Episodes

Many designers have a hard time thinking of themselves as businesspeople. Often, the business is an afterthought, something they need to do in order to create, which is their real passion. But businesses need to be tended to, especially if your goal is to make enough money to support the life you want for yourself. Taking charge of your business can make all the difference. In today’s podcast Gail and Erin talk with Kim Raymond, owner and principal architect of Kim Raymond Architects & Interior...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the interior design industry, and that includes High Point Market. This year, Spring Market, usually held in April, is moving to early June. It won’t be quite the same as the Market you’re used to but more open than Fall Market was last October. Here’s what you need to know to make the best use of your time at Spring Market. In today’s podcast Gail interviews Tom Conley, president and CEO of High Point Market Authority (HPMA), a position he has...

Every designer is unique, but all design businesses face similar challenges and follow similar growth trajectories. You can overcome those challenges more quickly by learning from those who have surmounted them before you. By doing so, you could double your net profit in short order. In today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk about the upcoming release of Gail’s new book, Business Breakthrough, in early April. Drawing on Gail’s years of experience helping hundreds of designers to achieve greater bu...

Running a business without a plan is like taking a trip without an itinerary or a map. How do know where you’re going or when you’ve arrived? More than that, making a plan sets in motion the energies that will bring about the future you’ve planned for. In today’s podcast Gail and Erin share some observations and insights from their firm’s recent annual planning sessions. They recently spent three days with their leadership team developing a multi-phased plan comprised of a 10-year plan, a 3-yea...

What separates business owners from entrepreneurs is how they think about the business. Business owners focus on operations. Entrepreneurs focus on realizing a vision. If you dream of running a $1 million-plus business, you may need to adjust your mindset. In today’s podcast, Gail Doby interviews Scott Oldford, one of the world’s top business coaches and advisors, author, and creator of the ROI Online Marketing and Sales Method and the 6 Pillars Framework. A born entrepreneur, Scott achieved hi...

The path to a better future begins with being able to see yourself as more accomplished, more successful. When you open yourself up to possibilities and allow yourself to embrace a larger vision, you start to identify the steps you need to take to get you there. In today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk with multi-award-winning designer Lisa Gielincki, principal at Lisa Gielincki Interior Design in Jacksonville, Florida, offering both residential and commercial interior design services. A long-tim...

Growing a business involves risk. That can be scary. Sometimes we can see where we want to be but are uncertain whether we can get there. A coach can be a motivator and a bridge to help you take that next step. In today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk with Karen Wolf, creative principal and owner of KBW Interiors in Millburn, New Jersey. In addition to designing amazing homes for her clients and developing products for celebrities, Karen is a much-sought-after trends thought leader and forecaster...

If you had to choose just one thing in your business that, if you fixed it, would make it hugely successful, what would that be? Not sure? Then you’ll want to listen to what our guest has to say. In today’s podcast, Gail talks with Mike Michalowicz, entrepreneur, advisor, and business author. Having built and sold four multi-million dollar companies, Mike decided to devote his time to helping other entrepreneurs succeed. His best-selling books include Profit First, Clock Work, The Pumpkin Plan,...

Most interior designers start a firm because they have a passion for design, not because they have a passion for running an interior design business. In fact, some would prefer not to have anything to do with the business side of their business. Even if you think you don’t have a mind or taste for business, you can learn to love it. When that happens, see how fast and how much it can grow. In today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk with Matthew Tirschwell, founder of Tirschwell & Co., Inc., Archite...

Does your interior design business seem stuck in a rut? Are you dissatisfied with the amount you’re earning for the number of hours you’re working? Then it’s time to get the help you need to turn your business around. In today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk with Amy Leferink, owner and principal designer with Interior Impressions in Woodbury, Minnesota. Some years ago Amy signed up for a VIP Experience with Gail and has been a regular client ever since. She is a member of the Gail Doby Coaching ...

Overcoming adversity and rising to the top through strength of character and will is the stuff of fairy tales. Such stories are always inspiring, even more so when the hero is a fellow interior designer who sees himself as having a lot in common with Cinderella. In today’s podcast Gail interviews nationally acclaimed interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins, founder of Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates, with studios in Detroit and New York City. Corey is an inducted member of Architectural Digest’s...

What is value? And how do you offer more value to clients? It may surprise you to learn that the answer is not by being good a what you do. On today’s podcast, Gail and Erin talk with Bob Burg, consultant, presenter, and author of a number of books on sales, marketing, and influence. He is perhaps best known as the co-author of the best-selling The Go-Giver and other Go-Giver books, and as host of The Go-Giver podcast. The essential premise of the Go-Giver philosophy is that shifting one’s foc...

Were you not able to attend Fall Market 2020 at High Point? Neither were Gail and Erin, but they know some designers who did. Here’s your chance to find out what you missed. In today’s episode, Gail and Erin take a back seat as a select panel of designers relate their experiences at this year’s revamped Fall Market, sharing insights, trends and favorite products. This discussion was recorded from a post-show “Masters of Market” event live-streamed at an earlier date. Featured Panelists (in ord...

What is the future you want for yourself and your business? When you think ahead three, five, or ten years, where do you want to be and who is the person you want to be? How will you get there? In today’s episode, Gail and Erin talk with organizational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Hardy, creator of the Future Self Program, author of Personality Is Not Permanent and Willpower Doesn’t Work, and a regular contributor to Inc. and Psychology Today. Dr. Hardy’s blogs have been read by over 100 million p...

A natural progression for many new businesses is to add staff bit by bit as you have a need for more help or new expertise. A downside is that you can end up with the team you have instead of the team you want. There is a better way. In today’s episode, Gail and Erin talk with Lisa Kahn, lead designer and CEO of Lisa Kahn Designs in Naples, Florida, who specializes in creating peaceful, nurturing sanctuary spaces that harmonize the built environment, the natural world, and the human spirit. In...

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery. — Mr. Micawber in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield By some estimates, 50 percent of all small businesses fail within the first year, and fewer than 1 in 10 is likely to survive 10 years. Why? A major reason is that they fail to earn a profit. Small Business Trends reports only 40 percent of U.S. small businesses a...

How do you scale a new business up quickly? How do you find the people you need to make your business grow and succeed? What do you do if things start to go wrong? In this episode, Gail and Erin talk with designer extraordinaire Garrison Hullinger, founder and principal designer of Studio Garrison in Portland, Oregon, specializing in residential, commercial, and hospitality design. In this episode, Gail, Erin, and Garrison discuss the following advice: Focus on the service that you can delive...

Uncertain times call for strong leadership. But how can you lead when you can’t see where you’re going? With courage, grit, and grace. In this episode, Gail and Erin discuss: How do you show up every day as a leader and keep your team inspired? Choose to make a different decision. Don’t depend on what’s always worked in the past. Allow for your creative process to evolve. Do things differently. Look for how and where you can improve. When news of the coronavirus outbreak in China made headl...

When teams click, they can achieve amazing results. But facilitating team dynamics can be challenging. Employing techniques used by improvisational performers can help ensure everyone on the team has a voice, is heard and is part of the final decision or solution. In this episode, Gail and Erin talk with Joshua Kirk, owner and co-founder of Improv Leap, which provides improvisational experiences and workshops for businesses, schools, and community and religious groups to help individuals and te...

Wouldn’t it be great to have a crystal ball so you could see into the future of your business? While there is no such crystal ball, there are things you can do to prepare for what the future may bring and to navigate your business through difficult times. Gail and Erin offer three pieces of advice on how to get through a crisis: Have Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). The faster you make decisions, the better it’s going to be. Focus on doing some major thinking and make some big moves in you...

Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast with your hosts Gail Doby and Erin Weir, co-founders of Pearl Collective, a creative consultancy for interior designers. In their own honest musings and in their open conversations with industry leaders, experts, authors, and influencers, they share how they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. Anyone can innovate, but not everyone has what it takes to be an innovator. How about you? Can you pass the UFO...

Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast with your hosts Gail Doby and Erin Weir, co-founders of Pearl Collective, a creative consultancy for interior designers. In their own honest musings and in their open conversations with industry leaders, experts, authors, and influencers, they share how they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. What does it take to be a design superstar? In today’s episode, Gail and Erin talk with multi-award-winning des...

Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast with your hosts Gail Doby and Erin Weir, co-founders of Pearl Collective, a creative consultancy for interior designers. In their own honest musings and in their open conversations with industry leaders, experts, authors, and influencers, they share how they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way. Every business is a journey. You never know where it might lead you or what you might encounter along the way. ...