139: Top Reasons Your Design Firm Needs a Spanx Strategy with Crista Grasso

With me today is Crista Grasso, creator of the Lean Out Method and the 90 Day Lean Out Planner. Crista helps growing businesses achieve more by doing less through a combination of strategic planning and lean business practices.  

Today we are going to talk about what that looks like for the design industry. There are many actionable activities in this podcast, so get ready to lean out your business. 

Topics Mentioned:

• Specialization and Personalization

• Innovation

• Lean Process

• Review

Key Thoughts:

• You may select a different fabric, you may select a different piece of furniture or art. But you still go through a design process, you still go through a fact-finding process, you still go through an ordering process, and then a fabrication process and an install process. Michele (14:18) 

• Your process is what allows you to give a really consistent and really high-quality customer experience, make sure you don't miss anything that's important. Crista (15:26) 

• I have a process that I developed that I work with people on, it's called Chuck. It's called hold, change, keep. And it's really pretty simple. But it's something I tell people to do every single 30 days is every 30 days, you should be going in and just looking across your business, look at the activities that you're doing. Crista (22:07) 

• Sometimes we just get so clouded with who the person is, and we love the person that we're trying to cram our business around the person instead of saying what does the business need, and then hiring for that position. Michele (24:34) 

• If we're not always moving forward, you're moving behind, you're moving backwards. Michele (49:26)

Contact Michele:

• Email: [email protected]

• Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting

• Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL

Contact Crista:

• Website: leanoutmethod.com

• Podcast: www.leanoutmethod.com/podcast

• LinkedIn: Crista Grasso

• Instagram: @cristagrasso

• Facebook: Lean Out Circle

• Email: [email protected]

References and Resources:

• The Designers' Inner Circle - Become a Member Today

• Building a Profitable Team for the Win - Ep 16 with Jeanelle Dech

• Top Reasons Every Designer Should Know Her Why - Ep 125 with Michele Williams

• How to Easily Understand Your Interior Design Businesses’ Finances - Ep 136 with Jack Tomkins

• The E-Myth Revisited - by Michael E. Gerber

• Start with Why by Simon Sinek

• Profit First and Fix This Next by Mike Michalowicz

• Who's in Your Room: The Secret to Creating Your Best Life by Ivan Misner, Ph.D., Stewart Emery L.H.D., Rick Sapio