Today, we welcome Kate O’Hara, CEO and Creative Director of O’Hara Interiors — a full-service interior design firm specializing in high-end commercial and residential projects. In this episode, Kate shares her journey from a career in education to taking the helm of the family design business. We discuss her role in the business and the delicate balance of leading, delegating, and empowering a growing team of creatives. Kate also shares the pros and cons of maintaining two offices, one in Minneapolis and one in Austin, and she shares her perspective on boundaries, community, and communication.

 

Show Highlights:

• Kate’s background and transition from teaching to running her family design business

• The unique dynamics of working in a family business

• The pros and cons of maintaining two office locations

• The importance of communication, delegation, and empowering your team

• Having clarity in processes and decision-making to enable team members to work efficiently and creatively

• The importance of intentionally setting boundaries and maintaining a work-life balance

 

Notable Quotes:

• “Be intentional about having balance, especially as we started working from home. Everything bleeds together.” - Kate O’Hara
• “If you’re going to run multiple offices successfully, there have to be clear lines of decision-making and communication.” - Kate O’Hara
• “I’d much rather be effective than be busy.” - Kate O’Hara
• “Knowing when and how to communicate decisions and intentions as you go really leads to a lot of the success of a company.” - Kate O’Hara

 

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Supporting Resources:

O'Hara Interiors Website - https://oharainteriors.com/

O'Hara Interiors on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ohara_interiors/?hl=en

 

Sponsor Links:

James and James: https://carpenterjames.com/pages/trade-program?ad=DBSG

Design Manager: https://www.designmanager.com/