86 episodes
Season 4 Ep 82: Trade Secrets & Hard Truths - Cheryl & Jamie Young talk about the state of the industry
13/10/2026 | 1h 22 mins.Some designers have vendors who will bend over backward to help them. Others can't seem to get anyone to return their calls. And there may be a very good reason for that!
Cheryl sits down with Jamie Young, founder of Jamie Young Company, to get the OTHER side of the designer-vendor relationship. In this episode they discuss damaged goods, shipping headaches, unrealistic expectations, and why Cheryl has a few things to say about designers who take their vendor complaints straight to social media.
Jamie shares what happens behind the scenes when designers place orders, what vendors wish designers understood, and why the way you handle problems can determine how willing a vendor is to go the extra mile for you.
Because the relationships you build with your vendors have a direct impact on your clients, your reputation, and your bottom line. Plus you don't want to miss Jamie's insights for their upcoming furniture launch and what she's learned about designing products with the trade in mind.
About Jamie Young:
Raised in Los Angeles by an artist and entrepreneur, Jamie was drawn to design aesthetics from a young age. A unique home and an out of the box perspective molded the person she is today. Growing up in the heart of the entertainment industry during the 70’s and 80’s Jamie was surrounded by a colorful cast of eccentric characters; professional writers, painters, athletes, actors, and creative business minded mentors—inspiration was around every corner.
After high school, she continued her studies at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She and her now husband, David Jeter, also an artist, attended San Francisco College of Art focusing on painting and sculpture with a deep knowledge of art history, met in 1992. Jamie’s superpower was the ability to understand design and fashion in the home space and bring to market an elegant and bohemian perspective unique to her upbringing. David’s deep knowledge of art and world history coupled with brilliant and fresh designs completed the package. Together, with a love of connecting to communities near and far, they founded Jamie Young Company in 1997 to fill a void in the world of home furnishing
For over 27 years, the husband-and-wife team of David Jeter and Jamie Young Jeter have worked together as the Jamie Young Co., using their love of art, architecture, and adventure to craft approachable, design- driven pieces. From coast to coast, and around the world, the duo is inspired by their global travels as well the comfortable and covetable designs from their home in Southern California. Jamie Young Co. brings casual elegance and quiet luxury to home design.
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RESOURCE LINKS:
Damn Good Workshops - Website
These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.
Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website
The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.
The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching
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ABOUT US:
Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.
***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***- Burnout in a design business can have very little to do with the number of hours you work. Cheryl digs into what happens when every decision, client issue, contractor problem and team question eventually finds its way back to the owner. You can delegate tasks, hire employees and reduce your project load and still be the person carrying all of the judgment and responsibility.
In this episode, Cheryl looks at how designers make themselves indispensable without realizing it, why being needed can feel a lot like being successful, and what happens when you build a business that still requires you for everything.
Have a question--click here to ask us.
Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review
RESOURCE LINKS:
Damn Good Workshops - Website
View our upcoming workshops!
These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.
Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.
Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website
The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.
The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching
Join our FREE Facebook Groups
Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
Subscribe to our newsletter
ABOUT US:
Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.
***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.*** - Your client already has a general contractor, so why do they need you?
Cheryl digs into one of the biggest misconceptions about a designer’s role in a renovation and why waiting until it’s time to choose finishes is already too late. From layouts and electrical plans to the hundreds of decisions that affect everything that comes next, the real value of a designer starts long before the pretty stuff. If you’re still selling your value through selections, it may be time to rethink what you’re actually selling.
Have a question--click here to ask us.
Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review
RESOURCE LINKS:
Damn Good Workshops - Website
View our upcoming workshops!
These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.
Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.
Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website
The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.
The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching
Join our FREE Facebook Groups
Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
Subscribe to our newsletter
ABOUT US:
Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.
***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.*** - Should your designers earn a commission, bonus, or a share of the profit?
In this Asked & Answered episode, Cheryl breaks down how to build an incentive plan that rewards the behavior you actually want inside your firm. She explains why bonuses should be based on profit instead of total sales, how participation should affect the percentage, and why a simple system helps team members think more like owners. Because revenue may look impressive, but profit is what stays in the bank.
Have a question--click here to ask us.
Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review
RESOURCE LINKS:
Damn Good Workshops - Website
View our upcoming workshops!
These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.
Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.
Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website
The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.
The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching
Join our FREE Facebook Groups
Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
Subscribe to our newsletter
ABOUT US:
Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.
***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.*** - Cheryl has spent 25 years building systems around the way her design firm actually works. So what happens when AI suddenly gives her the ability to build the software around those systems, too?
In this episode, Cheryl shares what happened when one irritating business problem turned into building her own app through “vibe coding,” what she’s learned along the way, and why knowing your processes matters more than knowing how to code. AI can help you build almost anything, but it will also happily automate a bad process.
Have a question--click here to ask us.
Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review
RESOURCE LINKS:
Damn Good Workshops - Website
View our upcoming workshops!
These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.
Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.
Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website
The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.
The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program
The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching
Join our FREE Facebook Groups
Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
Subscribe to our newsletter
ABOUT US:
Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.
***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***
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About Damn Good Interior Designer
Join Cheryl Kees Clendenon balancing all the moving parts of a full service interior design firm in her no-nonsense and thought-provoking podcast, the Damn Good Designer.
Each episode is full of damn good truths and real talk as she shares invaluable insights on how to run and build a successful business while challenging the norms, the industry, her team and YOU. Emphasizing a business-savvy approach, Cheryl takes you on a roller coaster of discovery, considering success from a different lens, breaking free from groupthink, and encouraging you to embrace your own authentic designer self. There is not much she will not say “out loud”.
In this podcast, you'll find no room for conformity as she shatters the mold of one-size-fits-all business practices. Cheryl's fearless attitude showcases a refusal to follow the conventional wisdom, ask “why” repeatedly and reject what no longer makes sense in today’s world.
If you're seeking a dose of inspiration, a splash of unconventional wisdom, and a refreshing perspective on the entrepreneurial world, the Damn Good Designer is your go-to podcast. Tune in and let Cheryl, along with their expert guests in the fields of designers, architects, landscapers, and other creative professionals, guide you toward building a remarkable business that defies norms and sets you on a path to unparalleled success."Get ready to challenge the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary!
About the host:
Cheryl Kees Clendenon-
2021 KBB Person of the year
2022 Design Studio winner Dallas Arts Awards
2021 Changemaker Design Hounds
200 or so years ago a child came roaring into the world feet first ready to show up and argue a cause. Just because. Her mother still maintains the story is- she was screaming-“why”- from the minute she landed wrong side up and slapped the doctor for disturbing her afternoon nap
And to this day does not give “it” a rest except when she is sleeping. Which is where you will find her only between the hours of 2am and 7:30am. A belligerent non-smoker (in case you were wondering) and a frequent challenger of anything that resembles “normal” or desired by the masses, Cheryl is a natural born contrarian who talks faster than 2x speed on a podcast
She gravitates towards wanting to help clients and designers who are the square pegs in a world of round holes, lose earrings impossibly frequently, fall off of platform shoes and are unapologetically saucy. Relaxing is not in the skill set. Life begins and ends with family.
Her sacred words are: Why, Percipient, Whizbang and Profit.
But please do not say the words: Package, Blocks, Red Flag, Overwhelm or Picked. Hives break out and it gets ugly.
RESOURCES:
www.damngooddesigner.com
https://www.theinteriordesignparadigm.com/
Want to be a guest? Apply here: https://forms.clickup.com/8404193/f/80f71-613517/PFK3QDSALZ30VONMTP
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