Nicole White: Interior Designer Leveraging Her Contracting Skills

Welcome to today’s episode! We have a really smart lady joining us on the show today! She is Nicole White, the president, and principal designer at the award-winning design firm, Nichole White Designs Interiors, based in Sunrise, Florida. On the show today we talk to Nicole about how she came to learn her particular skill set in the renovation process, and what her intentions are with that going forward. We talk to her about her experience as a journalist, in her previous career, and how she leverages that to earn press for her projects. And we also discuss confidence, how it develops mostly through the mistakes we make over time in our businesses, and how very important that is, when being an entrepreneur. Listen in to find out more.

Nicole, known for her renovation prowess, has had her design work featured in various magazines including, Better Homes and Gardens, Ocean Drive, Modern Luxury Interiors; Huffington Post, HGTV and Domino online magazines. She’s twice been noted as an emerging designer to watch by the Black Interior Designers Network and is a brand ambassador/influencer for The Home Depot, Purple Drywall, and City Furniture. An award-winning writer, Nicole writes about the behind the scenes process of her projects on her popular blog LiveLaughDecorate. Nicole, lover of red wine and travel, is also mom to a busy 6-year-old, Xavier – a budding artist and self-proclaimed VP of NWD Interiors. Listen in to hear what Nicole has to share on today’s show.

Show highlights:

• Nicole talks her decision to direct her business towards working with the renovation process.
• Nicole has learned to get her hands dirty- working hands-on with the renovation process.
• Nicole really enjoys the whole process of renovation.
• What makes Nicole so successful with what she does.
• Nicole is getting ready to do her GC license in the next year or so.
• What obtaining a GC license involves.
• Nicole talks about her game-changing questionnaire, what it deals with, and how it came about.
• The questionnaire has literally transformed Nicole’s business.
• Working realistically with a budget with clients.
• Nicole has the confidence to know that clients will be better off working with her.
• Fifteen years in, Nicole still clearly remembers not knowing how she was going to pay her bills.
• Standing in your experience and fully understanding what your needs are.
• Nicole has made some deliberate changes in her life since having her son.
• Nicole makes the amount of time that she has available very clear to her clients.
• It can take some time to develop the confidence, as a new designer, to charge a consultation fee.
• As a former journalist, Nicole really understands publications and how they work- so she knows how to build and grow press.
• Start building press by pitching the smaller publications first.
• Nicole has learned to build relationships- they really matter!
• It’s really important to stay in touch- you cannot treat your clients and relationships as a one-night-stand.
• You have to enter the contests to win the awards.
• Go after companies and brands that fit your strengths.
• The goals that Nicole is stretching herself towards right now.

Links:

Nicole’s website: NWD Interiors

Nicole’s blog: Live Laugh Decorate

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