Trade Tales

Hema Persad’s experience as an A-list stylist taught her what the one percent is looking for in the design process—and helped her build a firm that’s structured to meet those needs, while also complementing her decisive approach to leadership. Elsewhere in the episode, she shares how managing a team shifted her perspective on business growth, why she’s been a fast adopter of AI tools, and what to expect from celebrity clients.

This episode was sponsored by Dallas Market Center and Kohler.

LINKS
Hema Persad
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Los Angeles–based Christine Vroom answers a question from a fellow designer with a question about a project pipeline gone wrong. Vroom jumps in with advice on the importance of taking inventory of the hypothetical situations that could impact a design business, why her firm implements a “restart fee” for clients who need to push pause, and how to mentally prepare for the ebb and flow characteristic of a designer’s workload.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands and Crypton.

LINKS
Christine Vroom
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Hanna Li has created an infrastructure and recruited a team that allows her to thrive as creative director of her firm. From that vantage point, the Los Angeles–based designer is able to think big about topics like sustainability and longevity, and examine what it takes to embed them into the fabric of each project. Elsewhere in the episode, she shares how she’s measuring the carbon footprint of every project, why she produced short films about her firm’s work, and the reason every role she hires for comes with a five-year plan.

LINKS
Hanna Li

Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Melissa Oholendt of Minnesota- and Colorado-based firm Oho Interiors answers a question from a designer who is currently interviewing candidates for her firm’s first full-time position. Oholendt jumps in with advice on how to reveal a candidate’s true ambitions, evaluating skillset through a key question and knowing when to call for backup. 

LINKS
Oho Interiors
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands and Crypton.

Elizabeth Bennett and Mallory Robins found their better business half in each other—one favoring function, and the other taking the lead on form. In this episode, they share why they no longer use a client questionnaire, how they maintain a single brand voice at every touchpoint, and why a willingness to go all-in is their new criteria for incoming projects. 

LINKS
Jess Ebert
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home