981: Jennifer Chukwujekwe: Global Collaboration with Nigerian Designer and Entrepreneur
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Release Date: 05/07/2024
984: Power Talk Friday with Katie Krimitsos: A Well-Designed Life = A Well-Designed Business
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With Katie Krimitsos: Today with Katie Krimitsos, we explore the transformative power of meditation and mindfulness, especially for entrepreneurs. As the founder of the Women's Meditation Network, Katie shares her personal journey of using meditation to navigate the challenges of life, motherhood and entrepreneurship. In this episode, Katie dives deep into the practical tools and strategies she uses to stay grounded and focused, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. From the importance of creating space for self-reflection to the power of listening to your intuition, Katie offers...
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983: Kathy Kuo: The Power Behind Establishing Core Values in Your Interior Design Business
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With Kathy Kuo: Hi, welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Have you taken the time to identify your core values? To actively write them down and define what they mean to you? And if so, have you taken it a step further and pulled those values into your interactions, your hiring, your firing, and your feedback? Core values might be easy to push to the side. But if done right, they reduce conflict, make decision-making easier, and provide important clarity for your business. Today, I’m joined by Kathy Kuo to unpack core values and discuss how to embody them in your business and your...
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982: Power Talk Friday: Rachael Bozsik Johanson: Leveraging Your Superpower to Attract Dream Interior Design Clients
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With Rachael Bozsik Johanson: Hi, welcome to a Well Designed Business. It’s Power Talk Friday. We all know by now that we should niche, but the struggle lies in the how. What IS my only? What IS my superpower? How do I figure it out? And that’s where my guest today, Rachael Bozsik Johanson, really shines. Her superpower is finding the superpower of others and teaching them how to use it to elevate their business, their services, their marketing, and their sales process. Today, Rachael is here to share how to discover that superpower of yours, and more specifically...
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981: Jennifer Chukwujekwe: Global Collaboration with Nigerian Designer and Entrepreneur
A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast
Today With Jennifer Chukwujekwe: Today with Jennifer Chukwujekwe, we’re heading to Nigeria (virtually) to learn about the incredible work she is doing to transform the interior design industry in her home country. As the President of the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria and the founder, CEO, and creative director of Jenniez Designs, Jennifer shares her entrepreneurial spirit and problem-solving skills as she navigates the unique challenges faced by designers in Africa. From building a furniture factory to address sourcing issues to starting a school to educate aspiring designers,...
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980: Power Talk Friday: Shelli Warren: Recognizing That Your Small Business Brings Value to the Right Employee
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]...
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979: Hygge Design + Build: Becky and Nate Vandenbroek on Tips for a Successful Design/Build Business
A 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...
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978: Power Talk Friday: LoriAnn Kuntz: How to Love (and Understand) Your Interior Design Business Numbers
A 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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
info_outlineToday With Jennifer Chukwujekwe:
Today with Jennifer Chukwujekwe, we’re heading to Nigeria (virtually) to learn about the incredible work she is doing to transform the interior design industry in her home country. As the President of the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria and the founder, CEO, and creative director of Jenniez Designs, Jennifer shares her entrepreneurial spirit and problem-solving skills as she navigates the unique challenges faced by designers in Africa.
From building a furniture factory to address sourcing issues to starting a school to educate aspiring designers, Jennifer's resourcefulness knows no bounds. She also offers valuable insights into the cultural nuances of Nigeria's 250 ethnic groups and how she adapts her design solutions to cater to these diverse needs.
Throughout the episode, Jennifer emphasizes the importance of collaboration and networking within the design community, both locally and internationally. Her call to action is a powerful reminder that by working together, sharing knowledge, and supporting one another, we can all take our businesses to new heights.
Pick It Apart
[13:05] Jennifer discusses the challenges of interior design in Nigeria, and what she is doing to help solve these problems.
[23:48] LuAnn asks Jennifer about her business model and what kind of projects she normally takes on.
[27:49] Jennifer and LuAnn discuss the interior design school Jennifer started, Jenniez Designs, what it offers, and why it is so exciting to have this in Nigeria.
[35:59] Jennifer shocks LuAnn with more entrepreneurial ventures she has developed as solutions for students at her school.
[41:22] Jennifer explains how her design business coaching program works, and discusses common challenges with LuAnn.
[50:15] LuAnn and Jennifer discuss the diversity in Nigeria, with over 250 ethnic groups each with their own language and cultures, and how that impacts design.
[1:05:55] Jennifer shares a common custom in Nigeria and expands on why it is important to be respectful of your clients and their culture.
LuAnn Nigara and Jennifer Chukwujekwe's Ah-Ha Moments
“I’m on a mission. I just like to solve problems. And I tell people, I only solve problems within the industry. Once it's outside the industry, I'm not interested…I'm just passionate about the industry. I'm passionate about interior design, and passionate about transforming lives and businesses to interior design.” - Jennifer Chukwujekwe
“I don't think [anyone] expects each of you to be perfect…But it's taking the time to understand your client. That's what the onus is on the design industry — is to not just to make assumptions that this person has the same values and the same beliefs that you do about the items and the colors and the selections.” - LuAnn Nigara
More About Jennifer Chukwujekwe
Jennifer Chukwujekwe is a Wife, Mother, Experienced Interior designer, Author and Coach. The first interior design business coach in Nigeria.
She teaches interior designers how to build, grow and scale their business, so they can make profit, become successful and live a fulfilling life through Design.
She is a three-time graduate of Commercial Interior Design, Business and Branding and Interior Design from the Interior Design Institute UK. She has a first degree in Geology and Masters in Applied Computing and IT from the University of Bedfordshire UK. A Graduate of Entrepreneurial Essentials from Harvard Business School Cohort November 2021.
Prior to coaching, she launched her interior design company- Jenniez Designs.
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Jessica Bantom’s book: Design For Identity — Jessica Bantom - Leadership Coach & Consultant