I have Paula Grace with me today! Paula Grace comes to interior design as a second career. Before coming to interior design, she earned master degrees in clinical social work and business administration. She held a directorship in a large behavioral health program and was a senior instructor at the graduate level in a prestigious university medical center. This is exactly why I was so intrigued to bring Paula on the show! In addition to designing interiors, she also designs furniture and area rugs which are available to the trade. Paula Grace also consults and shares her knowledge with us her design colleagues on how to build strong professional relationships with clients, staff and vendors. Show Notes: What are the steps that an interior designer should start out with when trying to build a good relationship with clients? What should a designer talk about in the first meeting with a client? Why is it so important to stick to your original plan? What are some clues that you as a designer have not explained clearly enough what you are about?  What are the four “c”s? How can designers reinforce to their clients that they made the right decision? How can you stay out of the “friend zone”? How can you deal with a person’s bad experience from a previous project? How can you as a leader decide if your staff members are happy in their work environment? What is the organization culture assessment instrument? What is the reveal and heal process? How do the relationships with your clients relate to your relationships with your staff members? How can you keep a great designer happy at a small firm? How open should you be when owning your own business? Resources:  www.paulagracedesigns.com  www.windowworks-nj.com/podcast-birthday-party  www.chairish.com