Designing Success

Rhiannon Lee
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Designing Success from School to Studio by Rhiannon Lee is dedicated to filling in the gaps in your design course to encourage you to build a sustainable business that supports your dream lifestyle. Are you searching for strategy, systems and support? Looking for a community to bounce industry issues around in?  In this podcast, we will cover the interior design business infrastructure you need to supplement your design school curriculum with practical insights and actionable advice. We also cover all things marketing, product innovation, client acquisition, and more. Go beyond the theory, filter through the stuff that doesn’t serve you and get on with creating. You will find real talk with industry professionals, practical tactics from business realists that leave you reenergised and focused on exactly how to improve the current landscape of your own business. For more behind the scenes of the interior design industry, check out oleander and finch in Instagram https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finchor head to www.oleanderandfinch.com

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    rethinking how we renovate, with Bradley Montag

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep.  In this episode of Designing Success, I sit down with interior designer Bradley Montag to talk about the intersection of design, property, and town planning.  Bradley began his career as a town planning lawyer before transitioning into interior design, giving him a unique perspective on how homes should be renovated, extended, and designed. We explore how understanding planning regulations can influence design decisions, why heritage homes deserve thoughtful renovation, and the common mistakes people make when buying or renovating property.  We also discuss the reality of renovating older homes, honoring architectural history, and why designing a home purely for resale often results in bland spaces with no personality.  Finally, we dive into marketing for designers — including social media, thought leadership, and how creatives can communicate their value more confidently when pricing their services.  If you're interested in interior design, property renovation, heritage homes, or building a design business, this conversation offers both practical insight and honest industry perspective.  Find Bradley on Instagram @bradleymontag or on TIK TOK @bradley.montag  Download the free guide mentioned in this weeks BONUS  episode:  https://oleanderandfinch.myflodesk.com/aicontext  Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    1h 7m

  2. 7 MAR

    How to set your studio up properly to use a variety of AI tools

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. AI is everywhere right now — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Midjourney, Nano Banana — and interior designers are being told they need to learn all of it. But the real problem isn’t the tools. It’s the lack of context. In this episode of Designing Success, I break down how interior designers should actually be using AI inside their design studio, including: • the AI Studio Stack and what each tool is best for • why ChatGPT isn’t the best tool for photorealistic renders • how tools like Claude, Gemini and Perplexity fit into a design business • the mistake most designers make when experimenting with AI • how to prepare your studio so AI tools actually understand your business If you’ve tried AI and thought “this is kind of helpful but not life-changing”, this episode will explain why. The secret is something I call the AI Context Layer. AI performs dramatically better when it understands: • your studio processes  • your services and pricing  • your brand voice  • your client communication  • your frameworks and intellectual property That’s why I created a free guide to help designers start preparing their studio knowledge for AI. Download the free guide here:  👉 How to Prepare Your Design Studio for AI https://oleanderandfinch.myflodesk.com/aicontext Inside the guide you’ll learn: • the AI Context Drive every design studio should build • the key documents that help ChatGPT behave like it works inside your business • how to organise your Google Drive so AI tools actually understand your studio This episode is for interior designers, decorators, and creative studio owners who want to integrate AI into their business without getting overwhelmed by tools. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    36 min

  3. 4 MAR

    the 12 core shifts interior design businesses need to step into their CEO era

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Studio CEO  Are you running a successful interior design studio but feeling exhausted, undercharging, and stuck in technician mode? In this episode, Rhiannon Lee — founder of Oleander & Finch and business coach for interior designers — breaks down the 12 core personal development principles that transform time-poor, overworked designers into confident, strategic studio CEOs. Whether you're hitting consistent $10K months or pushing beyond, these are the mindset and business shifts that separate designers who stay busy from those who build genuinely profitable, calm, and scalable studios. In this episode, you'll learn: Why moving from technician to CEO is the most critical shift in your businessHow to stop reinventing the wheel using AI and automation in your design studioThe difference between turnover and real profit — and why it mattersHow pricing conviction (not confidence) is what unlocks your next revenue levelWhy visibility as a creative director is non-negotiable for studio growthThe danger of survival energy — and how to shift into strategic thinkingHow to go from consuming business content to actually implementing itThis episode is for you if you're an interior designer who: Has been in business 2–5 years and feels ready for the next levelIs juggling too many offers, too many tasks, and too little marginWants to understand where AI fits into a modern interior design businessIs considering business coaching but wants to know what areas to focus on firstMentioned in this episode: Studio CEO — Rhiannon's intimate 12-week group business coaching program for interior designers (next cohort starts 23rd March)AEO & GEO optimisation for interior designer websitesAI tools and custom GPTs built for creative studiosConnect with Rhiannon: Instagram: @oleander_and_finch Website: www.oleanderandfinch.com Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    35 min

  4. 25 FEB

    Can you run a successful interior design business and have a baby?

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. In this honest roundtable episode, Rhiannon Lee is joined by four interior designers and property stylists to talk about pregnancy, maternity leave, cashflow, systems, staffing and what really happens when you mix motherhood with business ownership. If you are an interior designer who is pregnant, trying to conceive, planning a family, or quietly wondering how maternity leave works when you are self employed, this episode is for you. We cover: • How to plan maternity leave as a small business owner  • Cashflow planning during pregnancy and unpaid leave  • Government maternity pay for self employed women  • Raising prices before maternity leave  • Selling vouchers or pre-paid services to create income  • Project timeline planning for interior designers  • Protecting client relationships while pregnant  • Hiring and training staff before stepping away  • Building SOPs and systems before baby  • Returning to work part time after maternity leave  • Mum guilt, ambition and productivity shifts You’ll hear real experiences from studio owners at different stages. Some are pausing their business. Some are keeping teams running. One has sold her business and stepped into a creative director role. Others are navigating pregnancy in solo design studios. This conversation explores matrescence, flexible work, time management for mums, and how to structure a design business that supports both family life and financial stability. If you run a full service interior design studio, property styling business, or solo consultancy, you will walk away with practical strategies to: Plan maternity leave without shutting down  Protect your income during pregnancy  Strengthen systems and operations  Set boundaries with clients  Build a sustainable studio model Pregnancy and entrepreneurship do not cancel each other out. You can design a business that works around real life. For more resources on pricing, systems, SOP development and AI for interior designers, visit oleanderandfinch.com. Designing Success from Study to Studio is the podcast for emerging and established interior designers who want stronger systems, profitable studios and a business that supports their life, not competes with it Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    1h 2m

  5. 18 FEB

    How smart design studios use local marketing to get in front of clients before the renovation has even begun.

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Studio CEO (formerly Framework Express) is now open for the next cohort. Join the waitlist HERE  Interior designers keep asking, “Where are the next clients coming from?”  In this episode, I break down practical local area marketing strategies that actually convert. Not more content. Not more reels. Real positioning.  We cover:  – How to get in front of renovation conversations earlier  – The upstream strategy most designers ignore  – Strategic partnerships that generate better projects  – A simple 4-hour weekly plan to attract local clients  If you need clients in the next 90 days, this episode is for you.  Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    27 min

  6. 11 FEB

    If you think Instagram has changed, You’re right. This is why AI matters more than the algorithm in 2026

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Check out Penelope, the AI powered proposal generator  In this episode of Designing Success From Study to Studio, Rhiannon Lee breaks down the biggest shift interior designers are missing on Instagram, the move from algorithm-led reach to AI-led understanding. This is not a posting strategy episode. You will not hear content calendars, trending audio advice, or “post three times a day” nonsense. Instead, this episode explains why Instagram now rewards clarity, repetition, and relevance, not noise, novelty, or random creativity. You will learn how Instagram’s AI scans your profile for keywords, patterns, and consistency to decide who your content should be shown to. If your feed feels scattered, unclear, or inconsistent, the platform struggles to place you, and your content stops travelling. This episode covers:  • Why the Instagram algorithm is effectively dead in 2026  • How Instagram AI actually decides who sees your content  • Why mixing up content pillars is hurting designers  • Why repeating yourself is not lazy, it is strategic  • How keywords train Instagram to understand your niche  • Why reach matters less than resonance  • The real reason hashtags and SEO dumps no longer work  • How interior designers accidentally sabotage their own visibility  • What Instagram is really asking when someone lands on your profile If you are an interior designer, creative business owner, or studio founder who feels stuck, unheard, or frustrated on Instagram, this episode will change how you approach content entirely. Instagram is no longer asking if you are clever or popular. It is asking if you are understandable. Hosted by Rhiannon Lee, business mentor and AI strategist for interior designers.  Follow along for practical insights on AI, systems, scaling, and building a sustainable design business. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    22 min

  7. 4 FEB

    Why your design business feels heavier this year, and what to fix first.

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. This episode is a reset. I’m talking honestly about why business feels heavier this year, why motivation is harder to access, and what I actually saw work across 2025 inside real interior design businesses. I walk through the three business decisions that reduced pressure, improved delivery, and stopped everything feeling so hard. These are the same foundations I teach inside Framework Express. If you’re listening on release day, Framework Express is open with two places available. Details are below. This episode is for designers who want traction, not hype. watch this ep on YouTube >> https://youtu.be/Wsagx-vkDwM Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    25 min

  8. 05/11/2025

    You’re allowed to be more expensive

    Text me and tell me what you think of this ep. Get the Interior Design Pricing Trend Report HERE Thanks for listening to this episode of "Designing Success: From Study to Studio"! Connect with me on social media for more business tips, and a real look behind the scenes of my own practicing design business. Grab more insights and updates: Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finch Like Oleander & Finch on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/oleanderandfinch For more FREE resources, templates, guides and information, visit the Designer Resource Hub on my website ; https://oleanderandfinch.com/ Ready to take your interior design business to the next level? Check out my online course, "The Framework," designed to provide you with everything they don’t teach you in design school and to give you high touch mentorship essential to having a successful new business in the industry. Check it out now and start designing YOUR own success THE FRAMEWORK ( now open) https://www.oleanderandfinch.com/the-framework-for-emerging-designers/ Remember to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps me continue providing valuable content to aspiring interior designers. Stay tuned for more episodes filled with actionable insights and inspiring conversations. ...

    18 min
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About

Designing Success from School to Studio by Rhiannon Lee is dedicated to filling in the gaps in your design course to encourage you to build a sustainable business that supports your dream lifestyle. Are you searching for strategy, systems and support? Looking for a community to bounce industry issues around in?  In this podcast, we will cover the interior design business infrastructure you need to supplement your design school curriculum with practical insights and actionable advice. We also cover all things marketing, product innovation, client acquisition, and more. Go beyond the theory, filter through the stuff that doesn’t serve you and get on with creating. You will find real talk with industry professionals, practical tactics from business realists that leave you reenergised and focused on exactly how to improve the current landscape of your own business. For more behind the scenes of the interior design industry, check out oleander and finch in Instagram https://instagram.com/oleander_and_finchor head to www.oleanderandfinch.com

Information

  • Creator
    Rhiannon Lee
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    174
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Designing Success
  • Show Website
    Designing Success

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