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A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design  Business Podcast

1034: Donna Hoffman: Lean into Your Strengths to Create Success

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

Business, Design, Arts

4.8786 Ratings

🗓️ 8 November 2024

⏱️ 70 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today With Donna Hoffman: Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. Many designers struggle with harnessing their sensitivity in business, often seeing it as a weakness rather than a strength. My guest today is interior designer and business coach Donna Hoffman, sharing her journey from launching a luxury design firm during the 2008 recession to building a 7-figure, award-winning business. Donna, the founder of Impeccably Designed Homes and creator of the Successful Design Biz Academy, has developed a unique approach she calls "Success Momentum." Donna emphasizes the importance of leaning into your Creative Nature and reveals how embracing sensitivity can elevate your design business and attract high-quality clients. She shares insights into how our design superpowers can sometimes be our business Achilles' heel, along with strategies for turning these potential weaknesses into strengths. LuAnn Nigara and Donna Hoffman's Ah-Ha Moments “For creative brains, that thing that makes us great at what we do is almost always our downfall in business,” - Donna Hoffman “I could teach you the greatest strategies in business, but if you don't have the fortitude in your constitution to be able to apply them, big whoop. It doesn't amount to anything,” - Donna Hoffman More About Donna Hoffman Despite launching her luxury interior design business during the crushing 2008 recession, this design entrepreneur leads her team to award-winning design across the US, as a 7-figure-sized business. Beyond creative and business acumen, Donna is also a leading Interior Design Business Coach. She specializes in teaching design entrepreneurs to lean into their Creative Nature, unleashing what she calls Success Momentum. “Joined with key revenue-driving-strategic business practices, this combo fuels powerful growth for my designers,” says Hoffman. Donna has also helped thousands of DIY design lovers to beautify their homes through her info-rich online courses. Connect with Donna Hoffman Website Instagram  Facebook  Pinterest  Donna’s Free Guide “Irresistible Sales Lingo For Interior Designer’s Who Want To WOW Clients” What’s new with LuAnn Nigara The Power Talk Friday Tour Watch the Docuseries! http://www.luannnigara.com/cob Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Audiobook: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2 Connect with LuAnn Nigara LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Blog Power Talk Friday Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast Other Resources: This podcast supports the Savvy Giving Design Coalition. Learn more about it here! AWDB #717 Susan Wintersteen: Interior design firm standards in a nonprofit passion project AWDB #164: Susan Wintersteen- Savvy Giving by Design BADG & Cooper Hewitt Event Info & Link to Reserve Tickets! Mydoma Studio Other Shows: AWDB #14: Malene Barnett Success Secret – Build Relationships AWDB #703: Leyden Lewis: The Road to AD100 and Elle Decor Top 125 Requires Innovation and Authentic Creativity AWDB #635: Beth Diana Smith: Refining Process in Your Interior Design Business AWDB #370: Kesha Franklin: A Different Path to a Career in Interior Design AWDB #967: Breegan Jane: The Gift of Transitioning, Turning Risks into Success AWDB #614: Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas: Creating Another Revenue Stream for Your Interior Design Business

Transcript

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0:00.0

Have you heard about the exciting new exhibit by the Black Artist and Designers Guild, which was commissioned by the Cooper Hewitt's Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City?

0:11.0

Big news, right?

0:12.5

The Cooper Hewitt's exhibition is called Making Home, Smithsonian Design Triennial.

0:18.1

Now, the batch designers exhibit is titled the Underground Library,

0:23.7

inspired by the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad is the clandestine network

0:28.5

established in the early 19th century through which many enslaved African Americans

0:33.6

traveled in search of freedom. This library installation represents a 21st century sanctuary

0:40.5

surrounded by art, objects, artifacts, and books of black legacy. In reimagining and repurposing

0:49.6

the Andrew Carnegie Personal Library, Badge invites you to examine the power of home libraries

0:56.0

and the significance of literacy, remembering that African Americans were denied the right to read

1:02.2

under slavery. I'm honored to share that Window Works in Livingston was asked by badge to create

1:08.6

the flat panels for the windows. We used a custom design fabric

1:12.4

by badge members, and the fabric was fabricated by Stacey Garcia's team at Libatex. So please make

1:19.8

a point to visit this inspired space the next time you are in New York City. The exhibition

1:25.0

runs from November 24 all the way through August 10th,

1:30.0

2025. So you have plenty of time to get this on your calendar. We will put links in the show notes.

1:49.8

Welcome. Welcome to a well-designed business.

1:53.7

My name is Luann Nigara, and I'm so glad you found this podcast.

1:59.7

Together with my husband, Vince, and our partner, Bill, we have grown our company Windowworks from the ground up, so I know and I understand the

2:02.1

challenges you face in running your interior design business.

2:05.6

I also know that your talent alone isn't enough to ensure your success.

2:10.6

So on this podcast, we talk about strategies and practical steps to help you grow your business. But make no mistake about it,

...

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