Sew Much More

Recently, I interviewed Christina Price and Jennifer Assetto, while Jeanlle Dech's son, Casey interviewed their daughters. I did not get to hear or see this interview until just recently, and I thought it was just wonderful!!!

If you would like to watch the YouTube video, you can watch it here.

https://youtu.be/83dfZMjWg5c

Hop on to my Facebook page and let me know what you thought about this episode!

Thanks to the Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library and The Workroom Channel for making this possible.

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; The Workroom Channel Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA

If you were to describe JoAnne Lenart-Weary in a few words, they would be authentic, informative, and funny. Born with a passion for creating beautiful spaces, in 1975, a wallpapering and painting business segued into an interior decorating business. JoAnne was driven by her love for the process and a desire to be the best she could be. She also realized it takes more than talent to grow a business so began to offer DIY seminars in her area to gain visibility. The visibility increased her following for multiple years and she continues to offer residential decorating and real estate staging services.

Residential workshops gave way to professional workshops in 1999 when JoAnne founded The Decorating and Staging Academy. She continues to receive requests to speak at industry events, has appeared HGTV, and for 5 years on the local ABC affiliate. She has taught in 29 states, 3 countries, and continues to offer classes and workshops around the country and online in color, decorating, design, real estate staging, marketing and more. If you want to learn the how and whys of growing a successful decorating or staging related business, JoAnne is the go-to. She is available for speaking, training, and coaching. In 2018, JoAnne was voted one of the Most Influential People in the Staging Industry. She has also launched two new Facebook groups, How to Decorate and Stage plus Interior Decorators Set on Success. JoAnne can be reached via phone, text or email

JoAnne Lenart-Weary The JLW Company The Decorating and Staging Academy Facebook.com/joannelenartweary Facebook.com/groups/howtodecorateandstage Facebook.com/groups/interiordecoratorssetonsuccess 814-440-3044.

We talked about; Profit First by Mike Michalowicz Apps; Roomstyler PowerPoint Sherwin Williams Virtual Color Selector

This Podcast is sponsored by The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library.

In past Opportunity Thinking episodes of the podcast, we have spoken about employees, growing and expanding our businesses. Jeanelle Dech tells the story of how she made decisions about who to hire and how she met and hired Yazmin Guzman. Yazmine tells her side of the story as well as the incredible journey that brought her to Adaptive Textiles.

www.adaptivetextiles.com

www.theworkroomchannel.com

www.workroommarketplace.com

The Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by; The Workroom Channel Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA

Having a sewing business had been Doshie Witcher's dream since her mother taught her to hold a needle and thread. While in elementary school, she was sewing clothing for herself and others. In 1990 she opened Doshie's Custom Sewing and began specializing in alterations, custom work, and bridal designs. After making her first window valance, she decided that making window treatments were her passion and she spent the next 15 years working with interior designers to create custom window treatments. This led her to want to create her own line of valances so she designed Hidden Pocket Rod valances, which allow intricate curtain designs to be hung using a basic continental curtain rod. With these designs, Doshie expanded into Etsy in 2012, and now sells her Hidden Pocket Rod valances on her Etsy shop nationwide and internationally under the business name Black Belt Home Decor. Doshie is a second-degree black belt in Shorin Ryu Karate and spends her spare time training others in karate, singing in her local church choir, and spending time with her family.

Doshie is on Facebook and Pinterest.

The Podcast is sponsored by; The Workroom Channel Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA

Like many others in this business, Amanda Smith did not start out as a fabricator of window treatments. She attended college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte earning a bachelor's degree in Middle Grades Education. After teaching English and Social Studies for seven years, she attended graduate school earning a master's degree in Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and worked as a high school media specialist for three years. In 1997 she co-authored "Developing Lifelong Readers: Using Literature Across the Middle Grades Curriculum" Staff Development Guide For Middle School Teachers, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. She became a stay-at-home Mom in 1998 when her twin boys were born.

When her boys turned three Amanda knew she wanted to work but did not want to return to teaching full time. While visiting a friend one afternoon, she noticed her friend had new window treatments in the family room. It was an "ah ha" moment. She thought, "If I can make cocktail dresses, I can surely learn to make window treatments." Amanda comes from a family that sews. Her mother, an accomplished sewer and quilter, taught Amanda the art at age 12. Her father owned a successful auto upholstery business for 25 years. Both of her grandmothers and all of her aunts sewed. With her family's support, she set up a small workroom in an extra bedroom and completed her first job in July 2001.

What started out as a small, retail business has grown into a to-the-trade full-service workroom offering fabrication of panels, valances, bedding and decorative accessories as well as several lines of fabrics, hardware, shutters, blinds, woven woods. Amanda continues her fabrication education by belonging to the Window Coverings Association of America and by attending local and national conferences. Over the years her work has been published in several local magazines and online design sites.

Sew Unordinary can be found on Facebook and Instagram

You can find Seamless Workroom on Facebook

The M'Fay Manuals can be purchased on the Workroom Channel

We mentioned the following podcasts;

Kate The Socialite

Goaldigger

LuAnn Nigara

The apps mentioned were Planerly and Meet Edgar

Here is a link to the CWC Page.

The podcast is sponsored by; The Workroom Channel Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA

Jo Braxton Thomas, owner of Braxton Drapery Design began fabricating window treatments in 1984 for McGraw's Showcase Fabrics which resulted from a love of sewing and a desire to have a career in which she could remain at home to raise her two sons, Nathan and Joel. She started her own drapery business in 1986, Braxton Drapery Design, which is now located in Mansfield, OH. While her passion for sewing and designing has somewhat waned over the years, her heart's desire is now focused on training women rescued from human trafficking to sew and create things with their hands, enabling them to provide for themselves through a respectable trade, boosting their self-esteem. Her other interests include tennis, playing the piano, crocheting, quilting, mentoring, hosting Bible studies and journaling, motorcycle riding, snowboarding, water skiing, reading, camping, learning and lastly but not least, loving her grandchildren. She resides in Mansfield, Ohio along with her husband, Chris.

Jo is on Facebook

During the podcast we talked about;

Sarah Devaney O'Neil's podcast Episode 15

Lost Connections by Johann Hari

1000 Gifts by Ann Voscamp

The Opportunity Thinking Series is brought to you by; The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library

Jennifer Assetto, owner of In The Fringe in Haverford, Pa and Christina Price, owner of Main Line Window Decor and Jeanelle Dech, owner of Adaptive Textiles, The Workroom Channel and The Curtains and Soft Furnishings Resource Library get together with me to talk about growth. This seems to be a subject that we could talk about many, many more times and still not hit all of the questions. Or answers. It appears they are not the same for all of us or the same for ourselves at different stages of our own lives.

We also took this opportunity to have Jeanelle's son, Casey talk with Christina and Jen's girls about what it's like to have an entrepreneur mom. Stay tuned for that bonus episode!!

The Workroom Channel Scarlet Thread Consulting The WCAA

Jodi Stanford is the owner of Jodi's Window Fashions, a custom drapery workroom founded in 1986 and located near Memphis, Tennessee. Jodi started her business as a creative outlet that would bring in additional family income and allow her to stay at home with her children.

Jodi worked entirely alone and knew no other local workroom businesses until she discovered Cheryl Strickland's drapery school and conference in 2000. By that time she had taught herself to make most styles by analyzing photographs and creating her own patterns.

In 2002 Jodi co-founded the West Tennessee Professional Drapery Association and served as president. In 2006 she led the organization to become the West Tennessee Chapter of WCAA and she again served as president. During these years she developed demos and presentations for local workroom events.

Jodi taught seminars at the 2005/2006 Custom Home Furnishings Conferences in Greenville, Valley Forge, and Phoenix. In 2006 and 2010 she worked with local designers to create their award-winning interiors in the local Vesta Home Show. Jodi's latest achievement was the selection of her own original design for the 2018 Artisan Project for the International Window Coverings Expo. She is also excited to be presenting two classes at the 2018 Custom Workroom Conference.

She is a current WCAA member and serves on the speaker committee for the Virtual Chapter.

You can find Jodi on Facebook and Instagram

During the podcast we mentioned;

Do Fix

Sacred Selections

The Measures App

Word Swag

PicCollage

This special 100th episode of the Sew Much More Podcast is sponsored by Michele Williams of Scarlet Thread Consulting, who loves to work with creative business owners to help them understand all aspects of their business and to use their gifts and talents to make it profitable. She is a strategic profitability coach certified in the Profit First methodology and can be reached at ScarletThreadConsulting.com Michele and I talk about the fact that we are not victims of what happens to us, but rather, we make choices! And we can respond instead of react. If you want to purchase her Understanding Your Financials Course, enter SMM10 to get 10% off!

Addie Conte is the owner of Addie's Custom Coverings and Design, LLC, a soft furnishing fabrication and design studio. She has taken her love of textiles and created a business that offers her clients beautiful home solutions. Specializing in understanding the unique needs of each homeowner, Addie and her team are committed to providing personal attention to each client.

You can find Addie on Facebook and Instagram.

On the podcast we mentioned these Facebook pages;

WoMen of the Workroom

Professional Workrooms and Associates