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351: Power Talk Friday: Jane Dagmi: Editor in Chief of Designers Today

jane dagmi

Welcome to today’s episode. We have Jane Dagni, the new editor-in-chief of Designers Today Magazine with us on the show today. Jane is a really well-regarded and true professional and today she will be talking to us about her new position as editor-in-chief, her take on the design industry, and also her future plans for the magazine. Listen in today to find out how Jane has really earned her respect in the design community.

Jane Dagni became an assistant editor at Country Living Magazine, a B2B magazine for professional interior designers, decorators and related businesses twenty-six years ago. She spent fourteen years at Country Living, where she wrote and produced at least a hundred-and-fifty feature stories and wrote countless columns. For the next eight years, she worked on writing gigs, short projects, and substitute teaching to support her family. Her clients included Benjamin Moore, Bob Vila, the Cottage and Gardens Magazines and Fort Lauderdale Magazine. In 2014 her colleague, Amy Flurry, recommended Jane as a communications manager at a tech startup that was creating a project management sourcing software for small boutique interior design firms. When the company closed Jane was hired as the editorial director at Steel Yard. Then, in December of 2017, Jane became editor-in-chief of Designers Today Magazine. Jane also participates in industry panels and Listen in today to find out more.

Show highlights:

  • What makes Designers Today such an awesome magazine.
  • Jane’s mission for the magazine.
  • Designers Today is becoming a subscription magazine. Go to Designers Today to sign up.
  • Jane explains what’s happening with her magazine at the moment.
  • What makes Designers Today really stand out from other magazines.
  • The thrust of the magazine.
  • Some fun and unexpected things about Designers Today.
  • Building trust is really a big thing for Jane.
  • What Jane looks for in new designers.
  • The way that Jane is changing the structure of the magazine.
  • How Jane plans the issues of the magazine.
  • How Jane would like designers to communicate their journeys with her.
  • Why Jane really doesn’t want people to feel intimidated.
  • Bypassing the small talk.
  • The kind of inspiration that Jane gets from vintage magazines.
  • The way that Jane is bringing the magazine back to life.
  • All about Jane’s Designer Experience. Go to Designer Experience.
  • Jane’s blog is a great way for designers to find out what she’s looking for.

Other episodes mentioned on the show:

Laurel Bern #342

Amy Flurry #323 and #108

Laura Thurman # 272

Judith Taylor #340

Links:

Designers Today’s website: Designers Today

Instagram: Jane Dagmi

LinkedIn: Jane Dagmi

Twitter: Jane Dagmi

Jane’s email: jdagni@designerstoday.com

Books Mentioned on the Show:

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Recipe for Press: The Designer Edition by Amy Flurry

Recipe for Press by Amy Flurry

 

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350: Belinda Nihill: Building A Full-Service Design Firm by Niching in Nursery Decor

belinda nihill

Welcome to the show! We have the pleasure of introducing you to an Australian designer today, Belinda Nihill, the principal of Nest Design Studio. After the birth of her first child, and working as a qualified interior designer for more than fifteen years, Bel started a blog focused on children’s spaces. On the show today she explains how her really small, niche blog, Nest, progressed to becoming a really successful boutique design firm with clients in Australia, USA, France, Ireland, Dubai, Canada and many more places around the world. Listen in today to discover how Bel managed to really set herself apart from other Australian designers.

Nest Design Studio was founded in 2010 and is known for its classic and creative style. Recognised both nationally and internationally, Nest has been featured in more than 25 magazines worldwide and has also been profiled on a number of other media outlets. Nest was included in the House and Garden Top Fifty Rooms of 2015 and in 2016 Bel released her first book, Beautiful Babies Rooms. Building on her reputation for being a leader in the children’s interior field, and due to demand from her clients, Bel has now extended Nest to include residential and commercial interiors as well. Bel is a member of the Design Institute of Australia. Listen in today to find out more.

Show highlights:

  • How Bel’s blog was born, soon after the birth of her child.
  • How Bel went about creating her blog.
  • Bel has completed nearly 500 nursery and children’s room projects in the eight years that she’s been in business.
  • What helped Bel’s blog to grow and feed her business.
  • What Project Nursery is all about and how it helped Bel to grow her business.
  • Finding what you’re really passionate about as a way to grow your business.
  • It took about six months for Bel’s blog to gain some traction.
  • Some of the things that really helped Bel grow her blog.
  • What prompted Bel to start doing e-designing.
  • How Bel worked out how much to charge for e-design.
  • What Bel has learned about systems in the eight years since she’s been in business.
  • What Bel learned from the episode with Chaney Widmer (#327).
  • Bel explains how her business has grown.
  • The kind of budget that Bel works with for children’s rooms.
  • What’s to be found in Belinda’s book.
  • Belinda’s plans for the future.
  • The steps that Belinda is taking towards her future plans.
  • How Belinda sources her products.
  • Belinda’s advice for new designers.
  • Some tips for building community on Instagram.
  • Some of the challenges Belinda has faced with running her business out of her home.

Other episodes mentioned on the show:

Cheryl Janis #41

Laurel Bern #342

Chaney Widmer #327

Christina Perry #05

Rachel Moriarty #55 #214

To register to become an Article trade member go to Well Designed Article. Well Designed Article

If you would like to be in Luann’s mastermind, email her assistant at Christie@luannnigara.com to set you up for a chat.

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349: Power Talk Friday: Peter Lang: The Designer CPA

Peter Lang
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Welcome to today’s episode of Power Talk Friday! We are very happy to introduce you to Peter Lang today. Peter is a really smart CPA who has niched his business around helping designers with their unique financial challenges, like unconventional sales tax situations and budgeting around the massive upfront payments from clients. Many designers and artistic professionals find that ordinary CPA’s are simply not equipped to cope with their specific needs. Peter, however, is a proven expert in helping interior designers with the kinds of financial duties that they weren’t taught in art school. On the show today Peter discusses the years he spent learning how to help our constantly under-served industry and he also explains why he chose to follow his dream of starting a firm of his own. Listen in find out more.

Peter started out at a large firm in Boston, where he became aware of the kind of problems that artistic professionals, like interior designers, were facing. He moved to a smaller firm but soon became bored with being a traditional CPA. He noticed that interior designers were constantly being under-served by standard CPAs, so he followed his heart and started his own business in Rhode Island, where he now lives with his family. Listen in today to find out what Peter has to share with you.

Show highlights:

  • Peter’s experience of being told that he helped people too much while working at a cut-throat firm in Boston.
  • The importance of being comfortable enough with your accountant to ask him whatever you need to know.
  • How it happened that Peter started helping interior designers.
  • The difference between gross profit and net profit.
  • Why you need to keep track of your expenses in order to set your goals.
  • Financial mistakes that designers often tend to make.
  • How Peter helps new designers to really understand their financial situation.
  • The way that Peter helps designers to increase their profit margins.
  • Situations and ideas that could get designers into financial trouble.
  • Peter explains how putting your money into a number of different bank accounts can help you to better manage your finances.
  • Why you really need to trust your accountant.
  • How Peter helps designers navigate their way to success by finding the right software for their business.
  • Choosing the legal entity that best fits your specific business.
  • When it makes sense to change your business to become an S-Corporation.
  • Understanding more about taxation.

Other episodes mentioned on the show:

Michelle Williams #180

Fresh Books #265

Links:

Peter’s website: The Designer CPA

Peter’s email: peter@thedesignercpa.com

Peter on Facebook: The Designer CPA

Peter is also on Instagram

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348: Albie Buabeng: The E-Design Experience

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Welcome! We have Albie Buabeng with us on the show today and she’s one smart lady! Albie will be sharing with us her journey into interior design, which has lead her to becoming exclusively an e-designer. She will also explain how the success she’s enjoyed as an e-designer inspired her to produce a conference and a community called the E-Design Experience. The E-Design Experience was created specifically to help designers, just like you, on their journey to becoming a more efficient e-designer. Listen in today to find out more about Albie and her community.

After creating a comfortable, stylish, and functional home for her family of three in her NYC Hell’s Kitchen studio apartment, Albie made the transition from retail visual merchandising to interior styling and design. And she hasn’t looked back! She helps creatives and influencers in their fields decode their spaces and create beautiful dreamscapes. Listen in to find out what she has to share on the show today.

  • Show highlights: Why Albie has chosen to follow the e-design path.
  • The importance of having well-structured systems in place in your business.
  • The way that Albie has refined her processes.
  • Albie uses an automated email platform to ensure a smooth process for her clients from start to finish.
  • How Albie moved into teaching e-design to her colleagues.
  • Where the biggest challenges that Albies students are facing lie.
  • Albie’s business model for the E-Design Experience.
  • The kind of designers that Albie attracts to her E-Design Experience community.
  • Where the different e-designers source their products.
  • The way that e-designers market their businesses.
  • How Albie managed to find her voice as an e-designer.
  • The social media platforms that Albie dropped out of while figuring out her specific path.

Albie describes her ideal client. Other shows mentioned in this episode: Article.com #301 Chaney Widmar #260 Nicole Hymar (Curio Electro) #125 #317 Links: To become an Article trade member go to Well Designed Article to register. https://welldesigned.article.com The E-Design Experience Website: Albie Knows Design YouTube: Albie Knows Design Instagram: Albie Knows Design

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347: Power Talk Friday: Mikael Dia: How to Market to Your Ideal Client

Mikael Dia

Welcome to another episode of Power talk Friday! Today we have Mikael Dia, a digital marketing expert and the founder of Funnelytics, with us on the show. Funnelytics is a software company that helps entrepreneurs and marketers to convert traffic into more profit. And Mikael is a really extraordinary entrepreneur and marketing expert who is really passionate about helping business owners, just like you, to get your message out in a way that is more impacting, more direct and way more focused. On the show, we talk with Mikael about his Growth Accelerator program with its nine phases towards success in growing your business online. Listen in today to get Mikael’s really helpful advice.

Mikael has two master’s degrees- an MBA from the Hult International Business School, and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, with a specialization in project management. Mikael’s first venture was a Mandarin language school that he started in London in 2012. It grew quickly and Mikael and his business partner were able to exit from it successfully within eight months. Mikael has since grown his marketing agency, White Coat Digital, to over a million dollars in just eighteen months. He is known for his expertise in scaling online businesses very quickly and this has allowed him to raise over a million dollars in angel and seed funding for his ventures. Mikael,  originally from Montreal, now lives in Toronto with his wife and eighteen-month-old daughter. Listen in to find out what he has to share on the show today!

Show highlights:

  • The best way to look at sales funnels.
  • Guiding the conversation with your potential clients.
  • How to start the process.
  • Finding the top of your mountain.
  • Discovering your ideal client and appealing to them in the right way.
  • Getting to understand your ideal client.
  • Putting out the right message to attract the right person.
  • The power of your marketing message.
  • Finding the emotional reasons for people’s motivations.
  • Measuring what’s working and what’s not.
  • Creative ways to work with the numbers.
  • Mapping things out in a colorful, visual way.
  • Ways of keeping track of your Facebook ads.
  • All about Mikael’s 16-week Growth Accelerator program.
  • The awesome support that Mikael’s program will be offering.
  • Mikael’s process is all about growth.
  • Why you really need to simplify everything.

 Links:

Other episodes mentioned on this show:

Adam Urbanski #280

Nancy Ganzekaupher #256

Kae Whitaker #274

Kae Whitaker #259

Claire Jefford #325

To find out more about Mikael’s Growth Accelerator program go to The Dia Project

Mikael’s other website is  Funnelytics

You can reach Mikael’s PR representative, Ester (Pinky) Kiss, on (323)770 3530 or find her at Born To Influence

To find out more about LuAnn’s group coaching program or mastermind group starting on September 12, email Christie at christie@luannnigara.com to make the necessary arrangements.

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346: Do Not Let Us Design: Taylor Dieterich & Yashlie Negron

Taylor Dietrich and Yashlie Negron

Welcome to today’s show! We have Taylor Dietrich and Yashlie Negron with us and they are the co-founders a firm that works both in real locations and virtually, called Do Not Let Us Design. And that’s a catchy name that really piques your interest, right? On the show today Taylor and Yashlie discuss their interesting journey in the industry, starting out as interns, being promoted and eventually graduating into project managers and junior designers. They have come up with a very interesting concept, so listen in today to find out more.

DNLUD as a name comes from the misconception of misjudging someone who might look too young or easygoing. Taylor and Yashlie have embraced any negative connotations and turned these to their advantage while striving to produce really unique and stunning interiors. 

Yashlie grew up around construction zones and witnessing places transform before her eyes instilled in her a desire to create a similar kind of magic. She graduated with a BFA in Interior Design from the New York School of Interior Design. Since graduating, she has worked with various design firms.

Taylor, inspired by travel and all things foreign, became inspired to contribute to the arts through interiors after spending a semester in Florence. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island in the Textile, Merchandising, and Design program, she quickly jumped into the trade. She specializes in project management.

Listen in to find out what these two really savvy ladies have to share on the show today.

Show highlights:

  • How DNLUD concept came about and why they decided to do it.
  • How they started their own company while still working part-time for another firm.
  • The kind of confidence they had, starting out.
  • Their process of legitimizing their brand.
  • The kind of legal assistance they used for their business.
  • Some of the things that Yashlie and Taylor do to assist designers.
  • The close attention that they pay to the details.
  • The way that they really have their systems locked down.
  • How they go about managing their projects.
  • Their way of being transparent with their processes, in real time.
  • The really organized process that they use with their clients.
  • The fees that they charge and the way that they get paid.
  • How they create a visual package for their clients.
  • How they understand the design holistically.
  • The way that they protect their clients’ confidentiality.

Links:

Yashie and Taylor’s website: DNLUD

Email Yashlie and Taylor at yashlieandtaylor@dnlud.com

Yashlie and Tayor on Instagram: dnlud

Other episodes mentioned on the show:

Brittany Ems #149

Danielle Liss #171

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345: Power Talk Friday: Chris Ramey – Attracting and Marketing to the Affluent

chris ramey

Welcome to today’s episode! We have Chris Ramey, the president of The Home Trust International and Affluent Insights/Retail-Rescue, on the show with us today. Chris is a marketing professional who is very well versed in both our industry and the habits and traits of affluent people and he truly understands all there is to know about the client and the consumer base, particularly within the affluent consumer market. He’s pointed out to us that research has shown that the biggest problem that interior designers are facing lately is finding clients. So today Chris, who really knows the kind of pain that many interior designers are experiencing right now, explains what luxury really means and how to interact with the extremely wealthy market. Listen in to find out more.

The Home Trust is an aggressive marketing agency with hyper-focused marketing programs to help them really penetrate the market. It is best known for its rich consumer-facing website which is aimed at high net-worth families, where they find the world’s best products and services for their homes. Chris is a consultant and a speaker, consulting and speaking to organizations with all luxury categories. He is the most quoted independent authority in the luxury segment and he has, in the past,  been president of The Luxury Marketing Council Miami and The Luxury Marketing Council Palm Beach, as well as president and founder of Savvi Formalwear, and president of International Design Guild.

Chris is a member of National Speakers Association, a columnist for Hearst Business Publications’ Floor Covering Weekly, and he has earned the ‘Top 5% appellation’ from Gerson-Lehrman for his work with private equity firms investing in home and luxury segments. He also sits on the Retail Wire Brain Trust panel and he is a director for Domestic Estate Management Association Palm Beach.

Chris, originally from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, now resides with his wife in Palm Beach County, Florida. Listen in to find out what he has to share with you on today’s show.

Show highlights:

  • How Chris came to understand the affluent market so well.
  • What you, as a designer, need to understand in order to be successful in reaching the affluent market.
  • You don’t sell to the affluent market- you fascinate them!
  • What it takes to connect with the affluent market.
  • Creating something that is uniquely yours.
  • Why you need to constantly be honing who you are and what you do.
  • Why it is really so important for you to have the courage to express your own, singular point of view.
  • How Chris helps designers.
  • Chris explains his ‘Laws of Luxury’.
  • Why you should not align your brand with fashion.
  • The different kind of business model and sales strategy that is applied to the luxury market.
  • Evoking desire for your brand.
  • Having money doesn’t necessarily make you a luxury consumer.
  • How to market to the truly affluent.
  • Scarcity is another pillar of luxury.
  • How logos define you.
  • Ways to get known within the really affluent market.
  • Collaborating is always a pillar of luxury- but you really do need to have enough money to advertise.
  • Why you really don’t want to be perceived as isolated.
  • Surprising and delighting your client in a way that will drive loyalty to your brand.

 Links:

Chris Websites: The Home Trust

Email Chris at: cpr@affluentinsights.com

cpr@thehometrust.com

Other episodes mentioned on the show:

Nicole Heymer #125 and #317

Studio Thomas #314

Nancy Ganzekaupher #9

Jo Buckerfield #320

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344: Mrs. Paranjape: A New Take on Relationships with Retailers

Lori Paranjape 409x361

Welcome! Today we have a very smart lady, Lori Paranjape, of Mrs. Paranjape Design and Interiors with us. As well as being a really talented designer, Lori, affectionately known as Mrs. Paranjape, is also an excellent businesswoman and on the show today she’s going to be offering lots of really practical advice for designers. She has had her work featured in People, HGTV Magazine, and Domino, as well as in many other publications. Listen in today to find out what Lori has to share with you.

Mrs. Paranjape Design and Interiors, which specializes in luxury residential and new construction projects, was started in 2008. Lori is a self-taught and extremely motivated designer. She started out helping friends and acquaintances with their homes. As time went by, referrals continued to pour in and Lori began working as the in-house designer for Redo Home and Design, the well-loved home retailer to generations of families based in Nashville. Listen in today as Lori discusses the really innovative relationship she has with Redo Home and Design, and she also encourages designers and retailers to build awesome partnerships, just as she has done with Redo.

Show highlights:

Lori’s explains the details of her ‘Design Collective’ business model that she has set up in Nashville.

The wonderful, symbiotic relationship that Lori has with her business partner.

The clear distinctions between the different aspects of her partnership.

What constitutes a ‘commissionable’ sale within her partnership.

How Lori’s commission is paid to her.

The intentional way that Lori sources everything that she needs.

How Lori’s retailer provides everything that she needs.

The awesome and mutually beneficial kind of partnership that can be formed between a designer and a retailer.

The way that Lori and her partner work to utilize a relatively small showroom space to their best advantage.

Lori’s unique, practical and real-life approach to designing a home for her clients.

The way that Lori really takes care of her clients.

Why you, as designers, really need to cultivate the skill of asking,  listening, and then going a little deeper.

Lori’s special way of discovering the personal details about her clients, without making them feel uncomfortable.

Lori’s innovative ways of encouraging clients to spend more money on a project, if it’s necessary.

Some tips for overcoming difficulties with clients around the cost of a project in a comfortable way.

The conversations that Lori has with her clients right at the beginning of their relationship.

When to simply say ‘no’ to a client.

Using candles and music to transform a room and create the right atmosphere.

Ways of gaining a client’s cooperation in using their home for a photo shoot.

How to Find Lori:

Website – Mrs. Paranjape

Instagram – @mrsparanjape

Pinterest – Mrs. Paranjape

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343: Power Talk Friday: Raquel Langworthy: Partnering with Your Interiors Photographer

Raquel Langworthy

Welcome to this week’s Power Talk Friday! We have Raquel Langworthy, a lifestyle, and interiors photographer, with us. Rachel’s philosophy is one of partnering very closely with her clients, so today we are going to be talking to her about how she does that with her designer clients, by creating with them a thorough and detailed relationship, working with them side by side and supporting them all the way. Listen in to find out more.

Raquel is a Lifestyle and Interiors photographer based in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. She services mainly the east coast but she’s traveled the country for various photography assignments for both documentary storytelling and interiors. Raquel has recently been published in NY Cottage & Garden, for their cover story, as well as in many other online publications such as Domino.com and Architectural Digest online. Raquel moved to New Jersey two years ago, and although she still feels new to the NJ market she has had the pleasure of working with a host of talented interior designers and architects to capture their work and portraits. Her focus in photography is naturally lit bright spaces. Her goal when photographing interiors is not only to capture the overall space but captivate an audience through visual storytelling and well-styled compositions. Listen in to find out what Raquel has to share on the show today.

Show highlights:

  • How Raquel starts her relationship with a new client.
  • The importance of using the right styling to create the perfect composition.
  • Why Raquel does not email her clients.
  • How Raquel prepares for a shoot.
  • Raquel also assists with the styling at times.
  • Photographing a full house really takes a whole lot of styling!
  • Raquel and Charlotte’s work was featured recently on the cover of NY Cottage and Garden, and also in a ten-page article.
  • How to tell if it’s really worth investing in a talented stylist for a photo shoot, or not.
  • What Raquel has learned from previous episodes of the podcast.
  • Why you really have to be ready, to work nationally.
  • The different specialties and skill sets of photographers.
  • Some things to look out for when taking photos with your iPhone.
  • Some tips for working with a photographer.
  • Some tips for designers, when thinking about hiring a photographer for a project.

Previous episodes mentioned on the show.

Charlotte #138

Ashley Hotham Cox #321

Amy Flurry #108 and #323

Links:

Website – Raquel Langworthy

Instagram – Raquel Langworthy Photography

Facebook – Raquel Langworthy Photography

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342: Laurel Bern: 6 Figure Interior Design Blogger Shares Advice

Laurel-Home

Welcome to today’s episode! We have Laurel Bern, of Laurel Bern Interiors on the show with us today.

Laurel Bern is an award-winning New York Interior Designer, blogger, brand ambassador and speaker. Her design work has been featured in national as well as Westchester County shelter magazines. She is known for a having a young-traditional aesthetic and is one to buck many of the current trends unless they happen to be classic favorites. However, after 21 years as the principle designer in her firm Laurel Bern Interiors, she has turned her focus to blogging as a full-time occupation. Her award-winning blog, Laurel Home has drawn a large following – and by large- I mean with page views in the multiple hundreds of thousands every month- due to her candid style of writing, useful information and warm community of readers. You can see for yourself right on her website, laurelberninteriors.com she earns over $33,000 per month from her blog.

Laurel’s Rolodex is a comprehensive shopping guide for home furnishings with links to the vendor/manufacturers and features a list of some 180 designer-friendly vendors for interior designers. No professional confidences are divulged. Laurel’s goal is to help you make your home more beautiful, personal and a really comfortable place in which to live.  You will want to savor every moment of today’s show, so join us today to discover more about Laurel ’s incredible, entrepreneurial journey.

Show highlights:

  • How to blog effectively, in order to attract your ideal client.
  • Steps you should take right from the start in order to create a successful blog.
  • Your blog needs to live on a really well-built website.
  • What your ‘about’ page is truly all about.
  • The nuts and bolts of creating a successful website.
  • Why you need to have a navigation menu on every page of your website.
  • Selecting the most appropriate font for your website.
  • How to avoid overwhelming your readers.
  • How to use primary keywords
  • People want a lot of knowledge, but they also want to be entertained.
  • Figuring out your special secret sauce, and your own, unique voice.
  • Your content has to be rich with relevant information.
  • The importance of having your blog posts indexed.
  • Some things that will help you to create magic in your blog.
  • You can even take your own photos with your phone.
  • Some tips to enhance your photos.
  • Awesome ideas for free gifts for your readers of your blog.
  • Why Laurel loves using WordPress.com.
  • Selecting information to place in your sidebar.
  • Ways to keep your readers on your website for as long as possible.
  • Learn about the $250 000 that Laurel left on the table for five years of her blogging career.
  • Why you should get yourself onto an advertising network.
  • The importance of blogging consistently.
  • Ways to encourage people to take your surveys.
  • Laurel has written a document called Six-figure Income Blogger, and it’s really simple and full of the strategies that she’s used, and lessons that she learned the hard way. Go to her website laurelberninteriors.com to get your copy for $199. It’s in the first link in the main menu on the left-hand side.

Previous episodes mentioned on this show.

Claire Jefford #325

Linda Holt #97

Carla Aston #242

Stephan Spence #238

Recommendations:

For really awesome geek help, go to Eileen Lonergan

Laurel Bern Interiors Instagram: Laurel Bern Free Blogger Guide: Six Figure Income Blogger Guide