Even in the best of times, running an interior design business presents many challenges. You can view them as obstacles, or you can view them as opportunities that drive you toward new possibilities. If you fret about the negative, you can cloud your mind with anxiety or worse. If you maintain a more positive, even optimistic, attitude, you can tap into your problem-solving skills to explore new, perhaps also better, options.

In this episode, Gail talks with Cindy Aplanalp Ruzicka, principal designer with Chairma Design Group in Houston, Texas. Having begun practicing interior design in mid-life working for another firm, Cindy started Chairma Design Group ten years ago. Today, it is a highly successful, thriving, multi-award-winning firm, specializing in exceptional residential interiors “for the sweet spot of life.”

Acknowledging the many challenges Cindy has encountered during her interior design career, Gail asked her what she considered the keys to success in running a great interior design business. Cindy said:

Be open to possibility.

Have a sincere understanding of your financials.

Know your ideal client profile.

Embrace the “perfectly imperfect.”

Nurture your team.

“What will drive you crazy in design are all the things that are out of your control,” Cindy said.

Many years ago, she recounted, a contractor gave her some advice that she has held fast to ever since: “This or something better.” Rather than focus on how things could get worse, assume that they can only improve. Something you are not aware of or expecting can turn up and change everything. “The universe is always conspiring for our good,” she said.

Cindy noted that when you develop a level of detachment from yourself and the situation, solutions begin to present themselves. You can tap into your deeper self. “When you get out of the way and don’t resist,” she said, “you have no idea what the flow state does.”

Gail and Cindy talked at length about some recent challenges and changes in Cindy’s life. To get the full story and her lessons learned, listen to the entire podcast.

If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s10e4-shownotes

Mentioned in This Podcast

For more information about Cindy and Chairma Design Group, go to the firm’s website at www.chairma.com.

Cindy said her favorite book is Change Your Mind Change Your Destiny: The eight habits of success that will help you create better relationships, more health, more wealth, and more happiness by Dr. Jay LaGuardia. It is available from online booksellers in various formats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QU90GoR36c&pp=ygUXcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZSBwb2Rhc3Q%3D

Episode Transcript

Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors.

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Cindy, I am so excited to talk to you today. We have known each other for years now. Can't even remember how many years, but it's been a wonderful time that we've gotten to know each other. And I think of you as a friend at this point, and it's just been so fun to watch your progression over time. And I'd love to just start with, how did you find me in the first place, and how did we end up working together?

So the way I found you, Gail, is when Southern Living Magazine used to have like designer network and you were one of the speakers and I want to say it was in someplace in the South and you spoke and I waited a very long time to talk to you because you, I was like, okay, this woman has what I need because you had the ability to understand the design world and have walked a mile in our shoes,

but you also had the financial background to really help us understand what was happening with our numbers and how this can really be a profession. If we treat it like a profession, you know, like it's a serious profession, you can make some really good money doing this. You can support your family.