Melanie Zaelich to unpack SEO, AEO, GEO, and what AI-driven search means for interior designers and other established business owners.
Melanie explains why SEO remains the essential foundation, while Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization add new considerations for how your website communicates your expertise. It is no longer enough to think only about whether Google can find your website and understand what services you offer. As consumers increasingly use AI to ask questions, solve problems, and find businesses, your online content also needs to answer the questions they are asking and demonstrate what your company genuinely knows.
Melanie and LuAnn discuss how customer search behavior is changing, why asking ChatGPT about your own company is not the same as testing whether a potential client can discover you, and how years of experience, proprietary processes, frequently asked questions, and professional judgment can become valuable online content.
They also explore the connection between AI search and intellectual property, including why businesses should clearly identify and establish the processes, systems, and expertise they want to be known for.
The baseline for being found online is evolving.
If you were the business owner who understood early that having a website wasn't enough, and later understood that investing in SEO mattered, this episode asks an important question: Are you still paying attention to what comes next?
More About Melanie Zaelich: Melanie Zaelich is an award-winning interior designer, branding strategist, and SEO educator with more than 30 years of experience in advertising, branding, and marketing. From big agencies to her own interior design business. She is the founder of Happy Place Interiors, The Designer’s Blueprint, and Modern Search Studio, and creator of the Modern Search Factors™ Framework. After using SEO to grow her own interior design business, Melanie began teaching creative entrepreneurs how to become more visible, credible, and relevant online. Today, she is especially passionate about the rapidly changing world of AI and helping business owners understand how tools like ChatGPT are interpreting, recommending, and talking about their brands. In addition to continuing to scale her interior design firm, she is also focused on teaching AI visibility, SEO, digital reputation, and helping business owners proactively protect their brand, messaging, and intellectual property as search moves into the AI era.
Connect with Melanie Zaelich:
The Designer's Blueprint Website
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned: Episode 1039Melanie Zaelich: Consultation-Only Interior Design: How to Set Boundaries and Avoid Scope Creep
-
57 min
1233: Chana-Rivka Thierman & Faigy Chaskelson: How to Make Industry Events Worth Your Time
Show notes
Today with Chana-Rivka Thierman & Faigy Chaskelson:
Are you attending industry events by wandering the expo floor, visiting the same vendors you already know, collecting business cards, and hoping something valuable comes from the day? There’s a more intentional way to do it.
Today, I’m joined by commercial interior designer Faigy Chaskelson and architect Chana-Rivka Thierman to talk about how they use industry events to build relationships, discover resources, meet peers, and connect with professionals outside their immediate circles. And Faigy truly practices what she preaches. Years ago, she drove more than an hour each way to attend a Window Works Lunch and Learn because she wanted to meet me. That introduction grew into a relationship, and ultimately Faigy was the person who suggested I speak at the Design X Architecture Summit, DXAS. That relationship is also part of the reason the three of us are having this conversation today.
We talk about going into an event with a plan, being selective about whom you want to meet, approaching conversations with genuine curiosity, and following up afterward so a promising introduction has the opportunity to become a real relationship. We also talk about why your relationships with other designers, architects, vendors, builders, and industry professionals can become an important resource for your business.
And, of course, we talk about DXAS, happening December 1st at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey. I attended last year, I’ll be speaking this year, and I genuinely enjoyed the environment they created for learning, sourcing, and actually spending time with people.
If you’re investing a day away from your business to attend a conference, market, or trade show, this conversation will help you make that day count.
The first 100 A Well-Designed Business listeners can attend DXAS for $24.99 with code LUANN26.
More about Chana-Rivka Thierman & Faigy Chaskelson
CHANA-RIVKA THIERMAN
Founder & CEO, THIERMAN Design & Consulting
Chana-Rivka Thierman is a French-registered architect and founder of THIERMAN Design & Consulting, an interior design studio based in the USA. She has international experience across France, Russia, and the United States, with a career spanning architecture, design, workplace strategy, BIM, and construction.
In France, she worked within Bouygues, one of the country’s largest construction groups, including on the construction of the Paris Courthouse designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Working within a large-scale construction environment shaped her understanding of how design connects to execution, coordination, decision-making, and the broader business of building.
Today, she brings that cross-disciplinary perspective to her own design practice and to her involvement in helping shape the programming for DXAS 2026, bringing together perspectives across design, architecture, development, construction, technology, and industry.
—-
Faigy Chaskelson is an entrepreneur, commercial interior designer, and co-founder of The Artify Group, where she leads business development and builds strategic relationships across the design and architecture community.
She is also the founder and CEO of Styles Design Interiors, a commercial interior design and procurement firm serving senior living, healthcare, multifamily, and public-sector projects.
With experience on both the design and business-development sides of the industry, Faigy has built her career around connecting people, resources, and opportunities. She believes some of the strongest business growth happens when professionals stop simply networking and start intentionally building relationships that create value for everyone at the table.
Connect with Chana-Rivka Thierman & Faigy Chaskelson:
Aha Moments with Chana-Rivka Thierman & Faigy Chaskelson:
"I can guarantee that seventy-five percent of the people feel the way you feel. Even if you're in the room with people that you know in the industry, most of the people are afraid... you just have to go over and say hi." -Faigy
"Imagine you're at the event and you're standing by yourself and someone walks up and says, Hi, I'm Luann. Are you a designer too? Do you think any person is gonna be like, How dare you walk up to me at a networking event and say hello to me?" -LuAnn
"You need to be smart also because you won't be able to meet everyone. So you really also need to be selective at the beginning and then things can happen." -Chana
"You should come with a plan. Who do you want to meet? How many of those type of people you want to meet? Because you know there's architects... vendors, if you need a specific source, most likely there's going to be a person in that room for you." -Faigy
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Boardroom for Creatives
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned
Episode 1097: NEW SHOW: Margalit Lankry: Designers with Intention. A Community with a Collaborative, Abundance Mindset
-
35 min
1232: What Would Lu Do: AI Gave You the Right Answer, but You Asked the Wrong Question
Show notes
Today With LuAnn Nigara:
AI can hallucinate. It can give you information that is flat-out wrong. But what happens when AI gives you a really good answer?
In this What Would Lu Do episode, LuAnn Nigara explores a more subtle risk of using AI in your interior design business: getting an accurate, intelligent, well-researched answer to a question that wasn't the right question to begin with.
Through examples from her own work with AI, including a lesson involving designer Megan Moulton, a real Chairman of the Board client evaluating a significant marketing investment, and an AI-generated answer about interior design profitability, LuAnn shows where experience and business judgment still matter.
You'll hear why more information isn't the same as more experience, how AI can move from observation to diagnosis without enough evidence, and why a mathematically attractive ROI doesn't necessarily make an investment a smart business decision.
LuAnn also explains what to do when you don't yet have the experience to recognize what you're missing, including when it makes sense to borrow the expertise of someone who does.
AI can research, organize, compare, analyze, and help you move faster. But somebody still has to sit in the CEO chair.
That somebody is you.
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Boardroom for Creatives
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned Episode 455:Megan Molten: Another Side Hustle Success Story
Episode 677:Megan Molten: To Succeed, Focus on Your Why Episode 1230:What Would Lu Do?: Are You Disqualifying Leads Too Soon?
-
1 hr 16 min
1231: CEO Conversations with Kate O'Hara: Closing the Client Experience Gap
Show notes
Today with Kate O’Hara:
Today with Kate O'Hara, we're digging into something every designer feels but doesn't always name: the client experience gap. Kate spent years running a luxury design firm, which means she's had a front-row seat to what actually keeps high-end clients coming back, and what quietly sends them somewhere else next time. In this conversation, we’re talking about the space between the experience you think you're delivering and the one your client is actually having.
We’re discussing how expectations get set (or don't), what happens when you assume you know what a client means instead of asking, and why the most generous thing you do in month one can become the very thing that costs you a client down the road. Kate also shares a couple of real stories from her own firm, including one dream project that didn't end the way anyone hoped. If you've ever wondered why gorgeous design doesn't always translate into repeat business and referrals, this episode is going to give you a lot to think about.
LuAnn and Kate's Aha Moments:
"As great as your design is, as award-winning and nationally published as it might be, what actually runs your business is the experience that you deliver." — Kate O'Hara
"Anything that you do early for your client is, to the client, that's normal. That is now your services. And the second you tell them that wasn't part of our services, you're not granting them anything special, you're taking something away." — Kate O'Hara
"It's what we say, whether it's in personal relationships or business relationships — we teach people how to treat us. We teach them by the things we say and we do, and the things we allow and the things we don't allow, how they're gonna treat us." — LuAnn Nigara
More About Kate O’Hara:
Kate O'Hara is the founder of Lake House Group, an advisory practice that helps founder-led and second-generation businesses navigate growth, operational blind spots, and transitions. She previously served as the second-generation CEO and Creative Director of O'Hara Interiors before intentionally closing the prominent design firm to focus on advisory work and co-owning the Design Influencers Conference. [1, 2, 3]
Connect with Kate O’Hara:
Design Influencers Conference Website
Design Influencers Instagram
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
Other Shows Mentioned:
Episode 1030: Ceo Conversations with Kate O’Hara: Insights and Strategies on Successful Scaling
Episode 1042: Ceo Conversations with Kate O’Hara: End-of-Year Business Strategies for Designers: Pipeline, Productivity, and Press
Episode 1148: Ceo Conversations with Kate O’Hara: A Framework for Understanding Luxury Interior Design Clients
Episode 1157: Ceo Conversations with Kate O’Hara: Marketing to the Three Tiers of Luxury Clients and How to Attract Each One
Episode 1188: Ceo Conversations with Kate O’Hara: Scaling Your Design Firm Part 1: The Three Paths Forward
Episode 1202: Ceo Conversations with Kate O’Hara:Is Your Next Idea a Revenue Driver or a PR Play? Part 2
Episode 1219:CEO Conversations with Kate O’Hara: Stop Defending Your Pricing to Your Clients
Episode 986:Power Talk Friday: Sandra Funk: Boundaries and Expectations are a Few of My Favorite Things
-
27 min
1230: What Would Lu Do?: Are You Disqualifying Leads Too Soon?
Show notes
Today With LuAnn Nigara:
Qualifying leads is good business. But the qualification strategy that makes sense when your interior design firm is booked several months out may not make sense when your pipeline has room or your sales skills still need strengthening.
In this What Would Lu Do episode, LuAnn challenges you to look at whether your qualification process reflects the business you actually have today. Because there is an important difference between knowing a prospect isn't right for your firm and assuming they aren't based on limited information.
Using lessons from more than 40 years of selling at Window Works, LuAnn explains why “not qualified in” is not the same as “qualified out,” and why an imperfect answer on an inquiry form may deserve another question before you make the decision.
You'll also hear LuAnn's distinction between sales practice and sales scrimmages. You can practice your questions, explain your services, and rehearse saying your fees. But a live prospect doesn't know your script. That's where you learn to listen, respond in real time, explain your value, talk about money, and confidently recognize when the answer really is no.
LuAnn also shares a practical 90-day assignment to help strengthen your discovery-call skills and asks one important question to consider the next time you're tempted to immediately disqualify an inquiry:
Do I actually know that yet?
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned
#316 WTFP What Would Lu Do?: How to Qualify Leads Without Disqualifying Your Future Revenue
Episode 1229: MBA: The Discovery Call: Listen, Learn, Then Lead
-
29 min
1229: MBA: The Discovery Call: Listen, Learn, Then Lead
Show notes
Today With LuAnn Nigara:
You already have questions you ask on a discovery call. But do you know what you’re actually trying to learn from the answers?
In this MBA episode of A Well-Designed Business, LuAnn Nigara goes into the archives to pull together sales lessons from Matt Cobb, Leah Neaderthal, Tracee Murphy, and Nikki Rausch. Together, their advice reveals a more strategic way for interior designers to think about the discovery call.
A great discovery call isn’t simply a get-to-know-you conversation or a checklist of questions about scope, budget, and timeline. It’s an opportunity to learn how a prospective client makes decisions, what they truly value, what problem they are trying to solve, and what their answers are telling you about how to lead the sales conversation.
LuAnn breaks down how to ask questions with intention, listen beyond the surface answer, capture the client’s own words, and use what you learn to make stronger recommendations. She also explains why listening matters all the way through the sale, including recognizing when a client is ready to move forward and when a prospect may not be the right fit.
The goal isn’t to convince every prospect to hire you. It’s to understand the person in front of you well enough to determine whether there is a win-win and, when there is, confidently lead them toward the right next step.
Listen. Learn. Then lead.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
•
Why every discovery question should have a purpose.
•
How to listen for what a prospective client means, not only what they say.
•
How to identify the “nuggets” that reveal what the client truly values.
•
How to use the client’s own words when presenting your design recommendations.
•
How to recognize buying signals without selling past the close.
•
Why the information you gather should determine what you do next in the sales process.
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned Episode 318:What Would Lu Do?: Exactly What to Ask on a Discovery Call: Sales Questions That Actually Work Episode 769: Power Talk Friday: Leah Neaderthal: Sales Techniques for Introverts Episode 1081:Tracee Murphy: The Psychology of Luxury Sales in Interior Design Episode 508:Power Talk Friday: Nikki Rausch: The Sales Maven
-
1 hr 12 min
1228: Kelly Finley: From Bigger to Better
Show notes
Today with Kelly Finley:
Kelly Finley built the firm you're told to want. Nine people. Two offices, one in California and one in Georgia. Major projects, press, a team that could run circles without her in the room. From the outside, she'd made it.
Then her husband's job moved the family to Georgia, and the model that got her there started costing her more than it gave back. The distance between offices. The team changes that came with distance. The quality control that got harder to hold onto from three time zones away. Kelly had to sit with a question a lot of designers avoid asking once they've already built something big: is this actually what I want, or is it just what I built?
Her answer wasn't dramatic. It was a decision, made in stages, to bring the firm back down to a lean, senior team, and to know her numbers well enough to trust the decision. She talks about what it costs to keep a firm open every month, why she used AI to reshape a six figure role instead of hiring someone new to do the same job the same old way
She also talks about Joy Street Initiative, the nonprofit she runs alongside her design firm, renovating spaces in women's and children's shelters with the same care she'd bring to a client's living room. This year marks 15 years in business, and she's launching a campaign called 15 Spaces to raise $150,000 for that work. To learn more about that go to joystreetinitiative.com
This is a conversation about what happens when you've already proven you can build the big version, and you decide better matters more than bigger. Listen in and hear how she's doing it.
More About Kelly Finley:
Kelly Finley is the founder of Joy Street Design, a nationally-acclaimed interior design firm, and Joy Street Initiative, a nonprofit transforming spaces for women and children in crisis. She also co-hosts Hustle Adjacent, a podcast about designing the life you actually want to live. Known for bold color, joyful spaces, and an unapologetic approach to living well, Kelly doesn’t just design beautiful rooms. She’s proof that you can build a life of purpose, success, and pleasure without compromise.
Connect with Kelly Finley:
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Other Shows Mentioned:
Episode 1144: BEST OF: Marianna Zimmerman: It’s Never Too Late to Design Your Life
Episode 1203: Madelaine Mayer: The Interior Designer Who Spent 20 Years as an Architect Before Choosing Joy
-
1 hr 10 min
1227: BEST OF: Michele Williams: Re-Visiting Michele Williams’ Tips for Time Management
Show notes
Today on the show I have yet another fabulous business coach who specializes in our industry! Michele Williams is with me! Michele is the founder of Scarlet Thread and Consulting in Atlanta, Georgia. Today we will learn about Michele’s background which includes the financial software industry as well as a business in soft window treatment fabricator. She also has a BS in business administration, a diploma in Christian life coaching and she is one of the few certified profit first coaches in the United States. Michele was also the communication director and editor in chief of the Drapery and Designs Professional Magazine from 2009 to 2012. She is a member of The Design Collective in Atlanta, the Designers Work Club Council and the Window Covering Association of America. After talking to Michele I realized that there are so many things I could talk with her about but after we talk about her background a little bit we are going to pull apart work scheduling and chunking our day to have more productivity.
Show Notes:
• What is her background in the financial software industry?
• When did she decide to start her window treatment business?
• Did she start with a business plan?
• How did she start to make her business bigger?
• What is the Design Collective in Atlanta?
• What is a round table discussion and how is it helpful?
• How is the Window Coverings Association helpful to Michele and her business?
• What are some of things that you can expect Michele to talk about the expo IWCE in Charlotte?
• Why is it important to listen to different people say the same things?
• Why is important to be able to chunk your time for productivity?
• Is it better to be proactive or reactive?
• How should you plan your calendar?Resources:
Website: Scarlet Thread Consulting
Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting
Instagram: Scarlet Thread
LinkedIn: Michele Williams
Twitter: Michele Williams
Financial Health Checklist PDF: Scarlet Thread Consulting
Previous shows mentioned:
#94 Debi Pinelli (A& J Interiors)
Links:
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
-
1 hr 17 min
1226: BEST OF: Eileen Hahn: Scaling from 2 Million to 5 Million
Show notes
Today with Eileen Hahn
Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s Power Talk Friday! Today, Luann and her guest, Eileen Hahn, dig into how to scale your design business from 2 million to 5 million. Going from 2 to 5 million is not easy, and it does not happen by accident. Intentional is the name of the game when scaling at this level. Who better to take us through that than Eileen? She’s the HR whisperer from LuAnn’s first Power Talk Friday Experts book. Eileen was with us all at LuAnn Live and she also has a chapter in LuAnn’s upcoming second Power Talk Friday Experts book, as well. Oh, and did you know that LuAnn and Eileen are COUSINS? Tune in to their conversation for expert advice on hiring, retaining, and scaling, and be amazed as Eileen takes
this overwhelming task of scaling and breaks it down into a simple (not easy, simple) to-do list!
Eileen Hahn is a leadership consultant who works with firms like Anheuser-Busch, Ericson Worldwide, General Motors, Legoland, San Diego Padres, and interior design firms, as well as smaller entrepreneurial firms. She teaches leaders in these organizations how to hire and lead exceptional employees who bring fire and energy to their work, achieve high levels of performance, and generate financial results. Eileen’s work has improved productivity, profitability, and employee work passion. It has also brought the employees joy, peace, purpose, and prosperity.
Show Highlights:
• Create a compelling vision statement that defines your firm. Make it something your team can get excited about and feel proud to be a part of.
• Then take that vision and get real with it – set a monetary goal.
• Now, back up that financial goal with a sales strategy. It’s human nature to just hope you’ll hit your goal. But just hoping isn’t going to get you where you want to go. To hit your dollar amount goal, you must dedicate considerable time to developing your sales strategy.
• Dissect your business. Think about:
• What has worked before?
• Can this take us to the next level, or is this activity maxed out?
• What am I going to do differently to scale?
• Eileen breaks down the overwhelming task of scaling and breaks it down into these simple steps:
• What do I like doing?
• What am I good at doing?
• What market segment do I enjoy working in?
• Each year you should spend a minimum of 2-3 days of strategic analysis and planning for your business. Quarterly planning is even better!
• The world is changing and so is business, so we must keep on eye on what is working and plan for new strategies.
• Understand where you are as the business owner, what you need, and where you see yourself so that you can set yourself up for success with the right people.
• Eileen shares hiring considerations and tips.
• If you’re thinking about growth, recognize this time as the last opportunity you’ll have to assess whether each person on your team fits and is utilizing their strengths and skills.
• Eileen has put in the work for you on preparing Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkits for hiring Exceptional Designers, Design Assistants, Expediter/Purchasers, Bookkeepers, and Office Administrators. The investment is $297 for each role, or purchase the bundle for a discounted price!Connect with Eileen!
Eileen’sWebsite
Eileen’s Instagram
Eileen’s LinkedIn
Eileen’s Interior Design Firm Hiring Toolkits
Eileen’s Email
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Other shows mentioned
-
30 min
1225: MBA: Is AI Recommending Your Interior Design Business?
Show notes
Today With LuAnn Nigara:
When a potential client asks an AI search tool for an interior designer who solves the exact problem you solve, will your business show up?
LuAnn decided to test the question on her own business, and the results were eye-opening. AI understood a lot about LuAnn Nigara Inc., but it missed one of her newest offers and recommended a one-time coaching program from around 2017 that hasn't been available for years.
In this solo episode, LuAnn connects this discovery to lessons she's been teaching for nearly a decade, including Fred Berns' “Only,” Deb Mitchell's approach to specific website copy, Melissa Fields' lesson on connecting your differentiators to client benefits, and Robyn White's reminder that beautiful work is not enough.
You'll learn how to audit the public information about your own design firm, test the real questions your ideal clients may be asking, and identify where outdated, generic or incomplete information may be getting in the way.
The goal isn't to write your website for robots. It's to make sure the information about your business is current, specific and true, so the right clients can understand why you're the right fit.
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Power Talk Friday
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
-
1 hr 10 min
1224: BEST OF: Jennifer Tokatyan: Building a Culture that Drives Business Results
Show notes
Today With Jennifer Tokatyan:
Today on A Well-Designed Business, I speak with Jennifer Tokatyan, leadership consultant and partner with Eileen B Hahn. With over 20 years of experience, Jennifer shares her proven 7-step framework for building strong company culture that drives team performance and business growth. Don’t miss information about her upcoming LuAnn University course, “Build an Exceptional Team that Gets Results,” starting January 2025.
LuAnn Nigara and Jennifer Tokatyan’s Ah-Ha Moments
“Culture matters the moment you have another human being you are interacting with because you are now interdependent on them to execute on the very things you are trying to deliver,” – Jennifer Tokatyan
“Once you clarify yourself as the leader and you exemplify that and are consistent, the whole team will follow. And the ones who don’t, you can show them the door,” – LuAnn Nigara
More About Jennifer Tokatyan
Jennifer Tokatyan is a leadership consultant and a consulting partner with Eileen B Hahn. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in small and large organizations across multiple industries in public, private and nonprofit sectors. She has worked with and for Fortune 500 companies as well as fast-paced entrepreneurial start-ups and Founder-led companies including interior design, hospitality, real estate, apparel, retail, manufacturing, non-profit and more.
Jennifer provides leadership, talent optimization, organizational development, strategic HR consulting and coaching to organizations seeking to grow their people and business, deliver on their brand promise, create the culture and environment where its people flourish and achieve exceptional results. She has several active interior design clients across the United States and was on the expert panel at LuAnn Nigara’s Power Talk Friday at High Point Market in October, 2022.
Connect with Jennifer Tokatyan
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Connect with LuAnn Nigara
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
Other Shows:
-
59 min
1223: BEST OF: Pamela Durkin: Utilize Time Blocking to Increase Productivity in Your Interior Design Business
Show notes
Today with Pamela Durkin:
Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Today with Pamela Durkin, author of Elevate and owner of Pamela Durkin Designs, we are discussing how to time block our tasks. Pamela is coughing up some great strategies on how we can set specific blocks of time for specific tasks that will help us, get this, “Get more done in one day then you used to get done in an entire week.”
Pick it apart:
[2:00] Pamela talks to us about time blocking to increase productivity.
[8:30] Pamela takes us to the next level of getting a weeks’ worth of things done in a day.
[11:15] Pamela explains a strategy for completing the potential tasks we get from when we check all of our emails.
[26:00] Pamela and LuAnn discuss the importance of communicating to your clients your time expectancy.
LuAnn and Pamela Durkin’s Ah-Ha moments:
“We need concentrated time to accomplish anything. We need to be aware of the fact that bouncing around to different tasks can hurt our productivity. ” – Pamela Durkin
“If we can think about where we are spending our time and how that relates to money in our business, then you ask yourself if you should even be doing those things.” – Pamela Durkin
“Time blocking is more than being efficient, it’s understanding that we have finite hours in the day and if we’re not making enough money by putting these blocks of time in, then maybe we are not charging enough.” – Pamela Durkin
“We are imperfectly perfect and always a work in progress. We should always give ourselves a pat on the back for our progress. As long as we are trying and moving forward, it’s all good.” – Pamela Durkin
More about Pamela Durkin:
Pamela Durkin, ASID, LEED AP ID+C
Design is powerful and Pamela wants designers to step into that power. After 30 years in the high-end design business, she is now helping other designers create a business they love through her In Demand Designer Program. She teaches them how to be magnetic and attract the best clients. This method makes owning a design business easier and more fulfilling. Her book, Elevate! can be found on Amazon.
Pamela Durkin has been a professional interior designer for over 30 years. She is a past-president of ASID Florida South Chapter and served on the Board of Architecture and Design in NJ. She lives in Naples, FL and in her spare time, loves spending time on the beach and learning new moves in her home dance studio.
Connect with Pamela Durkin
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Connect with LuAnn Nigara
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
Other Shows Mentioned:
Episode 577: Power Talk Friday: Amber De La Garza, LuAnn is in the “Productivity” Hot Seat
Episode 607: Project Management with Specific Deliverables and Deadlines
-
1 hr 1 min
1222: BEST OF: Robyn White: Using Your Website to Market to the Luxury Interior Design Client
Show notes
Today With Robyn White:
We all know that marketing matters. But so often when I’m talking to newer designers, I realize that marketing is misunderstood—especially when it comes to the luxury client.
My guest today, Robyn White, understands that. Today, she’s here to talk about what marketing really is, how marketing for the luxury client is unique, and how to incorporate your personality and story into your messaging.
Pick It Apart
[2:26] Robyn and LuAnn reflect on what marketing really means.
[6:54] Robyn explains the difference in marketing to a luxury client.
[15:54] LuAnn and Robyn discuss how important it is for your website to show what makes you unique.
[27:43] Robyn explains how to convey luxury through your website.
[43:14] Robyn and LuAnn reflect on how important your website is.
LuAnn Nigara and Robyn White’s Ah-Ha Moments
“The more marketing you do, the more you’ll start to realize that people don’t care that much about what you’re trying to sell to them, because it’s not about them. When you turn the tables and make your marketing about how you help them and what problems you solve, they become interested.” – Robyn White
“If I can read a page on your website and I can substitute any person’s name for this because there’s nothing so specific that is only you, then you haven’t done your job in explaining who you are or what it’s like to work with you.” – LuAnn Nigara
More About Robyn White:
Robyn White is the owner and founder of RDW Design Studio, a boutique website design studio located on Cape Cod, MA. Robyn offers a refined website design experience for clients who value quality and want a strategic, sophisticated and simple website designed so they can book more premium clients.
Robyn specializes in helping interior designers, architects, stagers and organizers elevate their website so it reflects the high-quality work they provide and so their business has the online home it deserves. Through her impactful and strategic website design, she positions her clients as the premium choice by making the right first impression online.
She helps her busy clients go from overwhelmed to overjoyed with their websites by taking care of all the techie stuff without the techie talk. Through her supportive, streamlined and stress-free design process, Robyn designs websites that are not just beautiful, but allow her clients to show up online with confidence and attract their ideal clients.
Connect with Robyn White
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara
RSVP to the 10th Birthday Party for A Well-Designed Business Podcast in HPMKT
Watch the Docuseries!
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Connect with LuAnn Nigara
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
Other Shows Mentioned:
#466: Power Talk Friday: Nicole Heymer: You’ve Defined Your Brand…Now What?
#174: Power Talk Friday- Fred Berns- Own Your “Only” Word & Tips to Discover Yours
#159: Power Talk Friday – Nancy Ganzekaufer – How To Get Confident & Clear on What You Offer
#841: Power Talk Friday – Nancy Ganzekaufer – The Profit Insiders for Interior Designers.
On these lists
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast is one of the shows picked out on each of these
More in Design
Placed highest on Apple Podcasts' Design chart right now
