To-The-Trade with Interior Design Community

• TTT-S2E53-Design Entrepreneurship, Real-World SEO Tactics from Ross Dunn

  On this episode of the To-The-Trade interior design podcast, host Laurie Laizure and co-host Nile Johnson welcome SEO pioneer Ross Dunn for real talk on how search is shifting for the trade. Ross explains why he prefers “answer engine optimization,” and how AI overviews assemble responses by fanning out to multiple queries, which reshapes how content should be planned. Designers should build topical hubs that cover the real questions clients ask, not just pretty pictures.From the website basics, Ross and Laurie highlight common issues on design sites, such as missing service areas, thin project pages, and unlabeled images. They suggest including descriptive copy for each project, using meaningful file names, and adding human-readable alt text that benefits screen readers and search engines.For local SEO, Ross emphasizes hyperlocal proof, such as community sponsorships and charitable ties, that generate authentic mentions and links. Social mentions can be influential, but platforms with restricted access are unreliable signals. Reviews, including video reviews, are powerful tools for building trust in the interior design business.Operational must-dos for the episode include updating WordPress, maintaining 90-day rolling backups, testing contact forms monthly to prevent losing leads, and using Google Search Console since third-party rank reporting is now limited. GA4 should track conversions that represent genuine leads, not vanity metrics. For performance, Ross advises designers to use GTmetrix and emphasizes that speed keeps prospects engaged.He also promotes his new SEO Grok resource and reminds listeners of his long-running SEO 101 podcast for ongoing learning. Designers seeking sustainable visibility should continue publishing case-study style project pages, include genuine words, and build authority gradually.

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• How The Zen Experience Transforms Teacher Lounges with Dara Segbefia

  This episode of the To-The-Trade highlights designer Dara Segbefia, principal of The Zen Experience, whose holistic interiors focus on mental health and wellbeing. Her specialty, transforming teacher lounges and school spaces, began with a project connected to her daughter, Zen, and a principal client. It expanded after teachers said they finally felt seen and respected in a space designed for them.Dara explains how improved staff energy influences students, transforming lounges into hubs that support relaxation, collaboration, and daily functioning, including small but important wins like adding a second microwave and planning for both introverts and extroverts.We also explore the interior design business. Laurie and Dara speak openly about pricing and safeguarding margins, including the idea of a 10 percent admin fee to cover unavoidable project friction, documentation, and supplies, so resentment doesn’t arise when profit diminishes.For client management, Dara shares the systems that keep her grounded, including a morning routine that avoids social media and email, skipping morning meetings, and aligning with clients who respect her boundaries. Community matters too, from designer meetups to accountability voice notes that lighten the load.The episode closes with real-world operations, featuring a project manager who handles logistics and time tracking, allowing Dara to stay in her creative lane. Additionally, a field story is shared that proves why humor is sometimes the only tool left when an installation goes sideways.Dara also shares a future goal: establishing a nonprofit arm to serve schools without budgets, because design dignity should not be dependent on zip code.

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• TTT-S2E51-Design Entrepreneurship, From Corporate AVP to Studio Owner with Rasheeda Gray

  In this To-The-Trade podcast conversation, designer and former corporate marketer Rasheeda Gray explains how she transformed a light-bulb staging moment into a successful studio, Gray Space Interiors. Her home sold in three hours, transforming a long-time hobby into a clear pathway forward in 2016. Rasheeda spent three years building the firm at night while maintaining her day job, then exited corporate in 2019. She openly discusses burning through savings faster than expected and then pushing through the early pandemic to achieve one of her best years. The lesson is simple: perseverance and planning matter. Today, her team operates using systems such as a CRM with automated qualifiers, Design Files for boards and management, and QuickBooks for financial clarity. She monitors cash flow constantly and expects her team to be familiar with the numbers. Her offer ladder maintains steady revenue, with full-service options for larger projects and virtual design for clients with limited budgets. eDesign serves as a profit center that stabilizes cash flow. For client management, Rasheeda uses an intake questionnaire, a 15-minute screening, and will walk away during proposals if fit or process alignment isn’t present. Protecting the business and the team is a priority. Media presence is important but in a targeted way. TV appearances on HGTV, A&E, and Magnolia increased visibility, but local morning news segments are more effective for conversions. She actively pitches and dedicates roughly 20 to 25 percent of her time to marketing. Her parting advice to design professionals is to operate based on strategy. Plan the year and quarter, focus on what you love and delegate the rest, and hold yourself accountable with KPIs to enable course correction. 

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• TTT-S2E50 The Fastest Rep Alive Jason Levy, Fast Answers and Real Support for Designers

  On this episode of the To-The-Trade  podcast, Laurie Laizure and Nile Johnson sit down with Philadelphia-area independent rep and company owner, Jason Levy, who grew up in the trade through a Kravet family franchise and now blends residential and commercial support for designers. He positions himself as a solutionist, a rep who turns twenty conversations into one, sourcing options fast, handling specs, stock, codes, and finishes so designers stay in the profitable part of the project.Speed and availability are Jason’s edge. He answers after hours, which once landed a Saturday emergency call that grew into a career-defining, multi-scope project. He aims to be known as the fastest rep alive, using technology and solid CRM habits to keep designers moving.Jason also meets designers where they are, literally and digitally. Rather than over-visiting during a busy summer, he invested in humorous video content with a pro videographer to connect with emerging designers while staying valuable to seasoned pros, showing new programs like a domestically made, quick-turn machine-tufted rug line.The conversation addresses industry consolidation, the customer experience, and how effective communication, empathy, and product knowledge foster trust. Jason urges representatives to thoroughly research firms and project types, then provide precise, code-smart solutions, whether for hospitality, healthcare, or senior living. Forecasting, he says, starts with watching what firms publish and remembering preferences at the designer level.A heartfelt moment: Jason’s outlook was shaped by his late mother, a beloved rep whose clients became family, and by a hospitality mindset inspired by “unreasonable” service. Takeaways for the business of interior design, client management for designers, and operations, all anchored in getting answers fast and caring deeply.

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• TTT-S2E49 Pulp Design Studios on Strategy, Smart Assets, and Team Culture

  Beth Dotolo and Carolina V. Gentry of Pulp Design Studios explain how they manage a firm across Dallas and Seattle, sharing goals, standardized processes, and similar revenue profiles. Their rule of thumb for hiring is straightforward: when leadership spends too much time on high-value design work, they hire or reassign to ensure the right people handle the right tasks. They prioritize investing in team compensation and career paths to maintain their culture and output.Their main theme is building wealth beyond just fees. Instead of spending on flashy things, Pulp invests surplus funds into assets, like purchasing their Dallas building and a Palm Springs property they renovated into an Airbnb. The focus is on long-term stability, not quick fame. The showhouse segment also provides a creative perspective, where constraints led to memorable design features, such as a secret door and a moody lounge, which generated industry buzz and new business.Decision-making is structured. Beth tends to approve, Carolina assesses feasibility, and both rely on documented five- to fifteen-year plans with a strategist. Operationally, the team is comfortable working remotely, using cloud-based systems and simple communication tools so both offices can support each other during workload spikes. The episode offers interior designer tips on partnership, pricing strategy, resource planning, and marketing through action, not just posting.

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