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431: Debbe Daley: Sharing Experience Learned From 30+ Years in the Interior Design Business

Welcome to today’s show! We have Debbe Daley, an interior designer in the New England area, on the show with us. Debbe is also an installed designer in the Boston Design Center’s Designer On Call program, now called Design Services program. In today’s episode, Debbe talks to us about the way she handles her initial consult, about the items that she puts in a folder for her clients, and how she provides suggestions for her clients. She also talks about the book she is writing, Monetizing Your Passion- Turning Your Hobby into A Business, which is due to be launched in the fall of 2019 and she discusses the two-day seminar that she will be running in Portsmouth, in June, for interior designers. Listen in, to find out what Debbe has to share on the show today.

After obtaining a business degree, Debbe took a slight detour and taught herself how to sew custom window treatments. She also spent some time doing hands-on work in the paint, wallpaper, and furniture industry. In doing this, she gained valuable knowledge and she also expanded her industry network of friends and colleagues. Now, some thirty years later, Debbe is well-respected in the industry and she is often invited to speak at industry conferences. She also writes a weekly lifestyle column for the Lowell Sun, where she covers topics about design, travel, DIY, and cooking, for the Merrimack Valley audience. Tune in now for more.

Show Highlights:

  • The five-day course in decoration and interior design that Debbe teaches to the non-design professional who is hoping to become a design professional.
  • Debbe gives an overview of the two-day course she teaches, called Design For Today, that is geared towards professionals in the design industry. The next course will be in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on June the 27th and 28th.
  • Debbe’s two-day workshop was developed at the request of some of Debbe’s seasoned colleagues from the Association of Design Education.
  • Debbe’s clients are looking for software platforms that they can use to enhance their businesses, to make their lives a bit easier.
  • Debbe uses Design Files, a platform that is designed to do e-design.
  • The thing that really got Debbe going in the right direction and gave her the motivation for the book she’s writing.
  • Why sharing her knowledge is so important to Debbe right now.
  • Some of the lessons that Debbe learned from Fred Berns.
  • Debbe’s take on whether or not to put your packages on your website.
  • How Debbe handles her initial client consultation.
  • The mechanism that Debbe uses to stay on time.
  • What the folder that Debbe gives her clients initially contains.
  • Why Debbe always has her clients sign a photo release form.
  • Debbe talks about her initial consultation rate and her hourly rate.
  • About Debbe’s Pick Your Brain segment.
  • How Fred Berns helped Debbe to increase her rates.
  • Debbe has set things up so that there’s a package for everyone.
  • Attracting the client that is right for you.
  • The importance of putting yourself out there, introducing yourself to your local reps, and setting up your vendor accounts.
  • Debbe talks about her new book, Monetizing Your Passion- Turning Your Hobby into A Business, and she explains who it is geared towards.
  • It takes a lot of hard work to be an interior designer.
  • As a new designer, any kind of store experience is valuable.
  • People notice it if you’re driven and you really know what you’re doing, as a designer.

Bio:

Debbe Daley, an award-winning interior designer with more than 30 years’ experience, is known for the extraordinary service she provides prominent homeowners in New England and around the country.

She supplies a complete range of design services for new and existing homes nationwide, but she focuses on working with clients in the Boston Back Bay, the North Shore of Massachusetts, Cape Cod, coastal Maine, and the New Hampshire seacoast as well as the Merrimack Valley. In addition, she is a gifted professional speaker who delivers programs to both interior design and general audiences nationwide. She presents keynotes, seminars, and workshops on topics ranging from design business success practices to the Power of Positive Energy.

Debbe is the winner of numerous Houzz customer service awards and gets 80% of her business from referrals. She designs multiple homes for the same clients and works with different generations of the same family. Clients use words like “fantastic,” fabulous,” “exceptional,” “impeccable,” “outstanding,” and “a pleasure to work with” to describe her. Debbe has designed new homes and remodeled existing residences for more than 700 clients, including Fortune 500 executives, CEOs, high tech leaders, medical specialists, business owners, and other successful professionals. Her commercial design projects include funeral homes and professional offices.

Debbe Daley Designs is based in an elegant design studio in the historic Abraham Shaw House in Portsmouth, NH. The firm is backed by a team of some of the region’s premier contractors, carpenters, painters, flooring specialists, cabinet experts, electricians, and other professionals, as well as a nationwide network of vendors and suppliers.

Debbe, who earned interior design degrees at three leading institutions, shares her extensive design expertise in her weekly lifestyle column in the Lowell Sun, the Huffington Post and her own blog. She keeps current on the design industry through her involvement with the American Society of Interior Designers and the International Furnishings and Design Assn. and the National Speakers Association. Her clients today benefit from the customer service, problem-solving and administrative skills, and the product knowledge she gained during her highly successful earlier career working in the industry through retail establishments, an interior design firm and four leading New England companies.

Debbe has an office in the Boston Design Center, where she is involved in the Design Services, Designer on Call program as well as the new office location in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, serving regions of the Merrimack Valley, Boston, and the Portsmouth seacoast.

Previous episodes mentioned in this show:

Fred Berns: #289, #226, #174, #96, #48, #22

Darla Powell #330, #203

Wendy Glaister #386

Kristan McLaughlin #319

Barbara Sallick owner of Waterworks #131

Wendy Woloshchuk #316

Links and resources:

Debbe Daley Designs LLC

379 State Street – #1

Portsmouth NH 03801

Daley Designs

Instagram: Debbe Daley

Facebook: Debbe Daley Designs

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430: Power Talk Friday: LuAnn Nigara: You Made A Mistake. Now What?

1119 What Would Lu Do This Is The Difference Between Business Owners Who Wait And Those Who Act Thumbnail.png

Welcome to Power Talk Friday! Today, we’re talking about when things go wrong and how to fix them. If you’d like your business to be really successful, with loyal, long-term clients who keep coming back year after year, you have to differentiate yourself from the rest. There are two kinds of situations where you can make this happen if you’re willing to conduct yourself in the way that LuAnn advises and if you’re willing to spend the time perfecting the necessary skills to do so. Listen in today, to learn what LuAnn has to teach you about what to do when you’ve made a mistake.

Sometimes, your client isn’t happy with an outcome. You see their point and you agree, however, you can also see that the solution is going to be expensive for you, either in terms of time or money. So you might feel that you can’t afford to fix it. The truth is, however, that you cannot afford not to fix it. Because good news travels fast and bad news travels even faster- and further. Tune in now to find out what LuAnn has to share about what to do when something goes wrong.

 Show Highlights:

  • LuAnn describes a typical scenario of something going wrong.
  • Often, we worry that if we tell a client that we’ve made a mistake we will be at a disadvantage with them because it could cost us money or our expertise could be questioned.
  • Why you’re not fooling anybody by pretending.
  • When you price your projects properly you will have the money to clean things up if you need to.
  • If it really is your mistake, just say so. It’s important to acknowledge what your client is feeling.
  • Mistakes are going to happen. So at the start of a project, explain to your client how you take care of mistakes.
  • The first thing is to acknowledge your mistake, and the second thing is to own it. Then you tell your client what the solution is.
  • When it’s okay, and when it’s not, to charge your client for the mistake.
  • Listen to your inner voice.
  • Listen carefully and be real with your client.
  • Don’t ignore a problem.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask your client what will make them happy.
  • You will know when your client isn’t happy, so ask them about it. It will be okay.
  • Next week, we will talk about what to do when there’s a problem, but there isn’t really a problem. But you still have a problem because you have to fix it.
  • LuAnn talks about the group sales coaching course that she has decided to run.
  • LuAnn gives some details about the group sales coaching course and she talks about the topics that she will be covering.

Links:

To find out about LuAnn’s group sales coaching course, head over to

Sales for Creatives – (If the link is not working Friday when this airs, it will be working by Tuesday, 5/21.)

To get onto LuAnn’s email list, text the word designbiz to 444999.

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429: Alinda Morris: A Successful Design Business Depends on a Firm Foundation

Welcome! Today we have Alinda Morris, of Alinda Morris Interior Design, located in Gig Harbor, Washington, with us. Although her firm is small, with Alinda and just one other employee, she’s running it like a bigger firm. She has her systems down, she has her practices binder, and she’s tracking her hours. In today’s episode, Alinda explains how she has become very clear and focused, in the last couple of years. This has really made a big difference for her in terms of peace of mind, profitability, project management, and the experience her clients have when working with her firm. Listen in today, to find out what Alinda has to share about the way that she’s set herself up for success with builders and other trades, and how she ensures the success of anyone that works for her.

Alinda Morris is a nationally published, award-winning interior design professional, habitual remodeler, adventurous creative, specializing in full service, luxury residential interior design. These include custom furnishings, unique kitchens & artfully designed bathrooms, attention to details, and clean, updated spaces are her specialties.

She is committed to her clients having a wonderful experience. She is widely admired for her ability to create, invent, explore, and innovate.

In addition to Alinda’s impressive versatility, ranging from minimalist restraint to traditional chic, client’s find Alinda’s passion for design infectious so that collaborating with her is a thrilling process as she works her creative magic in both visual appeal and functionality. Tune in now, for more.

Show highlights:

  • Alinda has her systems down pat, and her portfolio is really amazing!
  • Some of the habits that Alinda has instituted in her firm.
  • The challenges that Alinda faces.
  • Great communication has always been very important for Alinda.
  • The trail and error process that Alinda went through, for a few years, to find the best systems for her business.
  • How Alinda helps her clients get a grasp on their design budget.
  • Starting the design process with Alinda, through her questionnaire.
  • Alinda’s firm is very client-based.
  • The way that Alinda communicates with the builders she works with.
  • Alinda talks about her detailed special best practices binder, for her interns, with examples of how she likes things to be done.
  • Choosing the right font for your brand.
  • About the check-lists Alinda uses.
  • The things she brings in for photo shoots.
  • Alinda shares her thoughts on the way she tracks her billable hours.
  • Alinda knows exactly how many hours she needs to bill in order to cover her costs each month.
  • Alinda describes her magnificent small boutique studio on the waterfront at Gig Harbour, Washington.
  • Reinvesting profits back into her business.
  • How Alinda creates the very best experiences for her employees.

Previous shows mentioned in this episode:

Charlotte Safavi #138

Raquel Langworthy #343

Stephen Karlisch #369

Links:

Alinda Morris Interior Design

Houzz

Instagram

Facebook

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428: Power Talk Friday: Pep Talk from LuAnn: Turn Inspiration into Action

1119 What Would Lu Do This Is The Difference Between Business Owners Who Wait And Those Who Act Thumbnail.png

Welcome to another episode of Power Talk Friday.  Today, we’re having a solo show because LuAnn has some things to share about her event, LuAnn Nigara Live, which was held in New Jersey a month ago. She would also like to talk about some of the things you can do to take action in your business, in order to do better and become more profitable. Luann’s event was a really special experience and an outstanding success! Almost 200 designers, speakers, panelists, sponsors, as well as LuAnn’s team, attended the event and for two-and-a-half days, the room was filled with an electric atmosphere and they all really rocked it! Listen in today, to find out more.

LuAnn had a vision for the event, and she really knew what she had to do. And she did it! The conversations after the panel discussions were so interactive that it felt as if there were only twenty people in the room, even though there were almost 200 people there! It was really intense in the very best way possible so we’re working on doing it again, probably in eight months to a year’s time. In the meantime, there’s a lot of stuff coming up, like the smaller one-day events and the Power Talk Friday tours. Tune in now, to find out how to turn your inspiration into action.

Show highlights:

  • LuAnn thanks everyone and gives a quick recap of her event, LuAnn Nigara Live, It’s About The Conversation.
  • You can go to the blog post on LuAnn’s website LuAnn Nigara to see the pictures and get an overview of everything that happened at the event.
  • LuAnn talks about her new book, A Well-Designed Business- The Power Talk Friday Experts. It can really help you to up your game in business.
  • LuAnn shares some of the keys to upping your business game.
  • Watch your mindset, and be careful not to be closed to new ideas for success.
  • Look at the stories you tell yourself about money.
  • Examine your own mindset about numbers. Michele Williams, in LuAnn’s new book, says not to play the song in your head: I’m creative so I’m not good at numbers.
  • Examine your mindset about your fees and don’t pretend your rates are about the area you live in. Your rates are related only to your confidence as a designer and business person.
  • What it means to not save your client’s money.
  • It is your job to make your clients aware of the best solution for their challenge or problem. They don’t have to do as you suggest but, as the expert, you must make them aware of it.
  • Not saving your client’s money also means that when they can’t afford something, they don’t get it. You don’t lower the price to meet their budget.
  • Customer service is critical in creating a successful business.
  • Satisfied clients return. Dissatisfied don’t always tell you, they just don’t return.
  • Own your mistakes. Clients know when you are lying and lying is worse than making a mistake.
  • Take action!
  • With so much information from the live event and the podcast, overwhelm becomes a real possibility, so you have to break things down and work on your business, to get better and to become more profitable.

Previous shows mentioned in this episode:

Fred Berns #289

Vincere #356

Chris Ramey #345

Sandra Espinet #287

Links and resources:

Kravet is having a sale at their outlet. And on any regular Kravet fabric, wallpaper or trim order get 10% off with the code AWDB10 at checkout.

Mydoma Studio for project management, time tracking, invoices, communication and saving time: A Well Designed Business

A Well-Designed Business, The Power Talk Friday Experts

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427: Park & Oak Interior Design: From the Park Bench to Luxury Design Firm in 3 Years

Par N Oak

Welcome to the show! We have Christina Samatas and Renee DiSanto, the founders of Park and Oak Interior Design Studio, located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with us today. These ladies work on new construction, renovation, and furnishing projects across the US, and you may even know them from their Instagram, with 130 000 followers. The way that they handle themselves and speak about their firm really conveys the confidence that they have in what they’re doing. And the success they’ve had in their first three years in business is not at all typical. In today’s episode, Renee and Christina pull back the curtain and boldly share with us their experiences and the lessons they have learned over the last three years. Listen in today, to find out what they have to share.

Christina Samatas and Renee DiSanto founded the Park & Oak interior design studio in 2015. They are known for creating homes that are visually stunning, yet functional and comfortable. Their work, rooted in the art of timeless style, is driven by the belief that design can be used to create feelings of comfort and happiness. It combines the best of their individual aesthetics for a unique look. Christina and Renee have a creative energy that is engaging to work with. Using beautiful and unexpected sources of inspiration, they work collaboratively with clients to create spaces that thoughtfully honor the spirit and traditions of their owner. Tune in now for more!

Show Highlights:

  • Renee and Christina talk about what each of them brought to the table when they started out, and about what attracted them to each other, as business partners.
  • Some of the one-year and five-year goals that they established when first starting out.
  • Renee and Christina’s approach to the individual roles that they have in the business.
  • Renee describes the really special way that she and Christina work together.
  • From a park bench to a studio.
  • The first person that they hired was a bookkeeper.
  • What kept them powering through in the beginning, when they were sacrificing a lot and there were many challenges to face.
  • Struggling with balancing family life and business.
  • It took some time to bring their really awesome team together.
  • In year two, they experienced a turning point in the business.
  • They use a finite system to prevent problems and execute their projects efficiently.
  • Learning from their mistakes and gaining the courage to stand up for themselves.
  • Creating the right systems, in order to protect themselves.
  • There’s really a lot going on behind the scenes too.
  • How they find the time to keep their systems in order and their projects running smoothly.
  • Renee is behind their really impressive Instagram following.

Links:

Park And Oak

Facebook: Park And Oak Design

Twitter: Park And Oak

Instagram: Park And Oak Design

Pinterest: Park And Oak

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426: Power Talk Friday: Stacey Brown Randall: Generating Business Referrals…Without Asking

Stacey Brown Randall Brand Story

Welcome! Stacey Brown Randall joins us on the show today. Stacey, a three-times repeat guest on the podcast, is one of the co-authors of LuAnn’s new book, A Well-Designed Business, the Power Talk Friday Experts. Stacey really has a lot to share, to teach, and to give that is of genuine value, and she does some wonderful work with entrepreneurs. In her first and second episodes, she talked to us about Employee Management (#69), and the Client Experience (#93). In today’s episode, she will explain How To Get Referrals Without Asking. Tune in now, to find out more.

Stacey, who has a Master’s in Organizational Communication, provides a roadmap for small business owners and solopreneurs to generate referrals without asking through her Growth By Referrals program. She is the author of the book, Generating Business Referral- Without Asking, and she also hosts her own podcast, Roadmap to Grow your Business. Stacey lives in Charlotte NC with her husband and three kids. Listen in today, to find out what Stacey has to share about building relationships and planting the seeds of referral.

Show highlights:

  • Janelle Photopoulos changed certain things in her business, to up the client experience, based on her working with Stacey.
  • Stacey talks about her work with Janelle.
  • Stacey explains how she got to understand interior designers so well.
  • Why Stacey hated asking for referrals.
  • Stacey is debunking the advice that we’ve all been given, that we have to ask everyone for referrals at the end of a project.
  • Asking for referrals generally makes people feel really uncomfortable.
  • Changing the way we think about referrals.
  • Looking for ways to fill a funnel after failing in her business.
  • Stacey started unpacking the psychology and the human dynamic behind why referrals happen.
  • Referrals actually happen because they are triggered.
  • Why manufactured triggers are not successful.
  • Making yourself look like a hero by offering a solution to a problem is the best way to get referrals.
  • Stacey shares the trigger for making a referral happen.
  • How to trigger always being top of mind in a referral source.
  • What constitutes a great referral.
  • Taking great care of the relationships with your referral sub-set.
  • Identifying your referral sources. These are gold!
  • How baby designers can start building relationships with referral sources.
  • Using the right language.
  • Taking care of your referral sources year after year.
  • It all comes down to authentic relationships.

Stacey’s bio:

Stacey Brown Randall is a member of the business failure club, a contrarian on how to generate referrals and a supporter of the entrepreneurial dream. Through her programs, she provides a roadmap to take control of your business.

Stacey’s quest to crack the code on how to generate referrals without asking began after her first business failed. When she started her second business – a business and productivity coaching practice – she knew keeping her pipeline full of new clients would be one of the biggest differentiators from her business failure. She honed-in on referrals as the main source of prospects for her second business but wasn’t satisfied with the conventional advice which is to receive referrals you must ask.

Stacey has taught her “no asking” referral generation strategy to hundreds of companies including Bank of America, Carroll Financial, International Minute Press, Dogtopia, O’Connor Insurance Associates, ACC Associates (Mortgage Advisor), Slater Interiors, Real Living Real Estate, Milazzo Webb Law Firm, Wells Fargo Advisors, Success Institute, HM Properties, Ameriprise, Farris Cooke CPA, Keller Williams, LearningRX and more small businesses and solopreneurs.

She is a three-time entrepreneur, author of Generating Business Referrals…Without Asking, and host of the Roadmap to Grow your Business podcast.

Stacey received her Master’s in Organizational Communication and is married with three kids, a 10-year- old son, 8-year-old daughter and she and her husband are raising their 11-year-old nephew. 

 Links:

Stacey Brown Randall

Facebook

LinkedIn

Youtube

Twitter

Instagram

Previous episodes Stacey has been on:

#69 Employee Management

#93 The Client Experience

Other episode mentioned in today’s show:

Janelle Photopoulos, Blakely Interior Design #364

Stacey is a co-author in LuAnn’s new book:

LuAnn Nigara

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425: Misty Maxey: Niching, Coaching and Pushing Through Fear

Misty Maxey headshot

Welcome to today’s episode! We have Misty Maxey, the Bachelor Pad Designer, on the show with us today. Misty has decided to fully niche her business into designing strictly for bachelors. After spending some time doing hobby designing, she finally made the decision to get serious and look for the help she needed to learn the difference between a hobby and a business. On the show today, she explains how she knew that she had to reach out to coaches and other accomplished designers, in order to be successful. Misty really understands that by pushing through fear and doing things that scare you, you level up and make things happen. She really has her eyes wide open, and her website, (Misty Maxey) with its clear and authentic copy, describes very distinctly what she does, how she does it, and who she does it for. Listen in today, to hear what Misty has to share about the really intentional way she set up her business.

Misty Maxey has always loved interior design. With two artistic parents, her creative path was written in the stars. Always seeking to grow in her knowledge and understanding of the interior design field, she regularly sought out the experience from successful designers.

With knowledge and life experiences forming her understanding of the importance of interior design, she opened her business with the goal of inspiring bachelors to live their best life ever by co-creating their home that reflects who they are and to become.

As a survivor of domestic violence, Misty regularly gives back by providing complimentary design services to survivors and their families. This restores dignity and gives back to her community. Tune in now, for more!

Show highlights:

  • Misty’s website is really clear and specific about what she does.
  • Tapping into the metrosexual market in Portland.
  • Misty explains why she likes to work with bachelors.
  • The underlying message in Misty’s approach to interior design.
  • Guys like to have their outdoor hobbies reflected in their home.
  • Misty honors the way the guys she designs for like to live.
  • Letting her clients know in a really fun way that they will be making an investment.
  • How Misty learned that guys are comfortable talking about money and business.
  • Transparency and communication are the two main things for Misty.
  • What transparency means for Misty.
  • Where Misty sources her products.
  • The retail markup that Misty adds to her products.
  • Misty explains where her money is coming from.
  • The different packages that Misty offers.
  • Misty’s way of dealing with damaged deliveries.
  • Misty hired the services of a market research company in Portland.
  • Misty talks about the business coaches she has worked with.
  • The book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, really helped Misty push past her fear.

Links:

Website: Misty Maxey

Instagram: Misty Maxey Designs

Pinterest: Misty Maxey

Twitter: Misty Maxey

Books mentioned:

Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way by Steven Pressfield

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

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424: Power Talk Friday: Re-Visiting Michele Williams’ Tips for Time Management

Today on the show I have yet another fabulous business coach who specializes in our industry! Michele Williams is with me! Michele is the founder of Scarlet Thread and Consulting in Atlanta, Georgia. Today we will learn about Michele’s background which includes the financial software industry as well as a business in soft window treatment fabricator. She also has a BS in business administration, a diploma in Christian life coaching and she is one of the few certified profit first coaches in the United States. Michele was also the communication director and editor in chief of the Drapery and Designs Professional Magazine from 2009 to 2012. She is a member of The Design Collective in Atlanta, the Designers Work Club Council and the Window Covering Association of America. After talking to Michele I realized that there are so many things I could talk with her about but after we talk about her background a little bit we are going to pull apart work scheduling and chunking our day to have more productivity.

Show Notes:

  • What is her background in the financial software industry?
  • When did she decide to start her window treatment business?
  • Did she start with a business plan?
  • How did she start to make her business bigger?
  • What is the Design Collective in Atlanta?
  • What is a round table discussion and how is it helpful?
  • How is the Window Coverings Association helpful to Michele and her business?
  • What are some of things that you can expect Michele to talk about the expo IWCE in Charlotte?
  • Why is it important to listen to different people say the same things?
  • Why is important to be able to chunk your time for productivity?
  • Is it better to be proactive or reactive?
  • How should you plan your calendar?

Resources:

Website: Scarlet Thread Consulting

Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

Instagram: Scarlet Thread

LinkedIn: Michele Williams

Twitter: Michele Williams 

Financial Health Checklist PDF: Scarlet Thread Consulting

Previous shows mentioned: #104 Kate the Socialite #94 Debi Pinelli (A& J Interiors) #69, #93 Stacey Brown Randall #128 Grace McNamara #125, #317 Nicole Heymer #141 Jim Riviello

Links:

WCAA

IWCE Vision

Window Fashion Vision

Luann Nigara Book 2

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423: Tiffannie White, ​The Nappy Bohemian: Your “Only” and Lessons From a New Interior Design Business

Tiffannie White

Welcome to today’s show! We’re talking to Tiffannie White today, the creator of The Nappy Bohemian, located in Oakland, California. Tiffannie is a blogger, an interior stylist, and an e-designer and she also has a full-time position as a design consultant at  Fireclay Tile. After spending many years as a career sales professional, The Nappy Bohemian was born in 2017 because Tiffannie wanted to merge her architecture education, her love for tile and ceramics, and her desire to showcase the real black experience in the world of interior design. Tune in today, to hear about Tiffannie’s business, what she’s doing, and the lessons she’s learned from running her business.

Tiffannie’s job with Fireclay Tile has allowed her an inside look on the world of artisan makers, and it has also connected her with terrific designers in her East Coast territory. In today’s episode, she describes how much she loves her job, she talks openly about the lessons and challenges she experienced in her first year in business, and she shares her goals for the year to come. Listen in now, to find out more.

Show highlights:

  • Tiffannie talks about her traumatic experience of taking her daughter to the hospital and how her daughter really loved the decor there. This showed Tiffannie just how important interior design really is in people’s lives.
  • Creating a holistic space is really important for Tiffannie.
  • About Tiffannie’s personal and unique ‘only’.
  • Tiffannie is proud of the lessons she’s learned.
  • Tiffannie talks about her first eighteen months in business.
  • Being focused and clear in her vision.
  • All about Tiffannie’s e-design packages.
  • Tiffannie’s e-design is driven mainly through her Instagram and word-of-mouth.
  • Settling on a name.
  • Going with the flow and trusting.
  • Some of the challenges she’s faced.
  • You have to value what you do to have a thriving business.
  • Being careful not to compromise in too many areas when starting out in a business.
  • Work for free only if it’s worth your while.
  • Some tips about blogging.
  • Tiffannie’s business goals for the next year.

Links:

Instagram: The Nappy Bohemian

The Nappy Bohemian

The Nappy Bohemian

Previous shows mentioned:

Albie Buabeng #348

Chaney Widmer #260, #327

Cheryl Janice #41

Sue Firestone #404

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422: Power Talk Friday: Jean Brownhill, Founder of Sweeten: Connecting Interior Designers and General Contractors

Jean Brownhill

Welcome to Power Talk Friday! We are really thrilled to have Jean Brownhill, founder, and CEO of Sweeten, on the show with us today. Jean, who has almost 500 000 followers on Instagram, is onto something that you, as designers, really need to know about. She has a designer trade VIP program where she connects interior designers with the really well-screened, well-vetted general contractors that her company has worked with over the years. Right now, Sweeten has thousands of these contractors on their books. This means that whatever kind of project an interior designer brings to them, they can match it. Listen in today, to find out all about Jean’s really awesome designer trade VIP program and how it can really benefit you, as a designer.

After earning an Architecture degree at The Cooper Union, Jean spent a decade in design and construction, including in Global Architecture at Coach, where she won the Chairman’s Award for designing web platforms to streamline retail construction worldwide. After a challenging renovation of her own home, she saw the need for a free service to match people to vetted general contractors, providing support throughout the process. So Sweeten was launched in 2011. The concept earned Jean a prestigious Loeb Fellowship from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Tune in to find out what Jean has to share about the really unique platform that she’s created.

Show highlights:

  • Jean explains how Sweeten assists interior designers.
  • Finding the right general contractor to suit the design project.
  • Jean talks about where she started with Sweeten.
  • Jean wanted to figure out how to get high-quality construction and design resources to regular people.
  • How Designers get matched a contractor through Jean’s website.
  • What’s included in the service that Jean offers.
  • Sweeten has a vetted group of contractors that have all committed to working transparently.
  • The kind of data that they re able to collect as a result of staying with all their projects to completion.
  • They do an original content piece on their blog every single day.
  • Sweeten can hold their contractors accountable based on the fact that their communications, signed contracts, and estimates are all on the Sweeten platform.
  • Sweeten is always working on ways to get everybody on the path to completion.
  • How the contractor’s ratings on the Sweeten platform affect the number of projects Sweeten will send their way.
  • The way that the contractors are incentivized to stay with Sweeten and deliver great service.
  • Treading lightly in the process of learning what works best for everybody.
  • Jean shares her contractor vetting process.
  • Jean gives some tips for interior designers to work successfully with contractors.
  • Sweeten charges interior designers no fee at all.
  • Jean offers an awesome incentive of $500 for a referral.

Bio:

Jean Brownhill, Founder, and CEO of Sweeten

After earning an Architecture degree at The Cooper Union, Jean Brownhill spent a decade in design and construction, including in Global Architecture at Coach, where she won the Chairman’s Award for designing web platforms to streamline retail construction worldwide. After a challenging renovation of her own home, she saw the need for a free service to match people to vetted general contractors, providing support throughout the process.

Sweeten (as in “home, sweet home”) launched in 2011; the concept earned Jean a prestigious Loeb Fellowship from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

Today, Sweeten has more than $1B of construction projects in the pipeline. The service has been called a “Renovation Game-Changer,” with Jean hailed as “The Contractor Whisperer” by New York Magazine as well as one of Inc. Magazine’s “Most Innovative Women Founders in America.”  Sweeten brings trust, technology, and transparency to the $340B+ residential renovation industry, allowing consumers to renovate fearlessly. The company expanded to commercial projects—restaurants, retail, offices, etc.—in 2017.

Just as Sweeten sets new standards for contractors, Jean is taking on traditional barriers for diversity and women in tech. She’s a female founder disrupting a male-dominated industry. She’s co-founder of the African American Student Union (AASU) at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, an organization supporting African Americans in architecture, real estate, and urban planning. She’s a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute. And she’s one of few black female entrepreneurs to raise $1M+ in venture capital, as featured in Vanity Fair.

For more info, please contact Randi MacColl at randi@sweeten.com or 212-671-1713.

Links:

Sweeten

Blog Sweeten

Design Trade VIP Program: Sweeten Architects Designers

Instagram: @sweeten_home

Facebook: @theSweeten

Pinterest: Sweeten

Twitter: @sweeten home