Trade Tales

In this episode, New York-based interior designer Tina Ramchandani answers a question from a  designer whose firm is attracting plenty of potential clients—just not the ones she wants in her pipeline. Ramchandani jumps in with advice on finding the messaging that authentically conveys your firm’s value, tactics for filtering out unqualified leads, and the annual reset that helps crystallize her ideal client.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

Erica McLain has been continuously guided by a fierce drive and curiosity—qualities that propelled her to Stanford, the Olympics, and tech companies like Facebook and Google. Now, she’s combining those strengths to blaze a new trail in the design industry, rooted in a measurable, research-backed understanding of environmental psychology and neuroaesthetics. In this episode, she shares the “design potential report” she prepares for prospective clients, her firm’s unique B2B offering, and the toolkit she is developing to analyze a home’s impact on clients. 

This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture.

LINKS
Erica McLain
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Boston designer Dane Austin joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who knows the basics when it comes to presenting design ideas, and is now looking for advice on how to take her strategy a step further, ultimately selling her vision—and commitment—to her clients. Austin offers advice on bringing a theatrical edge to big-picture design planning, a strategy for physically packaging ideas that invokes the world of luxury shopping, and the value of refining the decision-making process through three levels of presentations. 

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Dane Austin
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Mandy Cheng launched her creative career in set production before discovering that transforming interiors was a perfect fit. The past few years have been pivotal for her firm, with industry accolades and high-profile clients that have brought growth, but also pushed her to explore what creative expansion will look like in the years ahead.

This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture. 

LINKS
Mandy Cheng 
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Melissa Oholendt of Minnesota- and Colorado-based firm Oho Interiors answers a question from a designer who is currently interviewing candidates for her firm’s first full-time position. Oholendt jumps in with advice on how to reveal a candidate’s true ambitions, evaluating skillset through a key question and knowing when to call for backup. 

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Oho Interiors

Ali Budd had a shot at  TV stardom—and decided she wanted to bring viewers a side of the industry they hadn’t seen before. As the business she spent years building enters the spotlight, she’s sharing what it took to find her voice—and how she built a team that could carry that vision even further.

This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture. 

LINKS
Ali Budd
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, New York and Rhode Island-based interior designer Blair Moore answers a question from a designer whose firm is facing a sudden rush of shipping problems. Moore jumps in with advice on reckoning with a decline in shipping quality, how thorough channels of communication can help catch issues before they arise, and—when all else fails—establishing your own in-house receiving operation.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

Angela Harris’s firm marks a bit of a departure from the typical Trade Tales guest, with a portfolio that spans master planned communities, model homes, commercial, hospitality, and everything in between. And yet, the lessons she’s picked up along the way—on executing her vision, firm leadership, and a rigorous approach to wellness—are valuable for designers in every corner of the industry. On this episode, she shares what it takes to fully inhabit the role of design visionary, how overhauling her firm’s infrastructure helped the team claw back creative time, why she’s pursuing a PhD centered on the concept of design as an ethical imperative.

This episode was sponsored by Vanguard Furniture and Kohler.

LINKS
Angela Harris

In this episode, Philadelphia-based interior designer Lucy O’Brien of Tartan & Toile answers a question from a designer who recently had to compromise her creative vision after coming up against an order minimum. O’Brien jumps in with advice on finding a second life for extra material, the value in troubleshooting with sales reps, and being transparent with clients about unexpected fees during the procurement process.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

Rayana Schmitz balanced several different early career paths—from fitness trainer to firefighter—before landing on interior design. Today, she’s leading her firm with the wisdom to know when to trust her gut and when to rely on outside experts. On this episode, she shares the showhouse experience that pushed her creative boundaries, how a fractional CFO saved her firm’s finances and why she maintains strict hours of communication with clients.

This episode was sponsored by Vanguard Furniture and Kohler.

LINKS
Rayana Schmitz