Libsyn Directory

880: Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum: Adventures in Business with the Brownstone Boys

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Release Date: 05/23/2023

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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Today With Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum:

Today on A Well-Designed Business I am joined by Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum, AKA the Brownstone Boys. Barry and Jordan are designers, DIY-ers, renovators, and restorers who followed their passions and serendipitously fell into a flourishing business together.

In 2018, Jordan and Barry bought a brownstone in Brooklyn and started The Brownstone Boys blog the day they closed on the house, and that’s just the beginning of their adventure. Today they are renovating their way across Brooklyn and New York City, one brownstone at a time.

In our interview, The Brownstone Boys share how they grew their business organically, how they are implementing systems and processes, and how to balance work and life when you’re in business with your partner.

Pick It Apart

[2:33] Jordan talks about the significance of his and Barry’s second date—a bike ride through Brooklyn neighborhoods where they realized they shared a love of brownstones.

[10:44] Jordan explains how The Brownstone Boys blog began and how that led to their first clients.

[20:13] LuAnn makes a point about how fundamental business questions and processes are imperative to successful businesses.

[35:43] Barry discusses how the business has grown organically over the last few years, but now they are intentionally restructuring and building in systems and processes to help it run smoother as they grow and pivot to different platforms.

[41:01 LuAnn asks Jordan and Barry to share lessons they have learned through their business and partnership.

[52:09] Jordan shares big news about his and Barry’s future.

LuAnn Nigara and The Brownstone Boys’ Ah-Ha Moments

“I think a lot of that has to do with listening…And no matter how many systems we implement, I still want that one-on-one authentic relationship with our client.” – Jordan Slocum

“We started our business, and it happened very organically…And right now we're at a point in the business that we're going back and really building in some structure that we should have a long time ago.” – Barry Bordelon

“We're business partners, but we're also life partners. And I think something that I'm really excited for with the new processes is separating—or trying to separate—work from our home life.” – Jordan Slocum

“There are difficult times. But I think it's just really cool to be building a business with a partner and to be going through this together and to have this thing that's our own.” - Barry Bordelon

More About The Brownstone Boys

We’re Jordan & Barry, AKA The Brownstone Boys.

We’re designers, DIY-ers, renovators, and restorers. We have a passion for old homes and everything that comes along with them: the details, the quirks, the character, and especially the parts that need lots of love. We have a ton of respect for all of those gorgeous original details and love restoring them but we are not afraid to add some modern touches.

We bought our 130 year old historic Brooklyn brownstone in 2018 and we’ve been slowly restoring it ever since. We started our blog and Instagram account the day we closed on the house. When we started our journey we found it hard to find the right information, but some of the best real estate, renovation, and design advice that we did find was on other helpful and creative blogs. So we decided to share our experiences as well. We are so fortunate and thankful that other people found it helpful…and maybe a little entertaining! We enjoyed sharing our journey and answering the thousands of questions we received. Eventually, we started helping people more and more with design advice, contractor & architect recommendations, and generally holding the hands of others who were trying to navigate renovating a historic home in New York and even around the world.

Some people that reached out really seemed like they needed more help than just a recommendation or suggestion, so we thought long and hard about it and nervously asked someone one day, “Would you like us to help you do it?” And like that, we had our first client. That quickly led to a second, then a third, and now we are full time Brownstone Boys designing and renovating our way across Brooklyn and NYC. We have found our true passion and pinch ourselves everyday that it’s also now our careers.

Connect with The Brownstone Boys

Website

Instagram

Youtube

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