Trade Tales

Business of Home, Kaitlin Petersen

Business of Home's editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen talks to interior designers about nurturing creativity, finding a firm’s financial footing, setting goals and discovering their own version of success as a result.

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179 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes179

Newest first

Oct 22, 2025 · 46 min
Heather Fujikawa on always putting the business first
Heather Fujikawa on her designer-client matchmaking process, what it takes to diagnose and solve the firm’s bottlenecks, and the value in handing control over to a leadership team.
Oct 15, 2025 · 46 min
Ask Us Anything: Noz Nozawa on how to find the best talent
Noz Nozawa on the value of investing in a professional recruiter to find top talent, how to gauge a candidate’s design passion in the interview process and why it’s essential as principal to set the firm’s standards for boundaries and communication.
Oct 8, 2025 · 48 min
For Jean Stoffer and Grace Start, starting slow is the key to growing big ideas
Jean Stoffer and Grace Start on how they’ve kept their relationship healthy amid rapid growth, their strategy for scaling several different design-related businesses, and how they’re navigating a major C-suite transition at the firm.
Oct 1, 2025 · 36 min
Ask Us Anything: Georgia Zikas on staying nimble amid a business slowdown
Georgia Zikas on the importance of conducting regular assessments on a firm’s financial health, tips for curating a network that produces potential clients and the importance of conducting regular assessments on a firm’s financial health.
Sep 24, 2025 · 50 min
Lindsay Anyon Brier on building space for joy into her firm
Lindsay Anyon Brier on the value of hiring a COO, the team-building efforts that keep her firm closely connected, and how her brick-and-mortar store has opened her up to the broader design community.
Sep 17, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Ask Us Anything: Dwayne Bergmann on how to purchase another designer's firm
Dwayne Bergmann on how to assess the financial health of a firm that’s on the market, a breakdown of the two most common types of business acquisitions and how a simple pros and cons list can help identify the challenges that lie ahead when it comes to leading a firm.
Sep 10, 2025 · 54 min
How Luis Fernandez structured his firm to foster creativity
Luis Fernandez on how he’s carefully considering how much liability he wants to take on with each job, what he’s learning while exploring different approaches to billing and why he has appreciated this phase of working on his own rather than staffing up.
Sep 3, 2025 · 41 min
Ask Us Anything: Michael Hilal on how good photography drives growth
Michael Hilal on photography—what to shoot, when to shoot it, and why it matters.
Aug 27, 2025 · 41 min
Anne McDonald’s roadmap to investing in yourself
Minneapolis, Minnesota–based designer Anne McDonald on 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.
Aug 20, 2025 · 36 min
Ask Us Anything: Jean Liu on the best way to use credit cards for purchasing
Jean Liu 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.
Aug 13, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
How acquiring another design firm helped Dwayne Bergmann get back in touch with his creativity
Dwayne Bergmann on why his firm uses different billing models depending on the project type, how opening a storefront took his firm to the next level, and why he doesn’t ever discuss markups with clients.
Aug 6, 2025 · 34 min
Ask Us Anything: Brian Paquette on warehouse insurance that works for designers
Brian Paquette 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.
Jul 30, 2025 · 52 min
How Michelle Gage built the team that helped her escape burnout
Michelle Gage on 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.
Jul 23, 2025 · 40 min
Ask Us Anything: Bria Hammel on why full-service firms should always take credit cards
Designer Bria Hammel 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.
Jul 16, 2025 · 56 min
Considering a sabbatical? Chloe Redmond Warner did it—and shares how you can, too [Rebroadcast]
Chloe Redmond Warner on the employee who pushed her to improve the firm’s processes, the lengths she’s go to to determine a client’s aesthetic sensibility, and how taking a sabbatical ultimately helped her discover a new way of working that preserved her time and mental energy.
Jul 9, 2025 · 59 min
Ask Us Anything: Live with Arianne Bellizaire and Cortney Bishop at High Point Market
Arianne Bellizaire and Cortney Bishop share advice on a range of designer dilemmas, 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.
Jul 2, 2025 · 45 min
The pandemic almost shut down Meg Lonergan’s business—here’s how she revived it [Rebroadcast]
Meg Lonergan faced a sudden crisis during the pandemic: in a matter of six weeks, she let go of all of her firm’s team members. To bring her business back from the brink, she took a hard look at her own leadership style, and started building a firm for the long haul.
Jun 25, 2025 · 42 min
Ask Us Anything: Meagan Camp on helping clients come to terms with storage fees
Meagan Camp 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.
Jun 18, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
How Alex Kaehler stepped away from her firm to gain a new vision for its future
Alex Kaehler on how putting her firm’s values in writing changed the company culture, how she’s communicating rising costs to clients, and how she’s finding joy these days in a workflow that has her getting into the weeds on each and every project.
Jun 11, 2025 · 45 min
Ask Us Anything: Amy Storm on navigating complex contractor relationships
Amy Storm on when to be transparent with clients about jobsite issues, how frequently communicating updates can protect your firm, and red flags that indicate whether or not it’s worth walking away from a contractor relationship.

Trade Tales

Heather Fujikawa on always putting the business first

Ask Us Anything: Noz Nozawa on how to find the best talent

For Jean Stoffer and Grace Start, starting slow is the key to growing big ideas

Ask Us Anything: Georgia Zikas on staying nimble amid a business slowdown

Lindsay Anyon Brier on building space for joy into her firm

Ask Us Anything: Dwayne Bergmann on how to purchase another designer's firm

How Luis Fernandez structured his firm to foster creativity

Ask Us Anything: Michael Hilal on how good photography drives growth

Anne McDonald’s roadmap to investing in yourself

Ask Us Anything: Jean Liu on the best way to use credit cards for purchasing

How acquiring another design firm helped Dwayne Bergmann get back in touch with his creativity

Ask Us Anything: Brian Paquette on warehouse insurance that works for designers

How Michelle Gage built the team that helped her escape burnout

Ask Us Anything: Bria Hammel on why full-service firms should always take credit cards

Considering a sabbatical? Chloe Redmond Warner did it—and shares how you can, too [Rebroadcast]

Ask Us Anything: Live with Arianne Bellizaire and Cortney Bishop at High Point Market

The pandemic almost shut down Meg Lonergan’s business—here’s how she revived it [Rebroadcast]

Ask Us Anything: Meagan Camp on helping clients come to terms with storage fees

How Alex Kaehler stepped away from her firm to gain a new vision for its future

Ask Us Anything: Amy Storm on navigating complex contractor relationships