Design Curious | Interior Design Career and Business Podcast

If you’re an interior designer trying to build a business, you’ve probably heard that you need a strong brand. But what does that actually mean? Is it your logo? Your color palette? The beautiful images on your website? While all of those things can help identify your brand, they aren’t what makes your business different.

The more important question is: Why should a potential client choose you over another interior designer? When designers look similar from the outside, clients can easily start comparing portfolios, services, and—eventually—prices. That can make it incredibly difficult for a small business or solopreneur to establish a competitive advantage.

In this episode, I talk with Jon Czeranna, co-founder of Wit & Craft and creator of the Brand Lab, about brand positioning for small businesses and interior designers. Jon shares a structured positioning framework that helps you identify your competition, uncover market gaps, understand your ideal client, articulate what makes your business unique, and build a brand story around that difference.

And if you’re a newer designer without a large portfolio, Jon shares something that can help you build your online presence right away.

Featured Guest

Jon Czeranna is the co-founder of Wit & Craft and creator of the Brand Lab. With more than 20 years of experience in advertising, branding, and graphic design, Jon focuses on helping small businesses and solopreneurs uncover and articulate their competitive advantage. Through the Brand Lab, he teaches entrepreneurs how to approach brand positioning, ideal client profiles, brand stories, messaging, and brand voice so they can better connect with customers, differentiate themselves from competitors, and build a stronger foundation for business growth.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ Why your brand is more than visual identity

✳️ How to identify gaps in your marketplace

✳️ How to define your ideal client profile

✳️ How to articulate your unique positioning

✳️ How to build an online presence without experience

Read the Blog >>> Foundation for Building Your Interior Design Brand

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

📺 WATCH FREE WEBINARS 📺

• "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

• Are You Ready to Start Your Interior Design Business? How to Know for Sure (and What It Really Costs to Launch) 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/areyoureadyreplay

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

2:12 Jon’s Journey Into Branding and Positioning

4:26 Where New Designers Should Start With Branding

7:48 The “Only Statement” Positioning Exercise

9:50 Building a Website Without a Large Portfolio

11:31 Identifying Your Ideal Client Profile (ICP)

13:46 The Story Behind the Brand Lab and Its Offer

19:06 One Branding Question Every Designer Should Answer

21:11 Using AI Without Losing Your Brand Voice

If you’ve ever looked at another interior designer’s business and thought, “Maybe I just need better software,” you’re not alone.

There is always a new platform, app, or shiny software promising to make your projects run more smoothly, save you time, or help you make more profit. And with AI becoming part of almost every software platform, it can be even harder to know what you actually need.

But after years of running an interior design business, I’ve learned that software is only as effective as the systems behind it. Before you start investing in expensive platforms, you need to understand how you want your business to operate. In the early stages, especially when you have zero or one client, simple spreadsheets can be enough. They can help you learn how you like to manage projects before you invest in more sophisticated interior design software.

In this episode, I’m opening up my toolbox and walking you through the software I currently use to run my interior design business—from project management and time tracking to accounting and interior design operations, including drafting, client presentations, client intake, file management, communication, and even AI support. My goal isn’t to tell you there is one perfect software solution. Instead, I want to give you a real-world look at how these tools support my systems and workflows.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✔️ Why strong systems matter more than software

✔️ How I use Asana for projects and time tracking

✔️ Why Studio Designer supports my design business accounting

✔️ Which software I use for drafting and presentations

✔️ How I manage clients, files, communication, and AI

Read the Blog >>> The Interior Design Software I Use to Run My Business Efficiently

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

📺 WATCH FREE WEBINARS 📺

• "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

• Are You Ready to Start Your Interior Design Business? How to Know for Sure (and What It Really Costs to Launch) 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/areyoureadyreplay

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction to the Software Behind My Business

4:43 Project Management and Time Tracking

8:02 Accounting and Operations Software

11:42 Design Production and Presentations

16:05 Client Intake and Lead Generation

17:37 Curation and File Management Tools

20:11 Internal Communication and AI Use

Interior designers love the beautiful, creative side of the work. They love choosing materials, working with clients, selecting furnishings, and bringing a vision to life. But when a project moves into renovation, remodeling, or new construction, another side of interior design becomes just as important: the technical side.

I see this gap often, especially with designers who are moving from decorating and furnishing into more complex residential or commercial projects. You may be confident in your aesthetic skills but feel intimidated by construction documentation, building drawings, space planning, technical details, or understanding how everything will actually be built. And if that technical knowledge wasn't a major focus of your interior design education or career, it can become a real weak spot. In this episode, Jessica Marchand and I talk about exactly why this matters and what you can do about it.

Interior design is really two distinct crafts—the aesthetic craft and the technical craft—and great projects happen where those two worlds meet. You don't have to be brilliant at both. But the work does.

Featured Guest

Jessica Marchant is the founder of Blue-Sky Creative, a technical design firm that partners with interior designers nationwide to provide white-label design support, space planning, build-ready construction documentation, and realistic 3D renderings. Her team helps bridge the gap between interior designers and contractors so designers can confidently execute residential and commercial projects. Jessica is a formally trained interior designer with a master's degree in design management and has experience in kitchen and bath design, construction, themed entertainment, and project management. She also coaches interior designers who are transitioning into more complex renovation and new construction work. Her approach combines technical design expertise with practical business strategy to help creative businesses scale with confidence.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ Why technical design knowledge matters in complex projects

✳️ How construction documentation protects your design decisions

✳️ When to outsource technical design support

✳️ How to choose the right GC partner

✳️ Why intentional teams help interior designers scale

Read the Blog >>> Bringing the Aesthetic and Technical Sides Together of Interior Design

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

📺 WATCH FREE WEBINARS 📺

• "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

• Are You Ready to Start Your Interior Design Business? How to Know for Sure (and What It Really Costs to Launch) 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/areyoureadyreplay

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

3:00 Jessica’s Journey Into Interior Design

9:17 Why Designers Often Lack Technical Experience

10:21 The Idea Behind Blue-Sky Creative

13:28 Blue-Sky Creative Services

15:05 Getting As-Built Information for Projects

17:26 Creating Templates and Polished Drawings

19:46 Building a Team and Getting Help

21:41 Managing Construction Partnerships

You became an interior designer because you love design. You know how to create beautiful spaces, solve design problems, make thoughtful selections, and bring a client's vision to life. But once you start your own interior design business, you quickly discover that being a talented designer is only one part of the job.

Suddenly, you're also responsible for marketing, sales, client experience, project management, finances, systems, leadership, and all the decisions that come with running a business. It can feel overwhelming because nobody necessarily teaches you how to make that transition from skilled creative to confident business owner.

One way I've grown my business over the years is through reading. I've read a lot of business and personal growth books over the last 10 years, and some have completely changed the way I think about my career, my clients, my money, and my business. In this episode, I'm sharing seven books that have helped me answer important questions about building an interior design business that is profitable, sustainable, memorable, and capable of growing beyond me.

My recommendation: Start with the book that speaks to the question you're asking in your business right now. Sometimes one idea or one important shift in perspective is enough to make an entire book worthwhile.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✔️ Why your interior design business exists

✔️ How to make your marketing more client-focused

✔️ Ways to create a memorable client experience

✔️ How systems can help your business grow

✔️ How to develop a healthier money mindset

Read the Blog >>> 7 Must-Read Business Books for Interior Designers

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love. 👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

📗 Check out the best books every interior designer should have here.

📺 WATCH FREE WEBINARS 📺

• "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

• Are You Ready to Start Your Interior Design Business? How to Know for Sure (and What It Really Costs to Launch) 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/areyoureadyreplay

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction to business books for interior designers

5:10 On Finding Your Purpose

7:18 On Effective Marketing Messaging

10:31 On Giving Exceptional Client Experiences

13:35 On Building Scalable Systems

15:24 On Creating a Business Built to Sell

17:25 On Mastering Money Mindset

19:02 On Managing Business Cash Flow

What does it really mean to be an interior designer? Is it simply choosing beautiful colors, furniture, and finishes? Or is there something much deeper happening when we step into a client's home and ask them to trust our professional judgment?

In this episode, I sit down with Tamera Gamble of Arranged Space, an interior designer, educator, mentor, and longtime design professional whose career has taken her from high-end residential design to commercial, municipal, retail, and residential projects. Her story is a wonderful reminder that interior design is both a creative career and a technical, human-centered profession.

I especially loved Tamera's commitment to making good interior design accessible to real people, regardless of their budget. Whether you're working on a luxury residential project, helping a client make a few changes with $1,000, creating construction documents in AutoCAD, or simply solving a difficult space-planning problem, the fundamentals still matter. Your job is to make the space work for the person living in it.

And sometimes, doing that means telling a client no.

Featured Guest

Tamera Gamble is the founder of Arranged Space, an interior design business focused on creating thoughtful, functional spaces that reflect each client's style and budget. Her career in interior design spans residential, commercial, municipal, retail, and historic preservation projects, including work with prominent firms such as Ralph Lauren, Gruzen Sampton, and Goldenstein Hill and West. Tamera earned her BFA from the New York School of Interior Design and has developed a particular passion for space planning, technical drawing, and using design to make everyday spaces work better for the people who live in them. In addition to practicing interior design, she teaches at the New York School of Interior Design and has spent years mentoring aspiring designers, helping them build their skills, confidence, and portfolios.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ Why interior design requires technical expertise

✳️ How to confidently stand behind your recommendations

✳️ Why continuing education matters throughout your career

✳️ How to make good design accessible

✳️ Ways to build experience and your design portfolio

Read the Blog >>> The Real Work of a Professional Interior Designer

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

📺 WATCH FREE WEBINARS 📺

• "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

• Are You Ready to Start Your Interior Design Business? How to Know for Sure (and What It Really Costs to Launch) 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/areyoureadyreplay

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

2:35 How Barbie’s Dream House Sparked Tamera’s Design Career

4:14 Education and Early Career

8:53 The Experience That Led to Business Ownership

11:32 Making Interior Design Accessible to Everyone

14:28 When a Designer Has to Tell a Client No

18:29 Why Design Fundamentals Matter

25:34 The Challenge of Educating Clients

28:53 Career Advice for Aspiring Interior Designers

Construction and remodel projects can feel intimidating, especially when you’re a new interior designer approaching your first project.

You may be wondering how to work with contractors, who should handle permits and engineering, how to respond when a contractor pushes back on your design, or what happens when something unexpected appears after a wall is opened. These are all real concerns—and they’re exactly why understanding construction project management is such an important part of becoming a confident interior designer.

In this episode, I’m walking you through how I approach construction and remodel projects, from bringing contractors into the process early to defining responsibilities, managing site visits, documenting decisions, communicating with clients, and building strong relationships with your construction team. My goal is to help you approach construction projects with more confidence instead of fear—and become the project leader your clients need you to be.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✔️ Understand your role during construction and remodel projects

✔️ Bring contractors into the design process early

✔️ Define responsibilities before construction begins

✔️ Improve construction communication and document project decisions

✔️ Build stronger relationships with your A-list contractors

Read the Blog >>> 5 Practical Tips for Managing Construction and Remodel Projects Smoothly

NEXT STEPS:

📋 Get the Remodel Survival Guide: a step-by-step process on the construction side of a remodel project

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

📺 WATCH FREE WEBINARS 📺

• "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/5moneymoves

• Are You Ready to Start Your Interior Design Business? How to Know for Sure (and What It Really Costs to Launch) 👉 https://rwarddesign.myflodesk.com/areyoureadyreplay

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction to managing construction projects

4:16 Understanding Your Role as the Designer

5:47 Collaborating with Experts Early

10:10 Defining Roles and Responsibilities

15:01 Client Communication and Contractor Collaboration

18:14 Using Site Binders and Documenting Decisions

21:13 Managing Budgets and Timelines

23:25 Building Professional Relationships

If you're an aspiring interior designer, career changer, or established designer trying to grow a sustainable business, you may feel pressure to know everything before you begin. You may also believe that growth means taking on more projects, hiring more people, or becoming the person who can handle every detail of every project.

But Annie Obermann’s journey with Forge and Bow offers a different perspective. Annie and her husband and business partner, Jordan Obermann, didn't start with formal design training or a perfectly structured business plan. They learned through renovating their own homes, working with partners, making mistakes, and eventually building a boutique design-build firm known for thoughtful residential renovation, craftsmanship, and high-end design. This year, Forge and Bow is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

In this episode, I talk with Annie about what happens when you are brave enough to start before you know everything—and humble enough to recognize when you need better systems, experienced team members, and outside support. We explore client experience, project management, team communication, hiring, professional development, branding, delegation, and how to build an interior design career that supports both your professional and personal life.

Featured Guest

Annie Obermann co-leads Forge and Bow, a Colorado-based boutique design-build firm, with her husband and business partner, Jordan Obermann. Together, they have transformed the residential landscape of Northern Colorado through timeless, warm, nostalgic design paired with expert craftsmanship. Annie brings expertise in interior architecture, while Jordan contributes a strong spatial and visionary perspective. Their work includes historic renovations and custom new builds, with a focus on creating cohesive, functional, and elegant homes that reflect each client's unique story. Forge and Bow is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is known for thoughtful problem-solving, meticulous attention to detail, and a commitment to quality.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ How courage can launch your interior design career

✳️ Why sustainable growth requires strong business processes

✳️ How team communication improves the client experience

✳️ Why competency matters when hiring design professionals

✳️ How delegation creates more freedom and business growth

Read the Blog >>> 6 Proven Strategies on Building a Sustainable Interior Design Business

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

2:57 Annie’s Unconventional Path Into Interior Design

5:09 How HGTV Helped Shape Forge and Bow

7:20 The Story Behind the Forge and Bow Name

8:41 Building a Team and Processes

10:49 Connecting Systems With Client Experience

12:44 Building Strong Team Communication

14:55 Competency Versus Personality When Hiring

19:09 Creating a Culture of Constant Learning

20:30 Future Goals and Business Strategy

24:18 Advice for Aspiring Designers

As interior designers, we often focus on creating beautiful spaces, but beauty alone isn't always enough. Sometimes a room can have gorgeous furnishings, meaningful décor, and impeccable styling, yet still feel visually loud. When every surface competes for attention, a home stops supporting everyday life and starts demanding energy from the people living in it.

That's why I was so excited to sit down with bestselling author Myquillyn Smith, better known as The Nester, to talk about her newest book, House Hushing. Rather than encouraging us to simply own fewer things, Myquillyn introduces a refreshing perspective: great design is about managing visual volume, not just the volume of possessions. Her approach blends interior design, decluttering, quiet decorating, soulful styling, and seasonal simplicity into a practical framework that helps create homes that feel both peaceful and deeply personal.

If you're designing for clients—or even creating a home for yourself—this episode will encourage you to think beyond minimalism. You'll discover how thoughtful design decisions can reduce visual noise while preserving warmth, personality, and the lived-in beauty that makes a house truly feel like home.

Featured Guest

Myquillyn Smith, also known as The Nester, is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, decorating expert, and founder of The Nester. For more than fifteen years, she has encouraged homeowners to embrace their homes—imperfections and all—by creating spaces that reflect their personalities instead of chasing perfection. Her thoughtful approach combines decorating, styling, decluttering, and intentional living, helping thousands of women create welcoming homes with less stress and more meaning. Living in a historic Victorian home in North Carolina has further shaped her philosophy, inspiring her latest book, House Hushing, which introduces a fresh framework for reducing visual noise while maintaining warmth, beauty, and soul.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ Understand the four-part House Hushing framework.

✳️ Reduce visual noise without sacrificing personality.

✳️ Style meaningful homes with fewer decorative items.

✳️ Create peaceful interiors through quiet decorating.

✳️ Design homes supporting changing life seasons.

Read the Blog >>> The Four Principles of House Hushing

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

2:27 Myquillyn’s Journey Into Decorating

4:39 Living in a Historic Victorian Home

8:37 What House Hushing Really Means

13:00 Knowing When a Home Needs Hushing

14:34 How Backwards Decluttering Works

17:51 Why Visual Volume Changes Everything

19:56 Quiet Decorating in Action

23:00 Book Launch and Bonus Resources

What does it really take to build a successful interior design business when no one is opening doors for you?

If you've ever wondered whether you're talented enough, questioned your career transition, or felt discouraged because clients aren't calling, this conversation is one I want you to slow down and absorb. Too many aspiring interior designers believe success comes from luck, connections, or overnight visibility. Corey Damen Jenkins proves the opposite. His story reminds us that meaningful careers are built through relentless persistence, business discipline, and the courage to keep showing up—even when every door seems to close.

In this episode, I sit down with internationally acclaimed interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins, who shares his journey behind his remarkable success. From leaving the automotive industry after the Great Recession to knocking on 779 doors before landing his first major client, Corey shares the mindset shifts, business lessons, and mentorship philosophy that helped him build one of the most respected brands in interior design.

Whether you're navigating a career transition, building your client acquisition strategy, or wondering how AI will shape the future of our profession, this conversation will encourage you to build your career with confidence while choosing collaboration over competition.

Featured Guest

Corey Damen Jenkins is an internationally acclaimed interior designer, bestselling author, MasterClass instructor, television personality, and mentor. His work has been featured by Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, ELLE Decor, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and numerous leading design publications. He is the author of Design Remix and Design Reimagined, creator of the Design Reimagined YouTube series, and has developed celebrated brand partnerships spanning furniture, textiles, wallcoverings, and lighting. Corey is widely recognized not only for his colorful, timeless interiors but also for his passion for mentoring the next generation of interior designers.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ Why relentless grit outperforms natural talent.

✳️ Turning career setbacks into business opportunities.

✳️ Protecting your mindset from discouraging voices.

✳️ Building business acumen beyond creative skills.

✳️ Why mentorship strengthens the entire design community.

Read the Blog >>> 5 Principles That Turned Rejection Into a Profitable Interior Design Career

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

3:15 Corey’s Passion for Interior Design

5:55 Studying Architecture and Early Career Decisions

11:08 Finding the First Client

15:15 The Grit Required for Entrepreneurship

18:06 Learning Business Without Mentorship

20:56 Why Giving Back Matters

23:05 AI, Industry Standards, and Protecting the Design Profession

26:16 Running a Global Design Brand

30:07 Staying Motivated After Achieving Success

31:54 Design Remix and Design Reimagined

35:05 Advice for New Interior Designers

Is talent alone enough to build a successful interior design career? This episode is a powerful reminder that creativity is only one piece of the puzzle.

Many aspiring interior designers spend years refining their aesthetic but struggle with the business side—pricing, vendor relationships, execution, and confidently bringing their ideas to life. Without those skills, even the most inspired creative vision can remain just that: an idea.

In this conversation, I sit down with Jamie Young, co-founder of Jamie Young Co., to explore how she transformed a lifelong passion for design into a nationally recognized home furnishings company. Jamie shares how her upbringing, education at Parsons School of Design, love of art history, global travel, and willingness to embrace uncertainty shaped both her creative identity and entrepreneurial journey.

Whether you're launching your interior design business, developing your own creative process, or learning how to work more effectively with vendors, Jamie offers practical wisdom that reminds us success isn't about having all the answers—it's about combining inspired design with thoughtful business execution, authentic relationships, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Featured Guest

Jamie Young is the co-founder of Jamie Young Co., a nationally recognized home furnishings company known for its thoughtfully designed lighting, mirrors, furniture, and home accessories. Raised in Los Angeles by an artist and entrepreneur, Jamie developed an early appreciation for design, creativity, and business. After studying at Parsons School of Design, she combined her passion for design, art history, fashion, and global travel with her husband David Jeter's artistic talents to build a brand that has inspired designers for more than 27 years. Today, Jamie Young Co. is celebrated for its approachable luxury, elevated basics, handcrafted products, and commitment to supporting interior designers through exceptional customer service and lasting vendor relationships.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✳️ Build business through consistent creative execution.

✳️ Discover your unique creative design DNA.

✳️ Develop stronger vendor relationships from day one.

✳️ Balance design inspiration with profitable decisions.

✳️ Use travel and curiosity to inspire creativity.

Read the Blog >>> 5 Rules for Long-Term Success in the Interior Design Business

NEXT STEPS:

🎯 Join My Design Mentor and start creating a design career you truly love.

👉https://my-design-mentor.mn.co

Check out our Designer's Playlist!

*️ Start Your Interior Design Journey

*️ From Newbie to Confident Designer

*️ Switching Gears to Interior Design

Grab your freebies:

📺 Watch this free webinar, "From Passion to Profit," and learn the 5 Money Moves to start your interior design business right

📌 Your Roadmap to a Career in Interior Design

🎨 3 Things I Wish I had known when I Started my Career

Connect With Me:

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔆 Instagram: @rwarddesign

🌎 Website at rwarddesign.com

Thanks for listening! I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week...

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction and Guest Bio

3:34 Jamie Young Company's Founding and Initial Products

7:27 Why Execution Matters More Than Having Ideas

8:01 Learning the Business Side of Creativity

9:34 Scaling From a Garage Startup to Global Manufacturing

11:48 How Global Travel Transformed Product Design

15:51 Behind the Scenes of Product Development and Customer Service

20:27 Why Vendor Relationships Matter

21:55 The Value of Trade Shows and Telling Product Stories

24:31 Balancing Design Trends With Elevated Basics

26:48 What Jamie Would Do Differently if Starting Over