Only Girl On The Jobsite

300. Communicating Your Value Before the Discovery Call Even Starts with Deb Mitchell

My guest today has a background that's genuinely unusual in this space, and it's exactly what makes her perspective so useful. Deb Mitchell is a brand strategist and me

299. What Experienced Interior Designers Actually Do on a Jobsite

Two designers can walk onto the exact same construction project, look at the exact same room, talk to the exact same contractor or trade, and leave noticing completely di

298. "I Have to Look Into That" — What Confident Designers Actually Say on a Jobsite

What happens when you're standing on a jobsite, and someone asks you a question you don't know how to answer? Construction confidence isn't about knowing everything; it's

297. Why Interior Designers Lose Money on Construction Projects

There's a quiet assumption in the interior design industry that if you spend enough time around construction projects, eventually you'll just "figure it out." And hones

296. What Interior Designers Really Get From Construction Management Coaching

Today's episode is a little different, and honestly, one of my favorites I've done in a while. Instead of teaching a specific construction management strategy, I'm brin

295. How Interior Designers and Architects Work Together on Successful Projects

Most exceptional homes aren't created by one professional working alone. They happen when architects and interior designers collaborate well—and that only works when bo

294. The One Hour a Week That Keeps a Construction Project From Falling Apart

A construction project can feel like it's running perfectly fine, until suddenly, it isn't. A few missed conversations, an unanswered question, or a decision that quietly

293. Why Interior Designers Undercharge for Construction Management — And How to Fix It

If you've ever finished a construction project feeling exhausted, overextended, and quietly underpaid, I want you to hear me when I say this: the problem is probably not

292. Why Unreasonable Hospitality Is the Missing Piece in Your Interior Design Business with Rick Campos

What if the thing that sets your design business apart isn't the design itself? In this episode, Renee sits down with Rick Campos of Design Biz Survival Guide to talk a

291. How to Handle a Difficult Interior Design Client and When to Walk Away

Today, I want to talk about something that every designer faces, sometimes more than once, but we don't talk about it enough. And that is what to do when a client becomes

290. How to Find a Contractor (Before You Desperately Need One)

If you've ever had a prospective client reach out to you about a construction project, or you're at the beginning of a construction project and you're thinking, okay, I n

289. What AI Can't Replace in Interior Design (And Why Construction Management Is Your Biggest Advantage)

AI is changing interior design, but it cannot replace the expertise, judgment, relationships, and real-time problem-solving required on a construction site. Today, I am s

288. A Listener Favorite: The Business of Design & The Power of Process | Katie Decker-Erickson

This week, I'm re-airing one of the highest-listened interviews we've ever done — my conversation with Katie Decker-Erickson, founder of Success by Design. And I'll be ho

287. What Interior Designers Get Wrong About the People Who Build Their Projects

Everyone talks about the contractor relationship. Nobody talks about the people underneath — the tile setter, the painter, the faux finisher, the trim carpenter doing the

286. The Pre-Construction Conversation That Determines Whether Your Client Trusts You

Most designers skip the conversation that determines whether a client actually trusts them through the hard parts of construction. And by the time they realize it, they'r

285. What Interior Designers Get Wrong About Capacity (And Why It's Not Project Count)

Most of us measure capacity by how many projects we're running. I did it too, and it's the wrong metric entirely. In this episode, I'm breaking down the two variables t

284. How to Build a Successful Interior Design Career With Amy Vermillion

I've admired Amy Vermillion for a long time, so this conversation felt like sitting down with someone who truly understands what it takes to build a lasting career in thi

283. Why Interior Designers Shrink on Jobsites (And How to Stop)

If you're an interior designer managing construction projects, you already know the feeling. You walk into a room, a jobsite, a contractor meeting, an industry event, and

282. Scope of Work, Change Order, and Addendum: The Three Documents Every Interior Designer Needs on Every Project

There are three documents every interior designer managing construction projects needs to understand. And most don't, not fully.   Not because they're complicated. Beca

281. How to Handle a Contractor Who Stops Communicating (Without Blowing Up the Project)

You're a few weeks into a project. Things started well. And then the contractor goes quiet.   The texts take days to get a response. The updates get shorter. You show u