A designer recently told me that she wasn’t interested in more business; that she had enough business and that she didn’t need to build a list to market to her ideal client. She knew where her ideal client was. Some designers are determined to get in their own way. But here’s what I’d like to remind you.

By now you may have read the article in Architectural Digest’s online edition with the lede “This Is How Much the Average American Spends on a Kitchen Renovation.”

#WOW

I think it’s pretty safe to say that the picture of the renovated kitchen they used to tease the article…

Have you ever considered that your plans, strategies, way-of-getting-things-done are what are holding you back from getting what you want? Wait, what?

You’ve made the decision to go after something. You have a plan. You start to execute said plan and then something goes wrong, very wrong. In fact, it seems like that thing you want is even farther away than when you started.

I arrived home to a box from my publisher. Inside was a bottle of wine and a galley copy–my first–of my branding book Branding + Interior Design. As I’ve said before, this book wasn’t the book I originally started to write but it is the book it was supposed to be. It also represents the culmination of a lot of work, change, growth, and all that I’ve learned in supporting so many clients.

I’ve set fewer goals this year but they mean more and so before resistance starts to get in my way, I’ve decided I’m going to use another tactic. I often speak about baby steps and the idea that when you’re in alignment, change eases in. So that’s what I’m practicing. I’m doing at least one […]

I hear this a lot from interior designers, I need a really strong marketing plan. When I ask, What do you want to achieve with that plan? The responses are usually excited and passionate. I want bigger jobs! I want to get myself out there! I want to be visible! I start by getting specific […]

Although I prefer to lurk in online groups as a rule—unless I run them—I recently saw a thread about a publication I used to love and it’s offer for cheap design services so I found myself chiming in. It started out interesting and potentially educational but like a lot of online talk, a couple of […]

I love award shows and I’m particularly excited about the Oscars this year because I’ve had the opportunity to screen most of the films and also because I’m heading to a party hosted by the Producers Guild. I’m rooting for Whiplash and The Theory of Everything, films that were character-driven, high-stakes emotionally and beautifully acted […]

I move quickly. I think fast. I talk fast and for the most part, I solve problems fast. I’ve always been this way. It’s probably why I was drawn to production. In one of my early Supervising Producer roles in LA, I took over mid-season and had to manage a team of people I didn’t […]

Most of us have learned that it’s not a good idea to burn bridges, because we think of that concept in terms of relationships.  But what if we reframe it in terms of risk?  Burn the bridges that keep you “safe”, that keep you from diving into running your business and your life with all […]