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296: Ruthie Staalsen – Find Your Mojo & Your Designer Bestie at an Industry Conference

Welcome to today’s show! We have Ruthie Staalsen with us today and she’s someone who is really loved by many! Ruthie operates out of the Dallas Fort Worth area in Texas, she has had more than fourteen years of experience as a designer and she’s also on the board of the Design Blogger’s Conference. Ruthie focuses on making homes look collected rather than decorated and there is a European flair to her personal design style- with an eclectic twist. She views her privilege of having had the opportunity to experience many different lifestyles as the greatest gift of her childhood. Listen in today to hear our awesome conversation with Ruthie about the value of mentorship, the value of attending conferences and Ruthie’s way of running her business.

Ruthie was born and raised overseas  and many of her influences come from Europe, Africa and Central and South America. She is an internationally published interior designer and she has built her business from the ground up. She was awarded the 2016 Designer Of The Year from the National Interior Design Society for a kitchen renovation project and she was nominated as one of the top fifteen decorators in Dallas. Her work has been published in Elite Monde- a lifestyle and fashion magazine in Dubai and also in Traditional Home Magazine Great Kitchens. Listen in to find out more.

Show highlights:

  • The incredible kind of connections that can be made with others at the Design Blogger’s Conference.
  • Ruthie’s daunting first experience of a Design Blogger’s Conference, about seven years ago.
  • The way that your business will benefit from your attending conferences.
  • Things that will keep you going and really spur you on with your business.
  • Ruthie’s awesome relationship with her mentee, Cheryl Luckett. (Episode #291)
  • How you can really benefit from being a mentor.
  • Some of the things that newbie designers tend to struggle with.
  • Ruthie’s take on charging the right fee, as a new designer.
  • What happened when Ruthie started to hire people to help her.
  • The huge responsibility- and benefits of hiring new people.
  • Some interesting things about the way that Ruthie has set her business up.
  • Ruthie’s Away For The Day design service.
  • Mistakes will happen- just get up and carry on!
  • Living a really purposeful life as a designer.
  • Ruthie’s personal approach to decorating people’s homes.
  • How Ruthie finds the very best vendors to work with.
  • How Ruthie really manages to express her authentic self through her blog.

 Links:

Her website and social: https://www.ruthiestaalsen.com Facebook Ruthie Designer Instagram : Ruthie Designer Linkedin : Interiors Twitter : Ruthie Designer Youtube : Ruthie Staalsen

To join us at our birthday party go to the RSVP at Luann Nigara Party.

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295: Successful Relationships With Vendors

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Welcome to another episode of Power Talk Friday!

There have been perhaps a dozen times in the last two years that someone has suggested to LuAnn that she does a show about vendors and what it’s like working with them. Then, something quite incredible happened in a Facebook group recently, where a vendor spoke out very directly to a particular designer about his experience with other designers. This brought about mixed reactions from designers in the Facebook group. Some were incensed at his misdirected wrath, saying that it was ridiculous, while others felt it was better to just walk away. LuAnn’s opinion, however, was that this was really a vendor to hang on to for dear life, because although he had been both blunt and less than politically correct, he was honest without being mean, cutting or personalizing his opinion- really epitomizing what it is that vendors have to go through. Listen in today, to find out what LuAnn has to tell you about how designers are directly affected by whatever their vendors are going through at that time.

For the last two years on this podcast, LuAnn has championed you, as designers, standing in your space and helping you to teach your clients how to do business with you. So when the vendor stands in their own space and wants to teach you how to do business with them, you really cannot take offense to that, now can you? Listen in today and learn as LuAnn explains how to work with your vendor and also, how you can express your needs to your client about how you want them to work with you.

Show highlights:

  • LuAnn reads the Facebook post from the very straightforward vendor.
  • Ways that you can learn to think from the point of view of the vendor.
  • The difference between your relationship with your client and the relationship that your vendor has with you.
  • The kinds of difficulties that vendors tend to have and how they usually deal with them when they are not yet standing firmly in their own space.
  • Why it’s actually easier for a vendor to have “the hard conversation” upfront- even at the risk of losing the whole project.
  • What Lee Cockerell, the senior vice president of Disney World, had to say in episode #222 about doing hard things.
  • Becoming empowered, setting boundaries and teaching your clients how to do business with you.
  • Learning from your mistakes- without throwing your vendor under the bus.
  • What inevitably ends up happening to you when you try to blame your vendor.
  • It’s really all about very good communication.
  • Some great tips for working really well with your vendors.
  • Protecting your vendors from information overload.
  • The benefits of using a project management software like MyDoma Studio.
  • Really valuing the kind of vendor that makes it clear to you how to work successfully with them.
  • Giving your vendor the benefit of the doubt.

Links:

To be on our email list: Text the number 444999 and enter the word designbiz.

To come to our birthday party, generously hosted by Lefroy Brooks, on Wednesday, February 21st go to Luann Nigara Party

On Monday, February 19th Blanch Garcia will be doing a Lunch And Learn at out New Jersey showroom on running your design business.

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294: 6 Collections of A Well-Designed Business Podcast To Jumpstart Your Business

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

If you are facing new challenges in your interior design business or are just starting out with the podcast, then you might be a bit overwhelmed by all the information the Well Designed Business Podcast has accumulated over the past two years. If you are in need of a jumping off point, then look no further than this episode! It’s a solo show today as I organize and highlight the episodes that have made a real impact on me and the audience. The show is nearing 300 episodes, and that means if you are just now joining the party that you have quite a bit of info to sift through. Luckily, I am giving you a jumping off point so that the party can begin right away.

I have gathered together the best of the best into 5 different categories. You’ll hear my recommendations for practical business advice, building up a pipeline, understanding your YOU and your ideal client, creative inspiration, and the quick starter designers that have inspired me. If you are listening to the podcast, you are the kind of person who will work hard and be successful in your design business. I am celebrating the success of the show by helping you on that road to success. Consider this episode the fast track!

If you are just now joining us, welcome! If you are a longtime listener, I sincerely hope you enjoy re-listening to these episodes. You are on the path to success just by showing up for your business today.

More in this episode:

  • Hear my vision for the Well Designed Business Archives.
  • For practical business advice, listen to episodes 2, 36, 45, 68, 180, 233*.
  • Need help building your pipeline? Check out episodes 40, 245, 266
  • To understand your YOU, your ideal client, head over to episodes 15, 256, 22, 26, 125.
  • Several of you have listened to episode 192 multiple times! It’s so full of good info.
  • Time to dig into episodes for creative inspiration! Try episodes 21, 18, 165, 169, 184.
  • These designers really blew me out of the water. Here are your best places for Quick Starts episodes—167, 179, 211, 203.
  • I want you at the podcast birthday party!

Resources:

info@luannnigara

luannnigara.com/party

Iwce-vision.com

Your Business in Words

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293: Jana Platina Phipps, The Trim Queen: Finding Your Niche

Today we have Jana Platina Phipps, affectionately known as the “Trim Queen” by her clients, as our guest on the show. Jana and LuAnn met each other in person last year at the IWCE in Charlotte, where they were both speaking, and this year Jana will be speaking again at the IWCE in Tampa Florida. Jana is an embellishment expert, a designer and she’s also an agent for Classical Elements. She develops custom trimmings for NYC-based fashion companies and she also designs made-to-order home and fashion accessories, using trimmings and vintage jewelry. Jana teaches other people her technique of Trim Alchemy, which involves turning something ordinary into something really extraordinary, using trimmings to express their personal creativity. Listen in to find out more about what Jana will be doing at the IWCE this year.             

Jana started a blog in 2013 and she uses her social media channels to keep an account of how the design community uses trimmings creatively. She lectures at The New York School of Interior Design, Continuing Education Seminars and on Webinars to the interior design community, drawing on her knowledge of the history of passementerie and also on her hands-on experience with fabrication. She is a regular contributor to WF Vision and Designers Today Magazines, and Universal Furniture’s Smartstuff Social Station blog. She also conducts DIY workshops and stages a Trim Alchemy Show at the Country Living Fairs across the country. Jana is planning a Trim Queen Maker Tour of Venice Italy for Spring 2018. Listen in now to find out what she has to share with you on today’s show.

Show highlights:

  • Jana talks about what she has going on at the IWCE this year.
  • How Jana’s college education has come into play for her in her career.
  • The details of what’s happening with Jana’s workshops in the Construction Zone at the IWCE this year.
  • Why Jana really loves going to the IWCE!
  • What you, as an interior designer, can gain from the community on the Construction Zone floor at the IWCE.
  • About Jana’s work with Classical Elements.
  • How the blog post- Trim Queen came about, and the mission behind it.
  • The new avenue of creativity and business that Jana has created with Trim Queen.
  • The power of getting great feedback.
  • The fine line between giving people advice and being taken advantage of.
  • About Jana’s really helpful peer mentoring group.
  • How Jana moved Trim Queen into becoming a really viable business.
  • Jana’s really intentional way of starting out with doing video.
  • The magic of developing your business through the creative process.
  • Something that has really helped Jana with her creative process this year.
  • All about Jana’s Trim Queen Maker Tour in Venice Italy next year.
  • What Jana’s awesome concept of maker tourism is all about.
  • What’s coming up with Jana and the WCAA, out of Connecticut. All the info will be on the events page of Jana’s website. (trimqueen.com)

Resources:

Trim Queen

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Pinterest

Linkedin

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292: Power Talk Friday: Summer Tannhauser – How to Leverage Pinterest for Your Interior Design Firm

Welcome to Power Talk Friday! I’m excited to introduce you to Summer Tannhauser, and I’m eager to hear what she can teach us about using Pinterest to grow an interior design business. She’s a Pinterest expert, a business coach, Mastermind leader, and a business/marketing mentor to female entrepreneurs who want to create an impact online through their personal brand and business. She has some really cool things going on now, like her Live More, Work Less business model, and blog series.

We have touched on the world of Pinterest in earlier episodes: Ep. 209 with Leslie Carothers and Sam Henderson of Savour Partnership, and Ep. 223 with Allison Fannin. Today’s episode focuses on the ins and outs of this important platform and pulls back the curtain on Pinterest to show how web designers can use it to build our brand.

Show highlights:

  • Why Pinterest is a vehicle for growing your business locally
  • Summer’s advice about using keywords about your location to draw people in and showcase your brand
  • Setting up your Pinterest account and profile—Do’s and Don’t’s
  • How to set up “rich pins” and validate them
  • How rich pins bring people back to your website
  • Start off with your business name in your profile, use keywords, location, your website, and a description of your business
  • Have a minimum of 15 boards to show that your profile is complete
  • Creating board titles using important keywords
  • Going from a personal to business account: how to clean up or delete existing boards that don’t fit or promote your business
  • How to fill your boards with a combination of other people’s boards and your own content
  • Why some pins should be on multiple boards
  • See what people are looking for to get great ideas for blog topics
  • Change your perspective and think of Pinterest as a search engine and NOT a social media platform
  • Summer’s advice for pinning people’s pins and following accounts to increase your engagement, if you have less than 100 followers
  • “The first step is to make sure your website is updated and presents your brand well. There is no sense spending hours on Pinterest driving people to a website that’s a hot mess.”
  • Focus more on your state name than city name, but include local town names on your profile and on boards
  • Your Pinterest content will have people engaging long-term over time, so don’t focus on short-term events and happenings
  • Getting consistent and active on Pinterest: Consider investing in a scheduling program so it can pin for you on a consistent basis
  • Which platform is best for interior designers if you have limited time?
  • Summer’s Live More, Work Less blog series, highlighting entrepreneurs who are making it work

Resources:

Her website:

Summer Tannhauser

Her free course:

Free Pin Course

Summer’s social media:

Twitter – @summerktann

Facebook

Pinterest

Instagram

Tail Wind App (To use for Pinterest and social media scheduling)

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291: Cheryl Luckett – From Side Hustle to Full Time Interior Design

Cheryl Luckett is the principal of Dwell by Cheryl, her interior design company. She has two areas of expertise that I’m interested in sharing with you today. She has taken her side hustle into a full-time profession, leaving the security of her corporate job. She actively engages in the business mentor/mentee relationship. Loyal listeners might remember a few weeks back, in Episode 267, with Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors. She described then how her mentor has helped her through the challenges of having a corporate job while working hard on the side in interior design. Cheryl is that mentor that Rasheeda spoke about.

Southern Home describes Dwell by Cheryl as “opulence in reach, with vintage treasures and ingenious restyles.” Cheryl believes her clients should dwell in a home they love. She describes her design as “sophisticated but approachable.” She launched in 2012 and continues to grow, with clients raving about her ability to transform a space on a realistic budget. It’s also her professionalism and attention to detail that earns her high praise. She shares with us about her 15-year career at a Fortune 500 company, along with her beginnings as a registered dietician and human resources professional. It was here that she developed her service skills and business acumen. I’ll remind you of Episode 6, where Erika Ward told us to “make sure that you think about and utilize your transferable skills when you open your interior design firm.” Cheryl will tell us how she has accomplished that.

Cheryl’s work has been published in Charlotte Home and Garden, Southern Home, The Charlotte Observer, Queen City Exclusive, and Hoffman Media’s Southern Spaces, to name just a few. She is a five-time recipient of Best of Houzz Award for Design and Customer Satisfaction, and in 2015, she was named one of the 15 best designers in Charlotte by Build Direct. Cheryl also believes in giving back, and she has partnered locally with agencies such as Goodwill of the Southern Piedmont and Metrolina Habitat Restores to promote non-profit retailers and their missions. Join me for this conversation with Cheryl!

What you’ll hear in the episode:

  • How I met Cheryl at the Design Bloggers Conference in Los Angeles in 2017
  • Insights on running an interior design firm while working a full-time corporate job
  • Cheryl’s path as a registered dietician, then in school foodservice, then human resources
  • Following her love of design and décor to start a blog and take design classes at the local community college
  • “I never treated this design business as merely a side hustle. I wanted to be ALL IN.”
  • How a Design Bloggers Conference in 2012 changed everything for Cheryl: “I felt like I was finally with MY PEOPLE.”
  • Planning an exit strategy from the corporate world
  • How Cheryl’s blog grew and spread to become an effective marketing tool
  • Looking for one YES
  • Juggling a full-time job while designing for clients and taking design classes
  • Why Cheryl had a “waiting list”
  • Finding interns through a design program for students
  • The criteria for leaving her corporate job, making the decision, and setting a time frame
  • The 36-month plan and Cheryl’s financial advisor
  • “Preparing for D-day”—building a website and putting systems in place
  • Cheryl’s relationship with Rasheeda and why she wanted to be a mentor
  • The guidelines and boundaries to the mentor/mentee relationship
  • Cheryl’s mentor and friend, Ruthie Staalsen, a designer in Dallas
  • Cheryl’s plans for this year’s Design Bloggers Conference
  • “Social media: the best money you’ll never spend on marketing.”

Resources:

Curated Kravet (Use code “ck podcast” for 10% off your first order!)

Her website and social: Her website: Dwell by Cheryl Her Blog: Dwell by Cheryl Blog Her Instagram: Dwell by Cheryl/ Her Facebook: Dwell by Cheryl/ Her Twitter: Dwell By Cheryl Her Pinterest: Dwell By Cheryl/ Her Linkedin: Cheryl Luckett/

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290: Warren Pearl- LeFroy Brooks -The Rolls Royce of Plumbing Fixtures

Today we are very happy to have Warren Pearl, the president of Lefroy Brooks, as our guest on the show. If you are a regular listener you may already know that Mr. Pearl has invited us to celebrate our second year birthday of the podcast on 21st of February, at his New York City showroom! Listen in today to get the details.

Lefroy Brooks has been in business for the last twenty-five years and they have showrooms in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. They are known as the Rolls Royce of bathroom and plumbing fixtures and on the show today you will hear how and why they got this name. Lefroy Brooks create plumbing fixtures who’s design would compliment any decor, from any era, from early 20th century all the way to the end. Cooper and Graham take it from there, with their elegant and forward-thinking designs for the 21st century.  In addition to having a really outstanding line of plumbing fixtures which are renown for their superior quality, Lefroy Brooks are a company who really believe in and support interior designers with their education and customer service. Listen in today to find out what Mr. Pearl has to share with you.

Show highlights:

  • What earned Lefroy Brooks their reputation as the Rolls Royce of the plumbing fixtures industry.
  • The philosophy behind the Lefroy Brooks product.
  • How Lefroy Brooks became known as the Rolls Royce of bathroom and plumbing fixtures.
  • The selection of 21stcentury designs that can be accessed through Cooper & Graham.
  • Some really awesome and interesting background info about Warren Pearl and the really famous people that he has dealt with.
  • The special kind of customer service that Lefroy Brooks provides to the trade.
  • The role of interior designers in Mr. Pearl’s vision for Cooper & Graham.
  • Why interior designers who haven’t yet broken into the high end, luxury market should not be intimidated by the Cooper & Graham product line.
  • The CEU’s that Lefroy Brooks provide for interior designers.
  • The fantastic new plumbing technology that’s coming up in the future for Cooper & Graham.
  • The classic elegance and authenticity of the Lefroy Brooks fixtures.
  • The unique way that Lefroy Brooks approach their marketing.
  • About the different Lefroy Brooks classic collections, many of which were designed in the 1940’s.
  • The Lefroy Brooks presence, outside of the USA.

Go to My Doma Studio to find out about your special offer, as a listener of the podcast.

Link to RSVP for Birthday Party:

https://www.luannnigara.com/party

Resources:

Lefroy Brooks

Cooper And Graham

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

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289: Power Talk Friday: Fred Berns: 7 Habits of Luxury Interior Designers

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We have some really happy news today! We have Fred Berns back on the show! Since the beginning of this podcast he has appeared on episodes #22, #48, #96, #174 and #226 and if you are a new listener, Fred is one of our favorite returning guests because his advice is really so actionable. Today Fred will be talking to us about the seven habits of highly effective luxury interior designers. Listen in now to find out more!

Fred is the only interior design business coach and speaker who creates personal bios and other promo materials for design professionals worldwide. He has more than twenty-five years of experience training design professionals, from Dallas to Dubai. He helps to create their online profiles, their websites, their social media copy, blogs, and marketing forums. In addition, he also offers a wide range of coaching services which include his High-Performance Coaching Program, his Bio Briefing, and his Website Once Over. Listen in to find out what he has to share with you on the show today.

Show highlights:

  • What Fred is currently up to and how got to the information about how the really successful, top designers and architects got to where they are today.
  • The kinds of projects these really top designers and architects work on, and the famous people that they work for.
  • Some of the characteristics that these top designers and architects have in common.
  • Strangely enough, the top designers are not always the best designers- Fred discusses what actually makes them so successful.
  • The mindset of a lot of the high end, really successful design professionals.
  • How the really successful design professionals managed to tap into the high-end market.
  • Fred discusses some of the onlys of the top design professionals.
  • Optimising your
  • Pinpointing the pain points, problems and challenges of the high-end market.
  • Ways of creating really relevant blog posts, or videos for great marketing.
  • Positioning yourself in order to break into the luxury, high-end market.
  • What you really want to emphasize in your bio.
  • The seven common habits that the really top, successful designers seem to share.
  • Why it’s important to get some price objections.
  • The real value of being stubborn and not quitting.
  • Fred’s awesome Website Once Over- to help position you in a higher place.
  • Fred’s Bio Briefing coaching program- for you to really come across as someone who is highly qualified and an expert in your field.

Links:

For Fred’s Website Once Over go to Website Onceover

For Fred’s Bio Briefing go to Bio Briefing

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288: Madcap Cottage, Jason Oliver Nixon: Building a Lifestyle Brand

Today we have Jason Oliver Nixon, one of the dynamic partners of Madcap Cottage, with us on the show. LuAnn has really been looking forward to this interview because she and Jason Oliver are both going to be at the IWCE (International Window Coverings Expo) Conference in Tampa Florida in March, where Jason and his partner John Loecke are going be giving a keynote address. On the show today Jason will be talking about the IWCE and also about his business, Madcap Cottage, so listen in to find out more.

There are so many parts of Madcap Cottage that have intrigued LuAnn and she really admires that way that Jason Oliver and John stand so firmly in the space of their design aesthetic. These Madcap gents are well known for their whimsical use of color and pattern, really bringing their client’s story-lines to life and their out-of-the-box website really says it all! Listen in today to find out about Madcap Cottage’s really unusual and fascinating approach to interior design.

Show highlights:

  • How Madcap Cottage came about.
  • The way that Madcap Cottage approaches the needs of their clients.
  • Jason Oliver explains how both his and John’s former experience as magazine editors and television producers assists them with bringing their client’s stories uniquely to life.
  • The way that they challenge and push their clients to bring prints and patterns into their lives.
  • Prints Charming- the really awesome book that Jason Oliver and John have written as a primer to give people permission to bring prints and patterns into their lives.
  • Why people come to Jason Oliver and John.
  • The reason why it’s never a head-to-toe look from Madcap Cottage.
  • The intuitive and thoughtful way that Jason Oliver and John work with their clients.
  • How constant traveling really helps them to keep their eyes tuned and their clients well informed.
  • The evolution of the Madcap brand.
  • How Jason Oliver and John trained themselves as interior designers.
  • Where Jason Oliver finds the time to rest with his hectic schedule.
  • What luxury really means.
  • What to expect from Jason Oliver’s keynote address.

Resources:

Book: Prints Charming- Create Absolutely Beautiful Interiors With Prints And Patterns by Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Prints Charming- Create Absolutely Beautiful Interiors With Prints And Patterns by Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke

Robert Allen fabric collection

Jason Oliver and John will be giving their keynote address at 8 am on 27th March the IWCE.

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287: Sandra Espinet: Keys to a Luxury Interior Design Brand

Big news! We are nearing February and the 2nd birthday for the podcast! Our 300th episode is coming on February 21; there’s a BIG party in NYC—and you’re invited! Listen to today’s show for details!

Today’s guest is Sandra Espinet, a luxury interior designer and the principal of SE Designs, based in Los Cabos, Mexico. Sandra is warm, genuine, intelligent, and a very smart businesswoman. She knows the nuances of catering to the luxury design market, and how it carries its own code and way of doing things. As a lifelong traveler, she embraces the concepts of relaxed luxury and casual international style in her designs.

Her experience and extensive travel have given her a unique perspective on her design style. Her work has been published in several international publications, and she has received numerous awards and distinctions, in addition to appearing on several HGTV shows and radio shows. Her first book is The Well-Traveled Home and her newest book is Barefoot Luxury: Mexican Resort Living, due for release in a few weeks.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

  • How I met Sandra through Andrew Joseph PR: the similar focus on how they work with clients
  • Getting real with yourself about the client you want to work with and what you want to do
  • Why you can’t be an expert on everything, but you CAN be an expert in your field
  • Knowing what calls to you and attracts you
  • What it means to design for luxury clients
  • Understanding the client in THEIR world and in THEIR space
  • Locking down the intangibles to move to the next level
  • Finding the balance between “staying in your lane” and branching out
  • How to decline the projects that aren’t aligned with your focus and having the power to say NO
  • “If you know that you can’t lead, then be a follower, but follow the best person you can find.”
  • The other legs of SE Designs and the business positives that come from them
  • Staying conscious of your core clients, especially about social media exposure
  • How Sandra gets clients with NO advertising
  • Sandra’s recent award from AD Mexico as a Top Ten Designer in Latin America
  • How Sandra manifests her strengths in each job
  • Why Sandra works now with a smaller team and with fewer simultaneous jobs
  • The unique focus of each of Sandra’s books: one eclectic book about travel and one about casual lifestyle trends in the luxury market
  • Why Sandra LOVES to shop with her clients
  • Plan and focus: How Sandra’s shopping trips begin with a budget and a floor plan
  • Becoming fully immersed in the total experience with a client in the psychology of design
  • “I’m designing a stage for fabulous people to lead fabulous lives.”
  • The power and responsibility in spending other people’s money

Resources:

Website: Sandra Espinet

Find Sandra’s monthly blog: 7 Things I Cannot Live Without

The Well-Traveled Home by Sandra Espinet

Barefoot Luxury: Mexican Resort Living by Sandra Espinet

Facebook: Sandra Espinet Instagram: Sandra Espinet Pinterest: Sandra Espinet