Turnkey Design Talk

Adam Scougall
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Weekly Series

Hosted by interior designer Adam Scougall, Turnkey Design Talk is a podcast for solo interior designers and decorators who want to run calmer, more controlled businesses — and finish projects properly.   The show focuses on what actually makes the difference in a design career: how projects are led, how boundaries are set, how decisions are made, and how work is brought to a confident, photo-worthy close.   This isn’t about trends or overnight success. It’s about taking responsibility for the outcome — from the first client yes through to the final reveal.   If you care about delivering beautifully finished homes, creating genuine wow moments for your clients, and building a business that works on your terms, you’re in the right place. https://www.instagram.com/adamscougall               |   |   

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  1. Episode 1

    Markup vs Trade Pricing: How Should Interior Designers Price Products?

    Turnkey Design Talk is back for Season 6! After a short break, I’m kicking off the new season with one of the pricing questions I hear constantly from solo interior designers and decorators: how much should you mark up the products you specify—and should you be passing your trade discount on to your clients? Some designers pass on their entire trade discount. Others retain the retail margin. Others use a standard markup. So which approach is right? In this episode, I break down the difference between trade pricing and markup, why there is no magic percentage every designer should be charging, and why your own profitability should ultimately determine your pricing strategy. I’ll also introduce you to Stressed Sally and Calm Claire—two equally talented fictional designers with very different approaches to pricing. Sally changes her markup whenever an expensive item makes her nervous, while Claire establishes a pricing philosophy, applies it consistently and reviews it against the actual profitability of her projects. We cover: Trade pricing vs markup and how they differWhy copying another designer’s markup percentage can be a mistakeThe danger of changing your markup based on the price of individual productsWhy consistency can make quoting simpler and increase your confidenceHow your overall project profit margin should inform your pricing decisionsMy own approach to markup and why I currently use a consistent 30% markup on trade pricingThe goal isn’t to find the “perfect” markup percentage. It’s to create a pricing structure that covers your costs, supports your service and helps you build a profitable, sustainable design business. Download the free Solo Designer Profit Guide: https://www.turnkeydesignsuccess.com/profitguide Welcome back to Season 6 of Turnkey Design Talk. Wondering if you're charging enough? Download my free Solo Designer Profit Guide™ and discover what interior designers are charging in 2026 based on 50+ research interviews across Australia, Canada and the USA. You'll also learn how to calculate the hourly rate YOU need to charge based on your own business, projects and financial goals—not someone else's. Download your free copy: turnkeydesignsuccess.com/profitguide If this episode raised questions for you, or you’re feeling stuck in your solo design business, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. I offer a 30-minute clarity session where we can talk through where you’re at, what’s getting in the way, and whether I can help. Email me at askadam@turnkeydesignsuccess.com

  2. Episode 2

    Beyond Instagram: Finding Better Design Clients

    Instagram can be a useful part of your marketing, but it shouldn’t be the only place you’re looking for your next interior design client. In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I’m looking at how solo interior designers and decorators can think more broadly about finding clients — particularly when posting consistently on social media isn’t translating into actual enquiries. I share some of my own experiences of where design work has come from over the years, why getting in front of the right people matters more than simply being visible to more people, and how you can start creating opportunities for potential clients to discover what you do. If you’re spending hours creating content and wondering where the actual clients are, this episode is for you. Because ultimately, we’re not trying to become content creators. We’re trying to build successful design businesses. Wondering if you're charging enough? Download my free Solo Designer Profit Guide™ and discover what interior designers are charging in 2026 based on 50+ research interviews across Australia, Canada and the USA. You'll also learn how to calculate the hourly rate YOU need to charge based on your own business, projects and financial goals—not someone else's. Download your free copy: turnkeydesignsuccess.com/profitguide If this episode raised questions for you, or you’re feeling stuck in your solo design business, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. I offer a 30-minute clarity session where we can talk through where you’re at, what’s getting in the way, and whether I can help. Email me at askadam@turnkeydesignsuccess.com

  3. Episode 3

    From Imposter Syndrome to More Clients — with Christine Corcoran

    In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, I’m joined by high-ticket sales strategist and business mindset master coach Christine Corcoran, bestselling author of Turn Imposter Syndrome Into Your Superpower and founder of the Unstoppable Women event. Christine has coached interior designers and other creative business owners through the mindset, visibility and sales challenges that can quietly keep talented people playing small. And in this conversation, we get right into them. We talk about why imposter syndrome can still show up 10 or 15 years into your career, why being good at something can actually make you undervalue it, and why comparing your pricing to the designer down the road tells you very little about what your business needs to charge. Christine also challenges the idea that referrals alone are enough to build a reliable design business. We explore visibility as a business strategy — from social media and speaking to camera to partnerships, events, cold outreach and deliberately putting yourself where potential clients are already making decisions. We also get into the uncomfortable stuff around money and selling: discounting your fees, giving away consultations, overdelivering to prove your worth, avoiding conversations about money, emailing a proposal and then hoping the client says yes, and taking on the wrong client simply because you’re worried there won’t be another one. And Christine leaves us with practical actions you can start this week: prioritise your own marketing before disappearing into client work, build a bank of evidence of the results you’ve already created, and develop a lead-generation system that doesn’t leave your income entirely in the hands of referrals. We finish by talking about Unstoppable Women, Christine’s Gold Coast event, and why she wants Australian women in business to get better at celebrating their achievements, networking, collaborating and asking, “How can I help you?” rather than allowing tall-poppy syndrome to keep everyone playing small. In this episode: Why imposter syndrome doesn’t disappear when you become experiencedSeparating your self-worth from the value of your design serviceWhy “What is everyone else charging?” can be the wrong questionBecoming comfortable talking about moneyWhy discounting can undermine your own valueVisibility beyond simply posting on InstagramCreating opportunities instead of waiting for referralsGetting past the fear of outreachThree practical actions to build confidence, visibility and leadsThe story and thinking behind Unstoppable WomenIf you’re a talented designer or decorator who knows you need to become more visible, more confident and more proactive about creating opportunities, this conversation is for you. http://christinecorcoran.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/christinecorcoran_coach/ https://www.facebook.com/ChristineCorcoranCoach https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-corcoran-1860187a/ https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-next-level-life-with-christine-corcoran/id1276992872 book - https://www.amazon.com.au/Turn-Impostor-Syndrome-Into-Superpower/dp/1763812308/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1T8Q6DJRQALG0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SqS_co7k1-ADp9g10GIxFOxxGrPcPOlygxMEur7mpXRrilU-bKaBZdWwGSnNz4JCF9BKViPuKd2iP2aMB8hYfPqW_nJ3SG99vgYueNEUz1I.6DAcjMB9Vo5Z6f61vFMroB5-7V3KdGPpQYnoqR8SFJ8&dib_tag=se&keywords=christine+corcoran&qid=1764290762&sprefix=christine+cor%2Caps%2C624&sr=8-1 Wondering if you're charging enough? Download my free Solo Designer Profit Guide™ and discover what interior designers are charging in 2026 based on 50+ research interviews across Australia, Canada and the USA. You'll also learn how to calculate the hourly rate YOU need to charge based on your own business, projects and financial goals—not someone else's. Download your free copy: turnkeydesignsuccess.com/profitguide If this episode raised questions for you, or you’re feeling stuck in your solo design business, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. I offer a 30-minute clarity session where we can talk through where you’re at, what’s getting in the way, and whether I can help. Email me at askadam@turnkeydesignsuccess.com

    From Imposter Syndrome to More Clients — with Christine Corcoran

  4. Episode 4

    The Legal Side of Coordinating Trades: 5 Must-Haves for Interior Designers

    If you’re an interior designer or decorator coordinating painters, electricians, cabinetmakers or other trades, do you know what you’re actually taking responsibility for legally — and are you charging properly for it? After getting updated legal advice from Australian legal counsel Sprintlaw, I’m sharing five legal must-haves for coordinating trades, including how my own NSW business can stay closely involved in trade coordination even when the client contracts with and pays those trades directly. We’ll cover the real work involved in managing painters, electricians and cabinetmakers, why handing trade management back to the client can create chaos, and why client-direct trade payments do not mean your coordination should be free. Plus, I explain how I structure my implementation fee and why every designer should get their own legal advice on how to coordinate — and be compensated for coordinating — trades where they operate. Free Solo Designer Profit Guide: turnkeydesignsuccess.com/profitguide Wondering if you're charging enough? Download my free Solo Designer Profit Guide™ and discover what interior designers are charging in 2026 based on 50+ research interviews across Australia, Canada and the USA. You'll also learn how to calculate the hourly rate YOU need to charge based on your own business, projects and financial goals—not someone else's. Download your free copy: turnkeydesignsuccess.com/profitguide If this episode raised questions for you, or you’re feeling stuck in your solo design business, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. I offer a 30-minute clarity session where we can talk through where you’re at, what’s getting in the way, and whether I can help. Email me at askadam@turnkeydesignsuccess.com

  5. Episode 5

    What Is Turnkey Interior Design — And Why Should You Offer It?

    What does it actually mean to offer a turnkey interior design service — and what separates it from simply designing a room and ordering the furniture? In this episode of Turnkey Design Talk, Adam breaks down the difference between “help me do it” and “do it for me” clients, and why a genuine turnkey service is about taking responsibility for getting the approved design all the way across the finish line. From professional receiving and storage to a clearly defined programme, coordinated installation, styling, photography and that all-important home reveal, you'll discover how a properly run turnkey process can create a better experience for your client — and a stronger, more profitable service for your business. Adam also introduces his FINISH Framework, the backbone of his Turnkey Design Success System, and explains how it takes a project from that first client conversation through to the finished reveal. And stay to the end, where Adam shares three questions that will quickly reveal whether you're ready to confidently lead a truly turnkey project. Wondering if you're charging enough? Download my free Solo Designer Profit Guide™ and discover what interior designers are charging in 2026 based on 50+ research interviews across Australia, Canada and the USA. You'll also learn how to calculate the hourly rate YOU need to charge based on your own business, projects and financial goals—not someone else's. Download your free copy: turnkeydesignsuccess.com/profitguide If this episode raised questions for you, or you’re feeling stuck in your solo design business, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. I offer a 30-minute clarity session where we can talk through where you’re at, what’s getting in the way, and whether I can help. Email me at askadam@turnkeydesignsuccess.com

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About

Hosted by interior designer Adam Scougall, Turnkey Design Talk is a podcast for solo interior designers and decorators who want to run calmer, more controlled businesses — and finish projects properly.   The show focuses on what actually makes the difference in a design career: how projects are led, how boundaries are set, how decisions are made, and how work is brought to a confident, photo-worthy close.   This isn’t about trends or overnight success. It’s about taking responsibility for the outcome — from the first client yes through to the final reveal.   If you care about delivering beautifully finished homes, creating genuine wow moments for your clients, and building a business that works on your terms, you’re in the right place. https://www.instagram.com/adamscougall               |   |   

Information

  • Creator
    Adam Scougall
  • Episodes
    54
  • Seasons
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Turnkey Design Talk
  • Show Website
    Turnkey Design Talk