Anne McDonald made a big push a few years back to take her firm to the next level—toward bigger projects, more robust budgets, and new opportunities. The process required not only refining her team, but also learning to trust her own abilities. On this episode of the podcast, the Minneapolis, Minnesota–based designer shares why bringing on a CFO has helped her look toward the future, how she is navigating a shift towards smaller projects, and how her team is adjusting to a new pace of work.

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Anne McDonald 
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Jean Liu joins the show to answer a question from a designer who is wondering whether or not to pass along vendor processing fees to clients. The Dallas–based designer jumps in with advice on communicating additional fees to clients in a pre-invoice estimate, the value of using credit cards as a form of consumer protection and preparing for tariff-related fees.

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Jean Liu
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Dwayne Bergmann’s multifaceted approach to business growth has included everything from repping cabinet lines and cofounding a slab importing company to acquiring another Florida designer’s firm. He shares how, despite his passion for expansion, he now finds himself more in the weeds than ever when it comes to creative work.

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Dwayne Bergmann
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Brian Paquette joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who wanted to know the best way to protect items in storage for her clients. The Seattle-based designer jumps in with advice on vetting storage partners, how warehouse insurance can result in profitability for both parties, and why the design business is 95 percent execution and logistics. 

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands. 

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Brian Paquette
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Michelle Gage found herself fast-approaching the point of burnout several years ago. In response, she threw herself into the process of remaking her business—overhauling back-end systems and making high-level hires in order to rekindle the sense of enjoyment that drew her to design in the first place. Elsewhere in this episode, she also shares the book that transformed her approach to leadership, the benefits of hiring a brand manager and how she educates clients on the costs of design.

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Michelle Gage
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Bria Hammel joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer in need of advice as she embarks on an overhaul of her payment processes, especially amid a recent shift to charging flat fees. Minnestoa–based Hammel jumps in with tips on aligning payments with various phases of the design process, why every firm’s first hire should be an accounting position, and the go-to management software that keeps everything in order.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands. 

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Bria Hammel
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Chloe Redmond Warner realized several years ago that she had reached a breaking point. To get back to herself, she took a four-month sabbatical, with the hopes of returning to her firm as a better designer, and a better leader, too. The result wasn’t exactly what she was expecting, but it gave her the clarity she needed to change the way she worked.

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Chloe Redmond Warner
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Designers Arianne Bellizaire and Cortney Bishop joined host Kaitlin Petersen for a live episode of the show—recorded during Spring High Point Market—to dish out advice on topics including  when to start talking about design costs with prospective clients, what it takes to scale the receiving arm of your business and how to deal with an unreliable contractor. At the end, the designers fielded live questions from the audience on topics ranging from building a design team to discussing photography with reluctant clients.

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Arianne Bellizaire
Cortney Bishop
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

When Meg Lonergan embarked on her design career, it seemed that her biggest hurdle was demonstrating to the rest of the design industry that despite her nontraditional education and early career experiences, she was just as talented and qualified as any other successful firm owner. Then, a near-total firm meltdown during the pandemic led her to a stunning realization: The biggest obstacle standing in the way of her firm’s growth was herself. 

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Meg Lonergan
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Meagan Camp joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer in need of advice on streamlining her procurement process as she takes on a larger project load. The New York designer jumps in with tips on building storage costs into client budgets from the beginning, her vetting process for new receivers and the organizational system that ensures every item gets to the right place.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands. 

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Meagan Camp
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home