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188: Jane Cunningham- Why Defining Your Core Values Helps Grow Your Interior Design Business

Interior Design Business Podcast A Well-Designed Business® LuAnn Nigara

The guest on today’s show is Jane Cunningham, the President, Principal Designer and CEO of Room Resolutions. Interestingly, Jane is also a classically trained musician- she used to be the Principal Clarinettist in the Honolulu Symphony. Jane describes how she is particularly skilled at finding her way through the intimacy of the second movement of a musical piece. LuAnn learned from Jane’s website how Jane sees the second movement in music in correlation to the journey we have in our lives, seeking a different tempo in the second half, or sometimes even changing the theme, or using a different key. That got LuAnn thinking about Fred Berns (#174) and she found it interesting that Jane not only knows what her ‘only’ is, but she has it right there, on her website! Listen in and find out how Jane’s skill as a classically trained musician and her specific talent for the second movement inform her both as an individual and as a Designer.

 

Room Resolutions is a luxury Interior Design Firm, which is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, specializing in large scale residential and commercial renovation, as well as new builds. Jane runs Room Resolutions together with her daughter, Amanda, who is the firm’s Design Manager. Amanda is responsible for educating the clients about the scope, the specifications and the details of the selections in the projects, from vendor relationships, procurement and expediting, to total Project Management, including the overseeing of the tradesmen and craftsmen. She also manages all the Social Media and website tasks. Sounds like a busy lady! Listen in now to find out more about the awesome firm that these two ladies run together!

 

Today, Jane and LuAnn discuss:

  • The 12 Core Values of her Company, that Jane has listed on her website.
  • How Jane arrived at her Core Values.
  • The value of being clear about who you are and what you want to convey to your clients.
  • The more that people get to know who you are, the more you can stand out.
  • That for Jane, there has to be an in-depth relationship with her clients, which starts with her being intrinsically honest about who she really is.
  • Vulnerability- how it works for Jane in getting people to know who she really is.
  • What Jane means by ‘Champagne Professionals’.
  • How Jane’s firm keeps everything in really detailed and systemized order.
  • Making sure that the communication is really clear when working on a project, by setting everything up in advance.
  • Jane’s process of avoiding glitches in the Designer world.
  • Dealing effectively with changes, with clear communication.
  • How Jane handles with her client communication, by corralling them in the beginning.
  • How Jane ascertains if a client is right for her firm.
  • Two questions that you could ask your potential clients, to tell you a lot about them.

Some amazing things about Amanda!

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187: Laura Lochrin- Strategies to Help Your New Interior Design Firm Look & Be More Professional

Laura Lochrin

Are you an Outlanders fan? If so, you’re just going to love listening to the accent of today’s guest! LuAnn warns you though, that if you’re not, the first five to ten minutes of today’s show aren’t going to be your cup of tea! Today’s guest is Laura Lochrin, who’s originally from Scotland and she only moved here, with her husband and children, five years ago.  She now lives in sunny California. Listen in to find out about Laura and the particular way that she goes about her business.

LuAnn was really surprised to discover that Laura only opened her firm eight months ago. Today, they talk about the challenges that Laura faces in having a start-up design firm, two small children and a husband- all of this while living on the other side of the world from where she was raised! Listen in now, to their really fun conversation. Today, Laura talks to LuAnn about:

  • What it was like for her, getting started in the USA.
  • How she grew her Instagram following in such a short time.
  • Her Instagram feed- how much of her own work is on it and how much of it is curated posts of other people’s work.
  • Laura’s way of working with Instagram.
  • How Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and now also Yelp are translating into business for Laura.
  • Appealing to the right people for her kind of work, through her Instagram feed.
  • Using Instagram as a Marketing Tool.
  • Those things are starting to get a little hectic with her solo business, now.
  • Time management- one of her biggest challenges at the moment.
  • The challenges of being a working mom.
  • How she makes things work, as a mom and a designer.
  • That she developed the necessary confidence to do design work as a result of her background in advertising.
  • Some of the challenges that she faces with her business, at the moment.
  • How much she’s learned from listening to LuAnn’s Podcast!
  • That she uses Design Manager to help with her administrative processes.
  • That she falls a little more in love with MyDoma, every time she uses it.
  • What she does that really helps her new business to thrive.
  • How Laura structures her fees.
  • That she knows the value of her work because she knows what she has to give up in her life, in order to make it happen.
  • Making the time to go to the Industry Markets and to meet other designers.
  • That her Superpower is all about the details- in every aspect of her life.

Laura’s website: Laura Lochrin Interiors

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186: Power Talk Friday: Anna Brockway- Chairish Updates to Improve Your Interior Design Business

Anna Brockway

Today, LuAnn is delighted to be getting together again with Anna Brockway, who first appeared on episode #79 of the show. Anna is the CEO and founder of Charish, which is also one of the show’s sponsors. Anna is back today, as there are some crazy new updates to Charish that she and LuAnn want to share with you. Listen in to find out more about Charish and why it’s important to you, as Interior Designers.

Charish is an Online Marketplace, which was started about four years ago. Three months ago, it had over 150 000 items available for sale on the site and nearly 1 000 000 buyers and sellers that do business there every month. Recently they’ve introduced a really cool virtual app that Interior Designers are going bananas about! Listen in now and find out more about Anna’s really fun and fast growing business. If you’re new to the show, please go back and listen to episode #79, to get the full story of how Anna started Charish and everything else that you need to know about it.

 

Today, Anna talks to LuAnn about:

  • A quick run down of what Charish is and how it helps Interior Designers with their businesses.
  • That the transactions at Charish are similar to those on e-Bay.
  • The delivery service that Charish provides.
  • The advantages of using Charish for Interior Designers.
  • The ‘cash back’ discount benefit, for Interior Designers who use Charish.
  • The new and exciting things that have been recently added to the Charish platform, making it an even better tool for the Design Trade to use.
  • How the fantastic, new, ‘try it before you buy it’ virtual app works.
  • That you can use the app to do design work on your iPhone.
  • Amazing ways that you could use the app.
  • The really large range of prices available at Charish.
  • The Charish Pink Book- a digital pricing guide. Their version of the Kelly Blue Book.
  • The environmental advantages to buying vintage furniture.
  • The styles and trends that are available at Charish.
  • The value points for used furniture.
  • Pricing for either time or money.

Links:

Anna’s website:

https://www.chairish.com

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185: Designerlebrity in the House! Interior Design Powerhouse Panel Talk

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

Are you bummed because you weren’t able to attend the amazing  Designerlebrity Event, which was held on the 17th of May at the gorgeous Ethan Allen Showroom in New York City? If so, have no worries, because we have the full audio for the event, right here for you, on today’s show. Listen in now, to catch this special presentation.

The panel for the event included Barbara Viteri, a brilliant business woman and the Creator of Designerlebrity, Cheryl Eisen, the Founder of Interior Marketing Group, Mikel Welsch, the Principal of Mikel Welsch Design and Manuella Morreira, the co-founder of the really beautiful New York Ethan Allan location. Today’s show starts off with LuAnn’s private, pre-show interview of the four panelists. After that, we go straight into the live panel discussion, which happened in front of all the attendees. Listen in to find out more about this outstanding Designer  Event.

 

Some highlights include:

  • Mikel gives some inside info on Harry Connick Jr – that he really is as sweet and authentic as he seems to be, on his show!
  • Mikel gives a brief synopsis of working with Steve Harvey.
  • What it’s like for Cheryl Eisen to work on the show with Frederick.
  • That Cheryl staged Bethany’s apartment and it sold within twenty-four hours – for over asking!
  • What it’s like for Cheryl, working with networks and doing amazing work that just doesn’t get spoken about.
  • Cheryl talks about the freedom of not having to design for a client and why people come to her.
  • What it’s like for Manuella, to design with the challenge of people from every walk of life coming into her showroom, in the middle of Manhattan.
  • How Manuella got to where she is today.
  • LuAnn explains what a wonderful and unique person and the astute businesswoman that Barbara Viteri really is!
  • How Barbara got to where she is today.
  • Barbara explains about the hot topics and the potentials in her great, new Designerlebrity.com thing that she’s doing for the design community.
  • Being prepared to be lucky!
  • Barbara, Cheryl and Manuella’s struggles on the way up and how they’ve grown beyond them.
  • LuAnn’s encouragement for you to take time to listen to the voice inside you, which will never lead you wrong.
  • How Designers can help Celebrity Designers and grow in the industry.
  • If you’re a Designer and you have something going on, share it with Barbara and she will put it out on the Designerlebrity Platform if it’s noteworthy.
  • Cheryl answers Facebook Live questions about what was involved in her re-invention of herself and how she got started with doing staging of homes.
  • Barbara’s definition of what epitomizes a Designerlebrity.
  • What makes a ‘potential’.

 

Links:

Barbara’s email: hbic@designerlebrity.com

To be on LuAnn’s mailing list, send a text to 444 999 and put the word designbiz in the message field.

Go to LuAnn’s website: https://www.windowworks-nj.com to see The Designerlebrity Event streamed live on Facebook, through Tastefully Inspired. (Go to the To The Trade Blog and you’ll see a whole recap there.)

You can also see all the pictures on the sites and blogs of all the others – Ethan Allen, Designerlebrity, and even Tastefully Inspired has a post about it.

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184: Amber Lewis – Important Business Tips to Run Your Interior Design Firm

Amber Lewis

Do you sometimes look around and wonder if there could be different, or perhaps better ways to run your business more efficiently?

If so, take heart and don’t despair. Amber Lewis is back on the show today and she knows where you’re at and what you’re going through because she’s been there. Today, Amber and LuAnn will go a bit deeper into the business side of what Amber does. They talk about how she discovered this podcast last winter and that she signed up for Kimberley Seldon’s courses, because of even Amber, with a firm as successful and as large as hers, still wonders if there could be a better way to run things more effectively. Listen in today, as Amber shares her advice and the things she’s learned along the way.

Today, Amber talks to LuAnn about:

  • Some of the things that she’s struggled with and challenges that she’s faced, in her business.
  • How she had to fake it, to make it, in the beginning, when dealing with people that were way more professional and talented than she was.
  • What it was that catapulted her into a level above her own, in the beginning.
  • Being comfortable with evolving and knowing that your style could change often.
  • Being firm in your convictions, if you trust your own style.
  • That clients will tend to focus on your weakness if you let it show.
  • Parenting and running a business.
  • Figuring out invoicing in a way that makes sense to the client- it’s everything!
  • The importance of figuring out how to create a good contract.
  • Studio Webware– Amber finds this to be an amazingly intuitive program.
  • The importance of figuring out your system and the chain of command in your firm.
  • How she really works really together with her whole team.
  • That she understands and accepts that there will always be variables with the trade.
  • That her organization takes overall responsibility for everything in a project.
  • How she works very specifically with vendors and contractors.
  • That client couldn’t care less who’s fault it is if there’s a problem- It’s your responsibility!
  • Treating your job as if it’s your business and learning as much as possible about all it’s aspects if you intend starting out on your own, one day.
  • That she’s always learning, growing and being humbled.
  • That there’s always the human factor in business.

Links:

Amber’s website:
https://amberinteriordesign.com
Amber’s Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/amberinteriors/

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183: Power Talk Friday: Ranya Barrett- All About Interns for Your Interior Design Business

Ranya Barrett

Do you realize how hard it can be to create a really successful experience for an intern in your business? LuAnn certainly does and this is one of the reasons that she asked Ranya Barrett to come onto the show today, to talk about the terrific Intern Program that she’s set up at The House Of Funk. This program has both helped and developed the House Of Funk in the last year and the interns there have really benefited from the winning experience that Ranya has created for them. Listen in to find out more about Ranya’s awesome Intern Program.

For nearly a full year now, LuAnn has admired the enormous change and that Ranya, as a single individual, has brought to Sandra Funk’s business. LuAnn has watched an extreme uplevel of their message, branding, marketing and focus since Ranya joined their firm in the Spring of 2016. Prior to that, Ranya was a Content Director, Writer, Editor and a Branding Consultant, with more than thirteen years in the industry. She’s written and edited for Glamour Magazine, Glamour.com, Highlights Magazine and Scholastic Books.  Ranya has a B.FA in Theatre, from New York University Tisch School Of The Arts and before taking up her current position as the Development Director at The House Of Funk, she was the Content Director at CA Creative, a New York-based Digital Media Agency. Listen in now, to find out more about Ranya and her really creative ways with interns.

 

Today, Ranya talks to LuAnn about:

  • That her Internship Program is an unpaid program, for school credit, so they cannot hire Interns if they’re not getting school credit.
  • Some creative ways to go about looking for the right Interns.
  • Meeting the necessary criteria for the different colleges, when it comes to the credit requirements for the Interns.
  • That The House of Funk have taken it upon themselves to have a Close Out Program with their Interns, where they write a letter of recommendation, highlighting the Intern’s particular skills, of which they both keep a copy and send one to the Intern, to be used later, as a reference.
  • The kinds of things that an Interior design Intern would need to turn into their school, at the end of a semester.
  • The kinds of interns that The House Of Funk has had.
  • The kinds tasks that Ranya has the Interns do.
  • What prompted her to initiate her Internship Program in Sandra Funk’s business and how those interns are a real benefit to the business.
  • Tapping the skill sets of Graphic Design, Editorial or Video Interns, to your mutual benefit, in your business.
  • That it’s not really necessary to plan ahead, in order to have a productive workflow for the Interns in your business.
  • How she manages situations where the Intern does not quite operate to the standard of quality that is required by the business.
  • Using your instinct with Interns.
  • Although you cannot expect to necessarily hire your awesome Intern, however, you might well be able to do that.
  • How much time the Interns spend working in the business.
  • Systems that she uses for monitoring the work of the Interns.
  • The amount of time and guidance that’s necessary for the Interns.
  • That there will always be things that Interns can help you with, that will save you time and benefit them.
  • The Six Points Of Law, regarding unpaid Internships.
  • That Ranya takes in Interns for each semester.
  • The number of applicants that usually apply for Internship and Ranya’s advice for interviewing and vetting Interns, to find the right fit.
  • That there will always be someone on your team, who could benefit from the assistance of an Intern.
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182: Christie Leu- Christie Leu Interiors: Creating Your Own Mini Designer Summit

Christie Leu

Isn’t it intriguing how we are sometimes lead to meeting certain people in strangely serendipitous ways?  Today’s guest, Christie Leu, met LuAnn in a really fun and unusual way. Listen in to find out what brought these two ladies together and why LuAnn wanted to have Christie on the show today.

Christie, originally from Ohio,  is the principal of Christie Leu Interiors in DC. She started out in her career as a working artist, participating in juried shows and selling her work through galleries, stores, and catalogs. However, after having completed some major renovations to a number of her own homes, she realized just how much she really loved every step involved in the Interior Design process. So she enrolled in Montgomery College when her children were in pre-school and she earned an Associate Degree in Applied Sciences in Interior Design, with a further specialization in Kitchen and Bath Design. Christie was a star student and she won the local version of the National Kitchen And Bath Design Competition and was also asked to serve on the Montgomery College Advisory Board for Interior Design. Listen in now to find out more about how Christie and her colleagues learn from each other and help one another to grow and develop their businesses.

 

Today, Christie and LuAnn talk about:

  • The hysterical story about how Christie and LuAnn met at IWCE.
  • What happened with Christie, Darcy Heather, Lisa Escabar and Jessie Cooney at a Gail Doby Design Summit Event and their fabulous Mini Summit that ensued from that.
  • How their Mini Summit really helped them to get to know one another and gave them a real understanding of the reasoning process that people have.
  • The background behind Christie Leu Interiors.
  • How Fred Berns (#174) helped her to discover that she’s probably the only Artist Triplet Mom Interior Designer in the country- and how that’s lead her to give her clients a really fabulous experience!
  • That her assistant (Hired from Craig’s List) also has triplets- the same age as hers!
  • How being the mom of triplets helped her with her design process.
  • What she really gained from the role play, during the Mini Summit.
  • Why LuAnn really has no problem in asking for the money.
  • The question of a standard markup on all products.
  • Using historical data to help to arrive at an appropriate markup on products.
  • Options for clients around flat fees and markups.
  • Having boundaries with flat fee contracts.
  • The benefits of listening to good and relevant podcasts.
  • The work they did with the ‘Energy Person’ who was brought to their Mini Summit.
  • That Christie prefers meeting with clients few times – how she keeps things efficient, in order to do that.

Christie’s website:

https://www.christieleuinteriors.com

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181: Angela Rasmussen- Principal of H2H Design+Build: How Vision and Intention Built an Award Winning Firm

Angela Rasmussen

Get ready for today’s show, with Angela Rassmussen of H2H design Plus Build, in San Jose, California. Angela is the definition of a go-getter and she’s a firecracker, so LuAnn says that you may want to strap on your seat belt for this interview! Listen in and prepare yourself to be blown away!

H2H Design plus Build is a really fun and dynamic firm, which was started in 2009 by Matt and Angela Rassmussen, specializing in convenient all in one service, from kitchen and bathroom, to master suites and additions. Today, H2H has become known, both locally and nationally, as an award winning Design Plus Build firm. Some of their awards include those from prestigious associations like NARI, NKBA, and HGTD, to name just a few. At H2H Design Plus Build, the focus is on a no-nonsense approach to bringing the best Design Solutions and Remodelling Services. Their service is turnkey and they are set apart from general contractors and other design plus build firms because they take care of every aspect of your renovation. Listen in now, to find out more about the firm that Matt and Angela started, with the intention to change the game in the Construction Industry.

 

Today, Angela talks to LuAnn about:

  • How she and Matt decided to start their business.
  • Her success while at Design school, being an A+ student and getting onto Dean’s List.
  • How She and Matt just clicked when they met, both emotionally and business-wise.
  • Their roles in the business when they first started out.
  • How they started out slowly and built up, one job on top of the next.
  • There really noteworthy early projects.
  • How she implemented what she learned at school immediately, in the business.
  • The growth and management of their team, over the years.
  • The challenge of leading a team really well.
  • Organization- her priority.
  • What her ideal project looks like, from start to finish.
  • The evolution of their company from kitchens and bathrooms, to bigger projects.
  • That they handle every aspect of renovation, down to the appliances and finishes.
  • Why their demographic market is more geared to renovation than building.
  • The fun new cutting edge Home Automation Technology.
  • The benefits of hiring professionals.
  • Buildertrend- Their really good Track Your Project
  • Their new design studio, opening in the next couple of months.

Their other goals for the future.

Angela’s website: https://h2hpro.com

 

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180: Power Talk Friday: Michele Williams Talks About Profit First and Why it Matters to You

If you’d like to learn about the concept of Profit First and find out how you can really benefit from using it in your Design Business, you will gain a lot from today’s Power Talk Friday with Michele Williams, one of the very few certified Profit First Coaches in the United States. LuAnn loves the idea of Profit First and she really wanted to bring it to the Interior Design community after hearing Mike Michalowicz talking about it on The Biz Chicks Podcast. So she asked Michele, who has been interviewed on the show once before, (#137) to come back and explain the concept. Listen in to find out more.

Michele is a truly gifted Business Coach. Before becoming a coach, she worked in the Financial Software Industry and ran a business as a Soft Window Treatment Fabricator. She has a BS in Business Administration and a diploma in Christian Life Coaching as well as her Profit First certification. Listen in now, to find out all you need to know about Profit First.

Today, Michele talks to LuAnn about:

 

  • What Profit First is all about and how it works.
  • How Michele initially got going with Profit First.
  • Why so many designers really need Profit First for their business.
  • Bookkeepers and accountants are amazing, however, they are only going to work with the figures that the business owner gives them.
  • How Profit First can help business owners understand how much money they really have available for themselves.
  • How Profit First’s view of profit differs from that of GAPS.
  • That Profit First doesn’t change the way you’re doing your accounting, it changes the bank accounts that money gets allocated to.
  • That Profit First changes the way that you’re making your spending decisions.
  • Some of the terms that are used by Profit First and what they refer to.
  • What is meant by Real Revenue?
  • That you have to sell the right product to the right person at the right price and then you need to manage the money.
  • That it’s not enough to build top line if you’re spending all the money.
  • Parkinson’s Law, human nature and why you take profit first.
  • That being honest and clear about your figures is really important.
  • The benefit of moving money out to separate bank accounts, for your financial security.
  • Your five main accounts– with Profit First.
  • That staying consistent is key for this to work.
  • Where a lot of business owners tend to get into trouble.
  • That Profit First helps you move from cash flow negative to cash flow neutral, to cash flow positive.
  • How Profit first can help you out of a hole, if you’re in debt and willing to do the work.
  • The beauty in Profit First working on percentages, for the natural ebbs and flows of your business.
  • An instant assessment that you can do now, for your business.
  • Owning your numbers, a bit at a time.
  • Pricing for value and not to cover your needs.

 

Links:

Michele’s website: https://www.scarletthreadconsulting.com

Michele’s email: michele@scarletthreadconsulting.com

Michele on Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

Your Coupon Code for 10% off Michele’s Passion For Profit online course: WDB10

Resource:

Book: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz is available from Amazon, or other good book stores.

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179: Lynn K. Leonidas- Establish Your Intentions & Create a Successful Interior Design Firm

Lynn K. Leonidas

The guest on today’s show is Lynn Leonidas, the really intentional principal of Lynn K. Leonidas Design and Decoration, in the San Francisco Bay Area. LuAnn had quite an ‘aha moment’ when she first started talking to her, as she suddenly realized that Lynn had achieved some really awesome things and has been published in some truly notable places, after only running her own firm for two years! Listen in to find about the really remarkable way that Lynn launched her business.

Lynn takes particular pride in her relationships with her vendors, which she says comes from having a contractor father, who taught her all about building techniques and materials. Lynn has a degree in Interior Design and Architecture and another in English Language and Literature.  Her work has been featured in Sunset, Domino, Lonny, Rue and also in Refinery 29. Prior to starting her own business, Lynn worked in Interior Design in the Bay Area for ten years. She first worked at The Workroom for two years, doing window coverings, soft furnishings, and upholstery. This is where she says that she probably got the best education for doing what she does now. After that, she became a Project Manager at The Workroom and then after that, she did Project Management for a couple of other designers, before striking out, on her own. Join LuAnn and Lynn now and find out how Lynn intentionally set out to achieve her success.

 

Today, Lynn talks to LuAnn about:

  • How she’s been able to achieve so much in only two years.
  • Her strategy, once she knew that the article about her was coming out in Domino Magazine, in six months time.
  • The Consultant (Christa Cooper Communications) and Business Coach (Sarah, of Anchor and Orbit) who really encouraged her to go out on her own.
  • How she landed a featured in Domino Magazine, before even going out on her own!
  • What she did to be prepared, after deciding to start her business.
  • How she started out, using a friend’s network, before having a portfolio to show people.
  • The great opportunity to do a gut renovation, that presented itself to her, as she was starting out.
  • How her Business Consultant helped her to develop her dream and business plan and to decide about the kind of work that she really wanted to take on.
  • How she handled the clients who were not able to meet her budget requirements.
  • How she’s evolved to being totally comfortable with talking openly to people about their decorating budgets.
  • Her past experience with Project Managing and with Bookkeeping, and how these have really helped her in her own business.
  • Her experience with working in editorial and how it helped her later, as a designer, to understand the fits for the various publications.
  • The importance of doing the research and getting to know the target market of each publication.
  • How she determines which projects are portfolio-worthy.
  • The roles of her two employees.
  • How she promotes her business and gets her name out there.
  • Using a vision board to create inspiration, when your portfolio is still small.
  • Some tips to gain confidence, when starting out as a designer.
  • Her opinion about working for free, for friends or family, when starting out.
  • That transparency is a huge part of how she runs her business.
  • Her plans for the month of May, and some of her short-term plans for the future.
  • The changes in her business model that Lynn is planning.

 Links:

Website: https://lynnkleonidas.com/