795: Power Talk Friday: Katie McFarlan: Profitable Interior Design Firms Track Their Data
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Release Date: 07/29/2022
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With Nancy Ganzekaufer: Today’s Power Talk Friday is sponsored by Nancy Ganzekaufer’s Profit Insiders Academy Group Coaching Program which kicks off in January 2024. Nancy joins us once again to discuss how designers can approach marketing the way Taylor Swift does. Let’s face it fan or not, she is a marketing genius. This #smartlady continues to upgrade the Profit Insiders Academy with new additions including The Key- the Designer’s Ultimate Pricing Tool and NancyGPT which gives you NEXT LEVEL search capabilities. Listen in to learn how to apply to The Profit Insiders Academy...
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Today With Eddie Maestri: In today’s episode we’ll be touching on a topic I love, project autopsies. My guest today, Eddie Maestri, has also found these autopsies to help not only improve his overall business, but also the relationship with his team members. Eddie Maestri started designing homes in Dallas in 2004 and officially founded Maestri Studio in 2008. Certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), he is a registered architect in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Nevada. Eddie delivers custom architecture and interiors tailored to his...
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Today With Leslie Carothers: Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. You’ve probably heard about new technology developing—AI, chatGPT, the metaverse—all the things. But are you jumping on the bandwagon? Today Leslie Carothers of Savour Partnership, a digital marketing firm for interior designers, is here to talk about how metaverse applications and AI are changing the future of the world, business in general, and our industry. Pick It Apart [2:30] Leslie unpacks all things metaverse and how they’re being used. [11:20] Leslie discusses how big brands are using metaverse activations....
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Today With LuAnn Nigara: Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. In this episode, we'll talk about how to turn your aha moments into actionable steps that will help you achieve your goals for your business and your life. You will hear some of the amazing insights from Amber De La Garza, a productivity coach who was a guide at LuAnn Live, and how she taught us to get our CRAP together. LuAnn's Ah-Ha Moments: “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll wind up somewhere else.” -LuAnn “The best version of your well designed business is only achievable through a well designed...
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Today With Matthew Finlin: Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. If you’re a long-time listener of the show, you already know that I was a salesperson basically from birth. Selling is a part of my nature. But for most designers, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Why is that? Why do some of us gravitate toward selling while it sends others into a panic? My guest today, Matthew Finlin, CEO of The Human Potential Academy, believes he knows—and he’s shedding light on why this happens and what designers can do to bring more assertiveness into the process and close with...
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Today With April Gandy: Today on A Well-Designed Business I am joined by April Gandy, owner and Principal Designer of Allure Designs. With six successful years in the design industry and an appearance on HGTV, April could teach us a lot! But today she wanted the focus to be on what you, and your client, can expect both mentally and financially when working on a renovation project. This is an episode that will give you simple AHA moments. Any episode where my guest wants to help with the process with our clients, is a win. Pick It Apart [3:28] April starts us off on the...
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Today With Christina Frei: Today on A Well-Designed Business I am joined by Christina Frei, owner of Innate Marketing Genius, a boutique marketing practice where she helps solo business owners own their voice, market to their strengths, and get the right clients consistently. Christina takes a holistic approach to marketing, and helps us discover how to market from our strengths by identifying our marketing archetype. In this conversation, we dig into what it means to be a Nurturer, Adventure Guide, Door Opener, Steady Presence, and Celebrator, and how this can help you show up...
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Today With LuAnn Nigara: Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. Today is a solo show and we'll be talking about charging. We'll go over the three common beliefs that hold us back from achieving our full potential: that our clients only want the biggest discount, that we deliver a shoppable product, and that we are competing with everyone else. What’s new with LuAnn Nigara Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free . To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase...
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Today With Bernadette Smith: Today on A Well-Designed Business, I am joined by Bernadette Smith, Founder and CEO of the Equality Institute, a boutique diversity, equity, and inclusion firm whose mission embed equity and inclusion into organizational systems and culture, enhancing outcomes for employees and customers. When we are afraid of offending someone, we tend to say nothing. We get so comfortable in our lanes, that we dont do much to move diversity forward. Bernadette and I discuss how to have the courage to address diversity. She talks about her ARC Method that helps people become...
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Today With Emmy Marek: Today on A Well-Designed Business, I am joined by Emmy Marek of Emmy Couture Designs, an award-winning full-service interior design firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and serving clients nationwide. In 2016, after working for both an architectural design firm and a luxury design-build firm, where she became fluent in creating custom homes, Emmy decided to go into business for herself, opening Emmy Couture when she was only 26 years old. Since then she has spent her time growing her luxury design firm and growing her family. Now, with two children under the...
info_outlineToday With Katie McFarlan:
Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. What does it take to be successful? We talk about it week in and week out on the show. There are so many details, so many facets to business success. But there are a handful of business practices that every successful designer puts into place—the things that set them apart from those who struggle. Today, Katie McFarlan of Dakota Design Co joins me to share the six business practices she believes are key to a well-designed business.
Pick It Apart
- [11:54] Katie breaks down why setting a project minimum is important and the different ways to do it.
- [22:57] LuAnn and Katie discuss the value of clear service offerings and processes.
- [32:57] Katie shares why investing in yourself is vital.
- [47:42] LuAnn and Katie talk about professional photography and why it matters even if you don’t have projects yet.
- [51:28] Katie highlights how setting boundaries helps with business success.
LuAnn Nigara and Katie McFarlan's Ah-Ha Moments
“The more clarity you can put around things the less opportunity there is for designers to complain about “scope creep.” If you didn’t define what it is that you do, how is the client supposed to know that it’s out of the parameters?” -LuAnn
“When you do the same thing over and over again, it’s good at getting you to be more efficient and working out the kinks. Your clients will enjoy working with you more when they know what to expect.” -Katie
More About Katie McFarlan:
As a former wedding and event planner with 16 years of experience in operations and project management, Katie enjoys using both her creative and analytical sides to find solutions that work for her clients. With her intimate knowledge of how both industries work, she knows what it takes to get behind-the-scenes operations running smoothly so businesses can grow in a sustainable and professional way. Today her business, Dakota Design Company, helps interior designers and wedding planners who are buried in business operations get back to doing the creative work they love. Through consulting and done-for-you implementation, she and her all-female team streamline their clients’ services and pricing, create strategic client experiences, and refine and implement processes their teams and customers will appreciate.
What’s new with LuAnn Nigara
Get The Goodies!
For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here.
To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999!
Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here:
Pre-Order Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2
Connect with LuAnn Nigara
LuAnn’s Website
LuAnn’s Blog
Other Shows Mentioned:
A Big Thank You to Today's Sponsor:
Mydoma Studio, your complete designer toolkit. Mydoma makes it easy to streamline your processes, track projects, communicate with clients, and get organized. It’s created by designers for designers, specifically to address what you need as a business owner. I’ve said countless times that systems and processes are how you reach the next level of profitability. Mydoma Studio makes it easy to do that. You can get 20% off your first three months by going to mydomastudio.com/awelldesignedbusiness