Creative Genius Podcast Por arte de portada

Creative Genius Podcast

De: Gail Doby & Erin Weir
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  • Resumen

  • Gail Doby and Erin Weir interview influential people in the interior design industry, business, and entrepreneurs
    © All Rights Reserved - Pearl Collective
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Episodios
  • Expect the Unexpected (Philip Allen)

    Expect the Unexpected (Philip Allen)
    Jun 4 2024
    Who cares if your business fails? Hopefully, you do. But are you paying attention to what’s going on in your business, especially on the financial and operations management side? That’s where many small businesses fail. Often it’s the unexpected calamity that can undo a business. You need to put safeguards in place and keep a close eye on your cash flow and reserves. Because nobody really cares if your business succeeds but you. In this episode, Gail talks with Philip Allen, chief operations officer for Lisa Kahn Designs in Naples, Florida. Philip, who is also Lisa’s husband, joined the firm in 2011 after a number of years in the construction industry. At first, he performed a variety of tasks and roles. Eventually, he settled into the position of COO, introducing more formal financial and cash management policies and processes to the firm. His job, he says, is to help achieve Lisa’s vision. The nature of the design business is that the workflow tends to be either feast or famine, said Philip. His first goal as COO was to try to stabilize the work and cash flows in order to level out the peaks and valleys as much as possible. He established metrics such as the number of projects on the board and in the pipeline and the number of total square feet under contract at any given time. With those readings he can then go to the design team and say "we need to step things up a bit" or "we need to dial things back a bit to maintain a more even demand on the team and the financials". Philip stressed the importance for business owners to stay on top of the financial condition of their business at all times. “You need to look at the numbers, and you need to understand what they mean,” he said. “If you’re not looking at your business’s financial health, there’s nobody else who will.” Philip acknowledged that many creatives have an aversion to financial statements and that they claim they can’t make any sense of them. The reality, though, he said, is that anyone and everyone can learn to understand the financials. It’s simply a matter of learning to think differently and not being afraid to ask questions. “The biggest obstacle for creatives to understanding financial concepts is shame,” he said. As examples, Philip recounted a couple of instances when Lisa’s firm got into serious financial trouble from wholly unexpected situations. Better financial and operational oversight might have mitigated, if not completely prevented, the impact of those events on the business. In addition, Philip shared some thoughts on what a couple should consider before going into business together and his advice for design business owners. For all that and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, read the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s9e8-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast For more information about Philip, Lisa and her sanctuary approach to design, visit the firm’s website at www.lisakahndesigns.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYqVMWVud7k
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  • When Spouses are Business Partners (Karen Wolf & Matt Brown)

    When Spouses are Business Partners (Karen Wolf & Matt Brown)
    May 28 2024
    With two working spouses, finding a career-marriage balance can be difficult. When taking on a business partner, negotiating work styles and roles can be tough. So when spouses decide to go into business together, one might expect the challenges could be exponentially greater. Some couples, though, find a way to make it work. Some even find it rewarding. In this episode, Gail talks with Karen B. Wolf and Matt Brown of K+CO Living interior design, based in Short Hills, New Jersey. Karen is the owner and creative principal. Matt is the chief operations officer. They also are wife and husband. Karen recently rebranded her firm from KBW Interiors to take her name out of the firm’s name and position the firm as a modern coastal look leader. Having decided to leave his business in the food industry after more than 20 years, Matt joined the firm to provide much-needed managerial support and free up more of Karen’s time to do what she does best—create. Gail asked Karen and Matt what sorts of issues they had to consider when deciding to go into a business partnership together. On the plus side, said Karen, their personalities and skill sets are uniquely different and complementary. At the same time, they share the same common values and their personalities are compatible. Also, they have clearly defined roles in the business, so they don’t compete with one another. The COO role is to support the CEO and their vision, explained Matt. His job is to take care of the back office and let the designers do what they do best. He has no facility for design, he said, and stays out of that side of the business. On the other hand, he has more than 30 years’ operations management experience and knows that Karen trusts his expertise and judgment in those matters. As partners and a married couple, it’s important that they maintain a united front when interacting with the rest of the team, said Karen. “We need to be on the same page and avoid having disagreements in front of the staff,” said Matt. Karen added that they also have to be careful about how much personal information they share in the workplace. They are partners at work and spouses at home. Karen also talked about some of the challenges she’s had to overcome in building her firm into a multimillion-dollar business and about her future plans for the business. For that and more insights into what makes for a successful couple-partner relationship, listen to the entire podcast. Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Karen, Matt and K+CO Living, visit the firm’s website at kandcoliving.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWPKzIqryFc
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  • Nurturing Productive Partnerships (Christi Barbour)

    Nurturing Productive Partnerships (Christi Barbour)
    May 21 2024
    Business partnerships have something of a bad reputation. And not without good reason. An estimated 70 percent of all business partnerships eventually fail. On average, partnerships last no more than eight years. A majority last five years or less. However, with the right formula and constant care, partnerships can survive and thrive for many years. In this episode, Gail talks with Christi Barbour, founder and partner, Barbour Spangle Design in High Point, North Carolina, which specializes in both residential and commercial design. Christi and her partner Christi Spangle started their design firm 24 years ago and are still going strong. Over the years they’ve learned how to draw on and complement each other’s strengths to drive and grow their highly successful business. Christi told Gail that in the beginning she and Christi both tried to do everything. But in time they realized that they each were good at very different things. They shifted their approach to focusing on their respective strengths, which proved to be a more effective way to run the business. The one area in which they constantly coincide is their values. “You have to know your values align,” said Christi. That applies to the members of their team as well. When everyone believes in and shares the same values, then you can work together to achieve common goals, she said. “You have to treat it like a marriage,” said Christi. Partners have to have a high level of respect for one another. You need to know how you complement one another, where your respective strengths are, and how you can support one another. Moreover, you need to truly care about each other’s welfare, be willing to take the bad with good, and be compassionate. Christi also talked about some of the things she’s learned along the way that have contributed to the business’s success. “Initially, I didn’t listen to my gut,” she said. “When I started listening to my gut, there was a shift.” In addition, she mentioned learning to have hard conversations for the greater good and surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you and share your values. Gail and Christi touched on a number of other topics during their conversation. They include how she has created an award-winning workplace culture, her role in the firm, her future plans for the firm, and her charitable activities. For all that and more, listen to the entire podcast. If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, read the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s9e6-shownotes Mentioned in This Podcast To learn more about Christi and her work, go to the firm’s website at www.barbourspangle.com. Christi mentioned a book Gail had recommended to her, Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters. It is widely available through online booksellers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO6Db0mz1j0
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    29 m
Liderazgo Economía
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