269: Nina Magon: Building a Team For Your Design Firm

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

Design, Business, Arts

4.9 • 810 Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2017

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to today's show! We have Nina Magen, the Principal of Contour Interior Design, on the show with us today. Nina is a very savvy lady, who has a lot going on, on both the business and the Design side. The fact that she is driven is evident in the nine-year rise of her Design Firm and it also shows in the way that she runs her business. Today we talk to Nina about the significant impression it made on her and her business when she was on American Dream Builder TV show. We also talk to her about her staff: how she hires and what she looks for when hiring someone. So listen in to find out more. Contour is an international, full-service Interior Design firm, with offices both in Houston and Miami. There is a long list of award-winning interiors in the Contour portfolio, which have received recognition from NBC, Bravo and HGTV Networks, as well as acknowledgment for Best Interior Architecture and Best Commercial Interior, by Paper City. ASID also awarded them Best Commercial Interior. The work of Contour has been featured in Rue, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Interiors Magazine and Lux Interiors and Designs, to name just a few. Listen in today, to find out more about Nina and her approach to running Contour Interior Design. Show highlights: Nina explains how she came to have such an international team. What Nina does to encourage her team to learn from each other and to think outside of their comfort zone. American design and architecture, as compared with the more modern, forward-thinking European design. Nina discusses her approach and what she looks for when she's ready to hire a team member. The criteria for advancement, that Nina looks for in her team members. What it takes to be a really successful Designer. Nina discusses where her interest in being on a TV show came from. How Nina managed to get onto American Dream Builders TV show in 2014. Nina's harrowing experience on American Dream Builders. How Nina leveraged her life-changing experience on the TV show. Nina's constant growth, personally and business-wise, since being on the TV show. The things that Nina is looking forward to doing, in the future. How to get to be the Designer for celebrity homes. Connect with Nina: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Go to www.mydomastudio.com/awelldesignedbusiness to find out how MyDoma Studio can help you to run your firm more efficiently. There's a special offer there for you too, as a podcast listener. Previous shows mentioned on this episode: Amber Lewis #184

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

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.
1:50.8	Welcome to a well-designed business with your host, Luann Nigara.
1:56.3	Luan has a lifetime of experience building a multimillion-dollar business with her husband and cousin,
2:00.1	and she knows the challenges you face in your interior design business.
2:03.8	Luan brings you real-life answers to your most pressing problems,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from LuAnn Nigara, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of LuAnn Nigara and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.