The Interior Design Business CEO

Desi Creswell
  • 4.9 (109)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Interior Design Business CEO podcast helps designers stop feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed and empowers them with the tools and strategies they need to start feeling calm, confident, and in control of their business. Join Master Certified Life and Business Coach, and award-winning Interior Designer, Desi Creswell, as she pairs mindset with effective tips, tools, and processes to help you stop feeling pulled in a million different directions, and start building a profitable, fulfilling business that enriches and supports your life as a whole. This show is for you if you find yourself asking questions like: How do I build a profitable interior design business? How do I work fewer hours and make more money in my interior design business? How to improve work-life balance as an interior designer? For more support with creating a life and business you love, visit www.desicreswell.com to learn more about my intimate group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.

  1. 4D AGO

    167. Unspoken Expectations: Identify and Release Your Client Manuals

    What if the stress you're feeling with clients or your team isn't actually about what they're doing, but about what you expect them to do without ever saying it? In this episode, I introduce the concept of manuals, those unwritten operating rules you have for other people, and how they quietly create frustration, miscommunication, and emotional friction in your interior design business.       I walk you through what manuals are, how to spot them, and why they lead to disappointment when they go unspoken. You'll learn how these hidden expectations show up in your relationships with clients, team members, and partners, and why relying on others to meet them keeps you stuck in frustration. I also share a simple exercise to help you identify your own manuals and begin releasing the ones that are no longer serving you.       Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/167        If you love what you're learning on the show, and want to learn how I can support you, click here to learn more about coaching: https://desicreswell.com/coaching        Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset     Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    29 min

  2. MAR 18

    166. Designing Client Behavior: How Your "Words" Create Better Projects (Interview with Ochre & Beige)

    What if better clients and smoother projects start long before you ever begin designing?   In this episode, I sit down with Jaquilyn Edwards of Ochre & Beige to talk about how the words you use on your website, in consultations, and throughout your process, shape the kind of clients you attract and the experience you create. This conversation is all about being more intentional with your messaging so you can build trust earlier and lead your projects with more clarity and confidence.   Join us this week to hear how language can either strengthen your positioning or quietly undermine it, why leading is more effective than justifying, and how your values can come through in ways that create a stronger connection with best fit clients. Jaquilyn also shares how small shifts in wording can influence client behaviour, reduce pushback, and support a more aligned and collaborative working relationship from inquiry to install.   Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/166        Access the free Get It Done Daily Planner: https://www.desicreswell.com/resources      Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset     Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    40 min

  3. MAR 4

    165. Digital Brains: Protect Your Mental Bandwidth

    Are you carrying too much in your head right now? Between client details, timelines, delegation, and daily decisions, it can feel like your brain never fully turns off. In this episode, I introduce the concept of a digital brain and explain how creating external storage for your ideas, systems, and responsibilities can dramatically lighten your mental load and support a more efficient interior design business.       I share why your human brain was never meant to hold everything and how relying on memory alone increases overwhelm and mistakes. You'll learn how to create simple, centralized digital spaces that protect your time and mental bandwidth, support better delegation, and reduce the constant looping of unfinished tasks. When you free up mental space, you create more room for creativity, thoughtful leadership, and strategic growth in your design business.        Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/165        Access the free Get It Done Daily Planner: https://www.desicreswell.com/resources      Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset     Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    31 min

  4. FEB 18

    164. Change Your Relationship to Time

    Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by time? How you relate to time has a significant impact on how you manage your business and personal goals. Shifting your mindset can help you move from a place of pressure and scarcity to one of ease, allowing you to focus on what matters most.     In this episode, I guide you through the process of reshaping your relationship with time. By viewing it as a resource that supports you, you'll feel more control over your day and less stressed about meeting your goals. This shift will help you use time intentionally, making it work in your favor.      Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/164      Access the free Get It Done Daily Planner: https://www.desicreswell.com/resources     Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset     Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    30 min

  5. FEB 4

    163. Crafting a Schedule that Works for Your Workstyle and Goals

    How do you build a schedule that actually supports the way you work instead of constantly working against you? So many designers try to copy someone else's routine or force themselves into a structure that looks good on paper but falls apart in real life. The result is frustration, inefficiency, and a constant feeling of being behind before the day even begins.   In this episode, I walk you through how to create a daily and weekly rhythm that reflects your workstyle, capacity, and responsibilities as a design CEO. Rather than prescribing a rigid formula, I share the principles and questions I use with my clients to help you design a schedule that bends with the realities of client work, team leadership, creative demands, and personal life. This is about building a framework that supports focus, momentum, and flexibility without burning you out.   Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/163   Access the free Get It Done Daily Planner: https://www.desicreswell.com/resources   Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset   Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    25 min

  6. JAN 21

    162. Taking a Break When There Is Always More to Do

    That feeling of always thinking you could have done more, wishing you were farther along, or feeling behind is something many designers experience. In this episode, I'm sharing my own struggle of closing out the year with a clean slate, only to feel like it wasn't enough.    We'll focus on how to manage your time and plan effectively while cultivating the feeling of completeness. You'll learn how to interrupt the emotional patterns that keep you stuck in the "never enough" cycle and why embracing completeness creates momentum. You'll also discover how to become a boss you can trust, one who honors their word and takes time off when promised.    Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/162   Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset   Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    39 min

  7. JAN 7

    161. The Whole Cost: Calculate Before You Commit (2026 Goals)

    What happens when you set your goals as if the start of the year is a blank slate? In this episode, I am looking at the reality that you are already carrying client work, ongoing commitments, and your personal life into the new year. The key to making steady progress is understanding the whole cost of your goals so you do not overextend yourself or your team.   I am sharing the number one consideration you need before setting your 2026 goals and why the whole cost matters for every decision you make. You will learn how to break goals into manageable steps and choose priorities that match your capacity rather than your wish list. This approach will help you plan with confidence and choose goals that you can follow through on all year long.   Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/161   Sign up for Create Your 2026 Roadmap to join us on January 9th and 16th, 2026: https://www.desiid.com/2026roadmap   Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset   Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    29 min

  8. 12/24/2025

    160. Guided Reflection: Close out 2025 with Clarity and Intention

    What if you could close out the year with intention, rather than rushing ahead to the next? In this episode, I'm guiding you through a reflection practice that will help you honor the past year before stepping into the next. This isn't just another end-of-year exercise. This practice will directly influence how you set your goals for the coming year by shaping how you see yourself as a business owner.   The exercise I'm sharing is a letter-writing practice to past you, reflecting on everything you've done this year with gratitude. We're not focused on evaluating results or what you missed. This is about appreciating your growth, the challenges you overcame, and the person you've become along the way. By honoring your journey, you strengthen the identity of someone who shows up, creates wins, and evolves as a resilient CEO.   Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://www.desicreswell.com/160   Sign up for Create Your 2026 Roadmap to join us on January 9th and 16th, 2026: https://www.desiid.com/2026roadmap   Sign up for my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success: https://www.desicreswell.com/monday-mindset   Follow along or send me a message on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desicreswell/

    17 min
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About

The Interior Design Business CEO podcast helps designers stop feeling stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed and empowers them with the tools and strategies they need to start feeling calm, confident, and in control of their business. Join Master Certified Life and Business Coach, and award-winning Interior Designer, Desi Creswell, as she pairs mindset with effective tips, tools, and processes to help you stop feeling pulled in a million different directions, and start building a profitable, fulfilling business that enriches and supports your life as a whole. This show is for you if you find yourself asking questions like: How do I build a profitable interior design business? How do I work fewer hours and make more money in my interior design business? How to improve work-life balance as an interior designer? For more support with creating a life and business you love, visit www.desicreswell.com to learn more about my intimate group coaching program, Out of Overwhelm.

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