Libsyn Directory

314. How Successful Designers Plan Their Year: My Proven Step-by-Step Goal Setting System

Release Date: 12/18/2025

335. I Changed My Business Model. Here’s What I Got Wrong.

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

Welcome back to the Resilient by Design Podcast. We are back and kicking off a spectacular Season 8! -- Have you ever looked at your interior design business and thought, How did something I love become this exhausting? Between client requests, invoicing, hiring, managing a team, keeping projects moving, and constantly being the person everything comes back to, it’s easy to become so focused on running the business that you lose touch with why you started designing in the first place. I’ve experienced my own version of that this year. In the first episode of Season 8, I’m taking...

Stop Ignoring your Finances - Here's why its costing you with Danielle Hendon [Rebroadcast]

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

Are you avoiding the numbers in your interior design business? In this rebroadcast episode, I revisit my conversation with Danielle Hendon of Four Corners CFO about profit, cash flow, financial planning, and why your bank account balance is not the full story. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re making more money but still feeling stressed, or why your business feels busy but not necessarily profitable, this episode will help you start looking at your numbers differently. Danielle explains why revenue and profit are not the same thing, why designers need to understand their project...

Picking your Profitable Pricing Model [Rebroadcast]

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

Are you busy… or are you actually profitable? In this rebroadcast episode, I’m revisiting an important conversation for interior designers who want to build a more sustainable business: how to choose a pricing model based on real numbers, not guesses. I share why revenue and profit are not the same thing, how to look at the different ways money comes into your business, and why your most profitable revenue stream may not be the one you expect. If you’ve ever wondered whether your design fees, implementation, consultations, or product resale are actually supporting your business, this...

Pricing Pushback: Managing Client Sticker Shock [Rebroadcast]

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

Have you ever sent a proposal to a potential client and then heard nothing back? In this rebroadcast episode, I’m revisiting an important conversation about pricing pushback, client objections, and the confidence it takes to talk about money in your interior design business. I share a personal lesson from my early days of testing a fixed-fee pricing model and what it taught me about communication, pre-qualifying, and setting expectations before the proposal ever lands in a client’s inbox. This episode is for you if you’ve ever second-guessed your fee, felt awkward talking about money, or...

334. Stop Punishing yourself for taking time off

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

Taking time off from your business should not mean cramming your calendar before you leave, checking emails from the dock, and coming back to complete chaos. In this episode, I dive into what it actually means to take time off from your interior design business without mentally carrying it with you the entire time. This is a conversation about boundaries, leadership, communication, and building a business that can function without constant access to you. I share the three ways designers often punish themselves around vacation: overloading the days before they leave, staying half available...

333. How to Build a Six-Month Runway for Your Design Business

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

Are you making business decisions based on facts, or are you guessing and hoping things will work out? In this episode, I’m talking about how to build a six-month runway for your interior design business. This is one of the simplest ways to understand what it really costs to keep your business running and whether you have the financial stability to make decisions with confidence. I walk through the four cost buckets every designer should know: fixed costs, variable costs, invisible costs, and future costs. I also share how to calculate your monthly run rate, why paying yourself needs to be...

332. Who's Steering Your Business When You're Not There?

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

What would happen if you took a week off from your business? Would projects continue moving forward, or would everything pause until you returned? In this episode, I explores one of the most common growth challenges for interior design business owners: becoming the bottleneck. From decision-making and client communication to process documentation and team leadership, I share three powerful shifts that can help you build a business that doesn't depend on you being involved in every detail. If you've ever struggled to unplug, felt overwhelmed by constant questions from your team, or wondered why...

331. How Wholesale Furniture Collections Are Built for Designers

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

In this episode, Rebecca sits down with Jennifer Dewhirst, Director of Brand and Merchandising at Dovetail Furniture, for a behind-the-scenes look at how wholesale furniture collections are built for designers. Jennifer shares how Dovetail develops new collections twice a year, what goes into preparing for High Point Market, and how the team balances trendy pieces with timeless, well-made furniture that designers can rely on for years. They also talk about the current shift toward warmer wood tones, traditional silhouettes, richer colors, and more collected interiors, as well as the difference...

Why Trade Day Is the Secret to a Smooth Design Project [Rebroadcast]

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

The effect Trade Day had on my business, the way this initial onboarding event sets the expectations and tone for the whole project cannot be overstated. But, take it from me, there are certain dos and don'ts that you need to take into account for it to be a real success. When done right, Trade Day can be your secret weapon but when done wrong, it can have far reaching consequences. I share a lesson I learned the hard way about a time where my lack of organization on Trade Day led to a result that negatively influenced the rest of the project. Learn from my mistakes and listen to this list of...

330. Stop Overthinking Your Marketing (Your Pipeline Depends On It)

Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

If your pipeline feels inconsistent, your inquiries have slowed down, or you keep putting marketing on the back burner while you focus on client work… this episode is for you. In today’s solo episode, I’m breaking down why overthinking your marketing may actually be hurting your business more than helping it. I’m sharing: Why your business operates on a lag The real reason feast-or-famine cycles happen Why visibility matters more than perfection The mistake I made when I stopped marketing during a busy season 3 simple content categories every designer can talk about How to create...

More Episodes

If you want 2026 to feel more intentional and less reactive, this episode is your reset.

In this guided Year in Review + Goal Setting workshop, I walk interior designers through my proven system to reflect on the year, review key numbers without overwhelm, and set clear goals you can actually execute.

Grab a notebook, pull up your calendar, and follow along.

Episode Highlights:

The year-end reflection questions that reveal wins, challenges, and money makers
The “Repeat vs. Never Repeat” exercise to guide next year’s decisions
What to review financially (even if you’ve avoided it) and why gross revenue matters
How to calculate your consultation conversion rate
How to plan your year backwards based on project size and goals
Time blocking basics (free days, buffer days, focus days)
The mindset shift: act like the future version of you today

Episode Resource:

10x is Easier than 2x

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