Today With Gage Edward:
In this sponsored episode of A Well-Designed Business, LuAnn sits down with entrepreneur and former Flipping Out star Gage Edward to talk about a challenge every designer knows well: coming home from market with hundreds of photos… and no clear way to organize or use them.
After more than a decade leading business development for a nationally recognized design firm, Gage saw firsthand how inefficient the product discovery process can be. Designers walk miles of showrooms at High Point or Las Vegas Market, snap endless photos of tags and products, and return home to a camera roll that is nearly impossible to sort through.
That frustration led him to co-found Discover Market, an app designed to help designers capture and organize product information in real time while they’re walking market.
In this conversation, LuAnn and Gage break down:
-
Why sourcing at market often creates more chaos than clarity
-
The hidden cost of leaving market without an organized system
-
How scanning product tags can instantly capture pricing, vendor info, and availability
-
Why efficiency at market directly impacts profitability back in your studio
-
The bigger opportunity for designers to streamline product sourcing and project workflow
If you’ve ever returned from market with hundreds of photos and no idea where that perfect chair came from, this episode will hit home.
Because here’s the thing.
Market is an investment. Your time, your travel, your energy.
And if you don’t have a system to capture what you discover, you’re leaving value on the table.
More About Gage Edward:
Gage Edward is an entrepreneur and business development leader with more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of interior design, product development, and strategic partnerships.
For ten years, he led business development for a nationally recognized design firm, overseeing client intake, managing interior design projects and construction builds, and developing creative partnerships with brands including Living Spaces, Walter E. Smithe, and Alder & Tweed Furniture.
During that time, he structured and negotiated national licensing programs across multiple product categories — including doors with Masonite, tile with Jeffrey Court, and paint with Dunn-Edwards and Vista Paint — all sold in partnership with The Home Depot, a retail relationship he helped cultivate and expand.
Much of this work was documented over seven seasons and more than 70 episodes of Bravo’s Flipping Out, where he appeared as himself while building and operating the business behind the scenes.
After a decade in leadership, Gage left to pursue independent development projects, including overseeing the design of the Pelican Golf Club and its restaurants in Belleair, Florida.
Drawing from his own challenges sourcing, discovering, and organizing vendors Gage later co-founded SideDoor and the Discover Market app — platforms built from more than 15 years of firsthand experience navigating trade shows and the product marketplace.
Connect with Discover.Market:
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:
https://www.luannnigara.com/cob
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action
Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts
Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Connect with LuAnn Nigara:
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast
