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Some designers have vendors who will bend over backward to help them. Others can't seem to get anyone to return their calls. And there may be a very good reason for that! Cheryl sits down with Jamie Young, founder of Jamie Young Company, to get the OTHER side of the designer-vendor relationship. In this episode they discuss damaged goods, shipping headaches, unrealistic expectations, and why Cheryl has a few things to say about designers who take their vendor complaints straight to social media. Jamie shares what happens behind the scenes when designers place orders, what vendors wish designers understood, and why the way you handle problems can determine how willing a vendor is to go the extra mile for you. Because the relationships you build with your vendors have a direct impact on your clients, your reputation, and your bottom line. Plus you don't want to miss Jamie's insights for their upcoming furniture launch and what she's learned about designing products with the trade in mind. About Jamie Young:Raised in Los Angeles by an artist and entrepreneur, Jamie was drawn to design aesthetics from a young age. A unique home and an out of the box perspective molded the person she is today. Growing up in the heart of the entertainment industry during the 70’s and 80’s Jamie was surrounded by a colorful cast of eccentric characters; professional writers, painters, athletes, actors, and creative business minded mentors—inspiration was around every corner. After high school, she continued her studies at Parsons School of Design in New York City. She and her now husband, David Jeter, also an artist, attended San Francisco College of Art focusing on painting and sculpture with a deep knowledge of art history, met in 1992. Jamie’s superpower was the ability to understand design and fashion in the home space and bring to market an elegant and bohemian perspective unique to her upbringing. David’s deep knowledge of art and world history coupled with brilliant and fresh designs completed the package. Together, with a love of connecting to communities near and far, they founded Jamie Young Company in 1997 to fill a void in the world of home furnishing For over 27 years, the husband-and-wife team of David Jeter and Jamie Young Jeter have worked together as the Jamie Young Co., using their love of art, architecture, and adventure to craft approachable, design- driven pieces. From coast to coast, and around the world, the duo is inspired by their global travels as well the comfortable and covetable designs from their home in Southern California. Jamie Young Co. brings casual elegance and quiet luxury to home design. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Burnout in a design business can have very little to do with the number of hours you work. Cheryl digs into what happens when every decision, client issue, contractor problem and team question eventually finds its way back to the owner. You can delegate tasks, hire employees and reduce your project load and still be the person carrying all of the judgment and responsibility. In this episode, Cheryl looks at how designers make themselves indispensable without realizing it, why being needed can feel a lot like being successful, and what happens when you build a business that still requires you for everything. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Your client already has a general contractor, so why do they need you? Cheryl digs into one of the biggest misconceptions about a designer’s role in a renovation and why waiting until it’s time to choose finishes is already too late. From layouts and electrical plans to the hundreds of decisions that affect everything that comes next, the real value of a designer starts long before the pretty stuff. If you’re still selling your value through selections, it may be time to rethink what you’re actually selling. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Should your designers earn a commission, bonus, or a share of the profit? In this Asked & Answered episode, Cheryl breaks down how to build an incentive plan that rewards the behavior you actually want inside your firm. She explains why bonuses should be based on profit instead of total sales, how participation should affect the percentage, and why a simple system helps team members think more like owners. Because revenue may look impressive, but profit is what stays in the bank. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Cheryl has spent 25 years building systems around the way her design firm actually works. So what happens when AI suddenly gives her the ability to build the software around those systems, too? In this episode, Cheryl shares what happened when one irritating business problem turned into building her own app through “vibe coding,” what she’s learned along the way, and why knowing your processes matters more than knowing how to code. AI can help you build almost anything, but it will also happily automate a bad process. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

When clients ask questions or make requests that rub you the wrong way, it doesn’t always mean they’re trying to take advantage of you. Sometimes, they simply don’t understand what designers actually do. In this Designer Drama episode, Cheryl explains why designers need to get better at communicating their value instead of constantly protecting it and why your value can’t rest on gatekeeping sources. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Little did we know our Pricing and Salary Survey results were going to give us great nuggets of information that we could share for many future podcasts to come! One of the biggest challenges we found designers face is defining their product. Too often, “full-service design” means something different to every designer—and that inconsistency makes it nearly impossible to set confident fees, manage scope, or show clients the real value of design work. The secret lies in creating clear deliverables with a written scope of work, and structured meeting agendas that are always advancing the project. If you are not keeping track of your time--as many do not--this reveals where designers tend to undervalue themselves. You must trust in the value of your own work--define it, control it, manage expectations, and most importantly, position yourself as the expert in the room. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

One of our top episodes of Season 3! The confusion you accidentally create long before the proposal ever hits your clients inbox is the real reason clients hesitate. Your price is not the problem. You can unintentionally create confusion through discovery calls, the way you talk about freight, receiving, vendors, timelines, your value, etc. This causes your clients to be constantly collecting clues about whether saying yes to you feels SAFE or SCARY. Learn how your language, tone, and timing shape the emotional architecture your clients make decisions in, and why being clear is your most powerful sales tool. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Price is one of the first questions designers hear, but it is often the wrong conversation to lead with. Cheryl explains why posting big budget numbers and focusing on square-foot pricing can create the wrong expectations, intimidate potential clients, and reduce design to a transaction. Instead, she shares a better way to communicate value. By helping clients understand the thinking, process, and decisions behind the investment, they can then make informed choices with confidence. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Retail is one of the most misunderstood business models in the design industry. In this episode, Cheryl sits down with designer Ryan Williams of Artisan Design Studio to talk about the realities of adding retail to a design firm. From inventory investments and vendor relationships to client trust and showroom strategy, they discuss what retail actually costs, what it can do for your business, and why a storefront should support your design firm not distract from it. They also share lessons learned, mistakes made, and what designers should consider before signing a lease. If you've ever thought about opening a shop, showroom, or design center, this episode will help you evaluate the decision through a practical business lens. About Ryan WilliamsRyan Williams, principal designer and owner of Artisan Design Studio, has been practicing interior design for more than 20 years and has owned her business for over 15 of those years. Her approach to design goes far beyond creating beautiful spaces — Ryan is deeply committed to understanding her clients and their families to design homes that support their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. She prides herself on being both the expert in the room and a friend at the table. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Visibility matters, but posting yourself in your bath robe is not the same thing as building authority and for designers this can backfire fast. Because design is not an impulse buy. Clients are not hiring you for constant access to your every thought, errand, emotion, and car-confessional. They want you to lead expensive decisions, protect their investment, and bring a level of taste, judgment, and discernment they do not have on their own. Cheryl makes the case for more thoughtful marketing that reinforces expertise instead of making designers look frantic, interchangeable, or too accessible to command premium fees. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Cabinetry may be one of the biggest money opportunities hiding in plain sight for interior designers, but it is not for the faint of heart. In this episode, Cheryl sits down with Brooke Eversoll of Bee Studios Design to talk about what really happens when a design firm decided to take the leap and look at cabinetry as a serious revenue stream, design responsibility, and business decision. Brooke brings over two decades of kitchen and bath experience, along with the kind of technical precision and creative point of view that proves cabinetry is not just boxes, doors, and pretty finishes. Cabinetry is in details, measurements, modifications, installers, problem-solving, and knowing what the heck you are doing before someone’s very expensive kitchen becomes your very expensive mistake. In this episode, you will learn why cabinetry can become a major turning point for a design firm, what separates specifying cabinets from actually owning the cabinet design process, why manufactured lines can still offer true customization, what designers need to know before adding cabinetry sales to their business, and why the profit potential only works when you understand the risk, responsibility, and details that come with it. There IS money to be made in cabinetry, but only if you are ready to own the work that comes with it. About Brooke Eversoll:Bee Studios, a hive for beautiful living. Bee Studios was founded in 2015 and born from Brooke’s lifelong instinct for design. Brooke is deeply embedded in the Florida lifestyle and spent years spent sailing the Gulf as a young girl. Her passion and admiration for living in the sunshine state, along with her love of well-designed interiors, has been the foundation for Bee Studios. As a Certified Master Kitchen and Bath designer with over 2 decades of experience, the studio stands at a rare intersection of interiors, kitchens, and architecture, all imagined in one creative studio. Her approach brings wildly creative ideas merged with highly technical precision. She is quietly uncompromising in the pursuit of design that works beautifully and lives easily. Interiors that balance timeless and modern- a gentle balance of bringing new ideas while paying homage to what’s already there. She loves exploring new materials to personalize interiors for her clients. Because your home deserves to be wholly yours. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Our Asked and Answered segments have done so well we also noticed a common theme scrolling through social media that needed its own segment - introducing 'Designer Drama: Is it the client or is it us?'! These episodes will take on topics that seem to be hot buttons for designers. Want to learn Cheryl's take? Listen in! In this episode Cheryl takes on the growing trend of designers putting every client behavior, boundary, and communication issue into their contracts. She breaks down why legal protection and client leadership are not the same thing, and why a contract cannot fix poor onboarding, weak expectations, or a bad-fit client. This episode is a sharp reminder that your contract should support your business, not become the way you manage every client relationship. Don't be afraid to look at what is really happening underneath the drama. Is the client actually the problem, or have you as the business owner failed to set the right expectations? Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

AI can generate ideas in seconds. That’s not the threat. In this episode, Cheryl gets straight to it—designers are no longer being hired for ideas but for their judgment. This means knowing what works, what doesn’t, and what’s going to cost the client later. Because in the world of AI clients don’t need help imagining anymore. Someone needs to help make the right decisions. Designers need to lean in and not push back on AI or you will sound irrelevant. Ideas are everywhere. Judgment is not and you can own the decisions. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Each workshop is designed to stand alone — so you can choose the topics that matter most right now — while still connecting to the bigger picture of building a profitable, sustainable design business. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Listen to our TOP episode of Season 3! Kitchen and bath design must be treated — and priced — as the high-level specialty it is. These are not "just another room" — instead, they are some of the most complex, high-stakes, and profitable part of your business if you treat it that way. Too many designers undervalue their skills, we discuss how flat fees protect both your expertise and your bottom line, and why being the expert in the room changes everything. From navigating subs and code changes to troubleshooting “transitions up the wazoo,” we are sharing our real stories from the trenches that prove kitchen and bath design demands higher fees and sharper processes. If you’ve ever charged the same for a bath as you do a living room, then this is your wake-up call. Remember--clients pay for confidence, precision, and advocacy. Our message is clear: stop selling yourself short and start treating kitchen and bath work as the profit powerhouse it can be. Have a question--click here to ask us. Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ review RESOURCE LINKS:Damn Good Workshops - Website View our upcoming workshops! These workshops are 2–3 hour deep dives (some more than one day) built for creative entrepreneurs who want to lead with confidence, price with authority, and grow with intention. We created this 2-3 hour workshop series with tracks that cover the challenges we know designers face: pricing, sales, client relationships, project management, marketing, and leadership. Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website The best multi-faceted business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today. The Paradigm Quick Start - 3 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Shift - 6 Month Custom Coaching Program The Paradigm Intensive - 12 Month One on One Immersive Custom Business Coaching Join our FREE Facebook Groups Small Business - Think Big - FacebookWhat They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook GroupSubscribe to our newsletter ABOUT US:Cheryl Clendenon is the host of The Damn Good Designer Podcast and an award-winning interior designer, writer, and business coach with 26 years of full-time industry experience. With a prior career in media and radio sales, she brings a rare blend of creative thinking and business acumen to the design world. Cheryl was named KBB Person of the Year in 2021, is a nationally published industry voice with a monthly column in Home Accents Today, and regularly speaks on pricing, scope, process, and profitability. Known for her fast pace, contrarian instincts, and practical insight, Cheryl helps established design firms build stronger businesses and define success on their own terms. ***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***