What do you do when you find yourself with clients who want you to provide everything on their wish list for a fixed amount? They have a budget in mind, and it seems reasonable to them that you should be able to stretch their budget to include everything. Hmmmmm. Let’s hear how Kimberley solved this issue on a recent project.   

In this episode we learn:
- clients are not expert in running design projects, you are
- tell them how to spend their money in a satisfying way
- remind them how indecision costs them money
- forget the kids’ rooms, take care of mom and dad first
- the budget and the wish list never match

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

Become a Member

EP 384 | The Customer Is Not Always Right with Kimberley Seldon

Struggled with a scarcity mindset? Terrified of asking for a raise or a higher fee? You are not alone. Learn how Kimberley’s former editor from Style at Home magazine, prompted her to face her own negative money mindset. Today, Angela Lawrence describes herself as a money warrior and tells you how you can become one too. 

In this episode we learn: 
- know what your money is doing for you
- ask questions about how your financial advisors get paid
- consider a course on investing to grow your financial awareness

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 385 | Money Warrior with Angela Lawrence

Feeling bogged down? Overwhelmed? Are you fantasizing about an assistant who can do all the things?  How to outsource, what to outsource, and why to outsource is our topic for today’s show.  

In this episode we learn: 
- outsource what you like to do least or what bogs you down
- where do you procrastinate, that’s a good spot for outsourcing
- hire someone who is better than you at a specific task
- outsource the most time-consuming tasks
- outsource tasks that you are able to invoice your clients for such as CAD, 3d renders, sourcing, procurement and client communications.

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 386 | Outsource It with Danae Branson

It can be challenging to think broadly into the future while responding to what is happening in the moment. Don’t worry. It’s ok not to know what’s going to happen next. You don’t have to have everything figured out in advance. Trust that your journey is big and powerful and you’ll figure out how to take the next, right step.

In this episode we learn:
- get the soundbites—meet people, make friends, go for coffee and conversations
- rely on a group of trusted advisors, formal and informal
- accept that there will be days when you feel like you are going backwards
- have a dream space—running, airplanes, swimming, a sit-n-spin, or anything
- take time away from the work to recharge your creative battery
work with a therapist, life coach, business coach

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 387 | It's Bigger Than You Think with Sarah Von Dreele

My expertise is having an eye for amazing use of wall coverings in projects. Spaces I love to renovation and design most are powder rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms (in this order). Why? I believe people typically neglect these spaces most in their homes. My superpowers are being a multi-hyphenated entrepreneur, consistently showing up authentically in a world that pressures us to compete and imitate, and using my voice to speak & share design information.

In this episode we learn: 
- don't be afraid to take risks in design—use wall coverings and paint strategically.
- having a niche can increase your marketability.
- be authentically you

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 388 | Go Bold with Kelly Collier Clark

Yes, it is possible to generate high quality leads that convert to sales. By carefully tracking your return on investment and working in tandem with your marketing partner, you can see real results. Start by knowing the key questions you should be asking any marketing partner. 

In this episode we learn:
- marketing that’s generic doesn’t work, find a unique position
- know your qualification rate, closing rate, average sale, and gross margin
- niche down to create a specific goal for your marketing professional
- tie every lead to its exact source and know how much revenue each lead has generated
- understand how you rank relative to your peers in the industry when it comes to marketing spend, ROI, and overall growth performance
- know the questions you need to ask any marketing partner.

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 390 | Market Better with Vanessa McQuade

When you blend aesthetic beauty with emotional wellness, you can create an immersive space that will nurture your clients and keep them coming back for more. By designing holistically—considering how a space looks, feels, smells, sounds, and even tastes—designer Marie Cloud creates emotionally impactful spaces that satisfy the soul.

In this episode we learn:

Sight | Visual Harmony | Use color, light, and texture to create a visually cohesive space that is pleasing to the eye and reflects the desired mood.

Sound | Rhythm of the Home | Integrate sound into your design through the rhythm of the home.

Touch | Tactile Engagement
Choose materials and finishes that invite touch.

Smell | Fragrance in Design
Incorporate scents that align with the space’s purpose.

Taste | Accessible Indulgences
Ensure that your favorite indulgence is always within arm's reach and integrated into the home’s rhythm.

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 391 | Designing with Intention with Marie Cloud

Yes, you can handle the important task of procurement and in doing so provide a better service to clients and be wildly more profitable. By relying on known partners, you can ease into this task and reap the many benefits.

In this episode we learn:
- don't try to do everything all on your own, lean on your partners
- find partners who lead with exceptional service over exceptional price
- ask what's possible and try new things
- focus most of your energy into your superpower and create a plan to manage the onslaught of new ideas that come your way
- don't forget the value of in person experiences and relationships

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 393 | One Big Cart with Daniel House Club

Do you have an appointment engine? Yup, says our guest, Nikki Nash, you have one. The real question is, are you using it and is it tuned up? There are three categories where you can focus your attention and achieve big results. 

In this episode we learn: 
- you must go where your ideal prospect is (a place you can show up confidently)
- capture their attention and spark a conversation with a clear, consistent offer
- communicate your offer clearly
- get the client’s contact information and schedule a first date 
- after the first date goes well, metaphorically go on the next until they have everything needed to make a decision
- propose to the clients and take your relationship to the next level

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 396 | Tune Up Your Appointment Engine with Nikki Nash - Part 1

Sure, as interior design professionals we make homes look beautiful. However, to be truly successful and create clients for life, we have to dig deeper. Interior designer Kate Marker says she likes to tap into the feeling or mood her clients are hoping to live with, in order to satisfy their deepest needs. She does that by asking strategic questions and actively listening, so she can build meaningful relationships that last and last. 

In this episode we learn:
- it takes time to know your clients and then tailor your designs to reflect their unique personalities 
- keeping the lines of communication open is critical, so build in regular updates and check-ins 
- listen actively to your clients' concerns and desires and let them know you hear them  
- foster collaboration but don’t be afraid to be the expert and make strong recommendations  
- we build trust through transparency

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

EP 403 | Love of Home with Kate Marker

A thoughtfully designed home can not only improve aesthetics, but it can actually facilitate a more peaceful and healing environment. Designer Sara Robinson learned this lesson in a dramatic way, after receiving her own breast cancer diagnosis. If everyone functions better when design is improved, the challenge for interior design professionals is to create the right balance regardless of style or aesthetic.

In this episode we learn:

-how to apply Motion + Emotion = Experience, a theory that blends a patient’s need to feel trust and calm with the staff’s need for things to move smoothly
- when balance is right, we are in a better state of mind to heal
- applying lean principles of studying a process, finding what is wasteful and eliminating the waste to make things much more efficient
- how design supports efficiency and the human experience
- reframing approaches to mundane spaces
- post-occupancy evaluation and utilizing feedback to inform your next design

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/membership/

EP 405 | It's All About The Toilet with Sara Robinson

At High Point Market, in partnership with Daniel House Club and Four Hands, Kimberley talks to designers about why you should ignore the client's budget, and specify better products.

In this episode we learn:
- Build your brand and wow your clients.
- Propose the best option, not the least expensive one.
- Go beyond the brief. Sometimes clients don’t know what they need.

EP 406 | Ignore The Budget At High Point Market

Kimberley contemplates a tattoo for the new year, while sharing wisdom from the season’s best podcasts. 

In this episode we learn:
1. systems don’t complicate your life, they remove friction
2. no is a complete sentence
3. let me look into that
4. design with intention, not just for attention
5. is this an insurmountable problem
6. when you are speaking to everyone, you are speaking to no one
7. the client’s wish list never aligns with the client’s budget
8. beware of toxic positivity
9. never be more concerned about your client’s money than you are about your own
10. feel awkward for 15 seconds, and see what the client says

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/membership

EP 408 | My Next Tattoo with Kimberley Seldon

Just because you’ve been doing it that way for years doesn’t make it the best way. Don’t surrender to so-so, when amazing is just around the corner.

In this episode we learn:
- top assumptions that need replacing
- when it’s time to abandon a method of working
- why new systems can fast track you to new success

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Become a member, today.
https://businessofdesign.com/membership

EP 409 | Stuff You Think You Know with Kimberley Seldon

After a decade of designing private jet interiors, designer Lisa Morton had an ugly meltdown. Her health and well-being were hanging on by a thread. She discovered a holistic approach to design and began her studies into Feng Shui. Now a master teacher, she believes this is an excellent area of study for design professionals to consider, as younger generations are becoming increasingly concerned with the aspects of wellness.

In this episode we learn:
-being intentional with selections for your clients means less "fast furniture" and more pieces of value and worth
- the front door is key to a home’s energy, so light the entrance well, add comforting elements such as a carpet, and include live greens
- the water element improves fluidity so bring it into workspaces by introducing blues or blacks, wavy patterns, water features or water images
- add earth elements like brick, stone or clay to ground spaces for clients (or designers) who are stressed out such as brick, stone, or clay
- warm up winter with fire elements such as animal prints, triangular shapes and pops of red or fuchsia

Success is not an accident. It's a strategy.
Business of Design® is that strategy. Join today.
https://businessofdesign.com/membership

Join Today

EP 413 | Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood with Lisa Morton

We're going to talk to about the things you need to do today, if you want to sell your design firm successfully. Today's guest, Brad Farris, is going to share with us the key factors that impact your sale, how to get yourself out of the service delivery, the role growth plans in your future sale, and so much more. It's time to start thinking about your succession plan.

In this episode we learn: 
•	if you are essential to running the business, you can't sell it
•	build a team, then go on vacation…it's practice
•	long-term contracts or clients that come back to you repeatedly are more valuable
•	build your business in a niche that's not "one-and-done" projects
•	building relationships with likely buyers before they need your services
•	if you are planning to sell your business, learn the math of how businesses are valued
•	your most likely buyer is a competitor or someone who sells a different service to the same buyer

Business of Design® is your blueprint for running streamline projects and building a highly profitable interior design business. Get your business blueprint at 
https://businessofdesign.com/membership

EP 422 | Succession Planning with Brad Farris

Ever worried that you’re charging too much? Of course you have. You’re an interior design professional! But no more says Kristen Apicerno. Kristen, a Kimberley Seldon disciple, initially struggled with charging appropriate fees for her services. She felt that charging a project management fee was "double dipping" and peers and other professionals agreed. This erroneous attitude severely limited her earning potential, that is, until she joined BOD™. Once she implemented the systems, she realized she was undercharging and tackling the most challenging parts of the project for free.  Hear her story of meteoric success. 

In this episode we learn:
- always take the approach that designer and client are equals, and emphasize that with language
- during every step, tell clients what's going to happen before it happens
- ask purposeful open-ended questions and let the client do most of the talking
- use post-project opportunities to gain repeats and referrals

Business of Design® is your blueprint for running streamline projects and building a highly profitable interior design business. Get your business blueprint at 
https://businessofdesign.com/membership

EP 423 | Double Your Profits with Kristen Apicerno

We all want the healthiest client relationships possible, right? Well, it’s an inside job. Sure, better systems to run your business and projects will significantly improve your client relationships. Absolutely. However, in addition we may also need to address what’s going on between our ears! Long standing patterns of negative thought can morph into negative patterns of behavior, which keep us stuck. 

In this episode we learn:
- how the '10% right' principle can be used in conflict resolution
- implement a 3:1 positive ratio in your thoughts and interactions with clients to improve the relationship and get your way more often
- to consult your elder, wiser self when at an impasse or stuck on a decision
- the transformative impact of celebrating small steps and victories

Business of Design® is your blueprint for running streamline projects and building a highly profitable interior design business. Get your business blueprint at 
https://businessofdesign.com/membership

EP 426 | 10% Right with Janine Aurichio

Is it possible to create a balanced sales model by mixing large, medium, and small projects for financial stability? Absolutely says our guest, Daniela Furtado. She is going to answer the question, Are Small Projects Worth It? In this episode we will explore how diversifying clients boosts cash flow, fosters relationships, and drives steady growth—without losing sight of the big vision. 

In this episode we learn:
- to create a revenue mix to ensure financial stability and reduce risks if a big clients drop off
- establish a profitable base rate for smaller projects (e.g., consultations, design refreshes) to ensure they are worth your time and effort
- never discount—just adjust the scope
- use small projects for strategic growth
- market your business for high-end projects by primarily showcasing large and medium projects online
- instead of waiting months to land a big client, let small projects generate cash flow to sustain your marketing efforts, ensuring continuous outreach and visibility
- nurture and upsell larger leads

Business of Design® is your blueprint for running streamline projects and building a highly profitable interior design business. Get your business blueprint at 
https://businessofdesign.com/membership

EP 427 | Too Small to Bother with Daniela Furtado

Business of Design® is the #1 trusted business training resource for design professionals around the world. Join thousands of design professional already using our field-tested project management strategies and enjoy increased confidence, improved client retention, greater profits and a business that thrives.

It’s time to take control of your business. 
Become a member of Business of Design®, today:
https://businessofdesign.com/?ref=2&campaign=podcast

New tracks tagged #Design Course