A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Katy Cassaw, Kat Benson, Heather Peterson and Jillian Richey:

In this Overheard episode of A Well-Designed Business, I sit down with four powerhouse designers — Heather Peterson, Jillian Richey Echevarria, and Katy Cassaw and Kat Benson of Nest Interiors — to talk about what it really means to step into the CEO seat.

Each of these women has worked with business coach Desi Creswell to move from creative chaos to confident leadership. Together, we dig into the mindset shifts that make it possible to run a business with clarity — letting go of control, delegating effectively, setting boundaries, and learning to trust your team.

Whether you’re a solo designer trying to get out of overwhelm or leading a growing team, this episode is a masterclass in how to think like a CEO, and why that shift changes everything.

More About Katy Cassaw, Kat Benson, Heather Peterson and Jillian Richey:

Katy Cassaw and Kat Benson:

Nest Interiors, co-founded by Katy Cassaw and Kat Benson, is a full-service interior design firm devoted to transforming vision into reality. With a focus on residential design, our expertise spans new construction, remodeling, consulting, and product installation. Guided by more than 20 years of combined experience, we craft timeless interiors that balance style and functionality. Each project is an expression of our clients’ unique story, brought to life through a refined mix of design influences—bold, sophisticated, and enduringly livable.

Heather Peterson:

Heather is the mix master and principal designer behind the layered interiors at Heather Peterson Design. Through a collaborative approach, HPD translates clients’ individual tastes and lifestyles into homes that are effortlessly stylish, functional, and truly personal to them. A Columbia University-trained curator and former design magazine photo editor, Heather uses her trained eye and sense of story to create balanced, thoughtful, and distinctive spaces. At Heather Peterson Design, the work encompasses a variety of styles which reflect a wide-ranging passion in interior design.  The team loves the challenge of blending all the things homeowners love, want, and value into a cohesive design.

Jillian Richey:

Jillian Richey Echevarria is the Principal Designer and CEO of Jillian Richey Design, a luxury interior design firm based in Hinsdale, Illinois, and Crown Point, Indiana. Known for her ability to create timeless, highly detailed homes, Jillian partners with clients, builders, and vendors to bring architectural visions to life—from custom cabinetry and millwork to full-scale furnishings and curated accessories.

With nearly two decades of experience in the design industry, Jillian has grown her boutique studio into a thriving business, balancing high-end residential projects with a newly launched lifestyle venture: Jilly’s Boutique Café, a Parisian garden-inspired café and retail space that seamlessly merges her love of design, hospitality, and community.

Jillian is passionate about the evolution of the designer’s role—from overextended creative to confident CEO. She shares candidly about the systems, leadership, and mindset shifts that allowed her to scale her business, raise her design fees, and empower her team. Guided by principles from Who Not How, 10x Is Easier Than 2x, and The Gap and the Gain, Jillian has embraced delegation, profitability, and sustainable growth while keeping her creative spirit at the center of her work.

When she’s not leading design projects or building her café brand, Jillian is a wife, mom of two, and believer that design should be both beautiful and deeply livable.

Other Shows Mentioned:

Overheard Collection

Desi Creswell Episodes

AWDB #222: Power Talk Friday: Lee Cockerell- Customer Service the Disney Way

AWDB #445: Tori Alexander: Her Production List Increases Efficiency and Profits

Today with Vanessa DeLeon

Today on the show we have a brilliant and when I say brilliant I really mean it, brilliant business woman: Vanessa DeLeon. Vanessa has starred on several television shows on some big television networks such as NBC, Bravo, HGTV and DIY Network. She has also been in several magazines such as TIME, Cosmopolitan etc. and on top of that she is a spokesperson! Wow! Talk about impressive resume! Please stay tuned to hear all of her great advice and her shared experiences.

Vanessa shares with us:

The triple “D’s”

What she would have done differently before starting her own business at 20

When does the momentum pick up?

Dreams do come true

Are vision boards a yes or a no?

Entitlement…I don’t think so!

Vacation? What’s that?

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

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

Today With Kate O’Hara:

Today on A Well Designed Business, Kate O'Hara from O'Hara Interiors reveals her framework for positioning your design business to attract the clients you actually want: entry-level clients need you to be discoverable, mid-tier clients need you to be distinct, and elite clients need you to be discreet.

Kate explains the reality that many designers appear to work with one type of client but actually serve different clients 80-90% of the time. She breaks down how each tier has completely different expectations, from entry-level clients who need education and reassurance to elite clients who want designer-driven solutions and white-glove service.

The conversation covers where each client tier actually finds designers, the messaging that resonates with each group, and how to align your brand positioning with your business goals. If you're struggling to attract your ideal clients or wondering whether your current approach matches your target market, this episode provides the framework to audit and adjust your strategy.

LuAnn Nigara and Kate O'Hara's Ah-Ha Moments

“At an entry level, you need to be discoverable. At a mid-tier, you need to be distinct, and at an elite tier, you need to be discreet.” - Kate O’Hara

"It's really getting clear on who you want to attract so that your messaging does align." - LuAnn Nigara

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!

Other Shows Mentioned:

Episode 1148 In Good company CEO Conversations with Kate O”Hara A Framework for Understanding Luxury Clients

Episode 958: Overheard: What I Wish I Knew Then: With Kate O’Hara, Erika Ward, Jennifer Stoner, and Alex Alonso

Episode 1030: In Good Company: CEO Conversations with Kate O’Hara: Insights and Strategies on Successful Scaling

Episode 1042: In Good Company: CEO Conversations with Kate O’Hara: End-of-Year Business Strategies for Designers: Pipeline, Productivity, and Press

Episode 649: Power Talk Friday: Brad Leavitt: Understanding Design-Build from the Builder’s Perspective

Episode 615: Power Talk Friday: Brad Leavitt: Overcoming Resistance in the Design-Build Process

Episode 878: Throwback Tuesday: Brad Leavitt: A Builder’s Perspective on the Design Build Process

A BIG Thank You to Today's Sponsor:

Kravet Inc. continues to expand with beautiful new showrooms designed to support the way you actually work.

Recent openings include Birmingham, Charleston, Water Mill, New York, and Basking Ridge, New Jersey. 

Each Kravet showroom features their innovative Workspace model, an interactive environment showcasing furniture, fabric, wallcovering, trim, and carpet samples, thoughtfully merchandised to mirror how designers source. By fabric type. By category. By color. By the way you think.

And quick reminder, I’ll be giving a presentation at the Basking Ridge, New Jersey showroom on January 21st, 2026. If you’re local or can get there, I would love to see you in person. Mark your calendar and come say hello. Go to luannnigara.com/event to learn more and RSVP by January 16th

Susan is founder and principal of award-winning Sweet Peas Design, which she launched 13 years ago in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville as a one-woman firm. Today Sweet Peas Design is a full-service studio with a staff of six in downtown Libertyville and a branch office in Chicago. She and her team work with a broad-based clientele of entrepreneurs, corporate executives and professionals.   Susan is an experienced speaker, whether on interior design issues or the business of design. She is a popular speaker on design at libraries on the North Shore of Chicago. Susan has been featured on NBC/LXTV’s  “George to the Rescue” and  “Open House,” and she appeared on CLTV’s “Bring It Home” program. Her work has been published in numerous national and local magazines and newspapers, including Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago, Kitchen + Bath Makeovers, Trends Kitchens, Trends Bathrooms, Color Made Easy, Crain’s Chicago Business  and Chicago Sun-Times’ magazine, Splash.  

Today on the show we have Susan Brunstrum! She has a big firm in Chicago and a signature line called LivableLuxe with a tagline that says “the little black dress of interior design.” She is a business woman, she is a woman who knows what she wants, knows how to do business and knows how to present herself. Her firm has won several designer awards but today we are going to focus on the financial part of business.

Show Notes:

The two project fee basis systems 

The six phases of projects

How do you utilize the project fee?

If you don’t charge for your initial consultation you should!

Three things to assess on a client when you first meet them

What are the red flags when assessing a client?

The difference between advertising and public relations

Be patient!

 

Resources:

https://www.sweetpeas-inspired.com – Sweet Peas Design

https://www.studiowebware.com 

https://www.quickbooks.com

Today With Deanna Metz:

In today’s episode of A Well-Designed Business, I’m joined by Deanna Metz from Sunbrella for a sponsored conversation focused on how interior designers can expand their options without compromising standards, performance, or their brand reputation.

Sunbrella is a name many designers already trust, but this episode goes deeper into what Sunbrella is offering designers today. We talk about their interior product lines, including stock drapery, performance throws, and fabric by the yard, and where these offerings can strategically fit into a design business when full custom isn’t the right solution for every space.

This is especially relevant for projects involving busy families, nurseries, guest bedrooms, secondary spaces, and inside-outside living areas where durability, cleanability, and long-term performance matter just as much as aesthetics. These are not trend-driven products. They are intentionally curated, best-selling fabrics backed by Sunbrella’s decades-long commitment to testing, consistency, and reliability.

If you’re an interior designer looking to add flexible, performance-driven solutions to your design toolkit, this episode will help you understand why opening a Sunbrella designer trade account is worth your time. Trade accounts give designers access to trusted performance fabrics, finished products, and resources that can support both your creative work and your business decisions.

To explore Sunbrella’s interior offerings and open your designer trade account, visit Sunbrella.com.

More About Deanna Metz:

Deanna Metz is the Director of Product Management at Sunbrella, the flagship brand of Glen Raven, where she leads go-to-market execution across a diverse portfolio of performance products. With over 15 years in the home and textile design industry, she’s built a career at the intersection of design, business, and product storytelling, translating creative vision into commercially successful products.

Before joining Sunbrella, Deanna held leadership roles in design and merchandising, guiding teams through trend research, global sourcing, and product development. She’s passionate about connecting design thinking with business strategy and elevating everyday textiles into meaningful, functional products.

Connect with Sunbrella:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

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 Shows Mentioned:
WTFP #212 A Window of Opportunity with Sunbrella’s New Custom Collection