Libsyn Directory

592: Power Talk Friday: Kimberly Merlitti: Profitable Firms Build Estimates Before They Sign The Contract

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Release Date: 09/18/2020

977: Katie Ryan Pluer:Strategies for Taking on a Business Partner

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Katie Ryan Pluer Today with Katie Ryan Pluer we are discussing what it takes to build a successful business partnership in the interior design industry. Katie brings a wealth of experience in business development, marketing, and advertising — along with a successful track record of buying and selling businesses. She has a keen understanding of what it takes to create a profitable business, and has spent the past few years getting settled in the interior design industry as Vice President of Natasa Jones Interiors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you have a partner or are considering...

976: On Air Strategy Sessions: Is a Disconnect Causing Your Ideal Clients to Walk Away?

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Melissa Fields Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! Today we run an entire new segment! It's "On Air Strategy Sessions"! In today's episode, we have Melissa Fields with us. Melissa is the founder of Shades of Gray Design Studio, a boutique interior design studio based in San Antonio, Texas. So, let's meet her! More About Melissa Fields Shades of Gray Design Studio is a boutique interior design studio based in San Antonio, Texas. It was started in 2018 shortly after Melissa Fields, the Founder and CEO, retired from the United States Air Force after 20...

975: Joyful Abundance: Thriving in Business with a Positive Mindset

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Jennifer Davis Today on A Well-Designed Business I’m with Jennifer Davis, the founder of Davis Interiors, a boutique design firm based in Minneapolis. Jennifer's story is proof that intention, manifestation, and a positive mindset can lead to the life and business of our dreams. In this episode, we discuss Jennifer’s strategies and beliefs that have helped her create a joyful client experience and a successful career. From setting intentions and aligning your actions with your goals to overcoming impostor syndrome and cultivating an abundance...

974: Power Talk Friday: Katie McDonald: How to Prioritize Your Well-being in Your Interior Design Business

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Katie McDonald Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Today, I’m excited to welcome back Katie McDonald, certified holistic health coach and instructor at b.nourished. As entrepreneurs, we do have a tendency to put ourselves on the backburner, focusing our time and attention on the needs of the business. But if we’re not creating something sustainable—if we’re heading toward burnout, are we really creating well-designed businesses? It can feel as if we need to justify rest, justify taking time for ourselves, Katie’s take is that we...

973: Jamie Gasparovic: How Investing In Your Business Can Kick Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Jamie Gasparovic Hi, welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Today, I am joined by Jamie Gasparovic, Founder and Principal Designer of Studio Gaspo, a boutique full-service interior design firm. Have you ever had imposter syndrome? Join the club. Jamie has a little secret to combating imposter syndrome, and that is to invest in your business. Jamie has spent thousands in investments for her business. Six figures in the last year, to be more specific. Before you drop your jaw, listen in to hear all of the value and advice Jamie has to give on investing...

972: Power Talk Friday: Lesley Myrick: Profit Insiders: How Interior Designers Can Leverage Local Marketing

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Lesley Myrick: Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. For today’s Sponsored Show, I am so happy to welcome back Lesley Myrick of Profit Insiders. Now, we all know that local business is the backbone of interior design. And yet, our focus often falls primarily or solely on online marketing. But local networking and marketing offer a lot of potential—if you know how to take advantage of opportunities (and measure your success). Lesley knows that local marketing is about more than joining BNI or your run-of-the-mill networking group. While those organizations can certainly be...

971: Vicente Wolf: How to Bring True Artistry into Interior Design

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Vicente Wolf Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Today, I welcome design icon Vicente Wolf to the show. Vicente’s name speaks for itself, as does his reputation. With more than 50 years of experience and wide-known fame, Vicente is a true artist who undoubtedly inspires upcoming designers on a regular basis. He has a true talent for design—and it begins with understanding the artistry involved. Today, Vicente shares his insights about creativity, design, and knowing the value you bring to the table. Pick It Apart: [1:29] Vicente shares...

970: Power Talk Friday: Ali Stein: Strategies to Acquire New Clients

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Ali Stein Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. My guest today is Ali Stein, owner of Grabler Brand. This is the first time you have heard from Ali on the show, but not the first time you have heard about her on the show. Back when I had Regan Baker on, if you remember, she raved about Ali. Over seven years Ali helped grow the Regan Baker Design team from 5 to 20 employees and she helped increase their revenue by 1200%. Ali was the Director of Operations and she oversaw HR, Performance Management, Finance, Business Development, Marketing, Project Management,...

969: Pure Salt Interiors: Aly Morford & Leigh Lincoln: Licensing Partnerships

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Aly Morford & Leigh Lincoln Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. Today, I have a two-for-one as I am joined by best friends and business partners Aly Morford and Leigh Lincoln, co-owners of Pure Salt Interiors. If you have ever been interested in partnering with another brand, this episode is for you. I couldn’t wait to have Aly and Leigh on today to pick this apart because I know that a lot of designers are interested in forming partnerships, but have no idea how to find them, how to start them, who to start them with, all of the things. Today, Aly...

968: Overheard: Charles Pavarini, Leyden Lewis, and Maria Viola: How to Harness Creativity in Interior Design

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Charles Pavarini, Leyden Lewis, and Maria Viola Hi, welcome to a Well-Designed Business. On today’s Overheard episode, I’m joined by Charles Pavarini III, Leyden Lewis, and Maria Viola. We rarely talk about design itself on the podcast—we’re much more focused on the business sode of things. But the conversation about creativity has popped up several times over the years in discussions I have had with many of you. I have often wondered, is creativity something you just have or you don’t? And if you do have it, how do you know, and how do you channel...

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Welcome to A Well-Designed Business, it’s Power Talk Friday! LuAnn welcomes Kimberly Merlitti, the Virtual CFO, back to the show. Kimberly also happens to be one of the co-authors for our third book, A Well-Designed Business, Power Talk Experts Volume 2, which is coming out in November.

On today’s show, Kimberly is sharing with us the importance of preparing an estimate for your job before you sign a contract. If there’s one thing Kimberly knows, it’s numbers! And she is going to walk you through not only WHY preparing an estimate at the very beginning is important, but also how to do this the right way, how to stay on track, and how to rely on data, so that you’re not playing a guessing game and risking losing money in your business. Because at the end of the day, you are not just a designer, you’re an entrepreneur, right?

Kimberly Merlitti owns KMM Consulting based out of Washington, D.C. She has 20 years of experience working in accounting for companies such as Swinerton Builders, WRNS Studio, and Martin Group. She has her Masters in Accounting from Golden Gate University. Located in Washington D.C. Kimberly’s clientele includes a diverse group of service-based companies, with the main focus on small interior design, construction, and architectural firms. The goal of her firm is to make the businesses she works for as profitable as they can be by educating them on accounting, cash flow management, tax deductions, project reporting, and business management.

Show Highlights:

Kimberly sums up WHY you need to learn how to estimate.
Kimberly has a streamlined process when it comes to teaching others how to estimate.
Tracking your time and taking really good notes is imperative, not only for interior designers but for architects and contractors, as well.
What to do if the job is outside of the original scope.
Respect a client’s time and money, and they will be thankful for it.
Although Kimberly can be hired to teach how to estimate, she explains the way that you can also teach yourself using these four categories:
- Design fee
- Purchasing fee
- Installation fee
- Indoor & Outdoor furniture fee
Tracking your time is one of the biggest factors in your profitability.
Have cross-checks in place.
Confidence is in the knowledge and execution of the process and makes fielding clients’ questions more systematic.
If you’re new in the business, here’s Kimberly’s advice!
The data drives your whole company. You’re not just a designer, you’re an entrepreneur.
FREE From Kimberly: 7 Tips for Estimating BEFORE the Contract