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Today's Kus WordA Conversation with Charity Williams | Kingdom Creativity Series, Pt. 3Text MicheleWhat if your creativity wasn’t just a talent, but an avenue for divine encounter? In this third episode of our Kingdom Creativity series, Michele chats with Charity Williams of Hope Words to explore how kingdom creativity bypasses mental filters and hits the heart straight on. From healings sparked by paintings to spontaneous salvation through freestyle rap, we explore how creativity is far more than art — it’s a conduit for heaven to manifest on earth. We also challenge the narrow way that we often define creativity. Whether you’re a DJ, a cod...2025-06-2712 min
Today's Kus WordA Conversation with Charity Williams | Kingdom Creativity Series, Pt. 2Text MicheleCreative expression isn’t just a hobby — it’s a divine partnership. In this soul-stirring, second conversation with Charity Williams of Hope Words ministry, we explore how following God’s lead in creating can silence comparison and the inner critic, and can awaken fresh, new vision. From painting a “green person” during worship (“Really, God?”) to navigating the tension between creative expression and church culture, Charity shares powerful, practical wisdom for any artist or creative soul longing to co-create with God instead of performing for approval. In this episode, we unpack how biblical crea...2025-06-2023 min
Profit Is A ChoiceThe Hidden Costs of Winging It in Your Design Business287: The Hidden Costs of Winging It in Your Design Business In this episode, we unpack the hidden costs of winging it in your design business. Michele shares why flying by the seat of your pants can lead to burnout, missed opportunities, and financial messes. She dives into the power of intentional planning, strategic hiring, and clear marketing—all rooted in a strong, future-focused vision. If you're ready to stop guessing and start growing, this one's for you. Topics Mentioned: Missed Opportunities Peace Process Being Intentional Ke...2025-06-1512 min
Today's Kus WordA Conversation with Charity Williams | Kingdom Creativity Series, Pt. 1Text MicheleEver wonder if your creative expression truly matters in God’s kingdom? In this inspiring and joy-filled conversation, Michele Kus interviews Charity Williams, founder of Hope Words, whose journey from the ICU to prophetic painting shows us that creativity isn’t just a hobby but a divine partnership with heaven. In this episode, the first in our Kingdom Creativity series, Charity shares her remarkable journey of discovering her creative purpose. What started with painting encouraging words and images on her shoes (“because I was looking down so much”) became a healing and hope...2025-06-1325 minProfit Is A ChoiceProfitability of Working with a Family Member286: Profitability of Working with a Family Member On today’s episode, we’re joined by Beth Meyer and Abby McLane of Beth Meyer Design, a mother-daughter team specializing in luxury residential interiors. Featured in Southern Home and LUXE, they’ve built a trusted brand through elegant design and smart business growth. We’ll explore how they started working together, their approach to profitability, and the benefits of running a family-based interior design business. If you're looking for real strategies to grow your design firm, this one’s for you. Topics Mentioned: Strategy Organization Technology...2025-06-0159 minProfit Is A ChoiceThe Top 5 Profit Drains in Your Interior Design Business285: The Top 5 Profit Drains in Your Interior Design Business Welcome to the podcast! Today, we’re diving into the five biggest profit drains that can silently sabotage your interior design business. If you’ve ever wondered where your money is going or why your profit margins aren’t where they should be, this episode is for you. Grab a pen and paper—because you’ll want to take notes on how to boost profitability and take control of your money management starting today. Topics Mentioned: Pricing Financials Ideal Client Managing Cash Flow Effectively ...2025-05-1817 minProfit Is A ChoiceThe Hidden Costs of Employment284: The Hidden Costs of Employment s Joining me is Jessica Harling, founder of Behind the Design. Jessica is a seasoned expert in employee and process development, specializing in recruitment, training, and change management for design organizations. Her work helps businesses streamline costs, increase productivity, and develop high-performing teams. In this episode, we'll discuss practical business strategies for interior designers for effective hiring, onboarding, and retention to ensure your team thrives. Enjoy the conversation! Topics Mentioned: Employment Strategy Accountability Employee Training Key Thoughts: Fears are norma...2025-05-0459 minProfit Is A ChoiceImplementing Profit First with Success283: Implementing Profit First with Success Welcome to the podcast! Today, we’re talking about Profit First—a powerful money management system that is proven to boost interior design business profit. If you're making money but never seem to keep it, or constantly juggling funds, you're not alone. We’ll show you how Profit First helps you separate money with purpose, avoid the “robbing Peter to pay Paul” cycle, and make smarter financial decisions. Whether you're just launching or scaling your design business, this episode is packed with strategies to help you pay yourself first and grow a more profitabl...2025-04-2016 minProfit Is A ChoiceDesign Mentorship for Beginners282: Design Mentorship for Beginners Welcome to today's episode. I’m thrilled to have Rebecca Ward with me. Rebecca is an award-winning interior designer based out of Sacramento, California, and she’s truly dedicated to nurturing emerging talent in the design industry. Not only does she host the Design Curious podcast, but she also runs a mentorship program called My Design Mentor. Rebecca focuses on answering those essential early questions for anyone looking to build their business in interior design. In this episode, we’ll discuss the many paths people take into the industry and the common questions new designers face as th...2025-04-0641 minProfit Is A ChoiceCreating an SEO Strategy with Pinterest281: Creating an SEO Strategy with Pinterest On the podcast today is Julia Bocchese, an SEO and Pinterest consultant for small businesses in the creative industry. We’re discussing business strategy for interior designers, covering essential strategies for your website, Pinterest direction, and SEO. Julia shares some simple, actionable reminders that will help position your business to be found online. If you're an interior designer looking to improve your digital presence, this episode is packed with expert tips to enhance your strategy and grow your business. Tune in to learn how to effectively optimize your online strategy! Topics Mentioned: SEO...2025-03-1643 minProfit Is A ChoiceWhat Does it Mean to Know Your Numbers280: What Does it Mean to Know Your Numbers I am so excited to have you join us on the podcast today! I’m going to be joined by Courtney Bramlett, who is the director of marketing and operations here at Scarlet Thread Consulting. She also owns her own company, The Good Sower, and today, we’re diving into an incredibly important topic: financial planning for interior designers. Maybe you've heard the buzzword over and over—know your numbers, know your financials—and it sounds great, but it has almost become an irritant, and you’re still not sure what it means. To...2025-03-0246 minProfit Is A ChoiceGood Management Leads to Profitability279: Good Management Leads to Profitability Joining me on the podcast today is Courtney Bramlett, director of marketing and operations for Scarlet Thread Consulting. We are going to talk about values, how they lead to setting expectations, and having accountability in our firms. It's not every day that we have everything set up so perfectly that everybody comes in and does what they do without questions or confusion about their job. We will talk through some of the things that you can do establish practices that will help your employees or contractors all move forward in the same direction and t...2025-02-1658 minProfit Is A ChoiceCreating Productivity in Your Workday278: Creating Productivity in Your Workday Today, I'm joined by Leslie Shreve, a workload and productivity expert, and the founder of Productive Day. She’s also the author and creator of Taskology, a comprehensive system designed to help manage tasks, time, email, and information. In our conversation, we’ll explore the distinction between organization and productivity, uncover where time might be slipping away in your workday, and dive into much more. Topics Mentioned: Organization Productivity Task Management Methodology Key Thoughts: Any process is only as good as the way that we appl...2025-02-021h 03Profit Is A ChoiceDemystifying Inventory in Your Business277: Demystifying Inventory in Your Business Joining me today is Ciara Stockeland. She is a fractional CFO focusing on inventory-based businesses. She has a podcast called Inventory Genius along with a book by the same name. She also has a new book called Profit Genius that is out soon. Today we're going to demystify inventory. All about inventory, how it works in your financials, why it's so important to find resources and people who understand it and how you can strategize around it. Topics Mentioned: Inventory Resiliency Profitability Financials Key Thoughts: B...2025-01-1951 minProfit Is A ChoiceDemystifying Inventory in Your Business277: Demystifying Inventory in Your Business Joining me today is Ciara Stockeland. She is a fractional CFO focusing on inventory-based businesses. She has a podcast called Inventory Genius along with a book by the same name. She also has a new book called Profit Genius that is out soon. Today we're going to demystify inventory. All about inventory, how it works in your financials, why it's so important to find resources and people who understand it and how you can strategize around it. Topics Mentioned: Inventory Resiliency Profitability Financials Key Thoughts: B...2025-01-1951 minProfit Is A ChoiceStrategy is Key for Longterm Success276: Strategy is Key for Longterm Success I am so excited about our podcast today. With me is Courtney Bramlett. She is the director of marketing and operations here at Scarlet Thread Consulting and she's also the owner of her own company, The Good Sower. Courtney and I are going to have an in-depth conversation about strategy, why we need to have it, roadblocks that we see when people don't have a strategy, and we will share a little bit about the programs that we have coming this year that are available to help you all with strategy. I hope...2025-01-0550 minProfit Is A ChoiceCheers to 2024!275: Cheers to 2024! Every year Ceil DiGuglielmo and I sit down and chat about the prior year. We talk about the books we've read, some of the things that have happened in our lives, and how those experiences have shaped us to be the business owners that we are and that we are becoming. I am excited to, once again, invite you to listen in as Ceil and I discuss the year 2024. Topics Mentioned: Strategy Intentionality Planning MIndset Key Thoughts: Especially as women, we spend a lot of t...2024-12-291h 19Profit Is A ChoiceBusiness Inspiration for Your Design Firm274: Business Inspiration for Your Design Firm Joining me today is Colleen Bennett of CBB design firm and Mimosa Home. Colleen has had a varied career in design working worldwide, and today she's going to share some of her story and how she's created a unique experience for her clients maintaining profitability in the process. Topics Mentioned: Travel Profit Debt Intention Key Thoughts: You control the sale with finishes. Because once you get into the finished department and the design department, you control every single aspect from there. Colleen Bute Benne...2024-12-0154 minProfit Is A ChoiceConstruction Management is Profitable273: Construction Management is Profitable Welcome to the podcast! Today, I’m joined by the talented Renee Biery, a luxury interior designer, construction expert, and the host of the Only Girl on the Jobsite podcast. We’re diving into an incredible conversation about expanding your design services to include construction management. Whether you’re already doing this or thinking about it, we’ll cover some of the common challenges—pricing, pitfalls, and the essential things to keep an eye on. Renee is an expert in navigating these areas, and we’re excited to share her insights with you. We hope you enjoy the...2024-11-1754 minProfit Is A ChoiceEnding the Year Well for Your Design Business272: Ending the Year Well for Your Design Business Have you ever wondered how to end the year well? You'll hear us talk about this in multiple places all around, how do we end our year well? In this podcast, we will discuss how to define what ending the year well for you and your company looks like, how to plan in advance, how to be intentional, and how to create some time to rest and reset. It is so interesting that the fourth quarter of our year is spent not only making sure that we can wrap up...2024-11-0312 minProfit Is A ChoiceBuying a Commercial Space for Your Business271: Buying a Commercial Space for Your Business Joining me today on the podcast is Paul Neal. He's a financial strategist and author dedicated to transforming the way entrepreneurs view commercial property. He has a book called Un-Lease Your Business: Unlock Wealth, Autonomy and Control by Buying Your Building and Firing Your Landlord and it is a very informative book. He is an amazing speaker who is going to help us understand more about the commercial buying process for our businesses. Enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Purchasing commercial real estate Process Financials Key T...2024-10-2042 minProfit Is A Choice4 Year-End Steps to Prepare Your Interior Design Business270: 4 Year-End Steps to Prepare Your Interior Design Business Join us as we revisit an insightful episode focused on empowering interior designers through creating a strategic business plan. This re-showing of our previous podcast, "Four Year-End Steps to Prepare Your Interior Design Business," is perfect for anyone looking to enhance their business strategy. In this episode, we dive deep into effective strategies tailored specifically for the interior design industry. As an interior design business coach, I’m thrilled to share the exact processes I'm implementing in my own business right now. Whether you're a seasoned designer or j...2024-10-0617 minProfit Is A ChoiceDelegating Begins with Hiring269: Delegating Begins with Hiring Joining the podcast today is Selina Johnson. Selina is a team operations strategist and go-to expert for reclaiming your time and embracing an enriched, peaceful life. Her mission is to empower CEOs to build efficient teams that don’t rely on them 24/7. We will talk about where delegating really begins and the best practices to get the outcomes you want with teams you enjoy working with. Topics Mentioned: Hiring Trust in a team Big picture Preparedness Key Thoughts: It's really important to determine what's your core focus...2024-09-1546 minProfit Is A ChoicePricing Your Work Without Emotion 268: Pricing Your Work Without Emotion On today's podcast we're going to hear a pre-recorded podcast that I did with Ceil DiGuglielmo of the podcast "Sew Much More". Ceil interviewed me and spoke with me about the Pricing Without Emotion course that I have been teaching since 2010. I am so excited for you to hear this as we are getting ready to launch our Pricing Without Emotion course on September 5, 2024. As Ceil says in her intro, even if you are not looking to buy the course or participate in it, there is a lot you can learn from listening to t...2024-09-011h 21Profit Is A ChoiceThe Role of Tech in Your Business267: The Role of Tech in Your Business On the podcast today is Jen McFarland founder of Marit Digital. Jen partners with small businesses and teams as they plan, assess, and improve the digital solutions that help them succeed. She helps with implementing AI to setting up web hosting and digital experience design. Today’s topic is all about tech. Topics Mentioned: Technology Audit AI Key Thoughts: It's the same with your tech. You have to reevaluate that from time to time. You have to make changes, you have to assess, go back a...2024-08-1854 minProfit Is A ChoiceThe Sales Process Doesn't Have to End266: The Sales Process Doesn't Have to End Dr. Nadia Brown is the founder of the Doyenne Agency, a global sales and training agency dedicated to educating and equipping women business leaders to pursue their passion, own their power and increase their profits. She is the host of the “Straight Talk About Sales” podcast and is the author of Leading Like a Lady: How to Shatter Your Inner Glass Ceiling and Sell Like a Lady: How to Master Sales with Dignity, Class and Grace. Today we will discuss selling with integrity, how the entire company is involved in the sales cycle...2024-08-0452 minProfit Is A ChoiceManaging Your Team Effectively265: Managing Your Team Effectively Today's podcast is a conversation with Shelly Warren. Shelly is a women's leadership advisor, and she's the host of the “Stacking Your Team” podcast. Her expertise is in helping small business owners develop and nurture a leadership team so that they can take over the day-to-day operations, giving you, the owner, more time for growth, conversations, and decision-making. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Career path Management Team building Key Thoughts: Defer to your experts, ask them for their point of view, and then you...2024-07-1457 minProfit Is A ChoiceThe Role of Storytelling in Your Email Marketing264: The Role of Storytelling in Your Email Marketing With me today is Kamala Nair. Kamala is a meticulous copywriter, a brand voice expert, and a published novelist with more than 20 years of professional writing experience. Our focus today will be on email messaging surrounding your conversion and nurture campaigns. Listen in as we talk about the importance of storytelling in your messaging. Topics Mentioned: Email Marketing Storytelling Conversion Campaigns Vulnerability In Business Key Thoughts: Humans are wired for story. It’s how we make sense of the world. Kamala Nair ...2024-06-3053 minProfit Is A ChoiceYour Financial Personality Impacts Your Decisions263: Your Financial Personality Impacts Your Decisions Joining me today is Gary Arblaster of Arblaster Consulting. Gary is a finance expert, and he is on a journey to help us recognize our mindset around money and communications. He has created an assessment called the 41 Financial Personality Assessment, which is a tool that links personality traits to financial choices. We're going to talk about money, individual wiring, and how that affects our decision-making and communication around money today on the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Financial Personality Communication Uniqueness Leadership Key Thoughts: I'v...2024-06-1638 minProfit Is A ChoiceBig Thinking Big Results262: Big Thinking Big Results On the podcast today is Andrea Liebross. She's a business and life coach who works with high-achieving women entrepreneurs. She's the host of the podcast “Time to Level Up”, and just published a fantastic book called She Thinks Big. We're going to be talking about intention, integration, priorities, and agency in our business journey in our conversation with Andrea. I'm excited to have you join us. Topics Mentioned: Strategy Fear Integration Intention Committed versus Interested Key Thoughts: We have to be intentional about having t...2024-06-0348 minProfit Is A ChoicePodcasting as a Revenue Stream261: Podcasting as a Revenue Stream With me on the podcast today is Traci DeForge. Traci has over three decades of experience in broadcast media, executive management, and consulting for Fortune 500 businesses. She is the founder of Produce Your Podcast, and she's going to be sharing with us today how creating and having your own podcast can lead to profitable results in your life and in your business. Topics Mentioned: Marketing Authenticity Leverage Key Thoughts: I think people just have to really understand when you make the decision to start a podcast, the...2024-05-1942 minProfit Is A ChoiceCFO2GO Success Story260: CFO2GO Success Story With me today is Kate Wood of Worth Preserving. Kate partners with property owners, designers, architects, trades, and others to rescue, rehabilitate, and determine what is worth preserving in historic homes and buildings. Recently, Kate completed my CFO2GO program, and the results that she has had in just a few short months have been astounding. In this episode, we're going to talk to Kate to understand a little of her journey to reclaim the love she has for her work, to be able to make money doing it, and to have the ability to m...2024-05-051h 05Profit Is A ChoiceThe Power of Feasibility259: The Power of Feasibility Robyn Thomas is joining us today on the podcast. Robyn has an architecture degree from Auburn, and she has merged that education with her love of design to provide a one-stop architecture offer specializing in design completion and optimization. She calls it the master of done. I love that so much. Today we're going to delve into feasibility, what it is, why it's needed, and when is the right time for the conversation around it. Enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Metrics Processes Project Management Teamwork ...2024-04-1456 minProfit Is A Choice4 Strategies to Stop Being Underpaid258: 4 Strategies to Stop Being Underpaid I am so excited to be talking to you today. I'm actually so excited that I didn't wait and get all dolled up to be on the video part of the podcast. I decided in the middle of my work session just to stop and go ahead and share this message. So, I hope you are excited as I am, because we are going to talk about four strategies that will stop you from being underpaid. Do you know what it means to be underpaid? It means a high tolerance for low p...2024-03-3117 minProfit Is A ChoiceDesign the Life You Want257: Design the Life You Want Nicole Comis is a life and mindset coach, and she's passionate about helping driven professionals achieve their career goals without sacrificing their personal lives. She's certified by the International Coaching Federation and she's also a neurolinguistics programming master coach. Nicole's goal is for those that she works with to recognize that success comes from living a happy, healthy, and balanced life, whatever that might look like for them. If you're feeling tired or overwhelmed or not sure what to do next, this is the podcast for you. Topics Mentioned: Health S...2024-03-1742 minProfit Is A ChoiceOne Size Does Not Fit All256: One Size Does Not Fit All One size does not fit all. Okay, I just said it. I know that's going to be hard for some of you. But in our haste to get things done, to keep moving, to provide a service, often we're looking for that shortcut to success. We're looking to ride the elevator to the top instead of taking the stairs. Today, we will explore how to choose the right offer for our company and ultimately, for our customers. Topics Mentioned: Templates Metrics Problem Solving ...2024-03-0309 minProfit Is A ChoiceIgnite Your Passion in Your Business255: Ignite Your Passion in Your Business With me on the podcast today is Jacqueline Green of Behind the Design company. Jacqueline is a coach, and she helps people move from a hobby into the business that they want that can be profitable. We're going to have a very robust conversation today on how to identify areas that we're passionate about and how to give ourselves the freedom to move from one direction to another, not to stay stuck. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Passion Pivot, Growth Mindset ...2024-02-1840 minProfit Is A ChoiceCFO2GO for Your Business254: CFO2GO for Your Business On the podcast today, we're going to consider the work of a CFO or a chief financial officer. Given that most of our businesses are too small to hire this as a full-time position, we've begun to see the rise of fractional offerings in this space. Today, we're going to talk about what a CFO does, and if you need one. Topics Mentioned: Financial Planning Budgets CFO Metrics Key Thoughts: What does it mean to hire fractional? It...2024-02-0415 minProfit Is A ChoiceRemoving Fear from Video in Your Business253: Removing Fear from Video in Your Business Joining me today is Jasmin Bryant with Fear No Video. Jasmin has had a very varied background. She has worked in television, as an actress, and in the news. She is going to share with us today how we can show up on video without fear. One of the things that Jasmin and I are going to focus on is how to remove some of the self-talk that we have before we ever do it, how to get ourselves ready to go on video, and how to make sure that the message...2024-01-2138 minProfit Is A ChoiceThe Intersection of your Financial and Strategic Plans252: The Intersection of your Financial and Strategic Plans On the podcast today, we're going to be talking about the intersection of your financial plan and your strategic plan. It's not enough to have one or the other. We really need them in combination to make our business as healthy as possible. So, listen in as we talk about that overlap between the two. Topics Mentioned: Cost to everything Ability to evaluate and prioritize Budgets and financial systems support Strategy first Key Thoughts: I...2023-12-3113 minProfit Is A ChoiceYear End Wrap Up251: Year End Wrap Up Joining me on the podcast today is Ceil DiGuglielmo. You probably recognize Ceil as she has been with me multiple times since 2018. She is the owner of the Curtains and Soft Furnishings Library and the host of the Sew Much More podcast. Every year, Ceil and I get together to talk about what has happened over the last year. We share our business and life experiences, our highs, our lows, what we're most proud of, and what we're looking forward to the next year. We hope that this authentic conversation that you can listen in o...2023-12-171h 07Profit Is A ChoiceFinancials are the Foundation to Work Life Balance250: Financials are the Foundation to Work Life Balance Joining me on the podcast today is Val Duvick. She is the owner of Val Marlene Creative. She is a Profit First coach and a business coach for those in creative industries. We're going to have so many awesome things to talk about today including Profit First, what it is like to be a creative, how to balance the energy between our left logical side and right creative side, as well as how to get to a happy, medium place where our financials are easy to look at and...2023-12-1049 minProfit Is A Choice5 Financial Mistakes Made at Year End249: 5 Financial Mistakes Made at Year End On the podcast today, we're going to be talking about the five mistakes that business owners make at the end of the year. I want you to listen in and see if you are finding yourself falling into any of these traps so that you still have time to do something different. Topics Mentioned: Cash flow Budgets Debt Key Thoughts: I would say nine times out of ten, we're more likely to overspend a budget than to unde...2023-12-0314 minProfit Is A ChoiceAll Roads Can Lead to Profit248: All Roads Can Lead to Profit Today, I am excited to offer you a replay of an episode that I did back in 2018 with Mike Michaelowicz. You may know Mike, he is the author of a large number of books from Profit First to Clockwork to Surge, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur , and The Pumpkin Plan. Mike and I had a really awesome conversation about how all roads can lead to profit if you set the correct coordinates. I really thought that as we're wrapping up this year, things have been shifting, they're a little bit different, we've been through...2023-11-2653 minProfit Is A ChoiceUsing Debt Strategically in Your BusinessJoining me on the podcast today is Danielle Hendon. She is the owner of Four Corners CFO. Danielle loves to take big business ideas and break them down to support small businesses to reach that next goal, to grow and scale, or to just wrap their arms around their business. We're going to have a really great conversation today focusing on debt, such as good debt versus bad debt. Topics Mentioned: Debt Intentionality Understanding your financials Key Thoughts: Honestly, the difference between good and bad debt is t...2023-11-1237 minProfit Is A ChoiceCreating Good Financial Systems246: Creating Good Financial Systems Joining me today is Kelcee Sparks with Elite Ops, and we are going to be talking about financials. This is always one of my favorite topics to talk about, and so I'm excited to see and to hear the questions that she has for me. Topics Mentioned: Basic financial concepts Understanding your financials Strategic planning Profit First Key Thoughts: The first is I think every business owner should understand their major anchor points, especially from a P&L. What does that mean? It means I th...2023-11-0527 minProfit Is A ChoiceInvesting in Yourself to Build Your Business245: Investing in Yourself to Build Your Business Joining me on the podcast today is Amanda Scotto, principal designer and owner of AMA Designs and Interiors in New Jersey. Amanda is a client of mine, and she is going to be sharing her journey starting with where she began, some of her early successes and pivots that she's had in her business, and challenges that she's encountered. She is very transparent, and freely shares with us, giving us an opportunity to learn about resilience, planning, and raising our hand when we need help. It was an awesome conversation and I...2023-10-2250 minProfit Is A ChoiceGet Uncomfortable by Choice in Your Design Firm244: Get Uncomfortable by Choice in Your Design Firm Joining me on the podcast today are Joann Kandrac and Kelly Kole of Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs based here in the Atlanta area. Kelly and Joann have been together for about 18 years, and they do something every year that has just really been inspiring to me. They go on a mission trip to Guatemala to help others in need. On the podcast today, Kelly and Joann are going to share about the process of how they came together as business owners, how they implemented and embraced this mission trip, and how...2023-10-0857 minProfit Is A ChoiceDressing With Confidence in Your Business242: Dressing With Confidence in Your Business Joining me on the podcast today is Angela Foster. She is a style coach who is going to help us focus on how to be confident in what we're wearing no matter where we're going, and no matter what our sizes. We can all dress to accentuate our best features. Listen in and learn how. Topics Mentioned: Confidence in dressing for any occasion Tools to shop with confidence Accentuating and minimizing with confidence Key Thoughts: We're starting our day with our own internal mind c...2023-09-2448 minProfit Is A ChoiceCreating Space for Your Business to Grow241: Creating Space for Your Business to Grow Joining me today is Rasheeda Gray of Gray Space Interiors. Rasheeda started her business 7 years ago as part time and then evolved into full time business ownership. In this episode we will discuss the journey to growing a business and leading a team. Rasheeda shares her lessons learned and you don’t want to miss them. Topics Mentioned: Life Vision Goals with connection Process New beginnings Key Thoughts: Everything happens for a reason and so I think my marketing degree, my b...2023-09-0348 minProfit Is A ChoiceWhere to Start With Creating ProcessesJoining me on the podcast today is Kelcee Sparks with Elite Ops. She has been with us on previous podcasts where we are answering the questions that you all have sent in and today, we're focusing on processes. We are going to answer questions on how to get started, how to organize and structure your process, where to put your processes, who will help write the processes, and even discuss the importance and the mindset behind a process. Today’s podcast has lots of good information and we thank you for joining. Topics Mentioned: Process Cr...2023-09-0343 minProfit Is A ChoiceCreating a Vision for Your Life and Business239: Creating a Vision for Your Life and Business With me on the podcast today is Kathy Geffen of Kathy Geffen Designs and Fine Tune Coaching. Kathy has had an amazing 25-year career in corporate America doing all types of organizational management, started a drapery workroom in 2015, and has recently launched Fine Tune Coaching. We’re going to have a great conversation about what it's like to overlap with different areas of business, what makes it so important to be connected to your goals, and to be able to organize them in a way that they can be ac...2023-08-2749 minProfit Is A ChoiceDiversifying Your Business238: Diversifying Your Business With us today is Anastasia Harrison of AHD&CO as well as with AHD Trade. Anastasia is a licensed architect and an interior designer with a primary location in New Jersey. Her business has grown and changed since she first started and we're going to be talking about how it has diversified with a trade-only showroom. Join us and listen in. I hope there are some great takeaways for you. Topics Mentioned: Different Income Streams Internal Growth Coaching Employees Leveraging Relationships do...2023-08-1342 minProfit Is A ChoiceWhat Goes in a Strategic Plan237: What Goes in a Strategic Plan Joining me on the podcast today is Kelcee with Elite Ops. She has been with us before and we are going to be doing question and answer time focused on strategic planning. We look forward to your questions so please continue to send those in to us at team@ScarletthreadConsulting.com. Topics Mentioned: Strategy Planning Metrics Key Thoughts: Anything that we're close to, we see more clearly than things that are far off like that. If we can ju...2023-08-0638 minProfit Is A ChoiceHow to Work with a Tax Strategist236: How to Work with a Tax Strategist with Shauna Wekherlien On the podcast today is Shauna Wekherlien, lovingly known as the Tax Goddess. Shauna is in the top 1% of tax strategists in the nation. Her clients employ the tax strategies she recommends and her firm has an average of 6.9% tax rate. We are going to have a great discussion about taxes, how CPAs and strategists work together, and about the IRS Dirty Dozen. Topics Mentioned: IRS Dirty Dozen Captive Insurance Write your dog off on your taxes Augusta Rule or Masters Exem...2023-07-2353 minProfit Is A ChoiceHow to be Eternally Optimistic about Your Finances235: How to be Eternally Optimistic about Your Finances with Matt Drinkhahn Joining me today is Matt Drinkhahn of the Eternal Optimist Podcast and Pro Coach Advisors. Matt is full of information, enthusiasm, and excitement about understanding our numbers, especially surrounding financial literacy. Matt is going to share about his journey including some of his embarrassment at not knowing his numbers and then harnessing the power behind those numbers to scale and grow businesses. This is a fun enjoyable conversation, and I invite you to listen in and take notes. Topics Mentioned: Financial Ownership Overcoming Shame ...2023-07-1646 minProfit Is A ChoiceHow to Manage My Money in My Firm234: How to Manage My Money in My Firm Joining me on the podcast today is Kelcee with Elite Ops. She has been with us before and we are going to dig into some questions all around the financial aspects, kind of the manage your money, and my program. Thank you for sending in your questions and please continue to do that as we continue working through this series. Topics Mentioned: Pricing Cash Flow Billing Strategic Plan Thoughts from Michele: We can’t measure...2023-07-0237 minProfit Is A ChoiceHow to Remove Summer Stress233: How to Remove Summer Stress Every year around this time when my kids were young, I would be thinking about how we would handle our summer plans. Which camps were they going to and when? How could I have a more relaxed schedule at work while moving projects along but also being mom? Maybe you don’t have kids, but do want a more relaxed summer schedule – no matter what, listen in to this episode originally recorded in 2019. The lessons in time management and project expectations still apply. Topics Mentioned: Delegation Fraction...2023-06-2529 minProfit Is A ChoiceUsing a Fractional Team to Support Your BusinessJoining us today is Shayna Rose of Shayna Rose Interiors and 4DBiz. Shayna turned a tragic event into a new business model that changes how interior designers run their business. Listen in as we discuss the hallmarks of overwhelm and how to get the help you need to run your business and reclaim your time. Topics Mentioned: Delegation Fractional Support Accidental Business Owner Systems Key Thoughts: I always like to say my success has failed upwards. Everything has been created around a failure and it's the best thing you can...2023-06-2046 minProfit Is A ChoiceQ & A with Michele231: Q & A with Michele Today I have with me Kelcee Sparks, who is with Elite Ops Support. She has a team of people that support designers and other industries with operational support, VA support, and she also provides operations support for me personally. She's going to ask me some questions today so that we can share a little bit more information on some of the questions that you all have been sending in and have asked. Enjoy the podcast. If people want to send in business questions please continue to send them in, we...2023-06-0440 minProfit Is A ChoiceBecome Your Own Banker to Control Your Finances230: Become Your Own Banker to Control Your Finances with Mark Willis Joining me on the podcast today is Mark Willis. He's the owner of Lake Growth Financial Services, a financial firm in Chicago, Illinois. Mark is going to lead us on the journey of understanding our financials better. We're going to be looking at how to be the bank for our company, what it means to take back ownership, money, and lending instead of being a slave to the banks or to somebody else holding a note over our head or having so much debt that we don't know...2023-05-2150 minProfit Is A ChoiceThe Journey of Buying a Business229: The Journey of Buying a Business with Julie Murphy With us on the podcast today is Julie Murphy. Julie is the Owner of Designer Draperies of Boston, a full service to the trade workroom. She began as a home-based business in 2006. In 2014 she purchased Designer Draperies of Boston and merged the 2 businesses. She has tripled the size of her team as well as sales since transfer of ownership. She attributes her growth and continued success on 3 things: Quality, Effective Communication and Exemplary Customer Service. Today we will focus on her journey to make a business acquisition – the hig...2023-05-141h 01Profit Is A ChoiceWhy Attending Industry Events is Profitable228: Why Attending Industry Events is Profitable with Michele Williams How many of you go to an industry conference at least once a year? On our podcast today, I am just returning from the International Window Coverings Expo. And I'm going to share with you 10 things that really stood out to me while I was there. Topics Mentioned: Industry Events Learning Travel Key Thoughts: Not everyone is looking for the same thing. Authentic connection requires you to block out the no...2023-04-3020 minProfit Is A ChoiceUsing Your Past to Create Your Story227: Using Your Past to Create Your Story with Ericka Saurit Joining me on the podcast today is Ericka Saurit. She is the founder of Saurit Creative, which is a boutique brand marketing agency. This is really going to be such a fun discussion. We’re going to talk about story, leaning into your story and inviting people in. Ericka has such an honest and curious approach. I love that. I really think you're going to learn a lot not only about your brand and marketing, but about being able to invite people in to share your story and to fe...2023-04-2359 minProfit Is A ChoiceUsing Strategy to Inform Your Marketing226: Using Strategy to Inform Your Marketing with Brooke Chapman Joining me today is Brooke Chapman. She's the executive director of Three by 3 and Nine Boxes. Brooke has a proven track record in helping small businesses really create a strategy around their marketing. Today we're going to be talking about strategy versus tactics in your business with regard to marketing. Brooke uses a phrase that made me laugh, she calls it random acts of marketing. That's when we're just doing tactical work instead of strategy work. So listen today and see if there are some changes...2023-04-1637 minProfit Is A ChoiceHow to Determine When to Raise Rates and When to Absorb Costs225: How to Determine When to Raise Rates and When to Absorb Costs WITH MICHELE WILLIAMS As a business owner, one of the biggest challenges you face is managing your pricing strategy in response to fluctuating costs. Pricing is a crucial element that can determine the success or failure of a company. On the podcast today we will explore how to manage this in your business. Topics Mentioned: Cost management Brand promise Pricing structure Strategy Key Thoughts: Setting the right price for...2023-04-0207 minProfit Is A ChoiceDelegating to Free Your Time224: Delegating to Free Your Time with Dominique Deraiche Joining me today on the podcast is Dominique Deraiche, with Designer Elite. She is a co-founder of Designer Elite, which provides Operations and Support for interior designers. Dom and I are going to have an awesome conversation on how to get help, how to determine when we're in overwhelm, and how to ask for support and delegate without dumping. Enjoy. Topics Mentioned: Delegate Virtual assistant Overwhelm Key Thoughts: It's very hard to say that...2023-03-2628 minProfit Is A ChoiceFunctional Fitness for the Health of your Body and Business223: Functional Fitness for the Health of your Body and Business with Barbi Burris Joining us on the podcast today is Barbi Burris. Barbi is the owner of Full Well fitness and has a signature program the Well Stretched Life. She is a Christ follower, a flight attendant, a certified fitness instructor - she does all the things. She knows what it's like to have a very busy life and to try to work in being fit at the same time. And you know, that's the life that many of us have, we're really, really busy. We need to take...2023-03-1956 minProfit Is A ChoiceQuiet Quitting in the Workplace222: Quiet Quitting in the Workplace WITH MICHELE WILLIAMS Have you heard of quiet quitting? Maybe you have seen or felt it in your business or when speaking with a colleague. Quiet quitting is defined as an emotional quitting instead of physically doing so. On the podcast today we are exploring quiet quitting. What it is, how it occurs, how to spot it and hopefully stop it before it escalates. Topics Mentioned: Disengaged Lack of motivation Employee health Connected workplace Key Thoughts: Quiet q...2023-03-0510 minProfit Is A ChoiceNiching in Your Design Business From the Start221: Niching in Your Design Business From the Start with Kaitlin Brophy Joining me on the podcast today is Kaitlin Brophy with Brook and Elm. What I love about the conversation that we're about to have is that it's going to be focused on creating a niche company from the very beginning, using skill sets from a prior career, and also just building a business with intentionality. So I hope you enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Niche Outdoor design intentionality Building in a season Key...2023-02-2646 minProfit Is A ChoiceSelling Authentically in Your Design Business220: Selling Authentically in Your Design Business with Nikki Rausch Joining me on the podcast today is Nikki Rausch. She is a sales coach and trainer and author and a speaker. And she talks about authentically moving people through a sales process. I'm so excited to have her on. She has her own podcast, The Sales Maven. So make sure you check that out and welcome to the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Creating a sales progression Create curiosity Closing the loop Power of silence in the sales pro...2023-02-191h 00Profit Is A ChoiceBenchmarks for the Interior Design Industry219: Benchmarks for the Interior Design Industry WITH MICHELE WILLIAMS Here is a question I get repeatedly when someone shows me their financials, “Is this good?” While many may be good judges of great design – being a judge of great financials can be a bit more difficult if you don’t know what you are looking at or how to compare the numbers you are seeing. In this podcast I will share some benchmarks for financials in the Interior Design industry – and in healthy businesses in general. Topics Mentioned: Benchmarks Financial mar...2023-02-0514 minProfit Is A ChoiceStrategies for Hiring Well in Your Interior Design Firm218: Strategies for Hiring Well in Your Interior Design Firm with Jamie Van Cuyk Today we have Jamie Van Cuyk. Jamie is a hiring strategist, a podcast host, and a speaker. And today we are going to dive into all things hiring. I know that hiring a team has been very difficult for many of you, you've probably had some starts and stops along the way. You're wondering what the next right hire is, how to make sure you're choosing the right person. And that's the conversation that we're going to dig into. So welcome to Jamie Van Cuyk....2023-01-2257 minProfit Is A ChoiceAligning Your Values with Your Daily Actions217: Aligning Your Values with Your Daily Actions with Sandra Halling Today we're going to be talking with Sandra Halling. And Sandra describes herself as a recovering corporate consultant turned anti-hustle, pro-equity, productivity coach. We're going to be discussing all about listening to ourselves, having an awareness, and then creating some opportunities to protect ourselves while we're also building our firms. And so it was just such an awesome fun conversation, but also one that helps you think deeply about caring for yourself and caring for your business so that you can care for your clients. So enjoy the podcast...2023-01-1548 minProfit Is A ChoiceStarting the Year Well216: Starting the Year Well with Michele Williams Usually, we talk about ending a year well. What could it look like to start the year well? Hang with me as we consider what could make our year begin well. Topics Mentioned: Intention Ease Profitable Key Thoughts: To be honest, sometimes I really get caught in the tension of wanting to start the new year, but at the same time, not really wanting it to come, usually, because I'm looking ahead, and I'm taking it a...2023-01-0211 minProfit Is A ChoiceHardship is a Great Teacher in Your Business215: Hardship is a Great Teacher in Your Business with Ceil DiGuglielmo On the podcast for our yearly review and process session is Ceil DiGuglielmo of the Sew Much More podcast. This is a joint podcast that we love and look forward to each year. This year we seemed to really look at our personal lives and how they intermixed with our business lives a bit more. Also, listen in to hear the one thing that we both struggled with this year that we have enjoyed so much in the past. Topics Mentioned: 2022-12-251h 16Profit Is A ChoiceHow to Easily Create a Strategic Plan for Your Design Firm214: How to Easily Create a Strategic Plan for Your Design Firm with Michele Williams This week we're rerunning episode 131 of the Profit Is A Choice podcast, “How to easily create a strategic plan for your design firm.” This is an awesome topic that we processed through a couple of years ago. And I will say to you, it is still relevant and it's something that we work on and focus on in Scarlet Thread Consulting all the time. I want to encourage you as you wrap up this year, and get ready for next, that you...2022-12-1822 minProfit Is A ChoiceIs Your Workplace Toxic?213: Is Your Workplace Toxic? with Michele Williams Do you know how to define a toxic workplace? Are you the one bringing the discord into the office or is someone else? Maybe you are looking for a job and want to know what to steer clear from. Today, we are going to talk about what makes a workplace feel yuk – and how to spot areas for improvement. Topics Mentioned: Bullying Belittling Anxiety Fear Key Thoughts: It is possible for even the healthiest of...2022-12-0409 minProfit Is A ChoiceTax Deferral and Risk Management for your CompanyTax Deferral and Risk Management for your Company with Ed Bryan It is not often that I get to dive into a topic that is totally foreign to me when we start the podcast. Usually, I have heard something about the topic and have a little knowledge. The 831(b) plan was a new thing – and Ed Bryan joins me to help us understand this tax deferral and risk management opportunity. Topics Mentioned: Insurance Tax deferral Risk management Plan Key Thoughts: It's like traditional insurance. But what you're doi...2022-11-2746 minProfit Is A ChoiceCreating an Accounting Foundation for your Design BusinessCreating an Accounting Foundation for your Design Business with Erin McGhee Today I am welcoming Erin McGhee to the podcast. Erin describes herself as an Accounting Manager for service-based businesses. Her big goal – to put you in charge of your money. As you can tell, we have a lot in common. Listen in as we discuss what is needed to have you in the driver’s seat of your business vehicle and what it takes to keep you there. Topics Mentioned: Organize Implement Maintain Financial Proc...2022-11-2049 minProfit Is A ChoiceBuilding a Community of SupportBuilding a Community of Support with Michele Williams Lately I have been thinking about the value in building a community of support for your business. We really are not in business alone. In this podcast I am going to share some of my community, how I chose it, how it supports me – and how you can do the same. Topics Mentioned: Community Needs Alignment Key Thoughts: Early on in my career, and probably life, I thought that I had to find the one be...2022-11-0609 minProfit Is A ChoiceMetrique Solutions is Your Financial Partner in Business209: Metrique Solutions is Your Financial Partner in Business with Jack Tompkins Joining me again on the podcast today is Jack Tompkins of Pineapple Consulting. Jack and I, along with a whole team of people, work on Metrique Solutions, a financial dashboard developed to support creative entrepreneurs – like you! Today we are talking about how Metrique Solutions is a financial partner in your business. It is not a replacement for your accounting or project management software, but an adjunct. Topics Mentioned: Financial partnership Financial translator Visual financials Metrics Key Thoughts: ...2022-10-2441 minProfit Is A ChoiceHow to Use Niching and Systems to Grow Your Business208: How to Use Niching and Systems to Grow Your Business with Carolyn Boldt Today on the podcast we have Carolyn Boldt. Carolyn is passionate about holistic health and wellness and has crafted a business that focuses on designing in these industries. There are so many good takeaways in this podcast and Carolyn really has a heart to share and teach. Listen in as she shares the journey to focus on a niche that she loved and how it has prompted a different way to scale. Topics Mentioned: Niche System Strategy Space2022-10-1755 minProfit Is A ChoiceDeveloping Perseverance in Your Firm207: Developing Perseverance in Your Firm WITH MICHELE WILLIAMS Can we just talk about perseverance? Perseverance is defined as doing something despite the difficulty or delay in achieving success. With all the things happening in our world and industry over the last two years, I would say that most of us are living in this space right now. Listen in to today’s episode where we discuss how we can keep going, even when the road seems long ahead of us. Topics Mentioned: Failure Risk Goals Co...2022-10-0309 minProfit Is A ChoiceGrow Your Design Firm with Podcasting203: Grow Your Design Firm with Podcasting WITH Andrew Allemann With me on the podcast today is Andrew Allemann. Andrew is a podcasting expert and founder of PodcastGuests.com. This is a service used by over 30,000 people to find guests for podcasts and for experts to get booked on podcasts. Today we will talk about the profitability of other people’s traffic which is increased by being on a podcast. Topics Mentioned: One-sheet Education Connection Preparation Key Thoughts: I want...2022-08-2135 minProfit Is A ChoiceTax Strategies for Your Design Business202: Tax Strategies for Your Design Business WITH Wendy Barlin Wendy Barlin is on the podcast with me today. Wendy has worked with business owners for over 25 years to guide them with business development, tax and cash flow strategies. Her direct and clear communication style, helps business owners understand a topic that often brings much fear and trepidation. So – let's talk taxes. Topics Mentioned: Keep your receipts Risk management Ordinary and necessary Reasonable salary Key Thoughts: Most accountants don't...2022-08-1448 minProfit Is A ChoiceHow to Rethink Your Business201: How to Rethink Your Business WITH MICHELE WILLIAMS Today we are airing an episode that we launched in 2020. Many of us are seeing changes in buying patterns, budgets, and selections. While the details are different from where we were in early 2020, the rethinking our business part is the same. In this podcast we will examine how to dissect our businesses so that we can analyze them and perhaps put them back together again in a different way. Really knowing the pieces and parts, as well as what we're great at, or core competency, helps us...2022-07-3130 minProfit Is A ChoiceProblem Solving as a Sales Process200: Problem Solving as a Sales Process WITH Jeremy Miner With us on the podcast today is Jeremy Miner. Jeremy is the Chairman of 7th Level, a Global Sales Training company. Jeremy shares that “The single most effective way to sell anything to anyone in 2022, is to be a problem finder and a problem solver... NOT a product pusher.” We will discuss this and why the old ways of selling no longer work well. Topics Mentioned: Emotion vs logic Selling is change Change is uncomfo...2022-07-2446 minProfit Is A ChoiceSEO and Messaging for Your Design Business199: SEO and Messaging for Your Design Business WITH Erin Ollila With me today is Erin Ollila. Erin is a copy coach and conversion copyrighter and so much more. Erin believes in the power of words and how a message can inform – and even transform – its intended audience. Today we will be talking about the intersection of SEO, messaging and copyrighting for your marketing materials. Get ready to take notes! Topics Mentioned: Messaging Customer Journey Audience Voice of Customer Research Key Tho...2022-07-171h 11Profit Is A ChoiceRest, Recharge and Reset You and Your Business198: Rest, Recharge and Reset You and Your Business with Michele Williams Let’s talk more about burnout. Last month we looked at being burned out and looking for inspiration in different ways. But this month, I want to talk about being exhausted – in all the ways: mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. And – what we can do about it. Enjoy the podcast. Topics Mentioned: Exhaustion Sleep Rest Key Thoughts: Exhaustion can happen even when we are doing what we love. Michele (1:48) ...2022-07-0311 minProfit Is A Choice197: Creating Systems that Work for Your Design Business197: Creating Systems that Work for Your Design Business WITH Adi Klevit Adi Klevit, Founder and CEO of Business Success Consulting Group is with me today sharing from her twenty-five years of knowledge and experience as a trained Industrial Engineer, management consultant and business executive to bring order and efficiency to organizations. We will discuss how processes improve efficiency and performance. Listen in for insight on bringing order to the chaos in your life and business. Topics Mentioned: Systems Why behind the process Flexibility Client journey...2022-06-2657 minProfit Is A Choice196: Creating and Documenting the Procedures in your Design Firm196: Creating and Documenting the Procedures in your Design Firm WITH Owen McGab Enaohwo With me on the podcast today is Owen McNab Enaohwo. Owen is the CEO and Co-founder of SweetProcess, an easy-to-use software that enables company executives and their employees to collaborate together to quickly document and/or improve their standard operating procedures, processes, and policies. We will dig in to where to start, how to monitor and improve processes and how to engage your team in the collaboration. Topics Mentioned: Recurring tasks Continuous improvement Minimum via...2022-06-1941 minProfit Is A Choice195: Looking for Inspiration for Your Creative Business195: Looking for Inspiration for Your Creative Business with Michele Williams Today, we are going to just put it on the table. Burnout, frustration, lack of inspiration, need of support. Do these words and phrases resonate at all? If so, hang around as each of these elements are discussed on the podcast today. Topics Mentioned: Inspiration Excitement Color Joy Key Thoughts: We all go through times of feeling like we are working in and with the mundane. But often joy and inspiration c...2022-06-0511 minProfit Is A ChoiceBreak Up With Debt194: Break Up With Debt WITH Melanie Lockert Joining me today is Melanie Lockert. Melanie is the author of the book, Dear Debt, based on her long-standing blog. She is also the podcast host of Mental Health and Wealth. Melanie was successful in paying off $81,000 in student loan debt and she has chronicled her journey on her blog and in her book. Today our focus will be all about debt and how to manage it. Topics Mentioned: Stages of debt Money mindset Self-worth vs. Net-worth 2022-05-2253 min