Creative Genius Podcast

This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby welcomes L.A. DeRiggi, founder of Hudson Park Design, to discuss his meteoric rise from a design student to a successful firm owner. L.A. reflects on his unique background in marketing and promotions, explaining how he intentionally used an unpaid internship to validate his passion before committing to a Master’s program in Interior Architecture. The conversation dives into L.A.’s transition from being a Design Director to becoming the owner of his own firm after his previous employer retired. He candidly discusses the challenges of building a team, managing expectations, and the “static” that often interferes with a leader’s instincts. L.A. also shares a powerful metaphor for business growth through his experiences solo hiking the vortexes of Sedona, Arizona, where he learned the value of “choosing your hard”. In this podcast, you’ll hear about: The Intentional Pivot: How L.A. moved from business management and promotion to interior design, using his past experience to fuel his current firm’s rapid growth. A Growth Mindset in Action: How Hudson Park Design grew over five times in size by focusing on values, culture, and deep emotional connections with clients. Luxury as Emotion: Why L.A. believes true luxury is defined by a sense of ease and belonging rather than just a price point. AI vs. Human Intuition: Why the personal element and innate human connection will always give designers an advantage over automated rendering tools. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e7-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7reRy5-9Zvc Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast LA and so glad to have you here. Thank you so much, it’s so great to be here. Well, I am so excited for everyone to hear from you today because you’ve had a little bit of an interesting journey and we only have a few clients that have done this where they’ve worked for somebody else and then all of sudden they either were they bought the business or they started a new business and you have just taken off like a rocket. So I’m really proud of you. I think that’s phenomenal. Thank you. Yeah, so let’s talk about first how did you get into design? So. I’ve always had this love and passion for design and moving things around and appreciating the flow of space and where things are and having nice things growing up. then I think we did in the sixth grade, we had to fill out, where do you see yourself in 20 years? And it was interior. I put interior designer. I just really felt like that was the right answer. in, gosh, who knows what year that was. At that time, a male interior designer wasn’t like the top choice for a sixth grader. It was a lawyer, a professional basketball player, a police officer. So I erased it and I wrote architect. But still, you know, in the same field with maybe just more of a different tone to it. But then I kind of put that aside for a little bit. And then I really fell in love with the business side of things. So my first degree. I went to school for business, business management and marketing. And then I worked for a few years afterwards. And I was doing a lot of really exciting jobs and I was working for a promotions company. And so that time right out of school, it was, was a lot of fun. I was doing different events at clubs and really trying to promote mixed martial arts, which is when that kind of first came. big in the scene and then worked in sales, worked in business development and just really didn’t feel full at the end of the day. so I had heard about a design company, I’m from Pittsburgh originally, and there was a company in Shadyside, which is a nice area, and I just walked into the firm and basically asked for an unpaid internship. And I was like, Hi, I’m here, I’d like to work here. And they’re like, well, what do you know? And I’m nothing. I don’t know anything. I’m happy to sweep the floors, go grab the coffee, do whatever you need me to do, but just want to be in this environment, kind of experience this industry, and see if it’s a go before I decide to go back to school for it. So I worked there, quit my jobs, worked there for three months, unpaid internship. And then I enrolled in school in the fall in a master’s program, which I loved the program because it was a master of interior architecture. So it was really the next step. It was a two year program. I was really looking for obviously a better degree and the fastest path to get me to where I wanted to be. Wow. Who knew? And look how well that served you because having that business development experience and the marketing and promotion and all of those different things, you had to be in business for yourself because really you have both sides that you’re able to use, Yeah. Well, so how did you end up getting to us? How did this all come about? for sure. So I had, so Fast Track, Pittsburgh School, graduated, moved to Florida. I worked for two firms and the firm I was working for previously to starting my own, was summer of 2021. after, it was the first High Point Market after everything really reopened and my previous boss and I were at High Point and we were, you know, it’s always it’s always exciting to see the new furniture and visit the showrooms and things but we had never really been to any talks or speaker series. And so we got, you know, I think it was the first day we got there, we had we got the brochure and we saw your name on there and we didn’t know you. We didn’t know anything about you. We just we really liked the topic. And we thought, hey, let’s check this out. And we were working with a business coach at the time. But it was more of a it was a business coach that was generalized. So they really kind of helped all industries. And it was one of those moments where we sat in your presentation. And it was like the stars aligned, like we just we were like, she knows what she’s talking about. And we and she can help us. And that was that was it. And then you sat you came and sat with us. You were swarmed with people. It was really like a celebrity, I felt like there were paparazzi and all these people around you, like you were leaving this event and you immediately came up to us and were so welcoming to us and we sat with you for lunch and there were so many people like, Gail, Gail, and you’re just like, hold on, I’m having a conversation and you gave us all the attention that we needed and you know, just, was, we were like, she’s our girl, she’s gonna help us. Well, and it was really interesting. and one of the things that I love is working with a leadership team and the three of you at that time were basically the leadership team for that company. And, it just really was, I don’t know. I think I just knew that I needed to help you all. And I think you had some really big challenges and for sure you did and you helped, helped her. Yeah. really get through a lot of those, let’s talk about some of those. What were some of the biggest ones she had in her business? I think because we were a small firm at the time, but then we were growing so rapidly with the amount of projects that we were taking on. I think just from the start, it was really like organizational leadership and growing, you know, my experience coming from the business world and kind of working with structure and organizational charts and, and then going to a small design firm where there’s three people doing everything. we’re all having to wear all the hats, regardless of, you know, position and who’s who. And then we start building the team and we went from like three people to 10 people overnight and like 10 projects to 42 projects. And so I think building kind of stepping back, looking at the vision for the company, her vision, and being able to relay the foundation, the foundation was already there. I mean, she was in business for 25 or 30 years and had built a really successful business. But I think just being able to kind of step back, lay another layer of foundation on everything and build from there to be able to create more success for her and more of what she was looking for with her company. Well, and I think one of the things that was really interesting is watching you grow in your role there because you grew into, we talked about you being design director. So that meant you took on a lot more responsibilities and managing people and managing the projects as well. And just really getting into what it would take to run the company. You were starting to get a good feel for that with that position. So talk about that a little bit. Yeah, it was definitely a because I think at that point I had only been there for three years. I started off as really kind of like an interior. mean, I was a licensed interior designer at the time, but started off really assisting projects. And then I was able to bring in a large project that took all of my attention away from. Fast Track. being able to assist and that’s where we decided we needed to grow the team. And then from there, as then we had a team and then it was like, okay, well, what do we do with all these people? And then there I was. then it was this, went from interior designer, senior designer to design director all within those three years. But I could handle it. And that was, think, where you saw the potential in that and where she saw, you know, the potential and capacity to be able to do that and, you know, and help the team in that way. But it’s a different, you know, you’re moving so quickly and it’s learning to pivot and learning to change your mindset as you move through these different things. Because as design director, I’m not really doing much design anymore, which again, after only three years, that was kind of like a, whoa, well, I really like that and I need that. But I

This week on the Creative Genius podcast, Gail Doby welcomes Elissa Grayer, the founder of Elissa Grayer Interior Design, for a deep dive into her 25-year journey from educational administration to luxury interior design. Elissa shares how she “made it up as she went along” before finding the professional community and coaching that transformed her firm from a seat-of-the-pants operation into a highly profitable, well-oiled machine. Listen in as Elissa discusses the evolution of her firm’s structure and the “transition mode” she is currently navigating as she looks toward the next decade of her career. She defines the critical importance of financial transparency, revealing how her business achieved a dramatic bottom-line shift by gaining the confidence to charge her true worth and track every billable hour. The conversation also explores the unique challenges of serving ultra-high-net-worth clients who may be demanding or entitled, and how Elissa maintains boundaries while delivering an outstanding, sophisticated experience. Plus, Elissa shares her perspective on the current “stagnated” real estate market in the New York suburbs and why she is looking toward hospitality and senior living as exciting new frontiers for her firm. In this podcast, you’ll hear about: The Volvo Project: How Elissa’s career began by managing a major renovation for her former husband, earning her a resale certificate and her first referrals. The $800,000 Realization: A candid look at the financial impact of “making up” design fees before learning professional billing and forecasting methods. Succession and the Next 10 Years: The special attitude required for a second-in-command to become a potential successor and the shift toward in-house design leadership. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e6-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwHUiEthyuA Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Alisa. I want to talk with your personal story and start there and tell us how did you get into design? Well, it actually, I’m one of the ones who came to it very organically. I had been in education, had been teaching, and then was working on charter schools and decided, my then husband and I decided that we were going to combine two apartments on Riverside Drive in New York City. And so I was, taken some time off from work. I just had my second child and I decided to take on the project and I did. It was a total gut renovation. There was a lot of work. took about a year. I was very involved in the design, the layout, everything, and getting the job done, which as you know is really most of the job. And at the end of it, we had a beautiful apartment, and it just felt really good and comfortable and warm and welcoming, and everybody loved it. I loved it. Shortly after, I got divorced. which was a very mutual thing. So we both were in a really good place about it with each other. We are still great friends. And he asked me if I would design and manage the joining of two apartments for him, for him and the girls who were my girls. So of course I said, yes, this would be a great thing. I’d love to make a wonderful home for them and for him. And he said, okay, I’ll buy you Volvo. And I said, okay, done. I did. I designed and project managed and filled that apartment with beautiful things and it came out really, really well. And I had to get a resale certificate number to start buying things, so I had a resale number. And then the electrician on the job said to me, I have a client who’s down in the village and she can’t make up her mind about something, would you come and help her? someone else said, I heard you might be doing interior design, would you come and help me? And it just sort of snowballed like that. So I had no idea what I was doing, but I just knew I loved what I was doing. And then I decided to go to school to see if that would help. So I went to Parsons for a certificate in interior design. I already had a couple of master’s degrees. I didn’t want any more. And I just… just was working. started working and I never stopped and that was 24 years ago. It be 25 years in February. So what were your other degrees? I didn’t know that. Well, I had a degree in administration planning and social policy from the Harvard Ed School. Then I had a degree in elementary education and master’s from Leslie College, Graduate School of Education. And then I was ABD, which means everything but the dissertation at Columbia. I was getting a degree in educational administration at Columbia Teachers College. So that was… A lot of schooling, I’m a big believer in school, but I just didn’t want to do anymore. So there’s a lot of stuff I did not learn and a lot of stuff you can only learn on the job. So it’s kind of a toss up. I miss not having worked for someone. I know that that’s an amazing experience and I always lamented the fact that I never had a role model or anyone to just look at and say, that’s how you do things. So I just kind of made it up as I went along. I hate to say it, but one of the people would probably not be good role models on running the business. Yeah. So it’s in some ways, I think it’s better to figure it out for yourself, but. That’s true. Yeah, true. Maybe if you have a background in business, which as you know very well, I do not. I’m a liberal arts person through and through. So I know we’re going to get to this, but it really wasn’t until I met you that I started understanding the business part of the business. Before that, I was just flying by the seat of my pants. There was no internet world back then to go to. mean, now you can basically buy a business plan. on the internet for a couple hundred dollars and sign up for a coaching group. It just feels a lot more open and accessible than it did back then. When I would go to the market days at the New York Design Center and basically listen for crumbs of wisdom from one of the famous designers who were speaking and I’d try and figure out what they were doing. yeah, just had to figure it out. Well, tell us about your firm right now. Who’s on your team? What are their responsibilities? Well, we are in a transitioning mode. The ideal team is, and it’s not ideal right now, so that’s why I’m starting with the ideal. The ideal situation is to have a leadership team that is myself, my design director, who’s my number two, and then have an operations person as a third arm in the group. We do not have that person anymore. We had to make some staffing changes. So I now no longer have a real operations person. And what we have done is we have brought in a fractional CFO from outside to be kind of our financial advisory arm. We have brought in a bookkeeper, CPA, and we have an office admin right now. Mm-hmm. We’ve also brought in an outside marketing kind of AI focused consultant to help us with marketing and especially as it relates to the new changes with what AI is doing to our market and our SEOs. I’ve also got a consultant who’s working on our website and I have an outside tech support person. because the operations person that I previously had did a lot of those things, some better than others, but was really kind of responsible for a lot of that. So I have now created a team of different people to kind of partially, almost all the way make up for that third person. I also have a full-time designer in the office. I have a part-time designer who is in Boston who works remotely. We have an office admin person. And then I have two very fabulous interns who are coming in a couple days a week who do all those things like, you know, drop off this sample, pick up this product, know, do, you know, open the door for this vendor. So we have a lot of hands in the mix right Yeah, it sounds like quite a few. Yeah, it’s quite a crew, but it’s working. We’re making it work. We do need another designer, but we are we’ll get there. We’re just not. It’s hard to find a good person, as you know. Yeah, you have to your time with that and definitely wait for that right person. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, we are. So let’s go back to the past and this has been quite a while, probably seven, eight years ago that you started working with us somewhere in that neighborhood. What was going on with your business at that time? Why did you come or reach out to us? Yes. Uh-huh. Well, I had actually been following you from afar from, I don’t know, it must have been, when did you start doing those podcasts where people could call in? Was that like 20 years ago? I just got 18 years ago. Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure. I was at home. Actually, I think, probably don’t remember this, but I actually asked a question on one of those things and you said to me something like, very kindly, but like, think you need to get a coach to help you with some of this stuff. And I was like, yeah, you know what, you’re probably right. I had started, I’d done a year with a coach who’s still around. This was probably like 15 years ago and just wasn’t able to follow through, didn’t really get the information that I needed. And so just kept on plugging along until I went to a dinner in High Point. You know, you get invited to these dinners, these small intimate dinners, and I think this was a trad home dinner. And a woman sitting next to me was named Julia Kirkendall. And she, we were having this great conversation and she was telling me about her business. And I have a feeling that there’s one other person from that group there and I’m not remembering, because I was so focused on Julia. I just fell in love with her warmth and her honesty and her openness. And she was saying that she was running this great business, very successful, the kind of business that I wanted, which was busy working, doing great projects, kind of under the radar, not really out and about. And sh

This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby welcomes master photographer and luxury sales consultant Jeffrey Shaw to share the insider knowledge he gained from spending over 40 years serving the most affluent families in the US. Jeffrey shares that everything he teaches comes from intimate conversations with this clientele, where he noticed a division between what luxury brands market and what clients actually say. Listen in as Jeffrey reveals what truly prevents designers from stepping into the high-end market: their own fear of being uncomfortable or feeling like an imposter. He shares his personal journey of transitioning from an outsider studying high-end stores like Bergdorf Goodman to becoming a customer there. Jeffrey emphasizes that the worst mistake you can make is trying to be a fake version of yourself because affluent buyers will “smell that a million miles away”. Jeffrey offers a masterclass on the psychology of luxury buying: he explains why they are not only looking for skill and integrity but are also highly intuitive and perceptive—a trait necessary for their success. He reveals the one thing they expect but will never ask for: that you stay a few steps ahead of them, doing their thinking on their behalf. Finally, Jeffrey provides practical advice on up-leveling your ideal client profile, removing friction from your process, and motivating clients in turbulent economic times. Listen to the full episode to hear more about: The Power of Belonging: Jeffrey’s personal mantra that belonging in any room is your individual choice, regardless of your background or socioeconomic status. The Silver Lining Audience: Why you must never fall into the mindset that nobody is spending money, and how to tap into the segment that is always doing well . Understanding Their Lingo: Why you must understand the language, visuals, and messaging of the clientele you want to attract before you build or change your brand. The Fear of Disappointment: How heightened emotions in uncertain times create an increased fear of disappointment, motivating clients to seek assuredness and consistency in their service providers. The Duality of the Affluent: Why the misconception that they are formal and stiff is wrong; they are often much more “real” and casual than expected. Why Referrals Stop: The surprising reasons affluent clients stop referring, including the fear that you will make a mistake for their friend or the reluctance to share their trusted resource. Removing Friction: Jeffrey shares his trick for using technology to make life easy for busy clients—even tracking client payment times to understand their lifestyle (the most common time they paid may surprise you!). Your Diamond Edge: The mistake of not being clear on why you chose this clientele beyond the money, and how finding your “diamond edge” provides the conviction needed to endure. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e5-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBjCCXdSuno Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Jeffrey. I’m so glad to have you here and spend time with you again. And by the way, I have to share you are one of our favorite speakers that are one of our recent boardroom retreats. And I just really valued that time that you shared with our people and they loved, loved, loved what you had to say. So we’re going to talk about your book and it’s Sell to the Rich, which is so appropriate for our industry. Thank you. It is, is. Thank you. I had such a great time with your group too and honestly I said probably that day and I’ve said many times since, hanging out with designers is such a complete joy to me because who doesn’t love hanging out with hardworking people who have good taste? Well, you have good taste. Yes, and you are in very much the visual business anyway, or at least you were serving people as a photographer. But I want to talk about how you started with this and how you learned so much about the luxury market. Sure. Yeah, a really crazy journey, right? I mean, the fact that I had the opportunity as a family portrait photographer for many of the most affluent families in the US for more than 40 years, just crazy. I didn’t come from that background at all, but I was very, very clear after a few years of struggle, it was very clear to me that these are the people I was meant to serve. And that’s such an inner feeling, right? I mean, how you get to that point of realizing that, you know, who you’re meant to serve and… to realize it wasn’t a world I knew. So, I mean, I am forever grateful for the fact I was able to break into this very challenging market and then spend 40 years literally hanging out in their closets, right? So everything I teach today, talk about, write about, is always going back to those intimate conversations with an affluent clientele that I often found. how luxury brands were marketing, how they were speaking, how they were showing up in the lives of these clients was very different than what I was hearing from the clients. And that was, that’s the valuable contrast because I was getting, felt the real them, which really on their mind and realizing the division between when you’re affluent, you’re such a target of marketing and your experience, those moments in the closet, their real lives were very different. And so everything I know today about luxury came from those moments of intimacy and getting to hear, you know, really being embedded and nothing is more personal to people than their children. So, you the lives I had in photographing their kids and their families really opened up very intimate conversations. And I felt like I got to see an inside perspective that quite frankly, most people in the luxury business do not. That’s amazing. What do you think keeps people from approaching and serving the luxury market and maybe feeling like they are not imposters, that they should be able to serve these people? And what I love about that question, Gail, is that actually I really woke up to that at your event at Pearl Collective because I doubt you recall, but there were a number of questions from the audience right in the moment, as well as people that came up to me afterwards and a very common question, so much so that I ended up writing a newsletter about it. And the question was to me, how did you get comfortable working with a clientele in a world you didn’t grow up in? Mm-hmm. So I realized what’s keeping most people from stepping into the world of self-serving a high-end client is probably their own fear of being comfortable. Their belief that they won’t be comfortable because they didn’t come from that world. But here’s a newsflash. 99.9 % of people serving luxury buyers didn’t come up and grow up in that world, right? If you did, you’re probably not a sales associate at Dior, right? I mean, it’s just the reality of it. who are serving this clientele. And that’s not to say that, and hopefully it’s true, that in the years of serving this clientele that we actually step into that market. You one of my favorite stories to tell, which is very foundational to my work, is that as a startup photographer in my 20s, and not knowing this clientele before, in the process of rebranding who I would become to serve this clientele. I spent a lot of time at high end stores in New York City and my favorite one was Bergdorf Goodman. I felt like a fish out of water going to Bergdorf Goodman. I knew it wasn’t the world I was from, but I went there to understand the world of the people I was going to serve. I can say today, I mean, without, you know, just to make the point and not to brag at all, but you know, to see your life transition from being an outsider going to Bergdorf Goodman to learn. to years later and not that many years later becoming a customer of Bergdorf Goodman and now decades later I’m an ongoing customer of Bergdorf Goodman and have a personal shopper there. So that transition to me is not to brag but it’s to represent the journey. So no, wasn’t, I think what holds most people back is they believe they’re not comfortable or going to be comfortable serving this clientele. You just have to be yourself. Mm-hmm. The worst thing you can do is being an imposter. The worst thing you can do is put on a facade, because they will smell that a million miles away. They’re not interested in a fake version of you. I never tried to hide where I came from. It was irrelevant. I was there to do a job, and I was there to do it well. And to me, comfortable is about belonging. And belonging is your individual choice. Mm. I believe we all should decide that we belong by birth by birthright we belong in any room we choose to be with regardless of where we came from or are you know any any other circumstances we have a right to decide we belong in any room regardless of gender race sexual orientation whatever it might be a social economic status you deserve to belong in any room you choose to be in well so It’s an internal feeling. I feel like even at my early 20s, I had this feeling like I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what it’s gonna look like, but I belong here. I’m just going to make myself comfortable. And then as you do, it becomes a very positive cycle of as you get more and more comfortable, you get elevated and elevated. Next thing you know, you’re a customer at the very same store that you used to go to to study. I love that. And I think that you could not have said that better because today I think a lot of people do exactly what you said. They may try to be somebody that they’re not. They need to be authentic to who they are and really care about the person that they’re serving instead of trying to be perceived in a certain way. So it’s more internal what you need to do versus the external. So just be aware of t

This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby sits down with global advisor and strategist Kiri-Maree Moore, Founder and CEO of Decision Velocity Global. Kiri-Maree shares her powerful journey from initially resisting the label of “leader” to realizing the responsibility of leading others. She defines her mission: curating spaces where humans have a greater voice and helping leaders align their decisions with long-term success. Listen in as Kiri-Maree discusses the biggest mistakes leaders make, often by failing to set a strong “GPS” or exhibiting a lack of ownership. She recounts the life-changing lesson she learned from Sir Richard Branson—whom she sees as a mentor—about thinking bigger and understanding the value of surrounding yourself with the right people. Kiri-Maree introduces her concept of Return on Decision—measuring decisions to ensure they are moving the business toward its goals, not away from them. The conversation dives deep into the difference between management (dictatorship within a broken, static construct) and leadership (mentoring and empowering others to shine their light). Kiri-Maree also explains her fascination with patterns and the crucial need to exercise the muscle of human intelligence to achieve peak performance, accelerate cultural impact, and gain a measurable ROD. Plus, hear the following discussions: Embrace New Approaches: We must adopt new approaches to leadership to change ineffective patterns and create new pathways to success. Exercise the Muscle of Human Intelligence (HI): Learning to exercise this muscle—gaining certainty in your truths and making smarter decisions—is the key to increasing peak performance and cultural impact. Demand a Measurable Return on Decision: Every decision, big or small, must be tracked to ensure it is adding to the mission, driving speed, curating capacity, and optimizing time and energy. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e4-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KryM5LUpLo&pp=0gcJCSgKAYcqIYzv Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Keri Marie. It is so great to have you here. I’ve only known you for 11 years when I met your husband. I met you at a retreat out in California, which was just wonderful. And actually back in the corral again with you all. But I am very excited to talk to you about leadership today. what a great topic. Let’s get into it. And I’m so excited to be here. So thank you, Gail. It’s our pleasure. So I think leadership starts, quite frankly, when you are a mom, don’t you think? think anytime you make a decision and you’ve got people following you, I think that’s where leadership starts. And if you’re a mom, then that’s definitely a place in which it can start. I think for me, I mean, way before I was a mom, I was a leader in leading other people and taking them on a journey. And when did you start realizing that that’s what you were, a leader? Here’s the funny thing, and I think this is always funny when we talk about leadership. For a long time I did not want to think about leadership and being my name sort of being put into that pot as well. And the reason being is that I realized I didn’t really like leadership as a thought, as being a leader. What is a leader and what does that need to look like? It didn’t really look like a lot of fun and it definitely didn’t look like lots of good things happening there. I just served other humans and I just did that and people would go, you’re such a great leader. I can see leadership on your life. And it sort of always was this word that followed with me rather than I went, I see myself as a leader. I just love serving other humans and helping to see that together we bring change. And I think there was never ever a moment that I went, I’m a leader. There was a moment I walked away from leadership and said I don’t want to be involved in leadership and I had to come back and really own my place in leadership. But I don’t remember ever a moment saying, hey, all of a sudden I’m a leader. Was there some sort of a shift or something that happened that all of a sudden you said, my gosh, I am just fascinated with this topic. Yeah, I think what happened was, and you know me in the business world, I have always been fascinated with growth in the business world, but the thing that I saw that was not happening in the business world was leadership within it. I saw people wanting to build businesses, wanting to build companies, organizations, but they were ignoring this big thing called leadership. And I realized that was something that I was very passionate about. to see that we do way better and more effectively. And it was that that I went, am I gonna take up that mentor and go, yes, I’m gonna walk in and really own in the leadership space, am I seat at the table or am I just gonna complain that I don’t like where leadership is going? And I felt there was a responsibility once I had that moment to go, I’m gonna own this. I’m gonna really see what it is I don’t like, see what it is I love, and do more of that. Well, you’re the founder and CEO of Decision Velocity Global, and I’d love to know a little bit more about your mission and your vision of that. Thank you. I think the interesting part of it was I built originally what it looked like just like everyone else and meaning that it was a nice little business and kind of consulting in that way and realized that there was something else that I was doing but I wasn’t bringing it in my organization. And so I went back to the drawing board and we have evolved a lot in the last little while and I’m so excited at what we’re bringing out and what that looks like. But really it went back to, like you said, what is the mission? What is the drive behind it? And reality was, I created what I did because I wanted to see how can we help curate spaces in which humans really can have a greater voice. I was one of those kids that grew up that didn’t have a voice. I was in leadership. or under leadership that used it in the wrong way. I’ve been that person that has not had the seat at the table, pushed away, not looked like everyone else. And I realized that I wanted to curate spaces that everyone has the permission to be at the table. But how can we do that better? And what is that value that we bring? And if I can help people through looking at decisions. and looking at the way in which we make them and do that more aligned with actually the long-term success of where you want to go, then that’s been a great day and that’s what we do in all that we look at, we work through and we create in Decision Velocity Global. Great. Well, what are some of the things that you have seen as maybe the biggest mistakes that people make in trying to become a leader? my gosh, where do we start with that? Right? And I think, you know, it’s funny because it’s like, what is that mission? And I think, you know, with anything, it’s like, if you think about that, you asked me that with the decision velocity global, and there’s so many pieces to what I do and how I do it. literally we could spend hours and hours on what the mission is. And I think that’s the difference between someone that knows that this is where we are heading. And I always talk about setting your GPS to where you wanna go. And for me, that’s your global platform shift, right? Like what is that that you wanna stand for? What is that that you wanna head towards? What is that that you will get up every day and build whatever that is that you’re doing to be able to create, you know, curate the spaces to serve other humans and do it well. And I think that is one thing that I don’t see well done in leadership is people setting that GPS. You see, depending what the economic landscape’s doing, it changes, or depending what the next trend is, or, my goodness, now everyone is canceling us, we better not say this, let’s change that. That direction of what people are setting keeps shifting and it gets diluted, it goes into chaos and… I think that’s one of the biggest issues is that we are not setting it to where we know that’s what, and everyone’s individual to what that is and how you wanna play in that way, but we’re not standing strong on what that is. And then when we are setting it, we’re not in leadership, we’re not standing strong on what that is that you’re willing to stand strong no matter what. We need leadership to take ownership. And I’m seeing this less and less and less. And I get it. It’s a scary world sometimes. It’s hard. You have to, you know, I don’t know how kosher you are here, but like grow some balls is what I would say. Like you literally have to sometimes get back up and have this resilience that others don’t realize. it takes to stand strong today in leadership. And honestly, I don’t see a lot of that when, when, when the going gets tough, when it’s, when the challenges are hitting us. And there’s a lot of that. And reality is we have to build our leadership and what we’re willing to stand for in leadership, knowing that we are in this volatile world that can, can rock us. But what does that mean and how will you still stand and what will you, you know, I hear a lot of people talking about brand right now because people are realizing that you can’t just build around what was, what used to happen and how everyone used to build it out. And people are going, you need to build your brand. No, people, we need to build what it is we’re going for and we need to build what we’re standing for and we need to create. solutions and why this is so important to help others to come on that journey with us. And I think if that’s the sort of the things that are not working is we’re not taking people on a journey with us. We’re building a lot for ourselves and not taking people with us. And we’re not t

This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby sits down with Margaret Donaldson, founder of Margaret Donaldson Interiors (MDI), and Courtney Heffron, MDI’s CFO, for an incredibly candid conversation. Margaret shares the story of starting her business 36 years ago and how, after running it “from the gut” for decades, she realized the firm’s growth—especially during COVID—had made the business bigger than her. Listen in as Margaret opens up about the difficult, but necessary, journey of shifting her mindset from boss to leader. She shares what prompted her to seek coaching—the need for an exit strategy and a desire to ensure MDI’s legacy and protect her employees. Courtney provides expert insight on when a design firm should hire a CFO and the strategic value that high-level financial expertise brings to decision-making. Margaret and Courtney reveal how embracing a leadership team and committing to a cultural pivot—moving from a control culture to a collaborative culture—required making hard choices, but resulted in massive growth, including a doubling of their net profit. This episode is a must-listen for any firm owner looking to build an A-plus team, invest in intentional growth, and create a “well-oiled machine” that can thrive beyond its founder. In this episode, you’ll learn: Margaret’s “divorce” from her original family business partnership that pushed her to start MDI. How a chance meeting (and a retiring bookkeeper) brought Courtney, with her public accounting and auditing background, into the role of MDI’s CFO. The surprising, quick results they achieved once Margaret stopped resisting and fully committed to the coaching process. The challenges of emotionally separating the business entity from Margaret’s personal identity to enhance business development. Margaret’s new skill of pausing and listening more before speaking, including a funny example of changing the “hit by the bus” scenario. Margaret’s creative business development secret: chasing every lead and following up with past satisfied clients—even if it means a surprise flight. Courtney’s perspective on overcoming imposter syndrome and the necessity of trial-and-error in business growth. Their strategy for building an A-plus team using the “ideal team player” framework, focusing on candidates who are humble, hungry, and smart. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e3-shownotes Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the created genius podcast, Margaret and Courtney. It’s always a pleasure to work with you too. And I’m just excited to have you on the podcast today. You are absolutely one of my favorite clients because you are so coachable and is one of the things that has made it such a delight to work with you all and to see you progress over this last year and a half. And it’s hard to believe it’s just been a year and a half, but let’s start with how you got into business. Margaret, what was your goal when you started? Sure. Well, thank you for having us. It’s quite an honor. I appreciate that. So the goal when I started my business, it just sort of happened. was in design school in college. And then when I got out of college, I worked for an established designer for a few years. And then I formed a partnership with my aunt and she had a successful furniture store. And after several years there, I felt the need to break free of the restraints of her business model so that my design work could expand. And unfortunately, we kind of had a divorce, which was very hard since it was family. And it was the right thing to do, though. I was a little bit in a box where I was. And I officially started my business three weeks before my first child was born. And that’s when I started Margaret Donaldson interiors. Gosh, and you’ve been in business for how long now? think it’s 36 years, 36 years as Margaret Donaldson interiors. you know, I had I worked for someone else and then with my aunt for several years before that. I don’t want people to know how old I am. So wow. They don’t have to know. No problem. Well, it’s so interesting and it’s so interesting also that, and I’m going to go a little bit off of some of the questions I had for you, but I was thinking about for you to come to me at the point of your business that you did, it was really an interesting time to choose to do that because you’ve been running your business for a very, very long time. Right. But the business really got it got bigger than me and I realized I needed help. So I found Pearl at just the right time. It’s been great. Well, let’s start with also with how you two started working together and Courtney, share what you do with MDI. Yeah, so before joining MDI, I worked in public accounting as an auditor for several years, which gave me a good foundation and exposure to a lot of different businesses. And I actually got connected to Margaret through her son’s friend who I used to work with. this was around COVID and I was wanting a career change. And when I heard about the opportunity, I felt like it would be the perfect fit. It was honestly like a dream job for me. I’ve always loved interior design. even wanted to be a designer when I was younger, but I quickly realized that I don’t have that creative side and my strengths are definitely better suited on the business and financial side. So this role gave me really the best of both worlds where I get to be part of the creative industry that I genuinely love while focusing on the financial and operational side that I’m passionate about. I was initially hired as the controller and then that developed into the CFO role that I’m currently in. When I first joined MDI, we had a really smaller bookkeeping setup. And so my goal was to modernize and streamline things. During that time, we transitioned from QuickBooks to Studio Designer, moved everything digital, and that has really completely transformed how we manage the business. And so now today, my role touches on a little bit of everything from strategic planning, decision making, financial management and forecasting to client relations, new business opportunities. And then I also oversee the accounting, course, payroll, employee benefits, taxes, and et cetera. Essentially just helping ensure the business runs smoothly and continues to grow. She has a really big job. This is very big job. You’re a big company in our industry. And so for the level of work that you do, and maybe we should throw in here how many people you have on your team. Maybe you check. You do. But Courtney and I’ve been sort of back and forth on this, but we have decided that we have including myself. We are at 19 employees, full time employees. And then we have four 1099 contractors that we use in various capacities. So I guess we’re. Somewhere around 23. Sometimes it’s clearer than you think, and especially since it grew so organically for you. It’s interesting how all of a sudden you end up running a big team and you never anticipated that you’re going to do that. Exactly, it just happened and that’s when I knew I needed help. It was kind of like the perfect storm when COVID happened, business was booming actually for the interior design industry. And that’s around the time that I came on. And I felt like the growth really did happen very organically. And we just, as business was coming in, we made it work, hired more and improved the business as much as we could. And so it was actually during COVID that brought me to Courtney because we stayed home for six weeks. And then when I called everyone back to the office at that point, my bookkeeper, who had been with me for 22 years, decided that she didn’t want to come back and it was time for her to retire. So that very Friday, I was sitting on my dock with my son. and his friend, and I was just lamenting the fact that I don’t have a bookkeeper anymore, she’s leaving. And this is when my son’s friend was like, I might know somebody, and he starts texting, and that’s how it all came to be. So things happen for a reason. They do happen for a reason. I believe that. In fact, every time I’ve wanted to hire somebody, I just think about it and I start talking about it and I put a job description together and the person shows up. It’s so funny that it works that way. So I’m not surprised that worked for you. So I guess a question I have for you, Courtney, is when does it make sense to add somebody with your level of knowledge? Because not all firms hire a CFO. Yeah. And of course you’re a larger firm, so to me that makes sense, but is there a particular time or a particular incident? I think it really depends on a few factors, mainly the size and complexity of the business, especially as your firm grows, you have more projects, more employees, there’s more moving parts. I like the accounting side naturally becomes more involved at that point. And so that’s usually when it makes more sense to bring someone in with higher level financial experience in house. Then once you also start doing more large scale projects, I think it’s crucial to have strong and efficient processes and procedures in place. And having someone who really understands both the business side and the numbers really helps you streamline operations and then make smarter decisions in the end. And I think eventually too, as you’re starting to think about the future, whether that’s scaling, succession planning, or even your eventual exit strategy, I think it’s incredibly valuable to have someone who can confidently navigate those conversations and you know, speak the same language as your CPA attorney, financial advisor. So yeah. Yeah, well, and I think too, it’s really important as you’re growing your firm and you’re in more of a leadership role where you’re the CEO of the business, you’re not really in the day-to-day of the design as much as you

Running a thriving design firm is often described as one of the hardest jobs out there. If that’s true, how does a successful designer not only manage the chaos but scale a business to attract the top one percent of clients and win industry awards? This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby welcomes Stephanie Kraus, founder of Stephanie Kraus Designs, to share her remarkable story of transforming from a national magazine publisher to the head of an award-winning interior design firm. Stephanie reveals how she leveraged her original career’s organizational expertise to build a design business with consistent waitlists, making it one of the hardest—yet most rewarding—jobs she’s ever undertaken. Listen in as Stephanie discusses the evolution of her firm, which shifted its focus to handling full home gut renovations and custom homes while navigating the unpredictable challenges of the industry. She defines what it means to be a “fierce” but caring businesswoman, and explains how her philosophy of being a fast action taker ensures her employees feel protected and the business runs smoothly enough to scale. In this episode, you’ll learn: The key strategies Stephanie uses to attract and retain the top one percent of clients, often leading to multiple projects from the same high-level families. How her firm strategically uses AI tools like Midjourney to improve client visualization. Why her flexible, hybrid studio model is key to attracting top design talent. Three powerful, actionable takeaways for designers looking to grow their firms and achieve success. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14e2-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTaUo9OzC98 Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Stephanie. First, I’d love to start with your personal story. How did you get into design? Well, thank you, Gail. It’s great to be here. Great to see you again and hear your voice. Okay, I started my business about 13 years ago. And prior to that, I was a publisher for a magazine and in the medical field. So absolutely nothing to do with design at the time, but I’ve always loved design, fashion, style. I think it’s just in my DNA. So back in 2013, I don’t know if you remember this, but design blogs were the thing. And I devoured them while I was at home with my kids when my children were little. Because when I had my first child, I actually had to stop working as a publisher. Because when you’re a publisher for a magazine that’s national, you need to travel. So I had to take a break from that. because both myself and my husband were traveling nonstop and something had to give. So it’s sad to give up that part of my career, but it actually opened the door to another part of my life and a new career. When the kids were little, I did always know I wanted to go back to work and wanted to run my own business. publishing, believe it or not, was like running your own many company so i learned a lot about leadership and operations and i did want to open something for myself i felt like i definitely had that entrepreneurial bug and i combined that with my love and passion for design and i started my own company stephanie cross designs into the thousand thirteen specifically focusing on you know small projects and residential design And how I started was I started decorating my own home and started writing my own design blog, obviously with publishing as a background. I really liked to write and I thought I was pretty talented in that area. So I wrote my design blog, did my own house, and then things just took off. My first clients were friends and family, and then word of mouth spread and I haven’t stopped since. Busy and have had wait lists since the day we opened. That is amazing. So what was your original vision for the business? In the beginning, before I had any grand plans, I just wanted to run an organized company that had processes and procedures in place, just as when I was a publisher, we had a very organized process. And what I wanted to bring into it was more of the creative side and a creative aspect that helps people live beautifully and comfortably. I never imagined it would grow into what it is now, but I feel like doing consistently good work, caring deeply for my clients, being an ambassador for them, and actually a translator for them among the team that they work with when they’re building a house and designing a house for acting as a translator between the builders and architects and trades so that the client’s vision can be translated into their dream home with the whole team behind them. And has your vision changed? 12 years is not a terribly long period of time, but I have a feeling things have changed because obviously you got into this business coming from the publishing world and then you start this and it’s been very successful. So what has changed over time? When I first started the projects were a little smaller. Sometimes it was just furniture and other times it was a small gut renovation or you know kitchen renovation, bath renovation and the vision of the company now is we are focused mainly on full home, full home gut renovations and our whole focus is our clients working with clients who are family centered to create custom homes from concept to completion. And we feel like we’re really lucky to collaborate with incredibly talented architects and builders who help us translate each client’s dream into reality. Again, my vision for the company today is really concept to completion, helping a client. reach their dream home through not only beautiful aesthetics, but how they circulate and work through their home and flow through their home now and many years from now. We always like to take into consideration what stage they’re in in life. No small kids. How does that translate from small children to teenage years, to college years, to when they have grandkids and also encompass all of the family events that take place in these homes and create a beautiful backdrop for our clients. That’s great. Well, what are some of the biggest surprises along the way in running a design business? Because it’s totally different than publishing, I would think. designing, running an interior design firm and being an interior designer is probably the hardest job I’ve ever had. I think it’s the most detailed job and there are so many things that are out of our control. So I’ve worked in the publishing and the medical field and this is by far the hardest. The only thing we do control is our creativity and how we show up. So it took years to build a reliable team of vendors and trades, but once you have them, it’s gold. But it’s really hard not controlling the timing of the furniture, the damages that come with the furniture, the kitchen cabinetry that we designed, but we didn’t create, we didn’t fabricate. All of the things that encompass an interior design project that we rely on other people to fabricate, make, install to give the final product. And not having control over every aspect of that is very difficult. But what I’ve learned over the years is it’s really important to work with trusted architects, trusted trades, and trusted builders. So we’ve been really lucky. That’s great. Well, and I would describe you as a fierce businesswoman. Have you always been that way? I think so. Once I’m comfortable in a role or in a space, yes, I think I just like to set a goal and meet it. And you can’t know everything. So if I’m uncomfortable in a role, if I don’t know anything, I just lean in, keep learning, stay transparent with our clients and just do my best. Fierce doesn’t mean loud. It just means consistent, fair, decisive, and caring. I think that’s a great definition for fears and I think fierce is a good thing to go for. So and it’s a great model that you have. One of the things I noticed when we were at boardroom retreat just a few weeks ago, I watched you do something really interesting and it tells me a little bit about your work style. We had everybody take an assessment for their business and it was pretty long. And during this time you were. you were answering the questions, but you were also executing actions. And you told me about this later. And I thought, wow, that’s really fascinating. Because who would have thought that somebody would just immediately say, OK, well, I need to get into action on this and start executing in the middle of doing an assessment. So that is talking about fast action taking. Is that how you work normally? Yes, and I think that’s instinctive for me. I think that just comes naturally. I’ve always taken action. Trust me, I do procrastinate with things like unpacking my suitcase and doing laundry. But for achieving a goal, making sure that my company, my team, my employees are taken care of, that I just do my best to try to take action. And in particular, I think what we were working on was insurance, you know, is my insurance up to date? Is my contract in place? Because those are the kinds of things that not only are really important to running a successful business, but also keep your employees feeling safe, make them feeling comfortable. I want them to feel when they come into their office every day that I’m protecting them, making sure that they have a job in you know, for many years to come, if you don’t feel safe, if you don’t feel comfortable, then, you know, how can you do your job effectively? Kind of interesting. I didn’t even realize I was doing it. But if something needs doing, I just do it, handle it. Yeah. And I think that’s what I was doing was I was emailing my insurance agent mid meeting just to review our policy. And I actually had added cyber insurance, which I didn’t have before. So to make sure that my client’s money when it’s, I guess, given by wire transfer or by

This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby sits down with design power couple Dwayne Bergmann and Kyle Barrett to share their incredible, serendipitous love story, their unconventional paths to success in the design industry, and how they’ve partnered to build multiple successful businesses and a unique product line. Dwayne, the founder of Dwayne Bergmann Interiors, and Kyle, who previously ran his own successful design firm and is a licensed realtor, discuss the unexpected way they met in New Orleans, their diverse backgrounds—from decorating cakes and selling eggs as kids on ranches—to running a multi-million dollar organization with nearly 50 employees. They also dive deep into the inspiration and unique offerings of their joint product venture, Barrett Bergmann Home. Dwayne and Kyle shared the story of how a change in Dwayne’s travel schedule led to their serendipitous meeting and first late-night conversation at a wedding reception in New Orleans. They detailed their separate, yet similarly organic, entries into the design world: Dwayne started by decorating cakes as a child, then renovating and selling his own homes, which led to a feature in Gulf Shore Life magazine and the founding of Dwayne Bergmann Interiors. The couple also discussed how their shared past of growing up on ranches has recently influenced Dwayne’s creative work. They highlighted their successful joint venture, Barrett Bergmann Home, which features a line of unique, story-driven products like luxury bedding, fragrances, and a vanity program that allows designers to co-brand. Finally, Dwayne explained his strategic decision to grow his design business by acquiring Freestyle Interiors, a move that doubled his firm’s size and created time for him to focus on product development. Gail, Dwayne, and Kyle also discussed: Dwayne’s first wedding cake design. Kyle’s many businesses that he had when he started his firm. Dwayne’s renovation of his largest personal project. Dwayne’s adventure pulling his own permits. The ups and downs of the acquisition process. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s14-e1-shownotes https://youtu.be/nux9m79jzXE Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Wayne and Kyle. I am so excited to have you here and we’ve gotten a chance to get to know each other over the last year or so. And you’ve told me this wonderful personal story about how you two met and I’d love for you to share that. Dwayne, I’ll you take the lead. Sure. So I do think there is something serendipitous about the way that we met. Neither of us were looking for, I think, a long term relationship. I had come out of a very difficult divorce and Kyle was at the end of a four five year relationship himself. maybe not the best of times when you were looking at it going, okay, I’m ready to meet the person that I wanna be with the rest of my life. So just kind of behind the scenes that was individually happening. But on the serendipitous part, I was working in a project in New Orleans that I had been, it was a two year project and I was in month 18. of the project and I literally flew in once a month on a Tuesday same flight in the afternoon would get in land go check the project out quickly work all day Wednesday and take an early evening flight out of things like a six six o’clock flight on Wednesday. I always stayed at the same hotel. It was just like clockwork we just did this every month so this particular trip. My operations manager said, I don’t know what is going on in New Orleans. I can’t get you in anywhere. I can’t get you on a flight. So you’re going to fly in on a Thursday evening. You’re going to work all day Friday. Like you’re going to get in really late Thursday. So you’re not going to go to the project Thursday. You’re going to work all day Friday and you’re going to fly back on a 6 a.m. flight on Saturday because I can’t get you out any other time. OK, I mean, it is what it is. like an oh by the way you’re staying at a completely different hotel on a different part of town because that’s completely was like thirty five hundred dollars a night or something it was ridiculous so okay it is what it is so I fly in wait Friday morning waiting for my car to arrive and I’m outside of this hotel and Kyle comes up and I was just starting to make small talk you know what brings you to New Orleans. Because no, I’ve been in New Orleans enough at this point. Like no one is, it’s very transient. No one is just there visiting. Usually they’re doing something and usually it’s a convention or whatever. But he said, oh, I’m here working. said, oh, me too. You know, what do you do? And he said, oh, I’m here for an event that I’m working on. And I said, well, I’m a designer. working. He’s like, oh, well, I have a design firm as well. And so we just chit chatted for a little bit and I handed him my card and said, If you’re around later and like to get a drink, if I get back, I don’t fly out until tomorrow morning. Would love to hear about a little bit more about what you do and where you’re from and all that good stuff. he said, well, the event is a wedding that I’m doing for a really good friend of mine. And the wedding is this evening. So I doubt that I can meet you. It’s going to be a busy day. But why don’t you text me? Here’s my number. Why don’t you text me or give me a call around 10 o’clock tonight and I’ll know, you know, what, what, you know, if I’m going to be, if I’m going to be back at the hotel and we can, you know, maybe be late, late at the bar. So I text him at 10 and he said, I’m still at the reception. Why don’t you come over? And I was like, hell no. I am not crashing a wedding, period. That is not my style. One, I’m not dressed for a wedding. Two, I can’t imagine crashing a wedding. And three, I know no one there and I don’t know you. Like the other part was like, this is a kind of a risk. I just met you on the street, literally, this morning. That’s true, that I want to go to a wedding venue. reception it wasn’t the actual wedding so that was reception. So he convinced me to go. I ubered over to this venue and walk in and we talked for just a few minutes and he introduced me to the people that he was working with and then he said, hey, let’s go. Why don’t we sit over there? There’s a quiet corner. And we literally went off to this corner at the reception and sat at this table. And this is probably 1045 at this point. And around, I mean, we just started talking like this just nonstop back and forth. no, think we both lost track of time. And one of his workers came over and just ask a couple of questions. And she came back and he said, my goodness, we we’ve got it. We’ve got to go. I’ve got to help them get all of this torn down. We had been talking so directly and were so just engrossed with each other and the conversation they had completely. torn down the entire reception, had everything packed and it was two o’clock in the morning. And she’s like, no, everything is done. We just need to tell you that it’s time to go. We all need to leave. Everything is packed up. So he drove me back to the hotel, said good night. He went on his way and kind of left it at, okay, you’re in Texas, I’m in Florida, kids, you have businesses, I have businesses. Let’s try to… You we’ll try to keep in touch, but it was one of the things it’s like you’re really cool. I don’t know how this would ever work. next morning. I did. So I had so I didn’t really sleep. I had to get up at four. So I was you know, I sort of like got my stuff together and the airport so on the on the flight I was like at six maybe he did sleep so I texted him you know it was really nice meeting you and safe travels on your way back to Texas today and he started texting and we never stopped. That’s so cool. And how many years ago was that? Going on, it’ll be four in literally seven days. Oh wow. Well, congratulations. Thank you. And I’m glad that you just reminded me that it will be, it’s four days. I just made a calendar mark on that. It’s crazy. It’s been with our work, but it is funny. Let me, let me tell you one thing, Gail, that you already know about Dwayne Bergman. When he ever says I wasn’t dressed for something, he’s not being honest. He looked like he had walked out of, as my grandmother would say, a Spiegel catalog. And, and when we met, had on, working this event, I had on a a cap and a dirty t-shirt with floral stains all over it, shorts and tennis shoes, and he was dressed to the nines. So don’t let him fool you on that part. Yeah, we know all about his dressing style. that’s a great story. Well, you both have had a really interesting journey. And I’m going to start with you, Kyle, about how you got into design. actually it was, it’s very interesting how it all happened. Whenever I was, I was living in Dallas in my early twenties and, I had always had a, an interest in florals. I worked for TXU energy, in large commercial industrial side of customer service. But, I had a good friend that serviced a lot of very high end clients in Dallas, with their floral needs, would go in weekly or for, for parties and things like that. And I started helping on the side just because it was something I enjoyed doing when I was off work. And so that was kind of the start. I was also in Selam, a licensed realtor. And so one of the first houses that I did, I sold a large ranch home to some clients from Florida. And the lady looked at me she said, I don’t know where to even start. to decorate this house. You know, I’m so excited to have it. I said, well, I’ll help you. And so that’s how I started. And then it just spread from there. And then, so I would sell a home and then a lot of times I would turn around and help them redesign the home. And then my design business took off so fast that I had

How do you create a client experience that feels personal, luxurious, and effortless from start to finish? It’s all about treating your clients like they’re valued friends, while also adapting to their lifestyle and what they love. In this episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, Erin Weir sits down with celebrated interior designer Tina Ramchandani to explore how to elevate every aspect of the client journey. Tina is known not only for her clean, warm aesthetic but also for the way she makes her clients feel heard, supported, and at ease throughout the design process. Her firm, Tina Ramchandani Creative, specializes in full-service interior design with a high level of attention and care. And in this episode, she shares the exact strategies that make that possible. From the very first inquiry to the post-installation follow-up, Tina brings intentionality to every touchpoint. In the episode, she walks through her onboarding process, why she sets aside time for every client inquiry, and how she customizes proposals to reflect each client’s priorities. She also discusses the importance of building a team culture that values service and consistency, even as her business has grown. Tina and Erin also talk about: How to structure your intake process to screen for ideal clients. Why consistent communication is more important than over-communication. How to set clear expectations about timelines, budgets, and deliverables. What Tina does to create memorable moments and build long-term loyalty. Whether you’re a solo designer or leading a larger team, Tina’s thoughtful approach will inspire you to revisit your own client journey and even refine it in ways that leave a lasting impression. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e8-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwmLAiyrEKw Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Great, so Tina, thank you so much for being here today. We’re gonna be talking all about the client journey from that very first inquiry of a design client coming in, seeing if they’re the right fit to the full project completion. And of course, all of the thoughtfulness, the systems, the personal touches and everything in between to create a really seamless high touch experience for a happy client. So why don’t you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Tina and your world in design? Well, thank you. I’m so excited to be chatting with you as always today. My name is Tina Ramchandani. I am an interior designer based in New York City. I have a small but mighty team. We focus on warm, modern interiors that we call soulful minimalism. And the idea behind this is we like to create environments for our clients so they are surrounded. by the things that matter so they can focus on the people that matter. So it’s really building a welcoming lifestyle for them that reflects who they are and what their family represents. I love that. All right, so let’s start at the very beginning. How do your clients typically find you and what does your intake process look like? Yeah, so our clients find us in a number of ways. Referrals are always the best. Oftentimes, they are friends of past clients. They have many times been in the homes that we’ve designed, whether it’s for drinks or dinner or play dates. They’ve seen our work firsthand. We also have a great referral system. So we get a lot of leads from realtors. That’s a great one for us. And A lot of people say that they find us on Instagram, though I don’t know that it is necessarily truly Instagram. Some people are from Instagram Direct, but others have found us throughout the years. Maybe it is word of mouth or maybe it is from an article that we’ve been published in or, you know, a referral source, another referral source. And then they start following us on Instagram and they follow us for a number of years before they’re ready to reach out. So we have sort of a good multi-prong system of where our leads are coming from. And tell me a little bit about your referral system with your realtors because you said that’s it’s past class realtors are your best resources. Yeah, well, in New York City, you you’re not allowed to pay for referrals for realtors. So really, it’s just good energy. So I like to be around people that are kind and supportive and like minded and people that I enjoy and I have fun with. And so I meet a lot of realtors in our business and we have coffees and drinks and just kind of hang out and we’ve become friends and I’ll do for them whatever I can, you know, if it’s advice on their own home or helping them with something that they need for a client floor plans or just general advice, referrals to contractors or painters or whatever. And in return, they share my name along with others for their people that are closing on their homes. And we’re, it’s not just one, they don’t just say, call Tina. They say, hey, call Tina and to other people. We get a call and Most of the time it works out. Well, I’m wondering too with your clients, if you get so many referrals from clients, that usually means you’ve got a great client journey, which obviously we’re talking about today. Because if you’ve got happy clients, then they’re wanting to share the good news of who helped them with their beautiful home and hey, know, she, I can get you in contact with Tina as well. I’m excited to learn about your client journey today and those touch points. Yeah, well, we’re always working on the client journey and we really enjoy working with great people. So it’s kind of a natural progression on how we work with these clients, but I’m happy to talk about it. All right, well, let’s start with that discovery call. What do you gather as far as information during the initial discovery call? Do you have like an intake form as they’re scheduling that discovery call? No, we used to have a form. We found that half the time it wasn’t being filled out and it was annoying to nag people to fill this out. We work with high end clients and they oftentimes are busy professionals and they don’t want to be bothered to take an extra step. they reach out however they reach out. If it is on Instagram direct, if it’s through the website, if it’s through house, if it’s through an email. They reach out and Laura, who’s our operations manager, sets up a call. So we prefer Zoom. Sometimes it is just a phone call, but right away we just offer them the next available time and we try and hop on a Zoom to chat with them. Okay, and then what are some of the requirements that she’s using to know that they’re the right fit for you to move forward as a true prospect for your business? So actually, both of us are on that first zoom. So yeah, we thought about having just Laura do it. We received feedback from clients that they loved that I was one of their first points of contacts. And I know that everybody does this differently and every firm is different. But some of our best clients have said that they’ve gotten on a call with a designer or a design firm and the designer wasn’t on the call. And that’s why they didn’t go with that firm. So I will still be on every Zoom, if humanly possible, unless I am out of town or something, I will be on that Discovery Zoom to really hear and see what the client is asking for. So you really are taking what you’re hearing, the feedback that you’re hearing and implementing it and going, okay, this might work for other people to not have the owner be on the very first or the main designer to be on the very first call, but that’s not necessarily what your ideal client is looking for. Yeah, they’re looking for a personal connection. Okay, so do you have any, are some of those requirements that you’re looking for as far as an ideal client? So really, obviously budget. So obviously they have to have a realistic idea of spend, but what I’m really listening for are their needs and their wants. If they are realistic about what they want to achieve in the budget, if they are realistic about timeframe, and if they are not realistic, are they open to feedback in a different way of working? So some people come to us with no clue. They say, I don’t know what my budget is going to be. These are the things that I want. I may suggest a range. And if they say that’s great, then we can continue the conversation. If they say that’s way out of line, then that’s our answer right there. Some people say I want something overnight. And if we say this is what we can do for you overnight versus what’s realistic, if they’re open to different ways of working, we can continue the conversation. So I think that’s another reason that I’m on the call along with Laura is so the two of us can hear things and everybody hears. things differently, right? So I might hear something one way, Laura may hear something another way. We’ll get off the call and confer and say, this is what I think that they wanted. The majority of the time we’re able to come up with a way of working with people, but it’s nice to have both of us on that call. Do you find that you have certain professions or occupations that are not really a great fit for your creative or your personality and your work style? I some people are like, you know, avoid attorneys or they avoid accountants or, you know, there’s certain occupations that it’s just like, you know, that that’s not really an occupation that you can drive with or do you feel like you’re- to think that, but I don’t anymore. I want to love attorneys. think attorneys are amazing and they are to the point. They understand my time billing and they are very clear with what they want. No, I don’t think it is for me personally, it’s not a profession. It is a approach to the world. So we really look for kindness and we look for Someone who understands what’s really important in life. So I think you can be in any profession, but

What if the best thing you could do for your business… was to step away from it? In this special episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, Erin Weir sits down with Pearl Collective co-founder Gail Doby to explore the empowering experience of taking a sabbatical. Gail has taken multiple sabbaticals over the past five years, and in this episode, she shares why this practice is essential for visionary leaders—and how it became one of the most strategic decisions she made as a business owner. Gail defines a sabbatical as “an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job,” and breaks down the origins and misconceptions of the practice. For her, sabbaticals have ranged from deep reading and writing to moving homes and diving back into hands-on interior design. While each one looked different, every sabbatical provided a much-needed reset that sparked creativity, shifted her mindset, and empowered her team. In this episode, you’ll learn how Gail prepared for her first sabbatical nearly a year in advance, setting up systems and handing over responsibilities to her team. She reflects on how her absence pushed the leadership team to grow: “I wanted you all to step up and show me what you have.” The experience helped her realize how critical it is to let go of control in order to grow both leaders and the business itself. This episode also highlights: How to prepare your team and clients for your absence Why reading fuels Gail’s creativity (she read 21 books on her first sabbatical!) The unexpected gift of sabbaticals: faster team development and long-term succession planning Practical advice for business owners who think they’re “too busy” to step away Gail encourages all leaders—especially those in the interior design industry—to find ways to recharge creatively, whether through a long weekend away, a solo retreat, or a multi-week break. As she puts it, “Your time is now. Go do it.” If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e7-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNRGClIvxKk Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, Gail, it is great to finally get to podcast together again. It’s been a minute for our listeners since we’ve been on together. Well, we both had a lot of things going on in 24 and now it’s 25 and it’s a new year and a new face. You’re leading the podcast this year, which is great. So it’s fun to be a guest for a change. All right, well, I love it. And we’ve got you all set up in your new office setting. And so I’m loving your background. I’m still sticking to my very plain vanilla background for the moment, but you are inspiring me to switch up my background. just a paint can. Oh, thank you. Yeah, they’re I will buy you a can of I love it. love it. Okay, so let’s, I want to talk today on the topic of sabbaticals. The idea of sabbaticals, how you know when it’s time, what it does for you as the business owner. I just think it’s such an interesting topic to uncover. And since you have done sabbaticals for a couple of years now, you’re the perfect person to talk to about this. Yeah, it’s an annual event now and it’s actually gonna be twice this year and maybe. From now on, you never know. my gosh, well, I can’t wait. you You’re just ready for me to go away. no, I didn’t say that out loud. No, just kidding. Okay, so let’s start off with what inspired you to take a sabbatical and how did you really know it was the right time? Well, let me start with what a definition of sabbatical is. I think that is useful because a lot of people don’t know what it really is. And most of the time people think of it when it’s related to somebody who’s a college professor. And the word is it means it’s actually from Hebrew sabbat, which means arrest or break from work. And so in the in the arena of education. A lot of universities at five or seven years will give a professor a year off so that they can do research and they can do study and they can work on writing papers and things like that that are necessary, doing research, traveling, going somewhere. So there are many reasons that people do sabbatical. And I was looking at some of the different definitions this morning, just getting ready for this and. Here’s one that says an extended period of time intentionally spent on something that’s not your routine job. And so when you all as a team, when I was talking to you about sabbaticals, said I wanted to go on my first one, I know you all thought I was crazy because I said, well, I have some projects I want to work on. But that’s exactly what you get to do is choose what is the reason for having a sabbatical. And I’ve had four. and I’m preparing for my fifth one. So I am starting to think about what that’s going to entail. And each one has been completely different. So to go back to your first question, which is, how did I know that it was time to do a sabbatical is because I was starting to think about preparing succession for the business, preparing the leadership team to be able to take on the business and run it while I was gone. I knew and I felt it in my bones it was really essential for you all to have a break from me for a while and to have to take on the responsibility that I carried that was unseen. So a lot of us as CEOs of the business, we’re doing so many things behind the scenes that you all don’t know. You have no clue what we’re working on day to day. And the only way you’re going to ever feel that is for us to be away. And so instead of taking a break that was maybe unplanned, like being sick or having an illness in the family or something like that, I decided that it was time for me to start bringing that into the company so that I was preparing you all for your future leadership roles. Well, and I love that. And I, I do think that maybe the sabbatical could have even been the ticket to keep away the illness, right? Like, had you not taken breaks, then that could have been a thing that then you would have had to have been out of the business. I’m not saying that you’ve had any health issues. haven’t, but like, you know, that’s always something like, you know, the hit by the bus theory rate that we talk about in our planning. But what I do love about those, those definitions that you shared of sabbatical, The two words that really ring true to me are intentional and rest. So even though you are working on projects, you have a different rhythm to what you’re doing during that time. So I really can appreciate that. So how far in advance? know you have been, you were talking, we really did think you were crazy at first when you wanted to do your first sabbatical. Now we’re like. when she going on our next one, right? We’re ready. We’re ready. And we also love the product that comes from the sabbaticals, both in how you are able to come back rested and creative and really excited to for the next part of the journey. So how far in advance did you actually start planning those sabbaticals or your first one? Okay, so the first one I thought about it for about two years, but a year out is when I came to you all and said, okay, I want to do a sabbatical and it’s going to happen. And it was literally a year. And so I gave you that heads up in that notice because I knew that I also had to prepare myself and I had to prepare the business and I had to prepare you for what was going to happen. And you know me, I’m a big planner and I don’t… I work on things way ahead of time. So in my case, I knew that I had to prepare a lot of work that needed to be done so that I wasn’t not working or not getting the things done that I would have gotten done had I been working. So it took a lot of intentional work to get all of the things prepared so that podcasts were done, articles were written. planning was done, a lot of things were in place so that I had that freedom to actually take the break that I needed to have. the first sabbatical, I actually read the most and I read 20, I think it was 21 books that sabbatical and I was off five weeks. And so for me, five weeks is enough. I’m not taking a year like a college professor would do. And so For me to take five weeks off, I’ve never done that in my entire life. And usually if I took a vacation, the longest I would take is two weeks. So two weeks barely gives you enough time to come down off of the high of work and then get calm enough that you can have a different mindset during that sabbatical period of time. So for me, five weeks was pretty interesting. So I took a week of vacation first. And I don’t remember where I went on the first one, but anyway, I took a week of vacation. And then after that week of vacation, I came back and just started working on projects and I started reading. So every single bit of the reading that I did was pivotal for the next year. And so for me, and we’ve talked about this a lot. I know you and I’ve chatted about it and Kristen has about the fact that where I get my ideas is from reading and from classes. And so when I have the opportunity to read and think and just go into my little shell, because I like my little bubble, I like to be able to sit at my computer and I literally will sit down with an open document and just start writing and I’ll start thinking about things. And so for me, I guess I’m a little bit of an introvert in that way. I like to have that quiet time and that thinking time. And I like really long blocks of time because I can work in long blocks of you know, six to eight hours where I can get a lot of reading done or I can be writing all day and write articles all day long. And so for me, I like to have those big chunks so that I can get deep into whatever I’m doing and I’m not getting distracted. And then it takes me another several days to get back to it. If you can do sequential work like this, it is incredible how much you can get do

Are you feeling disconnected from the wider design industry, or wondering how to find your place within it? Whether you’re a solo designer, studio owner, or team leader, finding your community and knowing your value in the bigger picture of the design world can be a game-changer. In this episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, host Erin Weir sits down with Jane Dagmi for a conversation about identity, community, and purpose in the interior design industry. Erin first met Jane around the time that Jane was Editor in Chief of Designers Today, and now she is Managing Director of High Point x Design (HPxD), a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization that promotes, unites and builds upon High Point, NC’s unique creative ecosystem. Jane brings a unique perspective as a writer, storyteller, editor, and industry leader. With a career that has spanned media, editorial leadership, and now her work with WithIt and High Point Market Authority, she shares thoughtful reflections on how the design world is evolving—and how designers can find connection, meaning, and impact in their work. Throughout the episode, Jane and Erin discuss the power of community in an industry that often feels isolating. Jane shares her passion for fostering supportive networks and why organizations like WithIt play such a critical role in elevating women and providing leadership development in design. “Inclusivity is real important to us,” she says. “HPxD is kind of connecting all of those steps along the way of the ecosystem and promoting it and uniting those people year-round.” Listen to the full episode to learn: Why storytelling is at the heart of design, and how every designer has a story worth telling. The power of vulnerability and authenticity in building meaningful client relationships and professional collaborations. What makes High Point Market so magical, and how new designers can make the most of the experience. How to balance personal growth with professional development by staying curious and connected. Jane also reflects on her transition from being a magazine editor to becoming more deeply involved with the trade side of the industry. She talks about learning to trust her instincts and follow the breadcrumbs that led her to roles that truly aligned with her values. This is a conversation filled with heart, insight, and inspiration—perfect for anyone who’s ever asked, “Where do I fit in?” or “How do I grow while staying true to myself?” If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e6-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY7D-eAnuHo&pp=ygUQcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZQ%3D%3D Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to Show Transcript Well, Jean, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast. It’s so nice to have you here today. I’m glad to be with you. Thank you. Yeah, do you want to just introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you are all about? Okay, so I am presently the managing director of High Point by Design, also known as HPXD. But for many years before that, I was editor in chief of designers today, and that’s really what afforded me to meet a ton of designers. So that’s what I’ve been doing for the last seven years, magazines and now HPXD. I remember when we first met, were doing designers today and you were an editor. So you have such a fascinating background as an editor, also an artist and a creative. And I’d love to hear about your journey and how it led you to High Point by Design. Okay, I’m gonna do the very abbreviated journey and I’m happy to have a glass of wine with anybody that wants to go deeper. But like many people that we hang out with, I was a room rearranger early on, so I had the bug to make my environment feel better, feel fresh and new. And I did that in a tiny room with three pieces of furniture a lot. I didn’t ever really thought about interior design until after I graduated from college and I did study interior design at Parsons. I went back after I got my BA. So I got my associate’s degree at Parsons and I did a job here or there, but I never really became a design assistant or worked in a firm. I did try. I did try. It was a recession in New York in the early nineties and I only got one interview and that kind of scared me. But magazines also held a fascination for me because I really discovered a love of writing. And so I found that loving to write and tell stories and loving to decorate was the perfect combination for the magazine world. And I got my foot in the door at Country Living Magazine. So that was really my first industry experience, my first time going to High Point. I loved my job at Country Living. I traveled so much. met so many people photographing homes around the country with great photographers. And that lasted for 13 years. then I had a kind of yucky time for a while. I was living in Florida and I’d say I was not making the most of who I was. But I think sometimes we all kind of have those years where we hide a little bit. And then came back out and in 2018, I knew there was a, or 2017, there was an opening at Designers Today. And I found this out through some of my editor friends. And I thought, you know what, I really want to get back in print. And I was very persistent and I got the job and it was awesome. I loved my four years at Designers Today. And then, you know, the pandemic came and this little… thing called High Point by Design was forming and they were looking for somebody to lead it. And I just, it’s like, my God, just said, you have to do this. And now that was 2022. So I’m three years into it. It’s crazy how fast time passes by, right? Because I remember, gosh, if you were just starting with designers today in 2017, I think we had maybe met just maybe a year or two prior to that. Yeah, probably when I was at Steel Yard, we probably met and would have conversations at Las Vegas Market. Yep. then fast forward to today. It feels like you’ve been doing high point by design for a while now, which three years is a while, but you know, also blazes by so quickly. So, well, so from editorial desk to leading a design movement, let’s talk a little bit about your creative skills or your philosophies that you’ve that have kind of stuck with you throughout your career. Well, I’ll tell you one thing that I didn’t mention, but it really has helped me in everything that I do. I worked in a PR firm for a while when I got out of school and I was the administrative assistant to one of the principals and PR just really afforded me the opportunity to learn how to create win-wins and to collaborate. And I love marketing and I love branding. So there was that, which was just sort of the beginning of understanding. What those worlds were so i really look at my peer world is like being a great jumping off point for everything that i did afterwards it help me so much in the magazine world and now you know as we create events and things that htxt. Just being mindful of other people’s needs and follow up and all that good all those good skills that you learn working in a corporate environment so it was really really good and then in terms of. creative skills. I know that a lot of people see me as an artist and yes, I am creative and I have done things in public that are arty. And I think I just have that kind of arty hippie vibe. But I think it’s the way that my mind works. It’s the way that my mind connects the dots. We’re all unique in that way. And then I just, want to be out there talking to people. So one person’s idea, my idea, like it just builds. So I think it’s being open and I really think that where I excel is just the way that my mind is wired. It’s, you know, it’s mine. And I love that about you. think that, you know, I certainly have an attraction to creatives and artistic and even that kind of hippie vibe people as well, where it’s just like, this is how we think and it’s how we do and it’s how we live. And that is something that’s very special that I’m learning not everybody thinks and lives that way. You know, I’m attracted to art. I mean, I see it everywhere. You know, I see beauty, I see possibility and leaves on the, you know, on the sidewalk. It’s just, and I think that, yeah, I think a lot of people that we surround ourselves with also their minds just sort of wandering and create. When you’re creative, you’re just like, it’s just what you do. You’re just compelled to, know, whether it’s a painting or an event or, yeah, just brainstorming. So let’s talk about a little bit about what inspires you outside of work. And how does that actually feed back to some of the things that you’re building here with Highpoint by Design? You know, I was like, outside of work. Do I have an outside of work? I mean, I am so guilty of blending the two. And it goes back to like, kind of what I said about creativity, because I just can’t let an opportunity go that I think I can use in my livelihood. From the very beginning, when I started in magazines, I discovered that the people that I was interviewing were so fantastic. I wanted them to be my friends and they were. So, you know, I’d spend a couple of days photographing somebody’s home. And then I’d end up seeing them when I, you know, casually went to that same town and we’ve just built relationships like that. So, you know, I just I’m very good at mixing business and pleasure. and I could teach a class in that. But like we went to the Netherlands on a trip. So, you know, going to Europe, it was amazing. We went with John Muldoon from Cohab Space, organized a trip. It was myself and my boyfriend, Frank. It was Cyril Jefferson, who is now the mayor of High Point and his wife, Raven, who is very active in the High Point school system. And it was two gallery owners from Asheville, Michael and Hannah, can’t think of their last name at the minute, but they own Blue Spiral Gallery, who are now very active in High Point.

What’s the secret to transforming a chaotic design project into a streamlined, stress-free experience for everyone involved? If you’ve ever struggled with managing client expectations, juggling trades, or keeping projects on schedule and on budget, this episode is packed with practical wisdom you won’t want to miss. In this conversation, Erin Weir sits down with Kimberly Graff, Chief Operations Officer of Charbonneau Interiors to talk about the systems, tools, and mindset shifts that have helped her take control of her projects and create better outcomes for her clients and for herself. Kimberly opens up about her journey of learning how critical project management is to the design process, sharing lessons learned from difficult experiences and the changes she’s made to avoid those pitfalls in the future. In this episode, you’ll learn about the essential role of clear communication and documentation in keeping projects on track. Kimberly shares how she now uses a dedicated project management software to handle everything from schedules to budgets to client communication, saying, “If it’s not written down, it didn’t happen.” Erin and Kimberly also discuss the importance of onboarding processes, client education, and setting boundaries from the very beginning of a project. You’ll also hear about: How Kimberly creates a project roadmap to set expectations with clients. The tools and tech she uses to stay organized. Strategies for managing trades and subcontractors effectively. Why tracking time and expenses is key, even if you’re not billing hourly. What Kimberly wishes more designers knew about project management. And the one piece of advice she’d give any designer who wants to elevate their client experience. Whether you’re a solo designer wearing all the hats or part of a larger firm, this episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to bring more structure, clarity, and professionalism to their projects. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full show notes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e5-shownotes Mentioned in this Episode Kimberly mentioned a number of software applications that she uses at Charbonneau Interiors: Asana (project management) Harvest (time tracking) Forecast (project management) Quickbooks (accounting) Slack (instant messaging) Google Sheets (spreadsheets) BambooHR (human resources) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWu4nqHZx9U Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to Show Transcript Well, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Kimberly. I’m so excited to have you here today. Thank you for having me. I’m going to go ahead and just let you introduce yourself. I know that we’ve been friends for a long time. You were one of our OG boardroom members back in the day. But please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you do. I am the COO at Charbonneau Interiors and on a daily basis my hands are involved in just all sorts of areas of the business. So I mean from human resources to finance to sales to even connecting with the clients and giving them updates and sharing installation information with my team and chatting with vendors and subcontractors. So a little bit of everything. A track of all trades. And I also want to mention that, you know, there’s a lot of different design companies that they aren’t quite sure how like remote work can work for an interior design company. And your company, Charbonneau Interiors is in Texas and you actually live in Louisiana. That’s how that works for you guys. Craig, yeah. So I think that the desire to want to make it work is most important. and I have a great connection. I’m always a text message away, a call away. All of our clients know that I’m in Louisiana running things. But I have a great support team on the ground in Texas. quite a large team there to support the clients. And I’m there to guide the team members through the day-to-day operations just via Zoom, via text message, via call. So it works. Before Zoom, we would FaceTime all the time. Awesome. Well, I’m glad that that has worked out so well for you and you do go to Texas. Yes, I go to Texas several times a year just when the business demands and also to get a chance to connect with the clients in person. Love that. Love that. Okay. So you talked about a little bit about what you do on a daily basis as COO. And how does project management play into those responsibilities? Because that’s kind of where I want to dive into today is talking about project management. Absolutely. Well, like I said, on a daily basis, I’m connecting with our clients, our team, subcontractors, vendors, builders, and potential clients. I am the first point of contact for the potential clients that are going to be working with our firm. And I do actually work closely with them, not all of them, but some of them throughout the design process. A large Part of our portfolio is repeat clients. So I do have strong established relationships with many of them. And I’m connecting with them several times a day on various things that we’re working on for them. So keeping them informed of changes, updates, even discussing dreams that they might have for areas that maybe we’re not working on just yet. And then spending a lot of time on the phone with my team, helping them to troubleshoot, to navigate solutions, to different roadblocks that we might be having, and then working on a great deal of planning. And also heavily depending on my accounting support team to help me with researching reports so that way I can help manage cash flow for the company. So, yeah. extremely important piece of it. Okay, so Charbonneau Interiors is known for its signature Charbonneau Care approach. So how does this philosophy influence your project management style? And tell us a little bit about what Charbonneau Care means. So our tagline is actually connecting who you are to how you live. And what that means is really taking into consideration how the client lives their life and making sure that we are doing our best to meet them where they are. But as far as Charbonneau Care, I think that oftentimes in renovation projects and new construction, even small-scale design projects, there gets to be a level of fatigue with many of the clients and just letting them know that we’re there for them to guide them through the process as well as understand that there will likely be some rocky parts along the way, but letting them know that they’re that we are there to navigate the best solution. And we couldn’t do that without the team’s support. And so to help manage keeping tabs on how the team is feeling, the management team actually conducts regular team check-ins so that we can make sure that we are keeping tabs on not maxing out the team. So just making sure that the team is healthy so that way they can truly be the backbone and the support system that the clients need. Yeah, I love that. I love that. Well, let’s talk a little bit about the fundamentals of project management for running an interior design business, right? Gosh, think that in our industry, there’s so, or just an industry of rock stars, there’s so many details and specifications and problem solving that has to happen. And I think so many people on the outside that may be hiring an interior designer have no idea how much work goes into making sure that a project really looks and feels the way it needs to feel. So what are some of the key elements of an effective project management system that you see for an interior design business? I would say it would have to have a collaborative function or feature. It would have to have some planning elements. It also must include some type of mapping that acts as kind of a guide to help you stay on track if you lose kind of where you are in the process along the way. It should be detailed, organized, and support its unique users. I don’t necessarily believe that there’s a one size fits all system for every single business. I think that every design business member performs similar tasks to support and carry out design projects, but not necessarily in the same order or in the same way. So I think that using different applications and software so it feels that it’s supporting. the project management system within that specific organization and giving direction to its users in terms of where to head next. Okay, love that. So what tools or software do you use to keep projects on track and how do they help you improve efficiency? Because I know that you are, you have that known for the efficiency that comes out with your team. So many, so many species of software. We use Asana Harvest. I recently added Forecast to Harvest. QuickBooks, Slack, Goolsheets, and Bamboo. Okay. Okay. So, can you talk to me a little bit about Asana and why that is your project management software of choice? Yes, Asana is the grand central station of everything that we do. Everything starts there. It’s the software that essentially gives that direction. It gives that guide. It maps out the stages in the process. So that way our entire team knows what comes next. We take advantage of custom fields as well as the automations that Asana offers. And it really kind of, yeah, gives the guide for the team so that they know where to go next. Love that. And then how do you help your team balance their creative vision with all the logistics? my gosh. This is such a funny question to me. Because it’s a painful reality. I don’t think that there’s a true balance. think that it’s a give and a take. I think that with some projects, you can definitely be more structured and kind of follow the plan to a T. And there’s other projects that have to be more fluid. think that being realistic, that you create a plan on the front end and knowing that you need to give lots of room to the creative side, you know, whatever the lead designer needs to truly come up with the vision and then come back in w

What does luxury truly mean in today’s interior design industry? Is it about exclusivity, opulence, or expert craftsmanship? And more importantly, how can designers position their brand to attract high-end clients in an ever-evolving market? The definition of luxury has changed dramatically over the years, and in this episode, we explore how designers can use marketing to stand out in the luxury space. Erin Weir sits down with Daniela Pimentel Furtado, founder and CEO of Findable Digital Marketing, to discuss the nuances of luxury marketing for interior designers. Daniela’s expertise in SEO and digital marketing for design and construction firms has given her a front-row seat to the changing trends in how affluent clients find and select designers. She shares actionable insights on defining luxury, optimizing your online presence, and attracting the right clients. In this episode, you’ll learn: The Many Flavors of Luxury: Luxury is not one-size-fits-all. Daniela breaks it down into four main categories: premium expertise, opulent abundance, curated aesthetics, and exclusive custom work. Which one best represents your brand? Why Affluent Clients ARE Online: Many designers assume that high-net-worth individuals aren’t searching online for services, but the data tells a different story. Daniela shares how Google Trends and research studies prove that even ultra-high-net-worth individuals rely on digital platforms, though they may be engaging in unexpected ways. How to Make Your Website Reflect Luxury: Your portfolio is the epicenter of your marketing strategy. Daniela explains why high-quality photography, detailed storytelling, and SEO-optimized case studies are critical in positioning yourself as a high-end designer. The Future of Luxury Branding: With Gen Z emerging as a dominant luxury consumer group, brands must evolve. Daniela shares insights on the trend of “accessible luxury” and how high-end brands like Gucci and Burberry are shifting towards openness, engagement, and unexpected collaborations. Actionable Steps to Elevate Your Luxury Marketing: Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for years, Daniela offers practical steps to refine your portfolio, enhance your storytelling, and make your website more findable to your ideal clients. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e4-shownotes Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Google Trends: A free tool to analyze search trends for luxury design keywords. SEMrush & Google Search Console: SEO tools to track how well your website ranks for luxury-related terms. Findable Digital Marketing: Daniela’s agency that specializes in marketing for the design and construction industries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYiByqYfpsk Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show Transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius podcast. Daniella, we’re so excited to have you here today. Why don’t we get started and you can just tell a little bit about yourself. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, my name is Daniella. I own a marketing agency called Findable Digital Marketing, and that’s exactly what we do. We help businesses in the design and construction space become easy to find online. So I spend a lot of my time consulting clients, running an agency, but also speaking and writing about these topics. Well, I love that. And today we’re going to talk about understanding luxury in the modern market. And so how has the definition of luxury, I put that in quotes, right? Luxury changed over time and what values matter most to today’s affluent client. Yeah. So when I first thought about luxury marketing, it was when I first started the agency back in 2020, a lot of clients were telling me that they are luxury and they’re, they want that to be clear all over the website. But I, something I found interesting is that everyone defines or showcases luxury differently for one client. It was about, creativity for another client. was about quality and skill. Hmm. And for another, was about service and that white glove service, like taking care of all the bits and pieces of the project for you. Right. So luxury, the definition of luxury today is so different for everyone. And I think that’s because it’s changed so much over the years. It used to be that luxury was reserved for aristocrats. It was something that a very, very small of the population could afford. And during the Industrial Revolution, wealth has been distributed. There’s a growing middle class, or the middle class was growing, and just about anyone could be able to afford the things that only the rich could afford before. And so with that growing middle class, the definition of luxury changed. And that’s how I think we have this spectrum. of luxury or what I call flavors of luxury today. I love that. I mean, even just reference in it, referencing it as flavors is like even helpful to better understand it. Right. So, so why I guess let’s dig in a little bit more into the why luxury is so hard to define and how does that impact how design firms interior design firms market themselves? Yeah. Well, if, if luxury is difficult to define, if there has so many different interpretations, then that means that what you think luxury is may not be the same as what the rest of your team think it is or what your clients think it is. And so when we think about marketing, using the right words is important, right? So that you’re attracting the right kind of people, to you does luxury mean opulence and glamour and you know, shiny. Does it mean a specific aesthetic? Like Victoria, we work with one interior designer that designs Victorian spaces. And it’s very specific aesthetic and that today is difficult to design because it’s difficult to get those materials and custom made objects, right? Or is luxury the best quality, premium, high skilled. So it’s important to define a little bit more what luxury means so that you’re being clear that you’re attracting the right kind of people and the people on your team also understand and can sell and be on the same page as like you. I love that. So let’s talk about the flavors of luxury that you referenced and why is that important for interior designers to identify their own flavors of luxury? Yeah. So, when I was, there was, there was actually a conversation that was pretty pivotal for me. we have this one client, she’s a marketing director of a furniture brand. Actually, it’s an, it’s a parent company that has five sister brands. So she manages all five of them and some of them are more luxury than others. So she was quite attuned to these different flavors of the nuances of luxury. And I remember in one of her calls, she said, our director of business developments or sales told us that we are marketing ourselves as a premium brand, not as luxury. And so in our call today, Daniella, I want to like look at the website with a different set of eyes and figure that out. And I humbly said that what’s the difference? What’s the difference between premium and luxury? And she, her shoulders are out, she’s like, I’m so glad you asked because I don’t know either. Great place to start, A great place to start. So we have all these different words, right? And it’s hard to define. It’s so nuanced. But for that company was important to distinguish the difference because they had these different sister, like different brands with them, their umbrella that had different price points, and there was a difference in quality. And they wanted that to come through through the brand, through the marketing. So with that client, we figured out what we did was quite a bit of a journey, but we looked at all the different kinds of words, keywords that people use online when looking for luxury. We looked at tools like Google Trends to see what people were searching on Google and what was the volume like. And then Google and Google Trends is a software. It’s free. Anyone can use it. It also clumps together. words that are similar enough that are typically searched together or one after the other. And using that we created our own kind of dictionary or kind of guidelines. And this is not it’s not concrete. It’s not like I’m saying I’m not trying to preach this that everyone has to use this. But it’s I think it’s a good jumping off point to help you reflect and ask yourself like what You know, I use this word all the time luxury, but does what does it really mean for me? And am I really walking the talk in all areas of my business? I have a luxury price tag, but am I being in my demonstrating that I’m luxury through my services, through my website, through the way I talk about my services, my sales calls, you know, from every from the beginning to the end. So we came up with four flavors and there these are the flavors. The first is So any word that suggests premium, the best expert, go to award winning. So anything that suggests that you are the best at blink. The second flavor of premium is lavish, opulence, glamour. It’s about abundance, having as much as you’d like as much as possible. The third revolves around aesthetic. So it could be, like I mentioned before, Victorian, could be Bohemian, could be modern, it could be minimalist, whatever it is, it’s something curated specifically for you. And the fourth flavor of luxury is exclusive. This is custom, right? Made only for you, one of a kind. There’s nothing like this that exists in the world. This was made specifically and only for you. kind of similar with the aesthetic, but you get the gist of it. fascinating. It’s really has me thinking about like, what would my initial definition of luxury be? And, you know, I’m working on copy and marketing materials to interior design business owners all the time. And, you know, I use those words, I use luxury, I use exclusive, I use premium. But it’s really helpful to think about yo

Do you dream of seeing your interior design projects in top-tier publications? Are you confused about the difference between PR and marketing, or unsure how to craft a compelling pitch that grabs an editor’s attention? If so, this episode is a must-listen! On this episode of The Creative Genius Podcast, Erin Weir sits down with PR and marketing expert Dawn Brinson to explore the ins and outs of publicity for interior designers. With years of experience helping creatives build their brands and gain recognition, Dawn shares invaluable insights on how to navigate the world of PR, from crafting the perfect pitch to handling media inquiries like a pro. Dawn is currently the CEO of A New Day Creative Communications and Marketing, an agency which she founded. Dawn breaks down the fundamental differences between PR and marketing and how the two work together to elevate a designer’s visibility. She explains that PR is all about shaping public perception and influencing action, whether through media features, industry awards, events, or speaking engagements. But, as she notes, “Marketing is the overarching discipline…PR is one of the tactics that we put under marketing typically.” In this episode, you’ll learn: How to research and target the right editors and journalists for your work What makes a pitch stand out (hint: it’s all about being concise, clear, and unique!) Why it’s crucial to have high-resolution images, project details, and headshots ready before reaching out to media outlets The biggest mistakes designers make when pitching their work and how to avoid them What to do if you get rejected or don’t hear back from an editor Dawn also shares why it’s essential to be patient when pursuing media coverage. PR isn’t an overnight success story. It’s a long-term investment that requires strategy and persistence. She recounts a story of a client who waited nearly a year for their project to be featured, showcasing that sometimes the best opportunities take time. As the media landscape continues to evolve, Dawn provides practical advice on leveraging digital platforms, social media, and owned content (like blogs and newsletters) to attract press and build an audience. Instead of waiting for an editor’s approval, you can “create so much dynamic demand in what you are doing on your own sites that editors and journalists and freelancers and others come to you and say, would you give us some of this?” Whether you’re new to PR or looking to refine your publicity strategy, this episode is packed with actionable tips to help you gain recognition and build a lasting brand. To keep up with what Dawn is doing, follow her on Instagram. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e3-shownotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhZ-Mq4D2KU Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, Dawn, I’m so excited to have you, my good friend Dawn Brinson on the Creative Genius podcast today. Thanks for joining me. Thanks so much for having me. the area and I really do appreciate it. Yeah, well, let’s go ahead and get started and just share a little bit about yourself and what you do. Sure, sure. My company is called A New Day. It’s creative communications and marketing. I work with all sorts of creative entrepreneurs that are your designers, furniture manufacturers, product manufacturers, anyone who has a creative bend to their business and themselves. On public relations and marketing, brand strategy, brand visioning, into the designer. product designers. work on public executive consultation, had the great good fortune to have Pearl Collective as a client for a number of years now and it’s been a terrific relationship for me. And I’m based in High Point, North Carolina, but serve clients all over the world. I love that. I love that. Well, it’s always nice to know that you are feet on the ground and high point. You always know what’s moving and shaking. especially when this herd of people come to High Point twice a year and gather together for market. So let’s go ahead and dive in. So most people use marketing and PR interchangeably, and they are different, but they’re interconnected disciplines. And so can you help us understand some of the differences and similarities between the two? Absolutely. valuable to those who work on this side of the business.I think a lot of the time. Marketing is the all-encompassing discipline of putting together a strategic plan for your business, for where you are now versus where you want to be, and then how to get there. PR is one of the tactics that we put marketing technically, number of others, and to us, PR is public relations. under market. Some people use. as a shorthand for press release and that’s fine. Public Relations covers an entire gamut of services and you can use separately from all of the other marketing tactics and tools and ideas. I like to look at it as integrated part of a holistic marketing effort. perfectly. Use it. the dialogies. the whole way through marketing. Okay, well, I think that that’s probably a helpful definition for a lot of people because a lot of people want to get published, but I think sometimes they get into what is a marketing tactic versus what’s getting published versus there’s so many different terms out there. So I’m glad that we started with that just so that we’re all on the same page. Okay, so let’s talk about some specific things that fall under the PR category and which ones designers can really use well and probably should be using. Some of the things that designers can use in terms of PR. Public relations covers a lot more than just getting published or being recognized in some sort of location or digital platform. Public relations is all about creating a particular perspective, a particular perception of you and your business and then using that to influence Public digital. brand. people to take a certain kind of action for you. That’s what public relations is all about. So we may use the press to do a lot of that for us, whether it be having a project published or an interview for you as an executive, but it can also be thinking about winning an award or getting some other sort of accolade. We also throw or not that would you like. events like podcasts and those sorts of things into the public relations, big pot of things that are happening. So there are many ways to leverage public relations in a way that is. that in getting press, also other sports of elements of notoriety, again, how us as PR professionals or you as designer to change the perception about your company and to persuade people to do something specific. that allow the design. Okay, so when it comes to pitching to editors in the interior design space, what do you see as some of the common mistakes that designers make and how can they refine their pitches to really stand out in that crowded inbox of that editor? Absolutely. The first thing that we need to recognize is that the publication landscape, whether or not we’re talking print publications or digital platforms has changed so dramatically just in the last five years that you pitch when you pitch and how you pitch has changed. The policies around it haven’t changed, but what you can expect from it and how often you can do there. the way around it. really have. altered. So for example, you have to be incredibly brief in any kind of pitch that you want. We as creatives want to tell a story. my goodness, do you see this around everything. want to tell you all the details. This piece of marble that’s over my shoulder came from India, and I want to may, etc. Regular and smart, savvy pitch is really simple and to the point to an editor. It has to be something that will capture his or her attention very quickly. If that’s not the case in the first, let’s say, 25 words, then you’re probably going to get pushed to one side because these editors are even busier than they’ve been. of incredibly busy. in years past. If there is something that is unique about your project that you want to see, need to say that upfront again and very quickly. No longer do we have the pleasure of publishing really beautiful environments. Everybody’s environments that pitching are really pretty and exceptional work. or about something to speak about. and are generally, they’re really. be something unique. needs to be something something sometimes a little controversial about it or a little different in order for it to find space in a publication. You also want to know what it is that that particular publication likes to publish. are you looking for? Don’t send a beautiful country estate to a publication that about it. Mm-hmm. they looking for. only does modern townhouses. Don’t send them something blue and white if they’ve done five things that are blue and white that you’ve seen in the last year. That’s just wasting everybody’s time. So, you know, let’s kind of get serious about it. So what you really want to have in a quick, simple pit, your contact information, clear, upfront, straightforward, how to get in touch with you. If you’re doing a project. pitching a project. They’ll want to know where it is, what’s special about it, what did you do? They love looking at the entire project, even if you didn’t do all of it, because that gives them context. Tell them again why it’s unique and different, and tell them that you will follow up with them in a short period of time. Also let them know that resolution images are available. Please do not inundate them with a ton of imagery. send them two or three really great photos, maybe five. beyond that. Either give them a link, tell them that there’s a box available, put them on your website in a hidden area that they can go and find, but don’t give them 30 megs of fabric for you. And then be prepared for what may happen next. drop by. you know, the top, it’s just not gonna wor

Are you running your interior design business, or is it running you? Between managing clients, tracking expenses, handling purchasing, and keeping up with tax filings, the financial side of an interior design firm can be overwhelming. But what if you could streamline your processes and free up time to focus on what you do best: designing beautiful spaces? In this episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, host Erin Weir sits down with Corey Greenburg, Director of Sales and Marketing at DesignerAdvantage, to discuss the essential financial systems that interior designers need to succeed. With over a decade of experience helping designers optimize their bookkeeping, purchasing, and business operations, Corey shares valuable insights into how designers can run a more profitable and efficient business. Corey shared a wealth of knowledge about running your business, including bookkeeping. “The key is to have a system, and that system may look different for every designer out there, but you need to establish that strong system and stick to it.” Corey emphasizes that whether you use QuickBooks, Studio Designer, or another software, consistency is crucial. From falling behind on bank reconciliations to neglecting sales tax filings, Corey outlines the most common financial missteps and how to avoid them. Corey also discussed: How to make time tracking work for you: Whether you bill hourly or use flat fees, tracking your time effectively can help you identify inefficiencies, improve profitability, and scale your business. Corey suggests tools like Harvest and time-blocking strategies to make the process easier. The power of outsourcing: “A designer’s hours are precious,” Corey explains. He shares how outsourcing administrative tasks like bookkeeping, purchasing, and even social media can free up time for designers to focus on higher-value activities. How to build strong vendor relationships: Interior designers rely heavily on vendors, and Corey explains why treating them as partners rather than just suppliers can lead to better pricing, improved service, and a more seamless design process. Scaling your business the right way: Corey shares a real-world success story of a designer who went from $300,000 in annual revenue to over $10 million by streamlining her operations and leveraging outsourcing to scale her firm. Mindset shifts for financial success: Many designers are comfortable with the creative side of their business but hesitant about the numbers. Corey explains why viewing financial management as a tool for growth (rather than a dreaded task) is a game-changer for long-term success. “If you run the business right, interior design can be extremely profitable.” To book a call with Corey, you’ll find his calendar link here. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e2-shownotes Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Studio Designer, QuickBooks, Harvest: Software tools for financial tracking and time management Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy: A book on productivity and prioritization Financial Masterclass at Pearl Collective: A quarterly workshop to help designers master their finances. Check out our events page to see if we’re hosting one soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj7hvbZrBp8&pp=ygUYcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZSBwb2RjYXN0 Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Well, Cory, thank you so much for being with us today. Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast. That’s my pleasure to be here. Thanks so much, Aaron. Yeah, so why don’t we just get started with you just telling a little bit about yourself and your company and what you guys do for interior designers. Yeah, I’d be happy to. And it’s such an honor to be with you guys today. I think there’s a lot of need in the industry for designers to get more data and just best practices. So I love what you guys are doing and it’s great to be with you. I am the Director of Sales and Marketing at Designer Advantage. I’ve been with the company for 10 and a half years and our mission is to really help designers run a great business. We understand. how difficult the interior design industry is and how difficult of a business it is to run. So, you we provide bookkeeping and purchasing services for designers and we’ve been doing it for 25 years. So Mark Malinsky is our founder and CEO. He has a CPA, his mother is a really talented artist and that’s how he got into the industry. had some connections through his mom and, you know, just kind of realized, like I said, how difficult the business is to run. it’s, as you know, it’s kind of a, perfect storm with creative thinkers trying to run really difficult businesses. So that’s where we come in. We work with a few hundred designers across the country, but we’re based out of Boston. And that’s where I live and where I grew up as well. Awesome. Well, I’m jealous of the Boston situation. I’d like to be there a little bit more often. Yeah, don’t. Don’t be too jealous in the winter, it gets- So Cory, interior designers often juggle multiple projects at once. There’s thousands of details in every single project that we are working on. How do, how can they maintain clear and organized financial records without getting overwhelmed with all of the other details that they’re dealing with? I think sometimes the books might be not the main focus. Yeah. It’s such a good point and a great question. think, I mean, the key is to have a system and that system may look different for every designer out there, but you need to establish that strong system and stick to it. And if you trust that process, it’s going to work for you. There are a lot of different softwares out there that designers can use to help stay organized. mean, Studio Designer, House Pro. QuickBooks, we have our own software called Designer Link, but having a software, having a system that you and your team members are comfortably using is so, important. And then, know, some specifics too, just to help stay organized. There are things that we see, you know, by managing the books for designers, there are things that we see that designers sometimes forget to do. And, you know, one of the biggest things is making sure that every single expense that you have is linked to a project. So you should be enter everything that you enter, everything that you enter into your system that is project related. You need to tag it to that specific project to help stay organized. But, you know, just having that standard system, that standard process really helps designers stay on on tax. Because like I said before, it’s so complicated, this business. You know, you’re essentially running a furniture store with all the purchasing and then you’re also a consultant with your design expertise. So, you know, there’s a lot of moving pieces. Yeah, you know, I guess as I think about, I know there’s so many different systems and software is that you can use and as I always think about it’s like kind of how I think about spaces is walking through a floor plan. I basically grew up on studio designer and Gail’s residential interior design business. We actually had a designer and desktop at the time. And so that is how I think about it. I know there’s other ways to do it as well. But yeah. Yeah, I mean, I totally agree. There’s a lot of options. I think sometimes I talk with a designer who usually smaller firms and they’re trying to manage everything just in Excel or just using Word docs for their proposals and purchase orders. And I just want to pull my hair out because I know there’s a better way to do it and people get stuck in their ways. And I understand that. It’s you get used to your own way of doing things. You don’t want to change it. There are better ways to do it and the most successful designers have that system, that software that they’re operating. Well, I mean, we were not even in a process webinar yesterday and designers were talking about, mean, not everybody uses an Asano or a click up, you know, they’re still using their spreadsheets and don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of different spreadsheets that I use in business too, but it was just these you could see these light bulbs popping up of like, gosh, I could get this out of a spreadsheet and into a system. And so, yeah, it would be great to do that with your books as well. Yeah, without a doubt. mean, we’ve been doing this for a long time and we used to work out of Google Docs. Like there has to be a way for a designer to transfer their item specifications, their details onto a proposal and how we used to work, it was a very manual labor intensive process. And I think there are still a lot of designers operating that way. But when we created our software and when Studio Designer has really taken Advancements. It’s those systems. Those softwares have helped designers streamline the process and reduce time spent on administrative tasks. That’s what the softwares really are there to do. Awesome. Okay, well, so let’s get back over to interior designers and bookkeeping mistakes. What are some of the most common bookkeeping mistakes that you see interior designers making and how can they avoid them to ensure smoother financial operations inside of their business? Mm-hmm. Yeah, you know, bookkeeping is scary to a lot of designers. And so, you know, the number one mistake that we see is getting behind on the bookkeeping. know, once you’re a month behind on your bank and credit card reconciliations, it’s almost like, I’m behind, I don’t even want to think about it. I get nervous thinking about it. And then you’re two months behind and then you’re three months behind. And it’s really dangerous if you fall behind on your bank and credit card reconciliations because Now your reporting is not accurate. can’t look at your books and draw any conclusions on how profitable your projects were or are you making enough p

Why do some teams thrive while others struggle despite having talented individuals? The answer is often team culture. A strong, well-defined culture can make or break an organization, affecting not just performance but also employee engagement, accountability, and overall job satisfaction. But how do you create that kind of culture in your own business, and leverage it for business success? In this episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, Gail Doby talks with team-building expert and leadership coach Sean Glaze. Sean shares his insights on what it takes to cultivate a winning culture, drawing from his experience as a basketball coach and now as a speaker and consultant. His practical, no-nonsense approach helps leaders build environments where their teams can thrive. Sean Glaze started this path as a basketball coach, using culture to lead several programs to new heights of success. With two decades of experience creating stronger cultures in locker rooms, Sean is now a team-building speaker and works with organizations to solve their team issues. He earned his Bachelors Degree in English at Georgia Southern University then a Masters and Specialist Degrees from Jacksonville State University. He has written several books, some of which are linked in the resources below. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The Five Pillars of a GREAT Team Culture – Sean explains his “GREAT” acronym, which breaks down the essential components of a strong workplace culture: Goals, Relationships, Expectations, Accountability, and Thankfulness. Why Talent Alone Isn’t Enough – Strategy and skills matter, but without the right cultural foundation, even the best employees will struggle to perform at their highest level. The Role of Leadership in Shaping Culture – Leaders set the tone, and Sean dives into how you behavior, communication, and decision-making can either strengthen or weaken your culture. How to Hold Your Team Accountable Without Conflict – Many leaders struggle with enforcing accountability. Sean provides a framework for setting expectations and maintaining high standards in a way that fosters trust and respect. Common Hiring Mistakes That Hurt Culture – Learn how to identify candidates who align with your company’s values and why hiring for culture fit is just as important as technical skills. How to Engage and Retain Your Best Employees – Employee loyalty isn’t just about paychecks. Sean shares the key “loyalty anchors” that keep top talent committed to your organization. Sean also discusses why founders and business owners need to reflect on their leadership style and ask themselves, “What part of my leadership led to that response or that behavior?” This question that can be a game-changer for those looking to improve team dynamics and performance. If you’re a business owner, manager, or team leader looking to create a more engaged, high-performing workplace, this episode is packed with actionable insights you won’t want to miss. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s13e1-shownotes Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Sean Glaze’s Books: Rapid Teamwork – A guide to building a more cohesive and productive team. Staying Coachable – A roadmap for personal and professional growth through continuous learning and adaptability. Sean Glaze’s Website: Great Results Team Building For more leadership tips and strategies, follow Sean on LinkedIn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jamdqS_S4I4 Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast, Shawn. I just wanted to thank you again. came and spent a really wonderful session with our boardroom clients in September, and it was phenomenal. We really loved it. Everybody loved your session and walked away with lots of ah-hahs. So thank you for being here and being a part of it. am absolutely thrilled to be back and to share with your audience and listeners. And hopefully I do make this a valuable experience for those who are joining us, whether it’s watching or listening. Well, I have no doubt about that. So let’s just dive right in. And I want to talk about culture because this is a topic that I have lots of conversations with my clients about all the time. How important is that today to all businesses? You know, and, as you know, and the people that were there at the amazing boardroom retreat that you guys put together, my background is as a basketball coach. so a lot of what I do now in working with organizations, whether it’s in, the industry where it’s, you know, kind of you design or whether it’s with medical or whether it’s with finance, ultimately teams or teams and people or people in the same issues we had in our locker room, people having with their teams. And whether that’s hybrid, remote leadership and teams are still kind of based upon the same principles. And so culture is, what I completely neglected the first year that I had the opportunity to really be a leader. And I’d focused so much Gale on strategy. And obviously you need good people. You need to have talent. Talent’s essential, but it’s never sufficient. You got to have a good scheme. You got to have strategy. That’s what your people want to do. And what I learned that first year was that, you know, without culture, to support your talent and your scheme. Ultimately, that talent and scheme gets sabotaged when you’re neglecting things that would have actually helped to support them. so culture, I’ll share, and obviously you’ve heard this once or twice before, culture is nothing more than the behaviors that are allowed and repeated in your organization, on your team. And it’s your job as a leader to realize there’s really five major areas of culture that you need to give attention to. in order to make sure that you create an environment where those people and that strategy can really thrive and give yourself an opportunity to not just have success, but hopefully sustain success and the ability to scale as well. Mm hmm. So the the five areas of culture, do you want to dive into that a little bit? Yeah, I’ll go ahead and share that and that’ll maybe be the foundation of some of the rest of our conversation. I use the unbelievably simple and silly and cheesy acronym of great. If you want a great team, you need to focus upon the five vital areas of culture. The first is goals. You need to make sure that people understand why they’re there. You need to have that mission statement very, very clear of what it is you’re seeking to accomplish each day and where you’re going and who you’re serving. The next is, you build relationships within your organization on your team? So you appreciate not just the people and the backgrounds and the personalities and the challenges and the desires of the people you’re working with, but do they feel that you actually have their best interest in mind that again, you’re always going to as a leader, you’re going to work harder than anybody else in your organization, but do they feel that you care about them and their path as well? so building relationships, what do you need to know about your people to get the best out of? because not everybody’s gonna be the same, you’re not gonna treat everybody the same. The next is expectations. And I think that’s where, for the leaders that almost always do a pretty good job of identifying goals, and this is why we’re here, these are our metrics, this is what success is gonna look like. And then they will oftentimes, you know, at least give some attention or intentional time and resources to try and to build some connection and do some team building of some kind. But oftentimes I see where a lot of leaders sometimes drop the ball is in that area of expectations. And do you really take time to clarify your values and the standards and the commitments that your team is going to operate under? And then after you establish those expectations, the A portion of that kind of great acronym is accountability, because it’s not a question of if, but when something happens that you need to address. And how do you do that effectively so that it’s not the defensiveness or the kind of reactionary revolt that you don’t want that conversation to have when you are hopefully helping somebody to stay coachable. And then finally, do you take the time to really be intentional about thanking your people and making sure that they feel recognized for the effort that they’ve given. So those are kind of the five areas. And many leaders do a really good job with at least one or two or three. But I found in the coaching conversations I’ve had and working even in conference settings that people come up, hey, I’m really good at X, Y, and Z, but I really needed to be reminded of blank because that’s an area that I’ve neglected. And I think that that sometimes is a key catalyst to seeing your team improve is realizing which of those five areas maybe hasn’t gotten the attention that it needs. Well, there’s a good one here that I’d like to dive into a little bit deeper, which is accountability. And accountability is something that I hear a lot in the coaching that I do with clients, that they’re finding it hard to hold their people accountable and have them not just accountable for deadlines, but for accuracy and maybe their ability to provide great client service. So how do you get people to be accountable and how do you address the issue when they’re not? I think that everything follows first the goal and then the relationship. And again, I used to make fun of the Tony the Tiger because you really need to focus on the grr before you get to the eight. Because if you haven’t really nailed home and really spent time and been intentional about clarifying goals and mission and roles and really being intentional about building those relationships where you establish trust and psychological safety across you

Not that long ago, interior designers who wanted to get their projects or profiles published had just a few options—mainly newspapers and magazines. Today, the digital revolution has created a plethora of new media hungry for content. How to decide where and what to publish with whom? In this episode, Gail talks with publishing and public relations expert Kelly Peterson. Kelly has over 40 years of experience in advertising sales and marketing initiatives. Among other publications, she worked at Meredith Publishing on Better Homes and Gardens. Having retired from the Hearst Corporation after 22 years, she now serves as a consultant and public speaker. Gail asked Kelly which is better for interior designers, to get published in print or in digital media. Kelly said it depended on what goals the designer had for their business and for getting published. Digital media are very effective for building brand awareness and engaging with prospective clients. Print media is where you want to be to show off your design talents and expertise, as well as to gain prestige as a top designer. Kelly provided a step-by-step approach to getting published, in whatever medium. Decide the audience you want to target and what your business goals are in targeting them. Do your research to find out which are the publications or media outlets that serve that audience. Which are likely to be the best fit for your purposes and your designs? Determine what you want to include in your pitch, such as a project, a story, advice, product review, images, etc. Choose 3 to 5 outlets to pursue. Review their media kit, if they have one. Find out who to contact regarding submitting materials. Start following them to see what kind of content they are looking for. Decide how you are going to engage with them. Develop a relationship over a period of time. Contact them multiple times, at least five or more, periodically. Don’t be discouraged if you get no response right away or have your pitches rejected at first. Persistence pays off. Kelly also shared her insights into what editors want from a pitch, how to submit, and when it is worthwhile for a designer or design firm to hire a publicist. For all the details, listen to the entire podcast. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e10-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast If you would like to connect with Kelly, you will find her on LinkedIn, or you can send her an email at kpeterson@hiptmktng.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZTsHa-d7Lg Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast, Kelly. So great to have you. Thank you, Gail. It’s delightful to be here. I really appreciate it. Well, I’m looking forward to our conversation. Everybody talks to me about PR all the time. And before we do that, let’s talk about how you got into the industry and how long you’ve been doing all of this. You know, I got into the industry actually kind of out of a habit stance in that as a child, I’m severely dyslexic and was actually back in the sixties when you were dyslexic, you were put with mentally retarded children and then had to work my way out of that back into mainstream school. And when I was in high school, I started selling ad space for the choir directory. And I happened to live next door to a gentleman who ran an ad agency. And he said to me, after two years of me walking up to his door and selling him ads in this choir directory, he was like, you know, Kelly, you would be very good at advertising sales. And I said, well, what is that? And he goes, exactly what you’re doing, only for magazines, newspapers, television or radio at the time. And I said, well, you know, that’s something I could pass in college. Cause I knew where my strengths and weaknesses were. with education and I really wanted a business degree, but I couldn’t pass the economics and some of the more detailed accounting classes because of my dyslexia. And I could major in journalism and advertising sales and minor in business and understand marketing. So that is where that came from. My first semester, I actually started selling ad space for the Iowa Daily Press Association or the Iowa State Daily Newspaper. and to make sure that I liked ad sales at the very beginning. And past my first semester called my parents and they were absolutely ecstatic because the doctors had told my parents I’d never go to college and I would never become really anything. So they were absolutely thrilled. I’d passed a semester, I’d figured out how to go to classes and be successful in my own right. which I credit them for never telling me what the doctors had actually told them. Thank goodness for that because then you would have had a wrong impression because obviously you’ve been very successful at what you’ve done. Yes. So then my dream job was to become an ad salesperson for Better Homes and Gardens magazine, which was, went to Iowa State, which is only 45 minutes from the Meredith Corporation at the time, and ended up being hired at Meredith for a experimental training program in advertising sales. They never hired college graduates. And I trained for a year in all the aspects of publishing, circulation, marketing, editing. I went on the road with advertising salespeople across the corporation. And then at the end of my year, I had a choice between to work on Better Homes and Gardens, my dream job, between San Francisco and New York City. Chose San Francisco and I was the first female hired ever to sell advertising space for Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Ew. Yeah. So it was really cool. It was a very interesting time. Good night. for women in business in 1982, 83, and there weren’t very many of us. And now the advertising industry is actually predominantly women. But it’s been a wonderful career and a really fascinating ride of understanding and seeing all the differences that has happened in the industry from the 80s to now. Well, now I know we have a lot of other things we can talk about, how did I not know you were in Iowa? I don’t know. I don’t think we ever talked about it. I was only there for the four years. My parents, I went to high school in Jacksonville, Florida. My parents had a deal that they would only pay for school in the state that they lived. And two weeks after I graduated from high school, they moved to Des Moines for my dad’s job. So I reapplied. I was going to the University of Florida, all set to be a Gator. And that didn’t happen. I went to Iowa State. I don’t think so Isn’t that funny? Well, I was born in Iowa and lived there till I was seven. My parents were from there. I have, I’m a true Midwestern girl, just transplanted to the South against my will. But you know, you do what you do. luckily I made lifetime friends as a result of that. So it’s all good. We all have good things that we have that come out of everything that is a challenge for us. Right. It was very interesting. didn’t know that the temperature went below zero. I did not know that ice formed on the inside of car windows as well as the outside. It was very educational for a little girl from the South. But it was good. All bad. All bad. Yeah, in Jacksonville, that’s a, I’ve only been there once. It’s a lovely area. we have a great client there. Actually, we have a few clients in that area, so that’s, that’s great. Yeah, it’s a beautiful city. love going back and visiting. I still have friends there, so it’s really nice. That’s how I fell in love with the coast and actually how I ended up in Charleston. I see. Yeah. Well, I love the coast and anytime I can go see an ocean, I’m a happy girl. Well, tell me about the changes you’ve seen in the publishing industry over the last several years. you know, it’s, it’s been dramatic. you know, starting out in the eighties there, you know, there was no voicemail back then. There was, you got a little pink slip of paper when you got a message and we had just gotten Selectric typewriters and the fax machine had just started with the waxy paper. Then we moved into, you know, computers and, car phones and cell phones and email. Yes, the big bricks and email and. You know, the business as a whole, when I started out in it, it was really five industries. had newspaper, magazines, television. There was no actual cable at the time that hadn’t even started yet. And then you had outdoor and radio. And those were the key areas where advertising took place. Now, if you look across the board, the pie, as I refer to it, has grown exponentially. The interesting thing that has occurred across all of advertising, not just in the publishing space, is that the budgets and the large budgets as well as the small budgets have remained pretty stagnant over the past, say five to even 10 years. They’d go up a percentage, go down a couple percentage points, that kind of thing. But your proliferation of choice of where to put that money has grown exponentially. So all of the mediums actually get smaller percentages of the pie. So it’s a very different way of looking at where does the ad budget go. And you really have to be more precise about what it is you’re planning to do, how you’re planning to do it, and which mediums aren’t necessarily your favorite, but which mediums work for the clientele you’re trying to go after. Because it doesn’t matter what you like. What it matters is what the people you’re trying to reach and make an impact on. as to reaching them in the correct medium that they are taking advantage of. So that’s been a significant, before you could look at kind of like, okay, let’s do a television ad and we’ll do a print ad and we’ll put out an outdoor billboard, split it up three ways, significant amounts of money towards each of those. Now it’s much smaller pieces of the pie. It’s much more difficult to be profitable. Interesting. Well, and also for

Artificial intelligence (AI) is still in its infancy. But already its impact is being seen in how people work, create content, search for information, and interact online. Only a fraction of the interior design industry is currently using AI on a regular basis. In the not-too-distant future, however, AI will be integrated into almost everything designers and their clients do. In this episode, Gail talks with Douglas Robb, creator of Interior DesignHer and founder and editor of Interior Design Toronto. Douglas also assists his wife Nicole with her interior design business, Robb and Company, based in Toronto, Ontario. He is the host of the podcast The Interior DesignHer Podcast. Gail, who uses an AI tool called Granola almost daily, was interested in how Douglas was using AI in his and his wife’s businesses. Douglas said he is still learning how to use AI and how to get the best results from it. At present he mostly uses it for searching information, content creation (text and visual), and to work out ideas. Douglas mentioned several AI-driven online tools he currently uses on a regular basis: Chat GBT, Claude, Dall-E (an image-generator program), Perplexity, Gemini, and a third iteration of Google’s image generator called Imagen 3. They are all free and fairly easy to use for those who want to begin exploring what AI can do for them. In order to help interior designers more quickly become accustomed to using AI, Douglas has created a guide on how to prompt an AI program on design-related topics. He recommends for beginners to spend some time having a conversation with the AI interface, playing with images and image generation, and creating some basic content, perhaps for a blog. Gradually, he said, you will learn to fine tune your prompts to get better quality results. Gail asked Douglas how he envisioned AI being used in the interior design industry in the future. On the business side, he said, it will allow designers to operate faster, cheaper, better and more efficiently. On the design side, it will enhance designers’ ability to present design concepts, generate images and plans, and present their design ideas to clients with more visual impact. He added that what AI won’t do is replace creativity, the relationships designers develop with their clients and suppliers, and the level of caring that goes into their projects. “Creatives are positioned to succeed fantastically with AI,” he said. Designers who want to stay competitive need to become comfortable with using AI in their businesses and design work. Gail and Douglas also talked about the benefits of podcasting. For 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/s12e9-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Interior DesignHer, which aims to help interior designers build better businesses, and the many resources it offers, including The Interior DesignHer podcast, go to the firm’s website at www.interiordesignher.com. For additional resources and advice on improving your interior design business, check out Interior Design Toronto at www.interiordesign.to. The site includes a directory of recommended interior design products. For information about Robb and Company, which specializes in residential design and decoration, go to the firm’s website at www.robbandcompany.com. Douglas mentioned several AI-driven programs he currently uses: ChatGPT Claude Dall-E Perplexity Gemini Imagen Click here to read Douglas’ guide to AI prompts. Gail mentioned a program she uses for transcribing and editing meeting notes, called Granola.ai. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dNFEnNvj84&pp=ygUYcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZSBwb2RjYXN0 Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Doug. I’d love for you to just tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. Thanks, Gail. Interior Design Her. It really came about during like the darkest days of COVID when we were all locked up at home and I was helping to homeschool my kindergartener and realizing how amazing teachers are. But what happened was, About six months before then, I had sold the second of my fitness businesses. I’d had a real life and an online. And I’d sold the second one. I was kind of at loose ends. I’d been working since I’d been 14. This is the first time I’d been without a job of some sort. And other than, like I said, homeschooling my daughter, I got to watch a lot of Netflix and listen to my wife run her residential design business. from home on the phone. And going back to selling my businesses, the only reason I was ever able to do that was because I had systems set up that at that point, I was irrelevant to the business. People or automations or software did everything. you know, I stuck around for three months when I sold the business to the new owner. just to kind of help ease them into it. But I really wasn’t necessary. And I realized that my wife, with her design business, she will never be able to sell it. It won’t happen because she’s everything. She’s the creative, she’s human resources, she’s everything. So because I love being married to my wife, I very gently suggested that maybe we could look at pulling those processes out of her brain. and putting them down on paper and then eventually building that up into something more self-sufficient. And that’s what we did. And that led to us talking to other friends of hers, other designer friends of hers and helping them with that. And then that led to why don’t we do this on kind of a broader scale? And it’s not that I’m an expert on systems by any means. or running a business by any means, I’ve bought and sold a couple of companies. But I understand that. designers do a lot. They wear a lot of hats beyond the design side of it. It’s the business side of it. And design school never taught anyone how to run a business. I mean, I guess that’s why you exist, right? Exactly. You fill that gap in the industry and help designers create a better business. So that was my idea for interior designer to create a low cost or no cost business education resource. for residential interior designers with a soft spot for solo designers and like tiny micro team designers. So that’s where interior designer came from. I got it. Well, that’s great. And of course, isn’t that all is the case every time you build a business is because you see a need in the market or something that’s missing in your own life or your own business. And it just leads you to the direction of developing something that hopefully other people will want to buy. Yeah. So you’re also a podcaster. So what led you to starting your podcasts? It wasn’t a natural thing. It came about because of Interior Designer, but part of how I started putting my website together and the concept for Interior Designer was listening to podcasts, listening to interior design business podcasts like yours, like Luanne Negara’s and… You know, I found out pretty quickly that some were amazing and some were less than amazing. And it was the less than amazing ones that gave me the confidence to say, okay, I think I could do it at least that good or bad. So I dove in. are your goals for the podcast? to, to educate. Right. across the board. that’s fantastic. If anybody gets something from it, I’m happy. But if I can also redirect them back to the website and to all the other content that we’re building out on interiordesigner.com and improve their business. And that could be stuff that we’re building. I’m building different kind of low cost barrier to entry tools, but I also want to… kind of create a hub where designers can feel comfortable knowing that they can come to the site, find things that they need. And if I can’t provide it, then I can direct them to somebody who can. And that could be a business coach. That could be someone who creates, I did a podcast. It just came out the other day with a lawyer who designs templates for interior designers exclusively. And I know there’s a lot of templates out there already, but not many of them are created by someone like this who is a lawyer and focuses exclusively on this aspect of the law, contract law for designers. I’m like, you know, instead of using some DIY thing or asking chat GPT, you know, what should I put in my, in my contracts? You go to, to a lawyer who does this every day and is constantly updating. her templates because she’s working with other designers and they’re finding new ways to make your company bulletproof from a litigious homeowner. Good luck on that. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It’s kind of funny because we teach contract sessions to our team or to our clients. And what I find is that no matter how much you think you can prevent some of those problems, you’re always going to have something else that pops up that you just didn’t anticipate. Yeah. Yeah. So it’s constant. So just out of curiosity, do you think designers should have podcasts? And if so, why? Oh, 100%. And nothing like what you do or what I do or Luanne does. What they should do without a doubt is start up a hyper local interior design podcast about their town, their town, their city, their neighborhood, wherever. Like, I mean, if you live in New York City and there’s 10 million people, then maybe you make it even more local to like your borough of the town. Interior design is such a local business, right? Like to the point of almost for some designers, it being like the neighborhood they live in, right? And if you become that person, they hear your voice, right? And you’re interviewing trades, you’re interviewing contractors, you’re interviewing other designers, you’re interviewing retail establishments. They keep hearing your name. Well, geez. When it’s their turn to go looking for an interior designer and you’re the name that keeps popping up all over the place and

What are you struggling with at the moment? A business issue? A design issue? A personal issue? Whatever the matter, rather than struggle alone, seek out advice from someone who can help you resolve it. You will learn something new, gain a new perspective, and be able to return to a more balanced, productive state of mind. In this episode, Gail talks with Mike Agugliaro, founder of FuDog Group, an online firm focused on accelerating personal growth and mind growth. After starting, growing and selling several businesses, Mike decided to draw upon his own life and growth experiences to pursue his aim of helping others to remove suffering and to have life, business and wealth by design. A self-made entrepreneur, Mike told Gail that he discovered early on that the way to resolve issues he was confronting, either personal or in his business, was to formulate a question about that issue and then ask it of someone smarter about the subject than he was. Be persistent and seek out the best experts you can find. Don’t let yourself get distracted by other matters until you get the issue resolved. “If you ask the right question of the right people, the life that you desire is not that far away,” he said. Learn from someone else and get back to happiness as quickly as possible. Gail asked Mike what his definition of success was. He replied that for him success is not what you achieve or acquire, rather it is a mental state. “Success is getting to the point of no matter what you want or what you desire, you can sit in a state of grace and be excited to be alive.” From his years of experience coaching people, Mike said he has found two major reasons why people are struggling needlessly. Often, most of their pain and suffering is either old trauma, guilt and shame that they are still living with. They need to work toward letting go and living in the present. Also, a lot of people are struggling in their mind because they see only the downside when things go wrong. They should consider the upside of the downside. What is the opportunity being presented to them? During the wide-ranging conversation, Mike and Gail also talked about the difference between knowledge and wisdom, what to consider when selling a business, and the importance of maintaining balance in your life in all things. For those insights and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e8-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Mike and the services offered by the FuDog Group, go to the firm’s website at fudoggroup.com. Mike mentioned his book, Mind Power: The 17 Secrets Of Using Your Thoughts To Powerfully Accelerate Every Area Of Life. It’s available from online booksellers. Mike also recommended two books: Three Feet from Gold: Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities! Think and Grow Rich by Sharon L. Lechter and Greg S. Reid. Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell. Both are available from online booksellers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R1HM5dE1xc Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Mike, welcome to the Creative Genius podcast. I’ve been looking to our conversation for quite a while and you are up on the East Coast and hopefully safe from all the hurricane issues that are going on. Yeah, very safe and excited to be here, Gail. Well, it’s our pleasure. So thanks for being here. I was thinking back, you and I met, my gosh, 2015. I know it was in a mastermind group. It’s been a while. And I was just thinking about how when I met you, you were just so quiet. You’re very intent, you’re thoughtful. That’s the memory of my meeting with you. And what I’ve come to find out is how brilliant you are at business. And I’d love for you to share a little bit about your journey and how you got into doing what you’re doing. And we’ll get into your current business, but I’d like to start way back at the beginning. Well, it’s interesting. I don’t hear anybody really tell me Mike is, was so quiet and stuff, but I guess. As a, I am a natural introvert. So now thinking back, I don’t like big rooms, a lot of people, and I normally sit and observe. But yeah, look, I’ve been on my own since I’m 15 years old. I always say I’m a survivor of a really tough parent divorce. And I ended up in a vocational school because back then it’s like you’re either. fit for college or they’re like, just felt like I was going down a conveyor belt and it was like college, no, you might, you’re probably a plumber or an electrician. And so I went to a trade school and I became an electrician by trade. And then I ended up in the world, you know, I had a mortgage by time I was 19 years old. That was, think it was, you know, it’s funny about interest rates today. talk about back then in 1989, I had a mortgage, it was 18 % interest. And I’m thinking people are freaking out over seven, 8%. I’m like, I was 18 % in nine years. I think I paid off $1,000 on this thing. And I started working for people. And I thought my boss was an idiot. And I figured I could do better than him. I’ll just start my own electrical company to find out. I was an idiot just like my boss. You think you know, but you don’t know any better. And I struggled. So everybody listening, I understand struggle. I struggled for about 10, 12 years. I couldn’t hire people. I didn’t understand customers. Seems like nobody had money and everybody complained about the price. And one day I had a couple turning points, Gail. One was my son was being born. He’s 25 now, so this goes back. ago and I remember going home my wife was at the hospital with my son and I remember putting together one of those rocking like gliding chairs so my wife could do the breastfeeding thing and stuff and I remember probably about 11 o’clock at night gal I sat in it and I built it I just broke down crying I was like I’m gonna be just like my dad I’m gonna work myself I’m never gonna be around for anything And that was one of my big turning points that something had to change. And I don’t know how it came about, but the enlightenment was there must be somebody that figured it out. Just like there must be someone that figured it out and I have to go pay them and learn from it. So to give people a faster track here, the next 10 years of my life, I built a plumbing HVAC electrical company in New Jersey from under a million dollars to $32 million in a 10 year period. I had 200 employees, 165 trucks fixing people’s stuff. I sold that in 2017. And then in 2014, I wanted to make a stand. I wanted to change the world. And all my friends were struggling and there’s nothing worse than getting around family or friends, gal. And they’re like, how’s everything going? And I’m like, oh, I’m great. I’m making a lot of money and I don’t have a mortgage. And I’m like, how about you? And they’re like, horrible. Life stinks. And I was like, I gotta change this. So in 2014, I built a coaching company called CEO Warrior. I started, I coached over a thousand business owners. I had over 20,000 trades people come through my training. And I sold that company in 2020. So that gives you a little bit, not where we are today, but that gives you a little bit of background for people. I understand growing, I understand struggles, I understand lawsuits, I understand the economy recession of 2008 and Y2K and pandemics. I get all of this. So in all of these situations, here you are, you’ve struggled, you’ve gone through all these difficult challenges. And obviously, you were smart enough to get coaching, smart enough to get help, and then you started your own coaching business and of course built that to a very successful and profitable business as well. I think it’s really interesting because you have walked the walk, you’ve done all the things that you teach, which is awesome. And I remember recently, and I can’t remember the whole story, but you had posted something not too long ago, which I picked up. I it was so humorous about how somebody asked if you were certified as a coach and then you proceeded to tell them, well, yeah, I’ve built a company, I had the company of 200 and I don’t know exactly how you said it, but it was so funny. And I was thinking to myself, oh my gosh, you know, here’s the perfect example of someone who has learned, who has gone out and has sought the resources and has changed his way of doing things so that he can succeed. What do you think is different about your approach versus a lot of people’s approach? I’ll give you two things that I think are very, and it’s funny to say that about the story because the other story I was in Wells Fargo years ago and the woman like first, she’s just like, I’m bothering her. This tattoo guy needs something, right? Like, you know, the world is so quick to judge and she starts typing on the computer and then looks at the bank account, looks at me, looks at the computer. What do you do? And I told her and she goes, what college did you go to? And I said, the college of common sense. And the woman still couldn’t even get me by time I was done. But I learned two big things. one, how do you get an answer to what you’re struggling on? You create a question. So what is the question you’re dealing with? Number two, ask somebody way smarter than you the question and You know, I was sharing with my brother about a year ago, even the last two years alone, Gail, between my wife, my son, my team, we’ve invested over $300,000 a year in our own education. And my brother said to me, he goes, you build and sold two big companies. Don’t you know everything? And I said, you know what? I know everything and I know nothing all in the same day. And I said, the day I think I know everything is the day it’s over. It’s going to start to unwind. So I believe if everybody just writes down what’s the question and my goodness, Gail, I do a lot of training. So I’m on the lo

When builders and interior designers work together, magic happens. A well-built and well-designed home is a win-win for the builder and the homeowner. If you’ve never worked on a new construction project, you may be wondering how to tap into the high-end luxury home market. Start by educating yourself about what a builder needs and the value you bring as a designer. In this episode, Gail talks with Brad Leavitt, president of AFT Construction in Scottsdale, Arizona. Founded in 2013, AFT Construction specializes in custom luxury homes. A key selling point for their properties is their meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the home. Given that some designers have found some high-end luxury clients have become more demanding and more difficult to work with post-pandemic, Gail asked Brad what his experience has been with this type of client. Brad said that by and large their clients tend to be collaborative, but there are some who are very demanding and want to be in control of the project. He attributed some of that to the fact that projects nowadays take longer to complete and at a higher cost. Clients want to be sure the end result lives up to their expectations. Gail asked Brad if his firm works with interior designers. Brad replied absolutely. “I won’t do a project unless there’s an interior designer,” he said. “There’s a value the designer brings to the look of the home, to the feel of the home.” Usually it is the client who hires the designer, but Brad said his company has also sought out designers to work on projects. For designers who are interested in working on new construction projects, Brad said they should start by building a relationship with the builder over a period of time. This could involve some face-to-face meetings and sharing some tips or industry information as a way of demonstrating your value. Get to know what the builder’s pain points are and how you can alleviate them. Brad also talked about some of the technology he has introduced into his firm to streamline processes, improve document control, and facilitate coordination between the builder, designer and architect working on a project. He has found QR codes to be especially effective. Wrapping up, Brad offered three pieces of advice he received when he was younger and which have guided him throughout his career: Generosity precedes prosperity. Chase experience, not money. Leave things better because you were there. For more details and insights, listen to the entire podcast. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e7-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast For more information about Brad and ATF Construction, go to the firm’s website at www.aftconstruction.com. Brad mentioned a construction management software his firm uses, called Buildertrend. Among other functions, the software can produce the QR codes his firm uses for document control. Another construction management software Brad mentioned is Bluebeam. Bluebeam helps construction teams connect office and field through an easily accessible single source of information that can be updated on the fly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK9PqNg-6UE Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the Creative Genius podcast, Brad. I am so excited to have this conversation with you today. And I’d love for you to start by telling us how you became a builder. That’s a really good question. I originally grew up in San Diego. My dad and uncles were all electricians. My grandfather, when he retired from the Navy, started electrical companies. So, you know, I grew up blue collar working in the trades through high school. And, you know, I definitely hated it when I was a teenager and kid. Like it just You know, it’s really hard work, you know, being at school and then over the summers working, although San Diego is not a bad place to be doing construction, that’s for sure. But I realized how much I loved it as I got older, you know, 18, 19, I realized I loved it, went to college, studied construction management and moved to Arizona in 2005 and worked for a, you know, production build at first, always wanted two luxury projects and shortly thereafter worked for a luxury builder and… you know, was with them five, five and a half years and, uh, you know, really grew the appreciation for the industry a lot at that time. And that was, you know, pre-starting AFT and the company I have now. So. Okay. Well, and I think this kind of ties in, but I know you said that one of your biggest challenges you might want to share with us what you had to overcome to get where you are today. Yeah. I think there’s a lot. I mean, the reality is. Being young, mean, one thing I’ll start is being young in construction. When I first started, there’s something to be said about gray hair and being open. mean, not to jump too fast, Gail, but we work with designers on every project. And I know the design perspective is like we’re in a male-dominated industry. I’m female. So they have that roadblock. Even from the male side, being young male as you’re in a management position and PM running a project, that’s incredibly challenging. There’s just, you know, it’s, I don’t want to say ego industry, but there definitely is, it’s more technical than people realize, and it’s very challenging, and there’s a lot of things to manage. And so there has to be a tremendous amount of coordination. There has to be a tremendous amount of education. And the more that I understand of everyone who’s involved in the building process and their scope of work and what it takes for them to complete and, you know, the predecessors’ success for those who follow them and coordinating that, you know, it’s going to bring value to me, just like our designers, which I know you speak to, Gail, that… you know, the more they can become familiar with the builder side of things, like the more successful they’ll be in their career path. And so there’s, you know, it’s a very tricky industry and customer service is challenging and clients can be challenging. And, you know, you’re just battling, you know, so many different angles. Well, yes, absolutely. I think people probably under us made a lot of industries, interior design as well, because it is, is so detail oriented. It takes so much to do. a really great job of it. having worked with a lot of builders over the years, I can honestly say that there have been a handful that are really, really good at it. And then there are some that are, they just shouldn’t be doing it. That is true. And I could tell you from a general contractor side, I mean, it’s no different than some of our subcontractors. Some of them are phenomenal. mean, very, very talented. They understand they’re great communicators. And then we have some that are just not great. know, communication is such a key part of really any business, any relationship, but you know, in construction, it’s a big separator. mean, there’s something about construction that really brings out some of the poor communicators out there and it can be really challenging. Well, tell us a little bit about what types of projects you build. Yeah. So we, it’s interesting how that pendulum has changed. I mean, I’ve, I started AFT with a business partner of mine back in 2013. so we started 11 years ago and you know, early on we were heavy commercial. did a lot of commercial that was, I did a lot of commercial, my background and had a lot of relationships in that industry. And of course we were doing residential, you know, remodels and powder bathrooms. And I always wanted to get into the luxury custom homes, but going back to kind of the origin of this conversation, Gail, I mean, being fairly young when I started my company, no one’s just going to hand over the keys to a $10 million build, right? To some young kid who doesn’t have a long resume. So there has to be this path of projects and success and thought leadership and quality and everything that goes with building a business, that credibility. So over the years, that pendulum would change. It was less commercial, more residential. We were known for a few high-end projects that were nationally published. really put us on the map and social media kind of. played a role in that as well as with the growth. And now, as you asked me the question today, I mean, as it stands right now, 100 % of our projects are high-end luxury residential, projects that range from $3 million to $25 million per project and range in square footage up to 35,000 square feet. So I mean, it’s definitely on the high-end residential, and it’s not that we’re opposed to commercials, just as of today, it’s all residential. Well, and I’m sure part of that is economically driven. there are so many people that have been affected in the commercial market lately that some of those projects are just not coming through just because of funding. Yeah, you make a good point, Gail, because as interest rates change, which they did a couple of years ago, it makes a big impact because the reality is in the commercial world. And I’ve done a lot of development in the past. I I still partially dabble in development, even though if I’m not building it at AFT, I’ve invested in other real estate here in the Phoenix market. The problem is with cost high, labor high, material high, and then interest rates high, there’s only so much you can charge for land leases, for rent, for selling a pad that’s developed to a big national retailer. so it does limit that commercial footprint. mean, if you’re building a multifamily project, they can really limit that back end. there’s so much risk that, it’s definitely slowed down, not across the board. mean, there’s still a lot of commercial activity. depends on what industry you’re in. But to your point, pandemic changed things. We had a lot of people moving to Phoenix from all over

You don’t last 20-plus years in the interior design industry without learning a few valuable lessons along the way. While every interior design firm is unique, the principles of sound business management and marketing still apply. You can learn them the hard way, or you can learn them from others who’ve learned the hard way. The latter path is less of a steep and bumpy road to long-term growth and success. In this episode, Gail talks with Katie Decker-Erickson, principal with Color Works Design, a company she founded in 2007. Although she started out focused solely on designing with color, clients kept asking her to include an ever-increasing number of interior design services. After working in residential design for several years, she came to realize she preferred commercial projects. Today, with a team of between 15 and 20, her firm specializes in hospitality, senior living, university facilities and housing, and multifamily housing. Gail asked Katie what are some of the lessons she’s learned over the years about how to operate and market her business. Katie said first and foremost, you have to let go and be comfortable delegating work to others. To grow, she said, you need a vision and a team to execute on that vision. “It’s all about letting go to the right person for the right reason. You can’t do it all on your own.” Furthermore, she said, “Figure out who is your target market and go hard. If you’re trying to be everything to everyone, you’re nothing to no one.” Take care of the clients you have, she added. They can become clients for life. Also, take care of your team and they will stay with you over the years. Your business should not become a burden. “Your business should work for you, not you work for it.” Do some self-introspection, she advised. Figure out where is your happy place—i.e., what fulfills you and gives you joy—and pursue that. Let others do the other stuff.  Over the years, Katie and her firm have experienced some good times and some not-so-good times. Just accept that these are normal business cycles. “Don’t be afraid to let your business expand and contract,” she said. Gail and Katie also talked about how AI might impact the interior design industry and how Katie is using it now in her firm. They also discussed the importance of curating your firm’s culture. For those insights and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you’re listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s12e6-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast For more information about Katie and her firm, go the website at colorworks.coach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogr-1u_8e8I Episode Transcript Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors. Click to show transcript Welcome to the podcast, Katie. I have a special guest today, Katie Decker Erickson, and I am so excited to have a conversation with you today. You and I had a good chat not too long ago and you’ve been doing interior design for a while now and I’d love to know about how you got into it. That’s so kind of you, Gail. I’m so honored to be here. And yeah, I don’t know a while that’s like a kind way of saying someone is seasoned, right? Which is code for old. And we’re now at the age where we’re giving back in our industry. Yeah. You know, it’s funny. My journey to design was very unique. it wasn’t traditional. Like I woke up my junior year of high school and decided I should do interior design. And that is what I love. And I’m going to go pursue that in college. I actually didn’t come to interior design until I was in. Gosh, early twenties. It was after I had my master’s degree in business administration that I went I want to start a business and I love creating and I need to use the left and right side of my brains or my brain to feel like satisfied at the end of the day and It was funny. I was actually fixing and flipping houses at the time or condos and I was so frustrated that I couldn’t find somebody who just did color I just only wanted someone to do color. I didn’t need a full design experience and everyone wanted to sell me on the whole package and I just thought, heaven help, there’s gotta be a better answer. So I reached out to, I started doing some Google research and found the International Association of Color Consultants and said, I wanna reach out, wanna figure out how does this whole thing work? What do we do? And went and got certified and then started helping others. And really that’s how Colorworks was born back in 2007. It was just out of the desire to focus on color. it was for someone who hadn’t, gone through a four-year formal program. It was the perfect gateway because I wasn’t focusing on every aspect of design. I was focusing on a singular aspect. And that was so lovely because it just gave me a really nice way to dip my toe in the pond. And then as our clients kept coming to us wanting more things, which I’m sure so many people can relate to on your show, you just keep adding to your services until you get where you need to be and what satisfies them. And so you’re now doing residential as well. Well, great question. So I lasted about three years in residential truthfully, Gail. And then I quit. my gosh. To all you residential designers out there, you have a job a billion times harder than I do. You know, it was really challenging for me because of my MBA. It’s a blessing and a curse, right? But I approach it from a business perspective. And so there were so many wives that wanted a best friend to have. with and talk about pillows. And I love being a girly girl, but not when I’m on the clock doing eight to five. Like I want to move projects and get things done and have decision makers and no budgets. And I was just like, I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth for it. So to the residential designers in your audience that do, I humbly bow down because, and then you get the spousal component, right? And I’m just like, yeah, I can’t do marital counseling. I would have gone to school to get a degree in that if that’s what I wanted to do. And like the fact that you’re fighting over the sofa, I think we have bigger problems here. I mean, just a hunch, but it’s just, so was funny. I actually started segueing into commercial about three years in, and then I just kept going down that road until eventually I was just full-time commercial and multifamily, which is what I love. And then that’s now kind of what I coach too and helping other designers who are saying, Gosh, I can relate to every part of that. And I love hospitality or I love, hotel motel or I love, just figuring out how do we get there and how do we get you into the space you want to play? Cause I think so many times we just think there’s one space and design, right? Like I’m an interior designer. It’s not like I’m a drafter. I’m a space planner. I’m a sorcerer. hear that those exists, but they’re much less hurt. feel like, they’re just as valid, know? Well, that’s interesting. And so because you didn’t have. a design degree if I heard this correctly. A hundred percent. Okay. And so you have an MBA. Yep. And so obviously you’re smart. that’s all. No, I got really bored. I needed something to do and I hadn’t met my husband yet. Let’s not, let’s be perfectly honest, Gail. Well, you don’t do an MBA just because you’re You’re sweet. You’re very kind. Okay. So commercial design. that’s a whole different animal and learning how to price that. did you learn how to price? Cause you didn’t come from a design background. Yeah. It’s a very fair question. was a lot of trial and error to be honest with you, but I also had some clients in the beginning who came to me and they’re like, well, we have a quote for this, but we’d rather work with you. Can you make that work? And I’m like, sure. And then a couple of those come across your desk and then you start talking to your trade partners about what can we do and what accounts can we set up and how do we make this work? And you just kind of navigate your way through it. I will say our model is pretty fluid though, because we’re so economically based. Like right now, interest rates are high. It’s been a hard year to make deals pencil straight up. And so one thing we did as an effort of goodwill to our clients, because we always joke that we love to acquire clients and not lose them. We collect clients. But as part of goodwill and as part of marketing, we said, we’re not going to raise our rates in 2024. And we did a whole marketing campaign around that and said, hey, we get it’s a hard year for you guys. We get that you’re having a hard time making it pencil. These transactions aren’t going the way you want. The remittals you’re wanting to do on as-builts aren’t quite as advanced as maybe you want. We’re going to work with you because we want to hang with you for the long haul. Things like that, I think, make a huge difference. And so we’re constantly watching the market. I’m super excited as of this recording, hopefully next week, I’m praying interest rates get cut because all that really does affect our market on the commercial sides. And I think it’s a lot more quick than it is on the residential side. Like on the residential side, I think there’s a trickle down component when it comes to working with rates and being in multimillion dollar spaces, it’s pretty instantaneous. Cause if the asset isn’t gonna pencil, the buyer isn’t going to buy and we’re probably not going to do the value add to it that they initially envisioned. So you’re doing multifamily. You’re doing hospitality. Yep. And so between the two, which one do you like the best? I love multifamily. That’s a great question. I love multifamily. And the reason why is because interest rates have stayed high now for, well, what we consider high, we really got used to twos, know, the twos were a really nice spot. And then we saw the eights, now we’re hanging out in the sixes, but sixes when you’re used to twos still