950: Overheard: Insights on Hiring Exceptional People
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Release Date: 01/23/2024
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With Shelli Warren Today, on A Well-Designed Business, I am joined by Shelli Warren, distinguished Women's Leadership Advisor, and the host of the Stacking Your Team podcast. Do you believe the misconception that success is only attached to working for a corporation? If so, you may have little faith in hiring the right team, because as you will hear from Shelli, you have much to offer the right person in the form of a career. Pick It Apart: [6:07] Shelli shares her philosophy that her clients should understand that they have value and can provide valuable careers for employees. [12:28]...
info_outline 979: Hygge Design + Build: Becky and Nate Vandenbroek on Tips for a Successful Design/Build BusinessA Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With Becky and Nate Vandenbroek Hi, Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. Today I have on Becky and Nate Vandenbroek from Hygge Design+Build. If you are someone who wants to get into the design-build industry, this episode is for you. Becky and Nate know how to help designers who want to break into the design/build world and share what to consider when choosing to collaborate with builders. Both possessing Erika Ward transferable skills, Becky with her upbringing with a builder dad and Nate as a previous project manager, they ditched their 9-5 and in 2020 formed Hygge Design+Build. As...
info_outline 978: Power Talk Friday: LoriAnn Kuntz: How to Love (and Understand) Your Interior Design Business NumbersA Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With LoriAnn Kuntz Hi, welcome to a Well-Designed Business. It’s Power Talk Friday. Today I am excited to welcome LoriAnn Kuntz, founder of Profit Priority, a bookkeeping and financial management company for creatives. Understanding your numbers matters. But it’s equally as important to understand when and why to outsource your bookkeeping. Hear LoriAnn’s insights on why strategic bookkeping matters—and how you can take control of your numbers. Pick It Apart: [3:18] LoriAnn and LuAnn discuss why knowing your numbers matters—and what it means to “love” those...
info_outline 977: Katie Ryan Pluer:Strategies for Taking on a Business PartnerA 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...
info_outline 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...
info_outline 975: Joyful Abundance: Thriving in Business with a Positive MindsetA 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...
info_outline 974: Power Talk Friday: Katie McDonald: How to Prioritize Your Well-being in Your Interior Design BusinessA 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...
info_outline 973: Jamie Gasparovic: How Investing In Your Business Can Kick Imposter Syndrome to the CurbA 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...
info_outline 972: Power Talk Friday: Lesley Myrick: Profit Insiders: How Interior Designers Can Leverage Local MarketingA 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...
info_outline 971: Vicente Wolf: How to Bring True Artistry into Interior DesignA 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...
info_outlineToday With Anastasia Harrison, Traci Connell, Eileen Hahn and Jennifer Tokatyan:
Today on A Well Designed Business, I am so happy to have our roundtable discussion with four amazing #smartladys. Leadership consultants Eileen Hahn and Jennifer Tokatyan, and award-winning designers Traci Connell and Anastasia Harrison.
Both Traci and Anastasia worked with Eileen and Jennifer to improve and solidify their hiring process and it resulted in clear and successful results. They are here to share their hiring experiences, how they worked together, and offer actionable tips that you do not want to miss.
Pick It Apart:
[11:44] Anastasia explains her situation with knowing she has the wrong team members and what she did about it.
[15:15] Eileen walks us through what to do after learning the roles we need to fill and realizing the people in them don’t belong in those roles.
[19:37] Traci shares her experience with hiring designers and when she decided to reach out to Eileen and Jennifer for help.
[26:44] Jennifer shares her experience working with Traci and the pain points she had to face with the previous use of recruitment companies.
[34:54] Anastasia shares actionable steps for those having issues with hiring and team management.
[44:18] Jennifer talks about determining the accurate fit for the role you are hiring.
[47:48] Eileen provides some tools for the hiring process.
LuAnn Nigara and Anastasia Harrison, Traci Connell, Eileen Hahn and Jennifer Tokatyan's Ah-Ha Moments
“Eileen let me know that I had to take hold of and understand the positions I needed to fill before hiring the people to fill them. At that point, I had people in seats, but they weren’t necessarily sitting in the right ones,” - Anastasia Harrison
“Everybody wants to be happy in a job that they are good at. Employers want their employees to be happy in a job that they are good at, but many times they are in the wrong place,” - Eileen Hahn
“You’re not just interviewing the candidate, they are interviewing you,” - Anastasia Harrison
“It is an honor to be able to hire someone to contribute to your business,” - Jennifer Tokatyan.
More About Anastasia Harrison, Traci Connell, Eileen Hahn and Jennifer Tokatyan
Anastasia Harrison:
Anastasia Harrison is a rarity in the design world – she is a trained architect and an award-winning designer. Her enthusiasm for both can be seen from concept to installation, and this energy fills each of her projects. As Owner and Principal Architect at AHD&Co, Anastasia leads a creative team best known for unconventional thinking and expertise, thus providing effortless designs.
She started her career working on large infrastructure projects in the NYC metro area and worked at the original World Trade Center for nearly a decade. She then moved to Europe to do design work for brands such as Donna Karen, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, and Prada. Once back in the US, her career focused on luxury residential and hospitality design, as Director of Sustainability in NYC for Gensler. Anastasia became a leader in sustainable design and offered a new standard for mindful living with speaking engagements across the nation.
In 2012, Anastasia shifted her career highlights and began working with high-profile clients on major architectural endeavors, designing legacy properties through her firm, AHD&Co. Her body of work now encompasses historic preservations, large-scale estate renovations, and new construction forever homes. Many of her clients return to her firm to seek her expertise when they secure an additional private residence or vacation home, building life-long relationships.
Anastasia lives in New Jersey with her husband and two Puggles and has three young adult daughters. One of her daughters has a rare connective tissue disorder, which led her to establish a charity for children in medical crisis, the New Jersey chapter of Savvy Giving By Design. Anastasia believes there is a greater purpose to what she does in her career. Time and again, she has found that architecture and design can do more than just create beautiful spaces – beautiful design can bring great joy and great respite into the home.
Traci Connell:
Since founding her eponymous firm, award-winning designer Traci Connell is an expert in delivering tailored interiors that are as luxurious as they are livable. With her keen eye for design, space planning and art, Connell brings understated glamour and elegance to a vast range of high-end residential interiors, commercial projects, vacation homes and custom site-specific requests. Her inspiration is attained from her explorations of the world of design, travel, art, nature and culture.
With a renewed appreciation for transforming homes into an ease of escape, Connell breaks through predictability with art curation, cutting edge technologies and custom artisan talents, weaving in special, unexpected elements into every design project. As one of the most trusted design firms in Dallas, she delivers an expertly perfected, streamlined system of service that simplifies and organizes the design process. Her impeccable eye for space planning and design, combined with the team’s in-depth knowledge of project management, proves invaluable for clients ranging from busy young families to empty nesters and those seeking vacation homes.
Connell’s philanthropic work within the Dallas design community includes the Dwell with Dignity “Thrift Studio” fundraiser, a design project aimed to raise money to combat homelessness in the city of Dallas and surrounding areas. She is currently serving on the ASID Texas Community Board.
Traci Connell Interiors has proudly been named a Kips Bay Decorator Show House Designer of 2021, D Home Best Designer in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and has been included on the Luxe Interiors + Design Gold List in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The firm’s work has been recognized in national and regional media publications including Luxe Interiors + Design, Wall Street Journal, Traditional Home, Modern Luxury Interiors, D Home and AD Pro among many more.
Eileen Hahn:
Eileen Hahn is a leadership consultant who works with firms like Anheuser-Busch, Ericson Worldwide, General Motors, Legoland, San Diego Padres, and interior design firms, as well as smaller entrepreneurial firms. She teaches leaders in these organizations how to hire and lead exceptional employees who bring fire and energy to their work, achieve high levels of performance, and generate financial results. Eileen’s work has improved productivity, profitability, and employee work passion. It has also brought the employees joy, peace, purpose, and prosperity.
Jennifer Tokatyan:
Jennifer Tokatyan is a leadership consultant and a consulting partner with Eileen B Hahn. Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in small and large organizations across mul5ple industries in public, private and nonprofit sectors. She has worked with and for Fortune 500 companies as well as fast-paced entrepreneurial start-ups and Founder-led companies including interior design, hospitality, real estate, apparel, retail, manufacturing, non-profit and more.
Jennifer provides leadership, talent optimization, organizational development, strategic HR consulting and coaching to organizations seeking to grow their people and business, deliver on their brand promise, create the culture and environment where its people flourish and achieve exceptional results. She has several ac5ve interior design clients across the United States and was on the expert panel at LuAnn Nigara’s Power Talk Friday at High Point Market in October, 2022
Connect with Anastasia Harrison, Traci Connell, Eileen Hahn and Jennifer Tokatyan
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Other Shows Mentioned:
#363: Power Talk Friday: Eileen Hahn: Building An Exceptional Interior Design Team
#525: Traci Connell: Take Your Business from Setback to Success
#554: Power Talk Friday: Traci Connell: Buy Wholesale for Profit
#589: Power Talk Friday: Eileen Hahn: Scaling from 2 Million to 5 Million
#851: Power Talk Friday: Alexis Varbero: Making Connections that Matter
#909: Power Talk Friday: Traci Connell: Normalizing Wealth With The Gloss
Other Resources Mentioned:
The Job You Were Born For: 7 Steps to Align Your Work with Your Life Mission - Eileen Hahn