Prioritizing, managing the alligators closest to the boat, and effective communication are critical to managing your business and your team (if you have one!). When you are redesigning a home for a remodel and NOT starting from scratch--we can't simply start over completely but must work within constraints, similar to how we must manage our time. Understanding the value of our time can lead to better decision-making and business efficiency. We all have the same 24 hours in a day--we must be utilizing them in a way that benefits us AND our clients!

Click here to listen to our EXCLUSIVE podcast.

3 ways to join us on this journey. No need to wait. There is a price point for everyone!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Small Business - Think Big - Facebook

Led by interior Design Business coach, Cheryl Clendenon, please join the free Facebook group Small Business Think Big --for designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

The legal aspects of a business are super important to me as a business owner. We will always face project delays, especially in the last couple years, and we must be thinking about how we can protect ourselves. In my world, clients have to recognize the delays in executing are unrelated to our performance and we must get new bids/pricing or get the job up and running again after potential delays, and most importantly keep the client on the books despite pricing increases or the workload capacity being impacted.

This week we are chatting with Attorney at Law, Wendy Estela who has an interest in working with Interior Designers with 25 years of in-house law firm experience. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Minors in Communications and International Studies from Boston College. She speaks Spanish. She received her law degree and LL.M. in Environmental Law from Pace University School of Law in New York and an LL.M. in Insurance Law from University of Connecticut School of Law.

She partners with small and medium-sized businesses, many of which are owned by minorities, women, and veterans and has worked with A list designers. AD 100 designers and just the regular folks like the rest of us too! Wendy is a frequent speaker on a range of topics, including contract negotiations and issues impacting the interior design industry.

Join us as we chat with Wendy about how to protect our businesses!

Want to hear more podcasts that are too juicy for public ears?

Click here to sign up for our private podcast!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Small Business - Think Big - Facebook

Led by interior Design Business coach, Cheryl Clendenon, please join the free Facebook group Small Business Think Big --for designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Have you ever stopped to think where your time is spent vs your energy output? The truth is we could be sabotaging ourselves and our capacity to work if we are not managing our energy. We all have relentless demands and unexpected challenges we deal with on the daily and we all tend to slip into negative emotions—the fight-or-flight mode—often multiple times in a day. We must take little and simple steps to recharge to recognize the costs of energy-depleting behavior and actions and then take responsibility for changing them, regardless of the circumstances or excuses. Our energy is what propels us forward to utilize time in the best possible manner.

Click here to listen to our EXCLUSIVE podcast on "The Ultimate Win Win"

3 ways to join us on this journey. No need to wait. There is a price point for everyone!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Not ready for the full program? Check out our stand alone section Client Management and Processes!

Where we will be perfecting all of the details of EVERY PROCESS in your playbook with my 100 steps up the mountain and our entire process workflow; including the important client interactions before they become clients! Then we will hone in on the win-win of expert client management after they have signed the contract!

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Small Business - Think Big - Facebook

Led by interior Design Business coach, Cheryl Clendenon, please join the free Facebook group Small Business Think Big --for designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Cheryl is passionate about what she does and loves seeing other small business owners and creative entrepreneurs succeed. We often get to hear success stories and want to be able to share this with others while also focusing on the unique market, business and experience other designers have around the country. This week we are starting a "DESIGNER FEATURE" series where once a month we will introduce you to designers Cheryl has met and coached in the last six years.

Michele Doyle and Jay Volz, designer and architect, created a partnership and business called Bluefoot Architecture & Design three years ago. Listen as we discuss their unique and savvy business structure, why and how they formed this partnership and what obstacles they have had to overcome.

Want to hear more podcasts that are too juicy for public ears?

Click here to sign up for our private podcast!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Not ready for the full program? Check out our stand alone section Client Management and Processes!

Where we will be perfecting all of the details of EVERY PROCESS in your playbook with my 100 steps up the mountain and our entire process workflow; including the important client interactions before they become clients! Then we will hone in on the win-win of expert client management after they have signed the contract!

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Small Business - Think Big - Facebook

Led by interior Design Business coach, Cheryl Clendenon, please join the free Facebook group Small Business Think Big --for designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

We are hitting a hot button this week and it is definitely too juicy for public consumption. Charging hourly is dead - yes, we said it. We are seeing too many coaches out there appealing to the low hanging fruit, NOT BELIEVING IN YOU or thinking you can handle flat fee pricing. We are here to tell you, you can! We are here to help you shift your mindset, helping you believe in your business model so your clients will also. We want to make you a better business owner and this is your first step in doing so!

Click here to listen to our EXCLUSIVE podcast on "The Ultimate Win Win"

3 ways to join us on this journey. No need to wait. There is a price point for everyone!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Not ready for the full program? Check out our stand alone section Client Management and Processes!

Where we will be perfecting all of the details of EVERY PROCESS in your playbook with my 100 steps up the mountain and our entire process workflow; including the important client interactions before they become clients! Then we will hone in on the win-win of expert client management after they have signed the contract!

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Small Business - Think Big - Facebook

Led by interior Design Business coach, Cheryl Clendenon, please join the free Facebook group Small Business Think Big --for designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

We're trying something new this week and Cheryl is in the hot seat while Liz interviews her about her process for initial consultations, also known as "The Cheryl Show." Cheryl goal is simply to get to know the potential clients and see if her firm can help them. She doesn't worry about being overly prepared for these meetings because they are organic--this is IMPORTANT! You must find the balance between being the designer that discusses the process, emphasizes the need to establish oneself as an expert AND build a relationship with the client. You must use the initial consultation as an opportunity to listen and understand the client's needs.

Want to hear more podcasts that are too juicy for public ears?

Click here to sign up for our private podcast!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Not ready for the full program? Check out our stand alone section Client Management and Processes!

Where we will be perfecting all of the details of EVERY PROCESS in your playbook with my 100 steps up the mountain and our entire process workflow; including the important client interactions before they become clients! Then we will hone in on the win-win of expert client management after they have signed the contract!

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Small Business - Think Big - Facebook

Led by interior Design Business coach, Cheryl Clendenon, please join the free Facebook group Small Business Think Big --for designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

In this episode, we discuss the significance of project pricing and minimum spend requirements for achieving profitability in your design firm. But what exactly do these terms mean, and how can you integrate them into your design business? Today, they will discuss the strategy of implementing this business model and explain why this can be a major win/win for both you–and your clients if you are going about it with intention.

Click here to listen to our EXCLUSIVE podcast on "The Ultimate Win Win"

3 ways to join us on this journey. No need to wait. There is a price point for everyone!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Join our free Facebook group - Small Business Think Big and get to know Cheryl better!

Are your clients dragging their feet, hemming and hawing after the presentation and maybe even ghosting you--what do you do? In this episode we discuss five considerations when a client is not making decisions and how to handle them. Designers need to ask themselves certain questions to help determine exactly where the problem lies and if the indecision rooted in something deeper than uncertainty. There may be more than meets the eye and it is up to us, as the expert, to come up with a solution rather than blaming a client's indecision.

Want to hear more podcasts that are too juicy for public ears?

Click here to sign up for our private podcast!

The Design Paradigm is a 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room. It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

Damn Good Designer - Website

Business coaching for interior designers with honest, real-deal guidance from Cheryl.

Small Business - Think Big - Facebook

Led by interior Design Business coach, Cheryl Clendenon, please join the free Facebook group Small Business Think Big --for designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.