Creative Genius Podcast

Gail Doby & Erin Weir
  • 4.6 (10)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Creative Genius Podcast

Two good friends who also happen to be the two co-founders of a creative consultancy for designers, Gail Doby and Erin Weir share how their long and enduring friendship impacts the way they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. In their own honest musings, and also in their open conversations with speakers, authors, and influencers, they further their own journey as friends and founders, causing us to further our own journeys, too.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Podcasting to Build Your Interior Design Business (Nicole Lashae Ben)

    It seems like everyone nowadays has a podcast. So why not you? Although one might argue that there are far too many podcasts, they are extremely popular ways of consuming information. Like blogs and videos, different podcasts attract different audiences, offering something for everyone. That makes them a great medium for marketing and building brand awareness if you tap into the right niche. In this episode, Gail talks with Nicole Lashae Ben, CEO and founder of Thrive in Design, a web-based firm that specializes in empowering exceptional design-focused brands to tell their stories through impactful product launches and podcasts. A seasoned expert in the interior design industry with over 17 years of experience working in firms and with manufacturers, Nicole found her true calling in helping interior design firms and product companies boost brand awareness and revenue by telling their unique stories. Gail asked Nicole why interior designers might want to consider podcasting. She said, “You should be podcasting if you want to establish yourself as an expert and authority in whatever it is that you are doing.” Podcasts are an effective way of building brand awareness, broadening audience reach, and giving value to clients and prospective clients. Before diving into podcasting, advised Nicole, think about who the audience is that you’re trying to attract and what your goal is in attracting them. “Your podcast is a marketing tool, a sales tool,” she said. “Think about what call to action you want people to take as result of listening to the podcast.” Whether you choose a video or only an audio format, realize that producing a podcast takes a fair amount of time and resources. You have to develop topics or themes for your individual podcasts. You need to identify, invite and schedule time with guest participants. You have to record and edit the podcast. Once in its final form, you have to upload the podcast to the various platforms that distribute podcasts. Usually, this requires a team of support and technical folks to make it manageable. However, the results can be quite rewarding. Nicole also talked about what kind of content to develop for your podcast, how to get the most from your investment by repurposing your content in various ways, and some of the tools she uses to prepare and distribute her podcast. For all that and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e4-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast For more information about Nicole and Thrive in Design, go to the firm’s website at www.thriveindesign.co. Gail and Nicole mentioned Zoom and several other software programs useful for podcasters: Klap - This is an app used to create short videos from longer videos for use on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. More information at klap.app. Riverside - This is an online studio for high-quality podcast and video recording and editing. You can use it for live video events as well as for editing text, audio and video. More information at riverside.fm. Garage Band - This is Apple’s video editing app. It comes standard on Apple smartphones, tablets and computers. Pod Bean - This is an app for recording, editing, publishing and distributing podcasts. More information at www.podbean.com. Izotope - This is an audio mixing and mastering software. More information at www.izotope.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbX4CeNkQW8 Episode Transcript

    33 min

  2. DEC 2

    Designing a Home for Holistic Well Being (Matthew Tenzin)

    All designers aim to create environments for their clients that will improve their lives and support their health and wellness. In the execution of those designs, that often focus on functionality and aesthetics, other areas of wellbeing may get overlooked. Taking a broader, more holistic approach to client needs and the connection of the space to the natural environment can produce additional benefits. In this episode, Gail welcomes back to the podcast Matthew Tenzin, principal designer with Joe McGuire Design, with offices in Aspen, Boulder and Denver, Colorado. Previously Matthew appeared in an episode with the firm’s founder and partner, Joe McGuire. A former Buddhist monk, Matthew has had a lifelong love for creativity and interconnectivity with spirituality and the natural world. In 2017, Joe and Matthew launched a Holistic Design Consultancy, now known as Home Within, where they focus on offering the healthy, sustainable and energy-balancing aspects of their design process. Matthew explained that their method is to examine the project in the context of five levels of holistic wellbeing in the home, taking a top-down approach. Those are the spiritual and/or sacred level, a wellness vision, symbolic or meaningful level, sensory level and functional level. Matthew said that normally the energetic level in the home is not addressed in traditional building and design. He explained that spaces contain residual energies from previous inhabitants that can affect the current residents, either for good or for ill. From an energy perspective, the space may be out of balance and require cleansing before any other work is undertaken. Connectivity is also central to their process. Matthew urged designers to make more of an effort to connect with their clients. “If only the designer could just breathe and slow down for a minute to connect with client, it’s amazing what can come out of that,” he said. Connecting to the natural environment is also essential. “If we can’t connect to the planet and the whole from our home, where are we going to do that?” he noted. Matthew also talked about how the firm is using a new wellness space they opened up next to their studio and their work with indigenous communities in the rain forests of South America. Listen to the entire podcast for more details and insights from Matthew. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e3-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast For more information about Matthew and Joe McGuire Design, go to the firm’s website at www.joemcguiredesign.com. For more information about their wellness consultancy, Home Within, go to the firm’s website at www.homewithin.com. Listen to the previous podcast with Matthew and Joe discussing ways designers can break out of the cycle of constant business ups and downs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-ZgO8K21sU Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Matthew. You've been with us before, but our listeners might not have heard that episode. So we're gonna dive right in. So how did you become a designer? Tell us about that. Well, hi, Gail. Thanks for having me back. Of course. It's wonderful. I always love chatting with you and I'm excited to get to talk a little more with your listeners. So yeah, I became an interior designer in a little bit of an unusual way. didn't go to design school, my background was more,

    55 min

  3. NOV 26

    Sell Without Selling (Shannyn Lee)

    Many interior designers are uncomfortable with the idea of selling their services to a client. For them, the word “selling” carries a connotation of persuading someone to buy something that maybe they don’t want or can’t afford. There are other ways to approach a sale, however. Keep in mind that prospective clients are looking for help from you, the expert. Explain to them what you have to offer and explore whether you are a good fit for each other. In this episode, Gail talks with Shannyn Lee, managing director of Win Without Pitching, based in Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada. Shannyn stated the firm seeks to help people in the interior design industry and others to learn to sell more professionally. Shannyn stressed that designers need to accept that “it’s okay to sell and price like the experts they are.” She said a professional sales approach is a combination of understanding the client’s mindset and then giving them a framework for the different conversations that happen during the sales process. Let them know they have choices and options. From the designer’s perspective, said Shannyn, think of the discussion with the prospective client not as an opportunity to pitch a sale but as a qualifying conversation. Leave room for the client to open up and talk about what they want, what’s motivating them to make a change. You’re looking to see if you’re a good fit for each other. You may find that you have reservations about taking on this project or working with this client. “It’s okay to have power in the sale,” said Shannon. She advises that before meeting with the prospective client that designers repeat a helpful mantra: “I am the expert. I am the price to be won. I am on a mission to help. I will only be able to help you if you let me lead. All will not follow, and that is okay.” For many designers, Shannyn said, it’s a matter of getting “comfortably uncomfortable” with selling. They just need to shift their mindset that it’s okay. “When you have the right mindset, typically the correct behaviors follow.” Keep in mind it takes a lot of practice to build up your confidence. Work on your skills and give it time. Shannyn noted some common mistakes designers make when selling or pitching a project. She also discussed why the better option for some designers might be not to sell but rather to hire a business development person to handle that side of the business. For all that and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e2-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast For more information about Win Without Pitching, including the many resources they have available, go to the firm’s website at www.winwithoutpitching.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJv3Ji76LhY Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the podcast, Shannon. I am so excited to have you on here. Thank you, Gail. I am too. I've been looking forward to this, so thanks for having me on. it's my pleasure. Well, we met in a mastermind, and it has been a lot of fun. And I have found out what great expertise you have in an area that I think will be great for our listeners today, which is sales, especially for people in the services business. Yes. I can't wait to talk about that. But first, I have to ask you a few questions that are a little bit personal, and I would love to hear about these. And we asked this question about what your biggest life lesson was.

    37 min

  4. NOV 19

    Conversation with a Mid-Century Modernist (Christopher Kennedy)

    Sometimes a designer latches onto a particular period or style and builds their career around it. It may appeal to their sense of aesthetics or taste. Or it may speak them in more profound ways. They look for clients who also respond to that style and adapt when possible to meet that client’s needs. In this episode, Gail talks with Christopher Kennedy, principal, Christopher Kennedy in Palm Springs, California. Christopher has a B.A. in architecture and an MBA in finance. He has been labeled an architectural designer but considers himself an interior designer, not an architect. He designs interiors, not buildings. He is the author of California Modern and Making Mid-Century Modern. Christopher related his journey of how he eventually found his way to becoming an interior designer. He said that from a young age he was interested in creating positive environments for people. Although he is perhaps best known for his revival of mid-century modern design, he stressed that above all he thinks about how his clients will be impacted by the spaces he designs. As designers, he said, “we’re not like selling a chair or a pillow. We’re really creating the home where someone is going to live out their human drama.” Gail asked Christopher about his own books and what books he’s been reading lately. He mentioned a few titles and added that he basically reads three types of books, those on healing, spirituality and business. In addition to his interiors work, Christopher has also developed a furniture line and currently has a number of licensing agreements with various manufacturers. In the future, he said, he would like to try his hand at designing fabrics, lighting and perhaps some smaller accessories, such as mirrors. Christopher is a strong believer in giving back. Some years ago he created the Christopher Kennedy Compound showhouse in Palm Springs and helped to establish a Modernism week celebrating local design. Showhouses are not for everyone, he acknowledged, but there are many other ways designers can contribute to their communities. “We all have ways that we can give,” he said. To learn more about Christopher and his work, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e1-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Christopher and to read his blog, go the firm’s website at www.christopherkennedy.com. Christopher’s book, Making Mid-Century Modern, is available from online booksellers. His other book, California Modern, is currently out of print but available from used booksellers. Gail asked what Christoper was currently reading, He said, Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well by Gabrielle Lyon He also said he was reading various writings by Abraham Hicks, who writes about manifesting and related topics. Gail mentioned the book, Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential by Brian Johnson. She called it inspiring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac-6UZBkbQo&pp=ygUYcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZSBwb2RjYXN0 Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript

    26 min

  5. NOV 12

    An Organized Designer Is a Successful Designer (Kathleen DiPaolo)

    Interior designers deal with hundreds, if not thousands, of details every day. It only takes one slip-up to jeopardize a project and potentially lose a client. Being well organized can help prevent mistakes from happening or deadlines falling through the cracks. You need someone on your team with top-notch project management skills. In this episode, Gail talks with Kathleen DiPaolo, founder and CEO of Kathleen DiPaolo Designs, based in Newport Beach, California. Kathleen also operates a website and a blog called Return on Interiors dedicated to helping designers take control of their businesses. For the past several years she has been living abroad and attributes her ability to keep operating her design business remotely to being well organized. Kathleen recounted that she has been obsessed with being well-organized since she was very young. “It gives me a sense of calm and frees up space in my mind to do what I need to do,” she said. Over time, Kathleen also has found that it is a competitive advantage for her business. As a client, she said, “you want to have the organized designer working for you.” In her experience, clients have greater respect and confidence in you as a designer. They also will pay more because they trust you will save them time and money. For an interior design firm, a key component of being organized is having top-notch project management. Kathleen defined project management as organized processes. Usually these are processes that are frequently repeated. Standardizing them makes the business more efficient and effective by helping to prevent mistakes, avoiding duplicating routine work, and improving communication among members of the team and with clients. “We’re creatives, but you have to keep the machine going, even when you don’t want to,” she said. She suggested designers who can’t afford to hire or outsource someone to do project management start with a simple project, such as setting up a digital file structure for documents, to begin to get better organized. As a next step, she recommended “taking something that’s repeatedly a roadblock or time suck, and building a better process around it.” Begin to develop a repository of these processes. In her conversation with Gail, Kathleen also talked about her experiences living abroad and some of the challenges and life lessons she’s picked up along the way. Listen to the entire podcast to get all the details. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s11e10-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast For more information about Kathleen and her design firm, go to the website www.kathleendipaolodesigns.com. To learn more about Kathleen’s Return on Interiors time savings and organizational tactics system, and to read her blog, go to www.returnoninteriors.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SotGamHTIys Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to Show Transcript Welcome to Creative Genius. Kathleen, it's so great to see you. So where are you living these days? Gail, I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for inviting me. Of course. am here in London right now. So I've been here for about two years now, believe it or not. my gosh. You have been on quite the journey. As long as I've known you, you started, I believe, in India? Yes. When I first knew you. And then from there, you went to? Budapest I was there for four and a half years and then moved here. So I was in India for two years too.

    40 min

  6. NOV 5

    All About Innovation (Jeff Standridge)

    In his 2020 account of his 15 years as CEO of the Disney empire, The Ride of a Lifetime, Roger Iger proclaimed the maxim, "Innovate or Die". It quickly became a mantra for business executives and would-be executives hoping to emulate Disney’s phenomenal success. Whether or not you share the same sense of passion and urgency for innovation as Iger does, the fact is that some degree of innovation is needed for any business to maintain competitiveness and move forward. Knowing how to apply innovation to your business can be a strategic advantage. In this episode, Gail talks with consultant Jeff Standridge, based in Conway, Arkansas. Jeff also teaches in the College of Business at The University of Arkansas. He is the author of The Innovator's Field Guide: Accelerators for Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Change Agents and The Top Performers Field Guide: Catalysts for Leaders, Innovators and All Who Aspire to Be. Innovation, as Jeff defines it, is “planned change directed at better ways than we are currently doing things today.” He identified three types of innovation that occur in businesses: incremental, breakthrough, and disruptive. Innovation, he said, is happening exponentially in today’s businesses. Much of it is driven by new technologies, such as the digital revolution and AI. Gail asked Jeff how owners can apply innovation to their businesses. He said designers already have expertise in one of the main tools for innovation, design thinking. Beyond that, he said, first learn what innovation is and how it can impact a business, utilize an innovation process, conduct quantitative and qualitative research to determine what things in your business could be done better than how they’re being done today. Having identified those things and confirmed that they are things that are negatively impacting the business, develop solutions and implement them. Gail also asked Jeff what key messages from his book he would like to share with listeners. He offered the following: Sustained success comes from the ability to balance results and relationships. Failure is only failure if you quit. The only thing required for innovation to occur is a constraint. To hear why Jeff believes innovation and leadership are inseparable and other insights, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s11e9-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Jeff and to contact him, go to the firm’s website at jeffstandridge.com. You will also find information about his books and a page with a list of his podcasts and videos. You can also message Jeff through his page on LinkedIn. Jeff recommended the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni. Both Jeff and Gail recommended another book by the same author, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business. Both are available from online booksellers. Gail mentioned the book The Obstacle Is the Way: the Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday. In speaking about their use of AI, Gail and Jeff mentioned a couple of AI tools they are currently using. Gail mentioned one called Granola, a self-described AI notepad for meetings. Jeff recommended a site called Auxigen, a library of AI-driven tools that bills itself as the “the world's first Entrepreneurial Support Platform.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SCaDSkYCPs Episode Transcript

    44 min

  7. OCT 29

    Social Media Marketing for Interior Designers (Darla Powell)

    Using social media to market products and services is not a new practice. But in recent years it has increased exponentially with the massive popularity of channels like TikTok and Instagram. That proliferation presents new opportunities for interior designers, but it also presents some challenges. With so much competition for consumers’ attention, you need a consistent, coherent strategy if you want to reap the benefits. In this episode, Gail talks with Darla Powell, director and self-proclaimed Head Wingnut, with Wingnut Social, based in Leonardtown, Maryland, which specializes in providing social media management and marketing services to the interior design and home decor industries. Darla ran her own interior design firm, Darla Powell Interior Design, for many years. During that time, she became interested in the commercial use of social media and how she could apply it to growing her business. Following a break up with her partner, she decided to close the design business and devote herself to helping interior designers use social media to market themselves and their services. Social media marketing involves leveraging social media platforms to share content, build networks, and engage users with the goal of growing a business. Darla pointed out that while we hear a lot about social media celebrities and influencers and how many followers they have, the best metric of success for social media marketing for businesses is growing reach and awareness. You want to increase the number of potential ideal clients who are viewing your content. Darla explained that to see meaningful results from social media marketing requires a long-term, organic strategy. You have to have great content, keep refreshing your content, be responsive to inquiries, and be consistent in doing so week in and week out. You are working on building relationships with potential ideal clients. “It takes three to six months of doing everything 100 percent before you really start building up momentum,” she said. Darla said there was no set formula or pattern for the way one should do social media marketing. It is different for each designer. She said that while, in her experience, Instagram is currently the best platform for interior designers to market on, for some designers LinkedIn, Facebook and Pinterest can also produce results. TikTok is growing for business use, she said, but is not currently a major focus for her firm. Darla also talked about the services her firm offers, what type of firm is a good fit to work with her firm, what kind of budget one needs, what qualities to look for when outsourcing social media marketing, and why you need to be able to scale your business quickly in preparation for the influx of new clients. For all that and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s11e8-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Wingnut Social and the services it provides, go to the firm’s website at wingnutsocial.com. You will also find there a link to Darla’s podcast, Designed by Wingnut Social. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO_MEZmpPoY&pp=ygUYcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZSBwb2RjYXN0 Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to Show Transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Darla. Hi, Gail. Thank you for having me. It's my pleasure. it's pleasure having you. So tell us about Wing That Social. How did that come to be? wow. How much time do you have? My goodness. Okay, well, let's settle in. I was born. So long, very long story.

    31 min

  8. OCT 22

    PR Essentials for Interior Designers (Amy Flurry)

    Along with marketing, public relations can be an effective means of expanding into new markets and attracting more of your ideal clients. Also like marketing, to produce the desired results, you need to devote a certain amount of time each week to PR and consistently implement your plan week in and week out. It may take some time, but persistence will pay off in the long run. In this episode, Gail talks with Amy Flurry, a nationally recognized speaker on do-it-yourself public relations. She has a particular focus on DIY PR for interior designers. She is the author of Recipe for Press: Pitch Your Product Like the Pros and Recipe for Press: Designer Edition. Amy noted that compared to just five to ten years ago, today there are so many more opportunities across so many channels for DIY PR. Whereas in the past the emphasis was getting published in print vehicles such as magazines and newspapers, now there are also online versions of those publications, e-newsletters, blogs, custom publishers for niche audiences, manufacturer vehicles, and a plethora of local and regional materials from just about every industry and organization imaginable. While it can be overwhelming at first to identify which media or publications you want to target, the variety of opportunities makes it more likely you can be more focused on reaching your ideal client audience. That will produce better results than trying to place content with sources that reach a broader audience. Amy offered several tips for how to use your PR work time well and how to get better results. The key, she said, was you need to work with consistency so that you create relationships so that you end up having a presence all the time across a number of outlets. She said that a minimum commitment of two hours a week “will move the needle.” If you have your eye set on someday being featured in prominent national publications or other outlets, bear in mind that you need to start first at the local and regional level, said Amy. Editors of national media want to see that you have been vetted by editors in your area. They are not going to take a chance on an unknown entity. Also bear in mind that editors often are planning content six months to a year or more in advance. Don’t expect to see your project or interview appear any time soon, even after having been accepted. Amy also shared her tips for the right to pitch a story or project, what editors are looking for, and how to maximize the benefit when you do succeed in getting published. For all that and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s11e7-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Amy, view a list of her products and services, access her blog, and subscribe to her Media List, go to her website at amyflurry.com. You can purchase her books from the Products page on the website. At the end of the podcast, Gail asked Amy about her line of hand-stitched quilts and pillows. You will find more information on the Aloka Home website at alokahome.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwqWLxU0Cy8&pp=ygUQcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZQ%3D%3D Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to Show Transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Amy. I'd love for you to share a little bit about your journey into the design industry. I know it wasn't traditional. You're not an interior designer by trade, but tell us about that. Well,

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Two good friends who also happen to be the two co-founders of a creative consultancy for designers, Gail Doby and Erin Weir share how their long and enduring friendship impacts the way they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. In their own honest musings, and also in their open conversations with speakers, authors, and influencers, they further their own journey as friends and founders, causing us to further our own journeys, too.

Information

  • Creator
    Gail Doby & Erin Weir
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    114
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All Rights Reserved - Pearl Collective
  • Show Website
    Creative Genius Podcast

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