249: Kendra Bester - Advice and Reflections, in Business Under 5 Years.

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

Design, Business, Arts

4.9 • 810 Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2017

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to another episode of A Well Designed Business! Today we have Kendra Bester with us on the show. She's an Interior Decorator who runs her own firm in the Toronto area and today she talks to LuAnn about some of the challenges that she's faced and the things that she's learned in her first three years in business. She also discusses the importance of setting up great systems in your business and ensuring that you really have your finances in good order. Listen in to find out more about Kendra and the way she runs her firm. Kendra received her degree in Environmental Science from the University of Guelph. She then switched career tracks and enrolled at Humber College, in their Interior Decorating Program. She graduated there with first-class honors and she's now a Certified Interior Decorator. Listen in today, to find out more about Kendra's take on the business side of Design. Show highlights: Some tips for new Designers about the right kind of questions to ask during the initial consultation with a client. How to find the personal style for each client. Developing a set of questions, to help your client figure out what they're actually looking for. Using Pinterest to help you discover patterns that your client could be gravitating towards. The second consultation is really important- this is usually the make or breaks one. Looking for clues to better inform you about your clients. Dealing with situations where you feel you're not the right fit for the project. Gearing your portfolio towards the kinds of projects you'd really like to be doing in the future. Pictures are really powerful! Take loads of them! What it really takes to be the Boss Lady. The importance of being in the know about the financial aspect of your business. How Kendra handles the interview and hiring process. Links: A Link to Kendra's bio here: About Kendra Her Website: Kendra Bester Design Her Instagram: @kendrabesterdesign Find Kendra on Facebook: Kendra Bester Design Pinterest: Kendra Bester

Transcript

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0:00.0	Have you heard about the exciting new exhibit by the Black Artists and Designers Guild,
0:05.6	which was commissioned by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City?
0:11.1	Big news, right?
0:12.6	The Cooper Hewitt's exhibition is called Making Home, Smithsonian Design Triennial.
0:18.2	Now, the batch designers exhibit is titled the Underground Library,
0:23.8	inspired by the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad is the clandestine network
0:28.6	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 surrounded by art, objects,
0:43.5	artifacts, and books of black legacy.
0:46.9	In reimagining and repurposing the Andrew Carnegie Personal Library,
0:52.7	badge invites you to examine the power of home libraries
0:56.1	and the significance of literacy, remembering that African Americans were denied the right to read
1:02.3	under slavery. I'm honored to share that Window Works in Livingston was asked by badge to create
1:08.7	the flat panels for the windows. We used a custom design fabric
1:12.5	by badge members, and the fabric was fabricated by Stacey Garcia's team at Libatex. So please make a
1:20.0	point to visit this inspired space the next time you are in New York City. The exhibition runs
1:25.5	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.
1:43.3	Welcome to a well-designed business with your host, Luannigara.
1:47.8	Luan has a lifetime of experience building a multi-million dollar business with her husband and cousin,
1:53.0	and she knows the challenges you've faced in your interior design business.
1:57.0	Luan brings you real-life answers to your most pressing problems,
	...

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