Damn Good Interior Designer

Some designers have vendors who will bend over backward to help them. Others can't seem to get anyone to return their calls. And there may be a very good reason for that!

Cheryl sits down with Jamie Young, founder of Jamie Young Company, to get the OTHER side of the designer-vendor relationship. In this episode they discuss damaged goods, shipping headaches, unrealistic expectations, and why Cheryl has a few things to say about designers who take their vendor complaints straight to social media.

Jamie shares what happens behind the scenes when designers place orders, what vendors wish designers understood, and why the way you handle problems can determine how willing a vendor is to go the extra mile for you.

Because the relationships you build with your vendors have a direct impact on your clients, your reputation, and your bottom line. Plus you don't want to miss Jamie's insights for their upcoming furniture launch and what she's learned about designing products with the trade in mind.

Raised in Los Angeles by an artist and entrepreneur, Jamie was drawn to design aesthetics from a young age. A unique home and an out of the box perspective molded the person she is today. Growing up in the heart of the entertainment industry during the 70’s and 80’s Jamie was surrounded by a colorful cast of eccentric characters; professional writers, painters, athletes, actors, and creative business minded mentors—inspiration was around every corner.

After high school, she continued her studies at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She and her now husband, David Jeter, also an artist, attended San Francisco College of Art focusing on painting and sculpture with a deep knowledge of art history, met in 1992. Jamie’s superpower was the ability to understand design and fashion in the home space and bring to market an elegant and bohemian perspective unique to her upbringing. David’s deep knowledge of art and world history coupled with brilliant and fresh designs completed the package. Together, with a love of connecting to communities near and far, they founded Jamie Young Company in 1997 to fill a void in the world of home furnishing

For over 27 years, the husband-and-wife team of David Jeter and Jamie Young Jeter have worked together as the Jamie Young Co., using their love of art, architecture, and adventure to craft approachable, design- driven pieces. From coast to coast, and around the world, the duo is inspired by their global travels as well the comfortable and covetable designs from their home in Southern California. Jamie Young Co. brings casual elegance and quiet luxury to home design.

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Damn Good Workshops - Website

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
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Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Burnout in a design business can have very little to do with the number of hours you work. Cheryl digs into what happens when every decision, client issue, contractor problem and team question eventually finds its way back to the owner. You can delegate tasks, hire employees and reduce your project load and still be the person carrying all of the judgment and responsibility.

In this episode, Cheryl looks at how designers make themselves indispensable without realizing it, why being needed can feel a lot like being successful, and what happens when you build a business that still requires you for everything.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Your client already has a general contractor, so why do they need you?

Cheryl digs into one of the biggest misconceptions about a designer’s role in a renovation and why waiting until it’s time to choose finishes is already too late. From layouts and electrical plans to the hundreds of decisions that affect everything that comes next, the real value of a designer starts long before the pretty stuff. If you’re still selling your value through selections, it may be time to rethink what you’re actually selling.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Should your designers earn a commission, bonus, or a share of the profit?

In this Asked & Answered episode, Cheryl breaks down how to build an incentive plan that rewards the behavior you actually want inside your firm. She explains why bonuses should be based on profit instead of total sales, how participation should affect the percentage, and why a simple system helps team members think more like owners. Because revenue may look impressive, but profit is what stays in the bank.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Cheryl has spent 25 years building systems around the way her design firm actually works. So what happens when AI suddenly gives her the ability to build the software around those systems, too?

In this episode, Cheryl shares what happened when one irritating business problem turned into building her own app through “vibe coding,” what she’s learned along the way, and why knowing your processes matters more than knowing how to code. AI can help you build almost anything, but it will also happily automate a bad process.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

When clients ask questions or make requests that rub you the wrong way, it doesn’t always mean they’re trying to take advantage of you. Sometimes, they simply don’t understand what designers actually do. In this Designer Drama episode, Cheryl explains why designers need to get better at communicating their value instead of constantly protecting it and why your value can’t rest on gatekeeping sources.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Little did we know our Pricing and Salary Survey results were going to give us great nuggets of information that we could share for many future podcasts to come! One of the biggest challenges we found designers face is defining their product. Too often, “full-service design” means something different to every designer—and that inconsistency makes it nearly impossible to set confident fees, manage scope, or show clients the real value of design work. The secret lies in creating clear deliverables with a written scope of work, and structured meeting agendas that are always advancing the project. If you are not keeping track of your time--as many do not--this reveals where designers tend to undervalue themselves. You must trust in the value of your own work--define it, control it, manage expectations, and most importantly, position yourself as the expert in the room.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

One of our top episodes of Season 3!

The confusion you accidentally create long before the proposal ever hits your clients inbox is the real reason clients hesitate. Your price is not the problem. You can unintentionally create confusion through discovery calls, the way you talk about freight, receiving, vendors, timelines, your value, etc. This causes your clients to be constantly collecting clues about whether saying yes to you feels SAFE or SCARY. Learn how your language, tone, and timing shape the emotional architecture your clients make decisions in, and why being clear is your most powerful sales tool.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Price is one of the first questions designers hear, but it is often the wrong conversation to lead with. Cheryl explains why posting big budget numbers and focusing on square-foot pricing can create the wrong expectations, intimidate potential clients, and reduce design to a transaction. Instead, she shares a better way to communicate value. By helping clients understand the thinking, process, and decisions behind the investment, they can then make informed choices with confidence.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Retail is one of the most misunderstood business models in the design industry.

In this episode, Cheryl sits down with designer Ryan Williams of Artisan Design Studio to talk about the realities of adding retail to a design firm. From inventory investments and vendor relationships to client trust and showroom strategy, they discuss what retail actually costs, what it can do for your business, and why a storefront should support your design firm not distract from it.

They also share lessons learned, mistakes made, and what designers should consider before signing a lease. If you've ever thought about opening a shop, showroom, or design center, this episode will help you evaluate the decision through a practical business lens.

Ryan Williams, principal designer and owner of Artisan Design Studio, has been practicing interior design for more than 20 years and has owned her business for over 15 of those years. Her approach to design goes far beyond creating beautiful spaces — Ryan is deeply committed to understanding her clients and their families to design homes that support their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. She prides herself on being both the expert in the room and a friend at the table.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review

Damn Good Workshops - Website

View our upcoming workshops!

These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership.

Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program

The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group
• Subscribe to our newsletter

Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms.

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***