Trade Tales

Kelly Finley set out to create her ideal firm—and then, after bringing that vision to life, realized a large staff and juggling tons of projects wasn’t all she’d hoped it would be. Moving forward, she decided to go back to basics—discovering the projects, clients and charitable pursuits that truly bring her joy. In this episode, she shares how she created a custom database for her firm’s backend, using AI to catch ordering mistakes and why she decided to launch a nonprofit that operates alongside her design firm.

LINKS
Kelly Finley
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, interior designer Erica Vassalotti of Philadelphia-based design firm Bergman Vass answers a question from a designer who wants to make sure she’s maximizing her investment if she’s spending big on photography. Vass jumps in with advice on the value in teaming up with your photographer to strategize about media coverage, how usage rights are akin to art commissions, and why it's important to also represent clients in a photo shoot. 

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

LINKS
Erica Vassalotti
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Molly Torres Portnof keeps her firm’s inner circle small—which means that each person in her orbit, carefully chosen, has an outsize influence on her success. She brings the same intentionality to the clients she works with, thanks to a series of safeguards that ensure it’s always a stellar fit. In this episode, she shares the value of publicity in a changing media landscape, why she sends an investment guide to every prospective client, and the process she swears by to find the most qualified leads.

LINKS
Molly Torres Portnof
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, New York-based interior designer Tina Ramchandani answers a question from a  designer whose firm is attracting plenty of potential clients—just not the ones she wants in her pipeline. Ramchandani jumps in with advice on finding the messaging that authentically conveys your firm’s value, tactics for filtering out unqualified leads, and the annual reset that helps crystallize her ideal client.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

LINKS
Tina Ramchandani
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Erica McLain has been continuously guided by a fierce drive and curiosity—qualities that propelled her to Stanford, the Olympics, and tech companies like Facebook and Google. Now, she’s combining those strengths to blaze a new trail in the design industry, rooted in a measurable, research-backed understanding of environmental psychology and neuroaesthetics. In this episode, she shares the “design potential report” she prepares for prospective clients, her firm’s unique B2B offering, and the toolkit she is developing to analyze a home’s impact on clients. 

This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture.

LINKS
Erica McLain
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home