As you assess your expenses in the New Year, you might be wondering whether you're paying too much when you combine the costs of the dozens of online tools you use to run your business. Whether you use multiple platforms that happen to offer the same features, or you simply don't need the features you first thought you needed, now is the time to clean house. On this episode of The Kate Show, I'm walking you through how to assess and downsize the number of paid online tools you use, and pay for f...
Jan 03, 2022•26 min
Can you spot a "bad client" a mile away? For years, I struggled with this and still occasionally let one slip through. After assessing my own misjudgments (late night worrying about how on earth I got my team into such a predicament, basically) and after speaking with many of you who have generously shared your "nightmare client" stories, I thought it was worth an episode. If you are new to the home industry, or if you keep working with PITA clients (that's pain-in-the-ass, in case you're wonder...
Dec 13, 2021•24 min
Your costs need to increase, and you aren't sure how to tell them. Lead times aren't getting any shorter, and demand remains high, at least for now. How do you expertly explain to your upcoming and current clients that they might have to pay more and wait longer for their projects to be completed? Today on The Kate Show, we are discussing exactly that, along with handy scripts you can copy and paste. If you struggle to find the right words, consider this your own personal podcast episode.
Dec 06, 2021•19 min
If you've heard the phrase, "Mindset is everything," and felt a little confused about what to do with that fact, this episode of The Kate Show is for you. Today, I'm having another conversation with fellow home industry marketing entrepreneur, Salimah Mamdani, about all the mindset shifts that need to happen if you are trying to grow your business as a designer, stager, organizer, or window treatment professional.
Nov 22, 2021•54 min
If you're flat-out scared to stop chasing every advertising and social media opportunity, but you're also exhausted from keeping up with the constant changes, you need to hear this episode. Today, I'm sharing five popular marketing tactics I don't use to market my own business. Trust me, you'll be surprised by what I don't do. I hope it gives you the freedom to "cut the fat" from your own marketing task list and simply focus on what has actually been proven to bring you new clients.
Nov 15, 2021•19 min
Do you struggle with how to price your services as an interior designer, home stager, window professional, or pro organizer? The real issue isn't how to price, but instead how to take control of your perceived value. Perceived value is another way of stating "how valuable you appear to be" to a potential client. Today on The Kate Show, I'm sharing the top nine mistakes that are damaging your perceived value as a professional. Are you making any of these? Let's find out.
Nov 08, 2021•19 min
Whether you are an interior designer or not, if you would like a real-life perspective on how to thrive amidst discomfort in your business and flex your faith vs. worry muscles, this episode is for you. Being invited to speak at this high-level retreat in the distinguished Kimpton Rowan Hotel was a huge growth marker for my business and quite an honor. I had amazing conversations with luxury interior designers from Orange County and beyond over the two-day retreat, and I walked away with a deepe...
Nov 01, 2021•19 min
I'm not sure which is more difficult — figuring out a topic for a newsletter or blog post or actually writing the darn thing. Do you struggle with this, too? If you know what you want to write about but can't seem to craft the words around it, or you can't figure out what topic to write about (much less how to write it!), you are in the right place. Today on The Kate Show I'm sharing 10 blog post topics and 10 email newsletter topics, each with general outlines to get you started.
Oct 25, 2021•40 min
This episode of The Kate Show is for any interior designer, home stager, window pro, or organizer who worries that she'll never be successful, or that the success she already has simply won't last. For those of you who might no longer experience these struggles, you will find much camaraderie in this very personal, transparent episode.
Oct 18, 2021•21 min
The home industry is crazy right now. I have seen most designers, stagers, and beyond fall into one of two camps: Either they are wildly busy and losing their minds, or they are scrambling to make ends meet and wondering if their businesses will last through 2021. If your goal is to help your home industry business create steady revenue even when the economy does weird things, you need to hear this episode.
Oct 11, 2021•29 min
Often, the key to success in business isn't about knowing the right people, but about being the right person — one that is willing to learn and work hard. If you are looking for a legacy business that exemplifies empowerment, look no further. Today on The Kate Show, you'll learn that most of the obstacles we face as aspiring entrepreneurs are internal. What we believe about ourselves and the world around us holds us back. If you think you can't do something because: 1) You are too young or old, ...
Oct 04, 2021•38 min
On today's episode of The Kate Show, I'm speaking with Openhaus co-founder Carson Clement. Rather than simply showing your customers a photo of your SideDoor product, Openhaus 3D home tours will let you show it in your client's actual home. This gives context to what you are selling and can make that sale so much easier. If you aren't selling products, Openhaus can be a great way to showcase your portfolio with professional, immersive virtual tours.
Sep 27, 2021•34 min
Today on The Kate Show, I am speaking with the charming Rick Campos of Design Biz Survival Guide. If you've ever felt like you and your design firm needed a survival guide, well, you were right. Building a strong business and creating a lasting legacy requires a community. In this interview, Rick shares deep insights on the struggles that home professionals face over and over again, why he calls himself a "recovering interior designer", and how he can help each of you move forward. Don't miss th...
Sep 20, 2021•35 min
Guys, SideDoor recently released the best feature ever. You can now embed your collections and products directly into your own website. SideDoor's new iFrame embed feature is so exciting to me as a marketer because it makes implementing and selling products so much easier. If you haven't at least investigated this platform yet, you need to before you get left behind. Today, I'm going over my suggested step-by-step process for selling with SideDoor. It's one thing to have an amazing tool like thi...
Sep 13, 2021•21 min
You have a great lead magnet on your website. But... No one is signing up for it. If this describes you, stick around. Today on The Kate Show, I'm revealing the three primary actions you need to take in order to get people to sign up for your lead magnet. You already know this, but I'll say it anyway: You can't set it and forget it. No matter how wonderful your lead magnet is, you still have to promote it in order for it to do its job.
Sep 06, 2021•16 min
The idea of marketing your business so that you can continue to grow when you are already being pulled all over the map (mentally, creatively, financially) doesn't seem feasible. Or does it? The truth is you can trim and lighten your marketing workload by letting go of a few mindset traps that our modern business culture has built around us. If you are ready to get minimal with your marketing, this episode is for you.
Aug 23, 2021•22 min
The feast to famine cycle (or the many clients to no clients pattern) that is so prevalent among designers, stagers, workrooms, and organizers can easily be circumvented. Today on The Kate Show, I'm sharing two productivity routines that I use in my own business to ensure I am never marketing more or less than what I should be, regardless of how many or how few leads are coming into our pipeline. While these productivity routines apply to nearly any creative business, I'm sharing them specifical...
Aug 16, 2021•26 min
If you are ready to refresh your social media, your content marketing, your website, and your client process with beautiful verbiage and flowy-yet-crisp designs, this episode of The Kate Show is for you. Get ready for your marketing to be completely transformed. Today, by popular demand, we are revealing a completely new marketing resource for interior designers, home stagers, professional organizers, and window treatment specialists.
Aug 09, 2021•26 min
Curious whether your website is making even just one mistake that is preventing your business from growing? In today's episode of The Kate Show, you'll learn the answer to this question.
Aug 02, 2021•37 min
Have you ever wondered how you could up-level your paid client consultations? Whether you are an interior designer, home stager, professional organizer, or window treatment specialist, your consultation time is valuable. If you aren't already charging a premium rate for those consults, you'll need to after gleaning all the wisdom from today's interview.
Jul 26, 2021•52 min
I can't believe how much time I used to spend marketing my business. Before I ran a marketing agency, I ran a copywriting business. A failing one. Looking back, all that wasted time and money was a rite of passage. I didn't know what I didn't know, but now that I know it, I'm sharing it with all of you. I'm that weird marketer who tells you to spend LESS time on your marketing, not more. If you are struggling with marketing overwhelm or flat-out marketing discouragement, you need to hear what I'...
Jul 19, 2021•32 min
As an interior designer, home stager, professional organizer, or window treatment business owner, you have too many responsibilities and not enough help (or time) to keep everything moving forward. Because of this, if you're anything like me, you may have started relying on apps for, well, everything. Today I'm sharing 10 amazing and fairly new apps, plus five core apps, that you and your home industry business will love. And they don't involve launching any tech devices across the room.
Jul 12, 2021•30 min
You started a business and now you are questioning everything about your identity. Your skills, your talents, the value you bring to the world — everything you once believed about yourself is now held in question. And the insecurities you had previously? Well, those have likely gotten worse. If this sounds like you, you need to take a few deep breaths and listen to this episode. I'm not going to give you some feel-good advice or tell you things that aren't true. I'm going to share something abou...
Jul 05, 2021•25 min
Today's topic was requested by successful home stager Theresa Ceglio of We Stage Jacksonville: Home stagers get a lot of push back in this hot seller's market both from the agents and home sellers. They feel they don’t need to do anything to their listings or properties because everything is selling so quickly. I work with agents that see the value in staging and won’t take a listing if they won’t stage it. How can we as stagers really get through to those who are leaving so much money on the ta...
Jun 28, 2021•24 min
If you don't have a defined sales funnel for your home industry business, you'll find that marketing feels very difficult and expensive. You might even feel like nothing is working - which is not a great feeling to have! I've talked for dozens of hours on the importance of having a sales funnel, and today I'm breaking down the framework of an ideal home industry sales funnel. Consider this a template for getting more leads, faster. This is your roadmap to marketing that is fruitful and measurabl...
Jun 21, 2021•21 min
Today on The Kate Show, I'm sharing a lightweight business model that has become popular with home professionals who want the flexibility of working remotely, but they don't want to offer e-design. The cool part about this consultancy business model is that you can still meet with clients in person, just as you would for a normal, on-site consultation. But unlike traditional services, you wouldn't then need to do all the planning and sourcing for the client - unless you wanted to offer that upgr...
Jun 14, 2021•25 min
Today on The Kate Show, I'm sharing five key areas in your marketing that are likely far too generic. If you are suffering from a lack of clients, despite an overall booming home industry (circa 2020 and 2021), the issue might not be external (i.e. the economy, your location, YOU). The issue could very well be that you just aren't vocalizing what you want. Today, let's put a voice behind those internal needs and desires and make them external declarations.
Jun 07, 2021•24 min
Today on The Kate Show, I'm sharing 4 simple ways you can connect with followers. This will push you out of your comfort zone, as it should. This will help you achieve the goal of higher interaction rates on your posts, and it definitely isn't magic. It's about being a real person. It's about being yourself.
May 24, 2021•25 min
Are you stressed out because you aren't getting new clients from social media? Today's episode of The Kate Show might be one of the most enlightening episodes I've ever selected for the show. Listen to it, and you'll walk away with an entirely different perspective on what social media is actually supposed to be doing for your business.
May 17, 2021•30 min
Airbnb, VRBO, and the entire short-term rental market are BOOMING. As an interior designer, home stager, or professional organizer, there is no reason why you can't get in on this action. So if you are looking for a new niche, this might be it. Today on The Kate Show, I am interviewing two pioneers in the short-term rental entrepreneurship space, Annette and Sarah of Thanks for Visiting. This info-packed episode will inspire you to niche down and scale-up in the right ways - right for your brand...
May 10, 2021•45 min
