A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today with Claudia Ricciardone: Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. Today, I’m talking with Claudia Ricciardone, founder of Claudia Josephine Design. Claudia and I discuss those stubborn pain points that we face in starting a business. Coming from a psychology background, Claudia teaches us that pain is what actually causes us to grow in that it forces us to find a solution. Listen in as Claudia shares her own solutions as she navigated turning her hobby into a business.  I don’t know about you, but when a psychologist offers business advice, I am going to listen. LuAnn and Claudia Ricciardone’s Ah-Ha moments: “When there is a pain point, ask yourself what quality you need to develop to move past that pain point.”- Claudia Ricciardone “In addition to the content I provide for my promotional offerings, you just never know who you are going to meet that could be a colleague that you can learn from, and they learn from you, and improve your business.” – LuAnn Nigara. “Hire the best photographer you can afford. Hiring a great photographer is what got me published in my first magazine, LUX Lifestyle Magazine.” – Claudia Ricciardone. “Wherever you are in the business, you can see your goals clearly, but you can still have fear. The difference is taking the plunge or not. If you are running a business there is no getting around making an investment.” – LuAnn Nigara “When the student is ready the teacher will come. The right guides will come.” – Claudia Ricciardone More about Claudia Ricciardone: Claudia Ricciardone is a luxury residential interior designer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Claudia provides full-service interior design services with a focus on sustainable and eco-friendly furnishings and décor through the company she founded, Claudia Josephine Design.  Claudia is a certified GREEN Accredited Professional (AP), member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC), and Maria Killam Certified True Colour Expert. She served as the interior design columnist at LUX Lifestyle Magazine, where her work was published and distributed internationally. Claudia’s designs were also recently featured in Southpark Magazine. Connect with Claudia Ricciardone: Website Instagram Facebook Pinterest What’s new with LuAnn Nigara luannuniversity.com Inside Voice, Outside Voice Monthly Virtual Events https://www.luannnigara.com/cob Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Pre-Order Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2 Connect with LuAnn Nigara LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Blog Power Talk Friday Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast Other Shows Mentioned: #50 Veronica Solomon: Powerful Marketing For Your Interior Design Firm- Website to Fan Engagement on Facebook #58 Maria Killam: Color- When You Can Own It As An Expertise, You Can Charge Higher Fees #752 PTF: Kelsey Kurtis: Connection-Based Branding For Success

Today With Kate O’Hara: Have you ever had that experience where you’re working with a client on something and they just seem to resist what you’re saying…and you ask yourself, “Why won’t they just let me do what they’re paying me to do?” Maybe you have a difficult client. But more likely, the problem is that you don’t understand that particular client’s priorities or motivations. And that’s not a reflection on you, your client probably doesn’t understand this about themselves either.  Wouldn’t it be great if you had a framework for tapping into what your client really wants and needs? That’s exactly what my guest today, Kate O’Hara, has created.  Today, she breaks down three levels of clients, and more importantly, what matters most to these clients within six important criteria. More About Kate O’Hara Kate O’Hara grew up in the world of design. After a decade with the company, she stepped into the role of CEO + Creative Director, expanding the family design firm into new regions of the U.S. When she isn’t traveling between our Minnesota and Texas offices, you can find Kate speaking at conferences, working with our design team, and connecting with new clients and furniture lines. Connect with Kate O’Hara ⁠Website⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Pinterest⁠ ⁠Houzz⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ What’s new with LuAnn Nigara ⁠The Power Talk Friday Tour⁠ ⁠Watch the Docuseries!⁠ ⁠http://www.luannnigara.com/cob⁠ Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free ⁠here⁠. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: ⁠The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action⁠ Audiobook: ⁠The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action⁠ Book 2: ⁠A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts⁠ Book 3: ⁠A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2⁠ Connect with LuAnn Nigara LuAnn’s ⁠Website⁠ LuAnn’s ⁠Blog⁠ ⁠Power Talk Friday⁠ Like Us: ⁠Facebook⁠ | Tweet Us: ⁠Twitter⁠ | Follow Us: ⁠Instagram⁠ | Listen Here: ⁠Podcast⁠ Other Resources: This podcast supports the Savvy Giving Design Coalition. Learn more about it here! AWDB #717 Susan Wintersteen: Interior design firm standards in a nonprofit passion project AWDB #164: Susan Wintersteen- Savvy Giving by Design

Today With Carla Titus: Welcome to A Well-Designed Business Podcast. Today we are joined by financial expert Carla Titus, founder and CEO of Wealth & Worth Within, a financial planning company offering fractional CFO services to transform business profitability.  Carla helps us understand what a fractional CFO is and how this service can provide the financial support and insight many businesses need to achieve financial clarity and plan for a profitable future. She specializes in helping 6- and 7-figure businesses gain control of their numbers with a 5-step framework she calls 2C3P that tackles financial health from all sides. Listen in to find out more. LuAnn Nigara and Carla Titus’ Ah-Ha Moments “The beauty of bringing an expert into your business is that you do not need to know everything. That is the whole point of outsourcing your finances. You’re bringing that knowledge, and also that person that’s going to guide the process from beginning to end, [to] make you feel empowered and comfortable around your finances and your numbers.” – Carla Titus  “Don’t overthink what you don’t know.” – LuAnn Nigara  “There’s times where you need to step into that CEO role and work on your business, not in your business.” – Carla Titus “Managing the influx and outflows of cash really can help a business be more financially stable, but also feel completely in control of what’s happening.” – Carla Titus  “If you want to sell your business one day, if you want to run a successful long term company, there has to be a salary for someone that is in charge.” – Carla Titus More About Carla Titus: Finance expert with over 15 years of combined corporate financial planning, analysis, strategy, and established online businesses fractional CFO consulting experience. Our company provides a vast array of on-demand CFO services that leverage our industry expertise. A well-rounded CFO team with Finance, Sales & Marketing, HR, Supply Chain, Online Business, Operations, Execution, Planning, and Tech background. She provides fractional CFO services and financial consulting to business owners. Wealth & Worth Within’s mission is to empower business owners to achieve financial clarity and peace of mind, so that they can get back to what they enjoy. She is dedicated to imparting financial knowledge in order to properly manage finances and achieve profitable results. She has applied that expertise to businesses, helping them grow by creating simple yet effective systems to improve cash flow management and bottom-line results. Connect with Carla Titus Website Instagram  Facebook What’s new with LuAnn Nigara luannuniversity.com https://www.luannnigara.com/cob Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Pre-Order Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2 Connect with LuAnn Nigara LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Blog Power Talk Friday Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast Other Shows Mentioned: #489: Power Talk Friday: Brad Clinard: Intentional Planning for Abundant Living #719: Peter Lang, Kimberly Merlitti, and Michele Williams: Financial Prep for Year-End- The Must Do’s #395: Power Talk Friday: Michele Williams: Financial Health Checklist for Your Interior Design Business #464: Power Talk Friday: Peter Lang: Understanding Your Finances #FreeTheDesigner #361: Power Talk Friday: Kimberly Merlitti: Does Your Interior Design Business Need a CFO?

Today With Cyrus Loloi: Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. You likely know the Loloi name—they are a powerhouse in our industry. But on today’s sponsored show, I am excited to chat with Cyrus Loloi about the sister brand, Joon Loloi.  Joon Loloi maintains many of Loloi’s values (including a commitment to quality, intention, and integrity). But it differs in many ways—not only does it offer a full range of home furnishings, but it is not exclusive to the trade. That’s an intentional decision—Cyrus and his brother Stephen saw a shift in how designers are sourcing and decided to create a brand that answers the need for a seamless digital shopping experience. That paved the way for Joon Loloi.  Today, he shares the story of the newer brand, how he maintains the family name’s trust and reputation, and how Joon Loloi is meeting modern needs for interior designers.  More About Cyrus Loloi: Cyrus Loloi is an experienced marketing and business leader specializing in brand strategy, e-commerce growth, and organizational leadership. He plays a central role in shaping the strategic direction of Loloi and Joon Loloi, overseeing key initiatives in performance marketing, creative operations, customer experience, and cross-team collaboration Ah Ha Moments with Cyrus Loloi: "We just felt like there's an opportunity to speak to the trade in more modern, sort of novel ways that Loloi is not currently positioned to do." –Cyrus Loloi "Every single product has to be mutually exclusive from Loloi. Number one, there's no reason to just launch something that's entirely redundant. And number two, we didn't want to sort of sell from under the retailers and designers that have supported Loloi all these years." –Cyrus Loloi "You’re not outsiders coming from tech and trying to figure out how to sell furniture and rugs to you to make money. You’re insiders who have observed that there's another lane inside here." –LuAnn Nigara "I believe one of the biggest mistakes in the industry is assuming that all 80,000 or so designers in the United States shop the same way, think the same way, business model is set up the same way." –Cyrus Loloi Connect with Loloi: Website Instagram  Tik Tok Pinterest What’s new with LuAnn Nigara: The Power Talk Friday Tour Watch the Docuseries! https://www.luannnigara.com/cob Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2 Connect with LuAnn Nigara: LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Blog Power Talk Friday Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast Other Resources Mentioned: This podcast supports the Savvy Giving Design Coalition. Learn more about it here! AWDB #717 Susan Wintersteen: Interior design firm standards in a nonprofit passion project AWDB #164: Susan Wintersteen- Savvy Giving by Design

Today with LuAnn Nigara: When it comes to high-end projects, collaboration isn’t optional and it definitely isn’t casual. It has to be intentional. In this solo episode, LuAnn breaks down the systems, scripts, and standards that every designer needs to lead confidently alongside architects, builders, and trades. If you've ever felt like you're managing chaos instead of driving results, this episode will show you how to step into true project leadership without sacrificing your sanity or your margins. What’s new with LuAnn Nigara ⁠The Power Talk Friday Tour⁠ ⁠Watch the Docuseries!⁠ ⁠https://www.luannnigara.com/cob⁠ Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free ⁠here⁠. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: ⁠The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action⁠ Audiobook: ⁠The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action⁠ Book 2: ⁠A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts⁠ Book 3: ⁠A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2⁠ Connect with LuAnn Nigara LuAnn’s ⁠Website⁠ LuAnn’s ⁠Blog⁠ ⁠Power Talk Friday⁠ Like Us: ⁠Facebook⁠ | Tweet Us: ⁠Twitter⁠ | Follow Us: ⁠Instagram⁠ | Listen Here: ⁠Podcast⁠ Other Resources Mentioned: Operations 201: Project Workflow for Construction-Based Design” with Jenny Slingerland “Operations 301: Project Leadership in Construction” with Kat Anderson