A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today with Marie Flanigan:

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business®. Today, I’m thrilled to have Marie Flanigan back on the show. Marie has more than a decade of experience as a thriving designer, one whose list of accolades goes on for days. In today’s episode, Marie is answering questions from listeners about how to make big decisions in your business— how to attract the clients and projects you truly desire, how to strategically market, how to handle client expectations, and more!

LuAnn and Marie Flanigan’s Ah-Ha moments:

“I think it’s so important to just live out doing the best you can— be the best at whatever you’re doing in the moment. That’s what builds the relationships, that’s what provides the contacts, that’s what gives you the 10,000 hours to become the expert and really grow into the area you want to be in.” -Marie Flanigan

“You do want to turn away the business that sucks the energy out of you or that takes too much of your time away, because when the right projects come along you need to be open for that.” -Marie Flanigan

“Gut instinct is very important, but you should also go on data.” -Marie Flanigan

“It isn’t just about putting an ad in a newspaper— it’s all the little things that you do across your business.” -LuAnn Nigara

More About Marie Flanigan:

Originally trained as an architect, Marie Flanigan seamlessly unites structure with style, unlocking a unique level of depth through her mutual consideration of an interior and its framework. For more than a decade, Marie has crafted well-articulated spaces that expertly reflect the stories of those who dwell and work within. Her trademark signature of innovative simplicity is evident through the sophisticated use of color, texture, and light. Marie’s projects span the country, from luxury residences to high-end commercial showrooms, each one exhibiting her firm’s commitment to exceptional design and extraordinary service.

Marie’s work and expertise have been featured by premier publications including Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Vogue, House Beautiful, Southern Living, Domino, Traditional Home, Elegant Homes, Southern Home, and Luxe Magazine. She regularly shares her design and lifestyle advice with TV audiences, including her role on HGTV’s internationally broadcast series, Property Brothers: Brother vs. Brother.

In addition to Marie’s design work, she has now launched collections with some of the industry’s top manufacturers including Visual Comfort and Aria Stone. Her debut book, The Beauty of Home, is now available for purchase.

Connect with Marie Flanigan:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

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:

#89 Marie Flanigan – How Marketing Strategies Helped Her Grow Her Firm

#50 Veronica Solomon – Powerful Marketing for your Interior Design Firm- Website to Fan Engagement on Facebook

#06 Identifying Your Transferrable Skills with Erika Ward

Today With Megan Dahle:

If your books are clean but your decisions still feel heavy, this episode is for you.

My guest today, Megan Dahle, is a fractional CFO for creative business owners, and she has a unique way of helping entrepreneurs understand what their numbers are actually telling them without shame, overwhelm, or judgment.

In this conversation, Megan shares her four-part framework for looking at your business numbers in a way that supports better decisions, calmer leadership, and long-term sustainability. We talk about the difference between historical information and future insight, why operational expenses are often misunderstood, and how clarity in how money comes in and moves through your business directly impacts your confidence as a decision-maker.

This is not an accounting lesson. It’s a conversation about understanding patterns, recognizing direction, and leading your business with intention instead of fear.

If you’ve ever thought, “I should feel better about my business than I do,” this episode will help you understand why and what to pay attention to next.

More About Megan Dahle:

As someone who has seen the intimate ups and downs inside hundreds of small businesses, including her own, Megan Dahle (pronounced “Dolly”) has an uncanny ability to spot the invisible habits, processes, and fears that make running a business harder than it needs to be.

From a young age, Megan could “see” numbers inf the form of shapes and colors. Today, she uses that gift to translate confusing spreadsheets and financial statements into visual, intuitive tools that help creative business owners understand what their resources are actually buying, where growth is possible, and what kind of work truly lights them up.

Megan doesn’t tell people what to do. Instead, she helps them uncover their own path by illuminating what’s been unseen and getting brutally but lovingly honest about their relationship with their business. 

With a Master’s degree in accounting and 23 years of experience, Megan has spent the last nine years helping creative founders realize just how smart and capable they already are.

When she’s not working, you’ll likely find her wandering through gardens, playing at the bridge club, or curled up on the couch with a good book.

Connect with Megan Dahle:

Website

Instagram

What’s new with LuAnn Nigara:

Watch the Docuseries!

https://www.luannnigara.com/cob

Register FREE for Prereqs for Success:

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:

In Part Three of the A Well-Designed Business 10-Year Birthday Series, LuAnn moves the story forward into the phase almost no one prepares you for.

The moment when hustle stops being the solution.

Not because the work disappears.
But because the work changes.

By this point, the podcast no longer depended on LuAnn doing everything herself.
It depended on something else entirely.

Stewardship.

In this episode, LuAnn shares what happens when stepping out of the weeds doesn’t mean stepping away, but stepping into a different level of responsibility. A level she had lived through before while growing Window Works, and one she recognized just in time this time around.

You’ll hear how the work shifted from execution to bigger thinking, and why growth at this stage demands more discernment, not more effort.

LuAnn walks through:

What replaces doing when you stop doing everything

Why long-term alignment matters more than enthusiasm

How LuAnn University evolved from great courses into a true business school for creatives

Why speaking engagements, partnerships, and opportunities must earn their yes

How responsibility expands when you’re accountable to communities, not just yourself

The difference between visibility and values

Why some of the hardest no’s look great on paper

And how leadership without ego creates stronger outcomes for everyone involved

This is also the season where decisions began running through a future lens.
Five years. Ten years. Twenty years.

Will this still matter?
Will I still be proud of it?
And what happens when I’m no longer here to run it?

This episode is about the quiet shift from building something exciting to protecting something meaningful.

From growth to guardianship.
From proving to preserving.

If you’ve ever felt the weight of success get heavier instead of lighter, this episode will help you understand why.

And why that weight is not a problem to solve, but a responsibility to lead.

In the next episode, LuAnn will share what came next.
The structures.
The systems.
And the decisions that allowed the business to grow without losing its soul.

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 Sarah Magness

Welcome to today’s episode! We’re really glad to have Sarah Magness, of Magness Design, with us today. Eight years ago, Sarah hatched as a ‘baby designer’ and launched right into the luxury market.

Today she talks to us about the real-life experience she gained during this time, before opening her own firm. She also talks about the “New Heights” program at Marymount that she came to spearhead through her involvement with the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. And today we also have an excellent conversation with Sarah about the best way to talk budget with clients. This is often a really tricky area of business, so listen in to get Sarah’s very straightforward and clear advice.

Magness Design began in 2010 with a focus on residential design. It is located in New York City and its current focus is on the preservation of historic properties, by saving them and making them livable. Their major projects are in New York City, the Hudson Valley area, and on Long Island.

Sarah received her undergraduate degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and her graduate degree in Interior Design from Pratt Institute. She is a House Beautiful “Next Wave” designer and she’s also been featured in Architectural Digest for a very large townhouse project that she saved and renovated. Listen in to find out more.

Show highlights: Working for three or four different design firms is a great way to learn the business aspect of running your own design business.

The different people that Sarah first worked for, to gain real-life experience.

The type of apprenticeship that architecture undergraduates are required to do.

Sarah’s recommendations for getting to work for the best firms, after graduating from school.

New York has a really supportive and talented design community.

Budget is always an issue with clients.

How Sarah approaches budget conversations with her clients.

How to estimate a budget for your client on the spot.

The importance of having really clear communication with your clients.

It is often the clients’ choices that cause a project to go over budget.

Giving the client an itemized list with the cost of each item on it.

How to talk to your client about going over the budget for certain items.

When and how to discuss fees with a high-end client.

The language to use in order to get the best response from clients when dealing with multi-faceted projects.

Sarah discusses the passion-projects that she’s involved with.

Sarah has created a twelve-minute documentary called The

Town Home, about a seven-story

1911 New York townhouse renovation project that she did.

Other episodes mentioned on the show:

Andrew Suvalsky #28 Christie Leu # 182 Dr. Ellen Fisher #71

Links: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter

Reference: Click the ICAA organization link find your local chapter.

Today With LuAnn Nigara:

In Part Two of the A Well-Designed Business® 10-Year Birthday Series, LuAnn picks up where the story left off last week.

The decision to start the podcast had been made.The show had launched.And then something else happened.

It started working.

In this episode, LuAnn shares what it actually looks like when consistency turns into responsibility, and when momentum begins to apply real pressure. Not the kind of pressure that comes from chaos or hustle, but the kind that forces you to grow up as a business owner.

You’ll hear the behind-the-scenes truth about:


Carrying fixed commitments alongside unpredictable work


Why “hard” doesn’t automatically mean “wrong”


The difference between being busy and being purposeful


When standards stop being optional and start protecting trust


Why boundaries must come before systems


And what changes when your work begins to carry weight beyond you

This is the unglamorous middle. The part most people don’t talk about. And the part where many businesses quietly break.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure of growth and wondered if you’re doing it right, this episode will give you clarity, perspective, and a steadier way forward.

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