Profit Is A Choice

Joining me on the podcast today is Kristin Mathis.  She is the owner of Distinctive Windows in upstate NY, a custom drapery workroom. She began sewing as a young woman, and when Kristin purchased her first home, she found a severe lack of quality ready-made window treatments available. Using her natural talent to sew her own window treatments, she fell in love with interior design industry.

Today, Kristin is a member of the Window Coverings Association of America. She continues to stay up with current trends and techniques and attends several window treatment conferences a year to make sure she has the most current offerings for her clients.

• Profit First
• Planning
• Flexibility
• Stress Free

• My goals changed.  
• It was important for me to give permission to myself to make a change.  
• I didn’t have a system to anything. 
• I wanted to make sure I was funded my retirement fully. 
• I was a single mom when I first started my business.  
• I wanted to do it right in the beginning 
• I jumped right in. 
• Why not have a plan to get rid of your debt?
• Do not be intimidated. It is easy to implement.

• Website: https://homestarthope.org

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 
• Master Your Profit™ - Enroll Today
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On the podcast today is Angie Avard Turner, an attorney who loves pattern and color.  After over 20 years in retail, 14 years in wholesale, and 8 years in licensing, Angie decided to meet a glaring need of creatives—an attorney who was familiar with the needs of creative entrepreneurs and an understanding of the law.   

Angie believes that her entrepreneurial experience coupled with her legal education uniquely situate her to give an interesting twist on how the law can affect one's creative endeavors.  She is a presenter, mentor and speaker all over the country helping creatives take care of their businesses from a legal perspective. In 2018 she launched her latest endeavor, Prep’d for Success – a one stop on-line shop for creative business resources. 

• Privacy 
• Intellectual property 
• Contracts 
• Protection 

• I saw others experience the same issues that I already experienced. 
• Creatives are impacted by not protecting their creative works. 
• You want to protect the “things” you create. 
• You can protect a pattern, but you cannot protect the “useful” thing. 
• The law has not caught up with certain “protections”. 
• A photograph can be protected by a copyright. 
• A tradedress protects the look and feel of a product or a service. 
• The internet is a tool and a weapon at the same time. 
• You are one click away from finding out that someone is copying you. 
• There are different contracts to be aware of and what they are used for.  
• Be proactive and protecting rather than reactive and having to defend. 

• Website: http://www.angieavardturnerlaw.com
• Website: https://www.prepdforsuccess.com

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• The Designers' Inner Circle - Become a Member Today!

Joining me on the podcast today is Kae Whitaker, owner and CEO of Kae Whitaker Media Group. Kae specializes in helping service providers create automated marketing systems that close the gap in leads lost, enhance their sales processes and keep customers returning through delivering an amazing experience and increasing client referrals.  

Kae and I met at LuAnn Live and are co-authors of the book, A Well Designed Business The Power Talk Friday Experts. After meeting in person I can tell you Kae has a bundle of energy and it is contagious. She knows her stuff and is going to share with us today about email marketing, which is the subject she wrote about in the book. I am even going to share with Kae some of my hesitations with email marketing campaigns and get her take on my hang-ups. 

• Email 
• Spam 
• Relevant Content 
• Consistency 

• Content is going to be created based on the temperature of your audience. 

• Email marketing are the emails that you utilize to move people through a buying process.  

• There are different types of email campaigns – campaigns are strategies. 

• You have to truly understand the audience that is within your email list. 

• Survey your list as needed. 

• Look at your customer journey as cold, warm, and hot. 

• Work with what is already giving you traction.

• Email addresses are like phone numbers. 

• If people remain on your email list, it is because they want to hear from you.

• Website: https://kaewhitaker.com
• Facebook: Kae Whitaker
• Instagram: @KaeWhitaker

• A Well Designed Business by LuAnn Nigara
• The Designers' Inner Circle - Become a Member Today!

Cheryl Sedaker is with us for another of the Profit First Success Stories. Cheryl started sewing at age 5 and, by her teenage years, she was already making clothes for other people. That's amazing to me! She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Cornell University and has a Master's from the University of Connecticut - specializing in clothing and textiles.

SeaCheryl Designs began after Cheryl of corporate in 2005, so that she could return to her love of fabric and soft home furnishings. Cheryl has a thirst for continuing education and she uses that to stay up to date on the latest methods and trends in the industry. She's completed courses through WCAA, the Custom Home Furnishings Academy, Workroom Tech and at Custom Workroom Conferences.

• Profit First
• Consistency
• Planning

• I really had no idea on what profit meant for me.
• It (learning Profit First) made me and my business blossom.
• I learned new things and looked at it from a different angle.
• I took it on with baby steps.
• Profit First shows me the adjustments I need to make.
• I had to go slowly to understand what I was doing.
• I can see how all of the PF principles have helped me in my personal life.
• It takes time to get a rhythm.

• Website: www.seacheryldesigns.com
• Facebook: SeaCheryl Designs

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 
• Pricing Without Emotion - Enroll Today
• Master Your Profit™ - Enroll Today
• Understanding Your Financials - Enroll Today
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Vita Vygovska is joining us today to talk about building businesses that are sustainable, profitable and scalable. She is an award-winning author, speaker, and window treatment specialist.  Her company, Vitalia, Inc.- Fine Window Treatments & Interiors, is an all-encompassing fabrication, measurement, installation, and project management service exclusively for interior designers and architects.  In business for over 13 years, Vita and her team are proud to be experts in their narrow field, providing their clients with superb quality product and excellent communication.  Most importantly, they take off the stress, save time, and provide a peace of mind in the job is well-done.

Our discussion today is one that I believe we can have over and over as our businesses change and morph. Vita is so open and said to me prior to the interview – ask me anything. I knew bringing her on we could have a rich discussion about anything having to do with business and it would be an awesome podcast. Enjoy her take on what it means to create a business that serves you – the way you need it to.

TOPICS MENTIONED:

• Planning
• Boundaries
• Scaling
• Sustainability

• I keep a list of things to do during the slow “season”.
• We should not give ourselves permission to let go of marketing.
• We, as business owners, must manage our cash flow.
• Create “white space” on your calendar to work on yourself.
• We have to be peacefully present.
• You do not hire just to hire and delegate stuff. You have to go beyond delegation.
• Everything you touch should have a system.

• Website: http://www.vitaliainc.com
• Facebook: Vita Vygovska
• Instagram: @vitalia_inc

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 
• Scaling Up by Vern Harnish
• No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy
• Understanding Your Financials - Enroll Today
• Master Your Profit™ - Enroll Today
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Mark McDonough is with us today. With over 20 years of marketing expertise growing brands and making them explode online, Mark brings his expertise to the digital world. Mark, along with business partner, Kathleen Bandaruk, are shaping the face of the interior design industry by offering valuable content and tips in their fast-growing Facebook group, Interior Design Marketing. The Tastefully Inspired Agency prides itself on getting small businesses across the globe, fast results on and off social media. Their expert marketing knowledge and lean, scrappy mindset keeps them ahead of the pack.

Mark is proudest of being a father of three amazing girls who inspire him daily. Normally when he is working, he has the youngest on his lap wanting a sip of his coffee. His motto for everything he does is "family first".

• Social Media
• Instagram
• Video Marketing
• Authenticity

• They want to make Facebook an all video platform within a year.
• It’s as if we are trained to post on social media.
• Start using videos now to maximize your business.
• It’s not about the people who know you.  It’s about those who don’t know you.
• Instagram is a market that is becoming saturated.
• Majority of your clients will be local. Local is gold.
• Videos are the closest you will get to a handshake or a phone call. 
• A lot of my communications happen directly on Instagram.
• There shouldn’t be any confusion as to what your Instagram grid is about. 
• Just be authentic. 

• Website: www.tastefullyinspired.com
• Facebook: Interior Design Marketing
• Instagram: @@MarkPatrickMcDonough and @TastefullyInspireBlog

• Surge by Mike Michalowicz 
• A Well Designed Business by LuAnn Nigara
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On the podcast today is Claire Jefford.  Claire began her award winning Interior Decorating firm in 2011 & quickly grew her business, boasting the highest reviewed design professional in the Greater Toronto area with 100 Houzz reviews. In 2017, Claire started a second business as a Business Coach.

With a background in Human Resources, Claire is passionate about having organized processes, marketing & she also loves creating videos. Audiences love Claire for her authentic personality, her helpful, straight up advice & cheeky sense of humor.

• Setting Expectations
• Planning
• Budgeting
• Delegation

• You create your own “luck” because you work hard.
• I am not a big fan of “Fake it until you make it.”
• Consider what you don’t like doing in your business and find a way to delegate it.
• Do things the right way from the start.
• Have the conversation about money upfront. That will give you a good indication on some things.
• Make it a point to sit down to review the letter of agreement and expectations with your client.
• Look back at previous experiences to identify red flags.
• Explain your processes and how you work.
• Be authentic. Provide value. Be consistent.
• Consider using video to bring brand awareness to your company.

• Website: www.clairejefford.com
• Facebook: Claire Jefford Consulting
• Instagram: @clairejefford
• Youtube: Claire Jefford

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 
• A Well Designed Business by LuAnn Nigara
• PIAC EP. 40 Kolleen Losch - Listen Today
• Interior Design Business Strategies - Join Today
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Shauna is an award-winning home staging industry expert and business strategist, fiercely committed to guiding aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve success in all facets of their business. She is A veteran of educating and inspiring entrepreneurs from all industries, and has built a thriving home staging and design business, been voted number one in her local region, and oversees a remarkable team of home staging and design professionals. In 2015, she founded Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy to provide core and continuing education for home staging professionals, and has created a comprehensive and systematic program for teaching the technical and the business side of the home staging world. Prior to founding her home staging and design company, Shauna Lynn worked as an analyst. She continues to apply her technical training in Mathematics to her every day work, combining creativity with logic to achieve incredible results. 

• Home Staging
• Planning
• Branding
• Pricing

• There is a way to “grandfather” your current clients without necessarily keeping their price the same.
• I had to take a long hard look at my business and decide if I wanted to continue with it.
• You have to know exactly what your brand is.
• You can still have a good focus of your brand and still offer a variety of services.
• People love to give us “opportunities” to give us exposure.  Do not take on an opportunity unless it will be a true benefit to the business.
• Furniture placement is the number one thing we do in home staging.
• When staging homes, your client is the house. 
• Real estate agents do not like to deal with staging…That’s why they hire stagers.
• Do your research to see if you really want to get into home staging.
• In order for me to be profitable, my team needs to be happy.
• If something isn’t working, fix it. 

• Website: www.StyledListedSold.com
• Facebook: Styled Listed Sold
• Instagram: @slshomestaging

Joining me on the podcast today is Shawna Percival, owner of Styleberry Creative Interiors.  Shawna’s 10-year design career started with a Business, Art & Media degree, grew into the popular Styleberry Blog of the late 2000s, and became the flourishing design firm that Styleberry Creative Interiors is today. Shawna believes that an ordered, beautiful space is the fastest way to a family’s harmony and happiness at home — and she loves nothing more than bringing this to life for clients across her tight-knit community. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Shawna currently lives in San Antonio with her military physician husband and their two young children. When she’s not designing, you can find her sweating it out at yoga, cooking in the kitchen, or sporting her signature hoodie.

• Dream
• Planning
• Organic Growth
• Take Risks

• Before hiring someone, I knew the structure of the business but I did not know the dollar signs.
• In the start-up phase, you do have to take risks.
• The biggest trap that “young” designers fall into is asking how much they should charge. It is honestly just math.
• The biggest challenge is breaking the “I can do it myself” mindset.
• There is a real fine line between automation and becoming a robot.
• You cannot have a business without a financial plan.
• It became clear to me that I was going to have to outsource in order to grow.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You do not have to be the expert in everything.

• Website:  www.styleberrycreativeinteriors.com
• Instagram: @styleberrycreative
• Pinterest: Miss Shawna

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 
• The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
• The Stop Doing List by Matt Malouf
• Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz
• Start with Why by Simon Sinek
• Strengths Finder 2.0 by Gallup
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
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On our podcast today is Kolleen Losch, owner of Core Physique and Core 57. Kolleen is a certified personal trainer, as well as Corrective Exercise Specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and a Master Trainer for Trigger Point Therapy. Being a mom, wife, and business owner, she understands the demands our lives make that can interfere with our health and fitness. Her passion is making fitness realistic and accessible for anyone – no matter what challenges they might face.

She believes that one must have a strong mental, spiritual and physical “core” for true fitness success. It is this holistic focus that truly sets Kolleen, her team and CORE fitness apart from other gyms.

TOPICS MENTIONED:

• Corrective exercise
• Core
• Confidence
• One body

• There are more people that want to be educated about their bodies than just being beautiful on the outside.
• You can’t build a house on a weak foundation.  You can’t build a body on a weak foundation. 
• Trainers really need to have the correct tools in their toolbox to help their clients.
• As a society, we have to “straighten” up.
• We were meant to be movers. How often do you move your body throughout the day?
• We take better care of our houses better than we do our bodies.
• The way you eat is the way you feel.
• Lack of movement is the new cigarette.
• We have to retrain ourselves to breathe.
• We do not want to be dead when we reach the prosperous place.

• Website: http://core57.com
• Website http://www.corephysique.net
• Facebook: Kolleen Wilburn Losch

• Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 
• Master Your Profit™ - Enroll Today
• Understanding Your Financials - Enroll Today