Trade Tales

Laura Lubin’s firm has grown to encompass construction services and a retail operation, on top of her interior design offerings. She credits much of that success to her ability to sell a vision to clients—to cut through the noise, understand the transformation they’re looking for, and then explain exactly what her firm is capable of and how she’s going to deliver it. In this episode, she shares how hiring a director of design transformed her firm, why she launched a construction arm to deliver a luxury service and how sales can be a tool to teach clients to have confidence in the design process.

This episode was sponsored by Dallas Market Center and Vanguard.

LINKS
Laura Lubin
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Zuni Madera answers a question from a designer who is looking for a road map to understanding the art sourcing process. Madera, a partner at New York–based firm MC Interiors, offers advice on setting a room-by-room budget from a project’s outset, where a consultant can help with price education, and how to gauge a client’s desire for art discovery.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.
LINKS
Zuni Madera
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Hattie Sparks Collins found herself in a situation every new business owner dreams of: a period of rapid growth almost immediately after launching her firm. As she scaled up, however, she felt herself losing control of the firm’s processes—and even worse, her project standards. She decided it was time to strip back to the basics, rebuilding with a focus on sustainable growth. What emerged was a firm that not only had real staying power, but reflected her vision for what a creative business should be.. In this episode, she shares the value in hiring for help with procurement, the systems’ approach that accelerated her firm’s growth, and raising her project standards to invest in her firm’s future.

This episode was sponsored by Vanguard Furniture and Dallas Market Center.

LINKS
Hattie Sparks Collins
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In a live edition of the show—recorded at the Four Hands flagship in Austin, Texas—designers Evan Millard, Melissa Oholendt and Audrey Scheck share advice on attracting more qualified leads, investing in photography, understanding profit margins and more. At the end, they fielded live questions from the audience on topics ranging from color trends to tech stacks.
This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.
LINKS
Evan Millard
Melissa Oholendt
Audrey Scheck
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Jay Jeffers has never been afraid of chasing his creative ambitions, venturing into retail and hospitality and embracing the risks that come with it. More than two decades into his firm, he’s reflecting on what it takes to build a business that can weather growth spurts and the slower periods that inevitably follow. In this episode, he shares how he’s protecting his firm from pipeline volatility, the value in creating a workplace that attracts senior talent, and what he learned from the process of opening his own hotel.

This episode was sponsored by High Point Market and Minted.

LINKS
Jay Jeffers
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home