A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

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.

  1. vor 3 Tagen

    1220: BEST OF: Deborah Rosenberg: Tailoring Your Interior Design Firm to Your Core Beliefs

    Today with Deborah Rosenberg: What happens when your personal beliefs become part of the way you run your business? In this Best Of episode of A Well-Designed Business®, LuAnn sits down with Deborah Rosenberg, principal of DiMare Design, to talk about her decision to build a design firm committed to humane, cruelty-free interiors. Deborah’s approach grew out of her own evolving awareness of how animal-derived materials are produced. Eventually, she began looking at the leather, wool, down, and other materials she was specifying professionally and asking herself a bigger question: If these choices no longer aligned with her personal values, why would she continue making them in her business? That decision ultimately became a defining part of her firm. LuAnn and Deborah explore what it means to take a deeply held belief and allow it to influence your business model, your sourcing decisions, and the clients you attract. They also discuss an important lesson for every interior designer, whether or not humane design is part of your own philosophy: Having a clearly defined point of view does not necessarily limit your opportunities. Done thoughtfully, it can distinguish your firm and establish you as the expert for the clients who are looking for exactly what you do. This conversation is a reminder that your core values are not words you choose for your website. They are standards that should help you make decisions about how you operate, what you offer, and what you are willing to stand behind. 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 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

  2. vor 6 Tagen

    1219: CEO Conversations with Kate O'Hara: Stop Defending Your Pricing to Your Clients

    Today with Kate O’Hara: Kate O'Hara is back on A Well-Designed Business, and if you have never heard our past conversations with her, go find them after this one. They are some of the most listened to episodes in this catalog. This time we go straight at the conversation that makes emerging designers freeze. A client asks to see your trade invoices. A client asks what your markup is. And instead of feeling entitled to run your own business, you feel like you have to defend it. Kate spent 20 years at O'Hara Interiors, nearly 10 of them as CEO, before she made the deliberate decision to close a business she built across studios in Minnesota and Texas and start Lake House Group, her advisory practice for founder-led and second-generation companies. She has trained more designers on how to have this exact conversation than almost anyone in the industry. Here is the reframe that changes everything. When a client asks about your markup, they are not asking about money. They are asking if they can trust you. When they ask why something costs so much, they are asking if it is a smart decision. When they ask why you chose a certain vendor, they are asking whose interest you are actually protecting. Once you hear it that way, the defensiveness goes away and curiosity takes its place. Kate walks through exactly how she handles it in a discovery call, why the questions almost always trace back to a client's past experience with a designer, or no experience at all, and why she is willing to walk away from any project, no matter the size, if it does not feel right from the start. From there, the conversation moves into the mechanics you actually need. Flat fee versus hourly, and the different way you protect a meeting from scope creep in each one. Retail pricing versus trade pricing versus sourcing something truly one of a kind, and why what you share with a client shifts across each one. How to present an investment as a range instead of a single number, then narrow it room by room so the client feels informed without feeling gouged. And why breaking a final bill down item by item, even when the total never changes, can quietly talk a client out of loving what you designed for them. Kate is also now co-owner of the Design Influencers Conference alongside Nicole Heymer of Glory and Brand, happening March 1 through 3, 2027 in Atlanta. And if this conversation told you what it told me, that Kate is one of the sharpest minds in this industry, you can book 50 minutes with her directly through the Boardroom for Creatives. 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: O'Hara Interiors Website O'Hara Interiors Instagram Lake House Group Website Design Influencers Conference Website Design Influencers Instagram Fay + Belle Website Fay + Belle Instagram 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 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 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

  3. 14. Aug.

    1218: Overheard: Mae Reedy, Abigail Kahan & Jennifer Arteaga: What Growing Pains Look Like beyond $5 Million

    Today with Mae Reedy, Abigail Kahan & Jennifer Arteaga: Three interior designers. Three multi-million dollar firms. Jennifer Arteaga, Mae Reedy, and Abigail Kahan all built their businesses in under 10 years, and not one of them stopped hitting growing pains once the revenue got big. In this Overheard episode, LuAnn sits down with all three to talk about what actually gets hard once you're running a firm beyond the $5 million mark. Fee structures and profit margins that look nothing alike but all work. Mae's year of building her first org chart, which she compares to giving birth to a whole different company. The client boundary conversation you have to be willing to have once you're serving executive-level clients. And the shift from doing the work yourself to running the room, which changes everything about how you lead. If you're earlier in your business and think it gets easier once you hit a number, this conversation will change your mind. It gets harder. Just differently. 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 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 Other Resources Mentioned: Sandra Funk's Interior Design Standard MrSteam's Virtual Spa Tool The Boardroom for Creatives Other Shows Mentioned: Episode 1210: What Would Lu Do: The Discount Lie ⁠Episode 1200⁠⁠: SPONSORED SHOW: Mr. Steam: Optimize Wellness Design with Steam Showers Built for Performance⁠

  4. 11. Aug.

    1217: What Would Lu Do?: Your Net Cost Isn't the Point

    Today With LuAnn Nigara: Last week's episode on interior design and trust got a real response, DMs, comments, one designer admitting she wouldn't have known what to say if a client brought up that arrested designer by name. So this week, LuAnn goes deeper. Two real conversations designers actually have to navigate, a client referencing a headline, and a client asking to see the receipts, and the exact words to use in both. Along the way, she digs into what ASID actually requires, what state law does and doesn't regulate, and why even the most heavily regulated retail industry in the country has never once required a business to reveal its actual cost. The conclusion is simple. Your net cost isn't the point. What you deliver is. This episode hands you the language to say that out loud, calmly, the next time it matters. 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

    1217: What Would Lu Do?: Your Net Cost Isn't the Point

  5. 7. Aug.

    1216: Sponsored Show | Sandra Funk: The Season That Tested Everything She Built

    Today with Sandra Funk: Every business owner is one bad month away from finding out what their business is actually built on. This year, Sandra Funk found out. Her mom got sick. Two surgeries down, more to go. Her daughters started needing her in a different way. And in the middle of all of it, Sandra learned her own thyroid had been failing her for years, dismissed as just getting older. It was, in her words, everything happening at once, with no gap in between to catch her breath. This isn't a business episode. It's Sandra and me talking the way we'd talk if you pulled up a chair at our table at Market, about what it actually looks like to run a company through a season you didn't choose and can't control. Here's what I want you to listen for. Sandra pulled back. She stepped away from High Point, from Design Zips, from being the one out front all the time. But she never stepped away from the Interior Design Standard. It kept running, because none of it lived only in her head. The design agreement, the project timeline, the fee calculator, all of it was already written down, built years earlier out of her own hard season, the one she calls her dark night of the soul in an Atlanta airport. [LINK: episode 520] That's the throughline of this conversation. The season will come, for all of us. The question this episode asks is whether your business is something you have to hold up personally, or something that can hold itself up while you take care of what actually matters. If you want the two other stories I bring into this conversation, go back to [LINK: episode 1043] with Kristin Bartone, and [LINK: episode 1010], the Overheard episode with Robin Burrill and Antonio Deloatch, both circling the same idea from a different angle. Sandra, I love you. And to the rest of you, come listen to this one. It might be the permission you didn't know you needed. More About Sandra Funk: Sandra Funk is the founder and CEO of the boutique interior design firm, House of Funk. After 20 years as a luxury designer, Sandra is now a business strategist deeply rooted in empowering and educating design entrepreneurs. With her turnkey approach, she welcomes designers into her inner circle, sharing her proven process for a balanced, joy-filled and wildly profitable design firm. Connect with Sandra Funk: Website What’s new with LuAnn Nigara: Boardroom for Creatives ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch the Docuseries!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.luannnigara.com/cob⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠e: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Power Talk Friday⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Like Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Tweet Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Follow Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Listen Here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcast Other Shows Mentioned: Episode 02: The Importance of Systems for a Profitable Interior Design Business With Sandra Funk Levy Episode 145: Sandra Funk of House of Funk: Why and How She Re-Branded her 10 Year old Firm Episode 520: Power Talk Friday: Sandra Funk: The Interior Design Standard is Here! Episode 585: Sandra Funk: Helping Designers Improve Their Business Systems Episode 660: Sandra Funk: Level Up Your Business Through Mentorship, Coaching, and Classes. Sponsored Show: “Interior Design Standard” Episode 753: Sandra Funk: How to Grow a Thriving Luxury Interior Design Business Episode 801: Power Talk Friday: Sandra Funk: How Mistakes and Obstacles Led to Growth & Transformation Episode 845: Power Talk Friday: Sandra Funk: Stop Apologizing and Start Communicating Episode 895: Power Talk Friday: Sandra Funk: The Millionaire Mindset for Interior Designers Episode 986: Power Talk Friday: Sandra Funk: Boundaries and Expectations are a Few of My Favorite Things Episode 1010: Overheard: Developing Resilience in Interior Design Business Leadership with Antonio Deloatch Jr, Sandra Funk and Robin Burrill Episode 1068: Power Talk Friday: Sandra Funk: How “Sleeping in Your Guest Room” Can Make You RICH Episode 1043: Kristin Bartone: Pivoting Your Interior Design Business When Life Throws You Curveballs Episode 1010: Overheard: Developing Resilience in Interior Design Business Leadership with Antonio Deloatch Jr, Sandra Funk and Robin Burrill Episode 1118: Sponsored Show: Jamie Gasparovic: Why I Invested in the Interior Design Standard

  6. 4. Aug.

    1215: What Would Lu Do?: Can We Stop Apologizing For Being a Business?

    Today With LuAnn Nigara: Somewhere on a coaching call this week, a designer told LuAnn the same An interior designer was arrested a few weeks ago. Grand theft, diversion of construction funds, a client out $67,500 and no kitchen to show for it. That part isn't in question. What happened next is. An industry publication covered the story, and somewhere between reporting the crime and quoting the outrage in the comments, the conversation shifted. It stopped being about catching a criminal and started being about whether the rest of us need to hand our clients the keys to our bank accounts to prove we're not her. LuAnn read that piece and got genuinely fired up, in the best way. In this solo episode, she pulls the article apart, piece by piece. What it actually said versus what it implied. Why the fix being proposed wouldn't have stopped the crime it claims to solve. What real vetting looks like, the kind that has nothing to do with your pricing and everything to do with your credibility. And why "transparency" has quietly been redefined into something it was never supposed to mean. If you've ever had a client ask to see your net cost and felt your stomach drop, this episode hands you the words. Not to defend yourself. To simply say no. Have a Question for WWLD? Head to: ⁠luannigara.com/WWLD⁠ Submit your question and it might be featured in an upcoming episode. 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

  7. 31. Juli

    1214: Liz Lidgett: A Smart Way to Source Art for Every Project and Budget

    Today with Liz Lidgett: Art is one of the most overlooked ways designers can elevate a project and expand their own margin, and most designers are sourcing it the hard way. In this episode, LuAnn sits down with Liz Lidgett, gallerist, art advisor, and author, to talk about what actually happens on the business side of a gallery, and how designers can work with one the smart way. Liz breaks down how trade programs are structured, what questions to ask before you trust a gallery with a client's project, and the hidden costs that can quietly eat into a client's budget if you don't ask about them upfront. This conversation reframes art sourcing from a task you dread to a part of the business you can actually profit from, as long as you understand the math and let the expert do the sourcing. What you'll learn: How gallery trade programs are typically structured, and why the discount should come from the gallery's side, not a markup on the client's price The exact questions to ask before you send a gallery your first project, references, national versus local reach, artist roster and aesthetic fit The hidden costs in art sourcing that catch designers off guard, framing, installation, shipping Why a 15 to 20 percent commission changes how much of your own time should go into sourcing How to let a gallery's expertise work for you instead of spending hours playing curator yourself More About Liz Lidgett: Liz Lidgett is an art advisor, author and gallery owner. As founder of Liz Lidgett Gallery and Design, she works with people to find the perfect piece of art for their style, space, and budget.  Representing over 75 artists from around the world, she has a passion for making the art world accessible. Her book, Art for Everyone, will be published by Simon Element (Simon and Schuester) on April 21, 2026. Liz has also been a contributor for many national publications, working with brands like Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, and Apartment Therapy. She lives in Des Moines, IA, with her husband, Nick Renkoski, their children, Rocky and Effie, and their ever-expanding art collection. Connect with Liz Lidgett: Website Instagram  Facebook  Pinterest 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 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 Other Resources Mentioned: Liz’s Book: Art For Everyone Other Shows Mentioned: Episode 1182: Sponsored Show: Studio Kasa, How to Source Art That Elevates Your Projects and Increases Your Profit

  8. 28. Juli

    1213: Overheard: Being a Great Interior Designer Won't Make You a Great CEO

    Today with Kathleen Reynolds & Lauren Vallario: Being a great interior designer and being a great CEO are not the same skill set, and Kathleen Reynolds and Lauren Vallario both learned that the hard way. Kathleen has run Kathleen Reynolds Interiors in Greenville, South Carolina for eighteen years. Lauren has run Lauren Vallario Designs in Stamford, Connecticut for over ten. Both built real, busy firms. Neither one had actually learned how to run a business until they got coaching. Kathleen carried a bad feeling about one client for nine months, calling it "the client that will not be named" in her own office, before a single five-minute phone call resolved what nine months of worry never could. Lauren was pricing every flat fee project based on nothing, her words, until a simple tool gave her what she calls confidence on paper. Nine months later, she landed the biggest design fee of her career. Both women are actual clients of business coach Nancy Quinn, and what they share in this conversation is their own experience, not a pitch for her program. This episode is about the specific moment every designer eventually hits, when the talent that built the business isn't the same thing that runs it, and what it actually takes to close that gap. More About Kathleen Reynolds & Lauren Vallario: Kathleen Reynolds is the founder of Kathleen Reynolds Interiors, a full-service interior design firm based in Greenville, South Carolina, now celebrating 18 years in business, handling everything from furnishings and styling to large-scale construction projects. Her team of four takes an organized, personality-driven approach to each client's home. Their motto: your home, uniquely yours. Kathleen opened her own studio in 2008 to bring an organized, streamlined approach to a process that can otherwise feel overwhelming, and that mission hasn't changed since. As a mom of four herself, she knows what it takes to manage a lot of moving pieces at once, which is exactly the energy she brings to every client's project. Lauren Vallario: The most rewarding part of the job for Lauren is knowing her clients live better and love their homes! Lauren steps in as the calm, friendly, knowledgeable, and collaborative Interior Designer ready to take the overwhelm of the design process off your plate entirely as she creates liveable luxury. With a systematic and creative approach (she’s got a spreadsheet for just about everything!), Lauren will help bring your vision into reality while handling all the details. Her clients love being a part of the process as the design comes together with floor plans, elevations, 3D renderings, mood boards, and flawless execution. Based in Stamford, CT, Lauren Vallario Designs was established in 2013 and provides Bathroom and Kitchen Design to clients located in New York and Connecticut. Connect with Kathleen Reynolds & Lauren Vallario and Nancy Quinn: Kathleen’s Website: kathleenreynoldsinteriors.com Kathleen’s Instagram: @kathleenreynoldsinteriors Lauren’s Website: https://laurenvallariodesigns.com/ Lauren’s Instagram: @laurenvallario.designs Lauren’s Docuseries: Episode 1   Episode 2   Episode 3 Nancy Quinn on Boardroom for Creatives: https://boardroomforcreatives.com/board-member/nancy-quinn/ Profit Insiders Academy: https://profitinsiderscoaching.com/profit-insiders-academy/ 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 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 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 Nancy Quinn on Boardroom for Creatives Other Shows Mentioned: Episode 15 Nancy Ganzekaufer- Niche is Rich Episode 159 Power Talk Friday – Nancy Ganzekaufer – How To Get Confident & Clear on What You Offer Episode 256 Nancy Ganzekaufer- A Powerful Strategy to Attract More Clients Episode 389Power Talk Friday: Nancy Ganzekaufer: The Interior Design Profit Formula Episode 783Power Talk Friday: Nancy Ganzekaufer: Profit Insiders for Interior Designers Episode 841Power Talk Friday: Nancy Ganzekaufer: Profit Insiders For Interior Designers Group Coaching + Mastermind Episode 869Power Talk Friday: Nancy Ganzekaufer: Profit Insiders – How Interior Designers Can Price Themselves Right Episode 935Power Talk Friday: Nancy Ganzekaufer: Profit Insiders Academy: Marketing Lessons From Taylor Swift’s Playbook Episode 37Lesley Myrick – Strategies I Used to Build My Business Episode 584Lesley Myrick: Building a Business From the Ground Up, Again Episode 766Lesley Myrick: Offering Interior Design Without Procurement Episode 972Power Talk Friday: Lesley Myrick: Profit Insiders: How Interior Designers Can Leverage Local Marketing

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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.

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