So you know the supply chain issue is THAT bad when you go into IKEA and the shelves are empty. I made that mistake a couple of months ago and a client of mine made that mistake earlier this week. Shelves and parking lots that are usually packed are ghost towns and people wander aimlessly […]

The Productive Designer host Crystal Collinson chats with the author, award-winning Producer and Strategist, Kim Kuhteubl. Kim founded MeByDesign, an idea boutique for the home industry a decade ago. She has worked with design entrepreneurs in the United States, Europe, and Canada. Her clients have been featured in publications like Architectural Digest, New York Times, Elle Decor, House […]

SAID PODCAST interview, Kim Kuhteubl: SHE WHO COACHES LEADERS In this episode, Kim talks about the kind of client she attracts, how getting clear on one’s message lets everything else fall into place and the intangible value of care that designers bring to their clients. Listen Now

A Well-Designed Business Podcast Interview KIM KUHTEUBL: understand the value of your creativity and how to find your true tribe Listen Now

Design Tribe Podcast interview: Grow Your Design Business w/ The Visibility Strategy by Kim Kuhteubl In this episode of the Design Tribe, Lauren speaks to Kim Kuhteubl – she is an author and coach who works with designers on creating better business strategies on an emotional and strategic level. LISTEN NOW

I’ve been thinking a lot about nature versus nurture and how so many creatives, women, in particular, weren’t given permission or time to celebrate and develop their creative gifts. Aren’t you happy to live in a moment when you can not only express yours but earn your livelihood from them?I don’t take for granted the […]

How is 2022 treating you so far? My son and I had Covid just after the holiday. The blessing in that — yes I said blessing — was that it gave me additional time to consider my vision for the months ahead. Nothing like being sick to remind you that you’re not as in charge […]

In my work with designers, I’ve seen all sorts of tangled beliefs when it comes to money.

Designers who are so worried about the “tax man” that they stop themselves from earning more.

Designers who are so afraid to ask for the client’s budget—everybody has a number—that they cheat themselves out of appropriate fees.

Designers who know they need help, that getting help will bring results but who are afraid to commit to the investment in getting help for themselves and their business because it’s expensive. So they end up spending infinitely more time and even more money, ultimately earning less.

In studies of people isolated in submarines, space stations or polar bunkers in Antarctica, researchers have found there appears to be a point where the frustration of being cooped up inside suddenly gets harder to bear.

You may remember the first phase which started with panic, then buying and confusion. Then we rolled quickly into the second phase, a kind of “honeymoon period”, when it felt fun and different to stay at home.

But now depending on what day you’re on, and how you’ve been navigating all of this, many are entering the third phase. In psychological studies of extreme confinement and isolation, this phase is known as the ‘third-quarter phenomenon’. The phenomenon was first described in the early 1980s and came from a body of research around how long humans could survive in space.

I always find it curious when designers get excited about how little they spend on marketing, or the ones who boast that they spend nothing at all.
 
Usually these are the same designers who are confused when potential clients want to a spend a little on their design fees. If you listened to my recent podcast episode on money, you get that’s because energetically they’re a perfect match.