Nicole Heymer & Kate O’Hara: Going Local vs. Going National: The Choice That Changes Everything

Episode 1239 of A Well-Designed Business®

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1239: Nicole Heymer & Kate O’Hara: Going Local vs. Going National: The Choice That Changes Everything

Today with Nicole Heymer and Kate O’Hara:

Today with Nicole Heymer and Kate O’Hara, the new owners of the Design Influencers Conference, we’re talking about one of the biggest decisions in a design business, one that most designers never actually make on purpose: local or national. Nicole has spent more than 15 years helping interior designers, architects, and custom home builders build their brands and get found. Kate built the marketing engine behind O’Hara Interiors across multiple markets before launching her own business consulting practice. Between them, they’ve seen this from every side.

We get into how to tell which kind of firm you really are, and why working outside your area doesn’t make you national. Kate and Nicole walk through the formula behind each strategy and what it changes about your website, your social media, your press, and your photo shoots. We also cover which awards are worth chasing and why they now affect whether AI recommends you to the clients looking for you. If you’ve been wondering whether going bigger is actually better, this conversation will help you decide, and you’ll know exactly what to focus on at the Design Influencers Conference, March 1–3, 2027, in Atlanta. Got to designinfluencersconference.com

Aha Moments with Nicole Heymer and Kate O’Hara

“National strategy, going after…a home feature in a national magazine, that takes a lot of bandwidth, a lot of effort, a certain kind of work…You really have to do it on purpose. These things cannot happen accidentally. The decision has to be made.” – Nicole

“This isn’t a coincidence. This is a strategy. This is intentional.” – LuAnn

“There’s so much opportunity. It is overwhelming. And that’s why it is so important to get really clear about who you are and what your goals are and get ruthless about focusing on those because the opportunities become costly distractions very quickly when they pile up.” – Kate

More about Nicole Heymer and Kate O’Hara

Nicole Heymer: Owner and Creative Director, Glory & Brand Nicole Heymer is the founder of Glory & Brand, a boutique creative agency specializing in branding, websites, marketing automation, and strategy. Since 2011, Nicole has worked with a wide variety of clients at every stage in their development, from nationally known interior design firms to local custom home builders. Nicole’s clear, practical take on branding has been featured by a range of design industry resources—from the Wingnut Social podcast to the Design Influencers Conference to the . You’ll find her methods in print, on industry webinars, and as the framework for branding workshops.

Kate O’Hara: Kate O’Hara is the founder of Lake House Group, an advisory practice that helps founder-led and second-generation businesses navigate growth, operational blind spots, and transitions. She previously served as the second-generation CEO and Creative Director of O’Hara Interiors before intentionally closing the prominent design firm to focus on advisory work and co-owning the Design Influencers Conference. [1, 2, 3]

Connect with Nicole Heymer and Kate O’Hara

Nicole Heymer

O’Hara Interiors Website

Lake House Group Website

Design Influencers Conference Website

Design Influencers Instagram

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