270: Shea & Syd McGee: Building a Design Empire Involves a Lot of Hustle

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

Design, Business, Arts

4.9 • 810 Ratings

🗓️ 13 December 2017

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to today's show! We really have the most amazing surprise for all of you today- we have Syd and Shea McGee, of Studio McGee on the show with us! Shea was on the show about a month ago, (episode #236) where she talked about how Studio McGee was created in a spare bedroom and then, after many late nights of brainstorming and sharing their dreams, Shea and Syd decided to turn what was a small business for a stay at home mom, into something way beyond that. Today, you will hear Shea discuss how she always knew that she wanted to do high-end Design. She also talks about two business decisions that Syd was instrumental in making very early on, which allowed them to attract the kind of client that they really wanted to work with and she explains how Syd has also really helped her to approach certain problems in business with the right perspective. Listen in to find out more about this dynamic duo and their approach to running a really successful business. Studio McGee has been featured in House Beautiful, Domain Home, Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy, SMP Living and One Kings Lane, as well as many others. This show will also appear as a video on LuAnn's Youtube channel. (Go to Youtube for A Well Designed Business.) Listen in today and experience the really tangible love, respect, and admiration that these two have for one another and discover how Shea's dream to build a Design Empire is fast becoming a reality. Show highlights: What was going on in Syd's mind when they made the decision to move to Utah. Shea explains how Syd got involved bringing his really valuable perspective to the business. How Syd managed to figure out a way organize the operations side of their business by assessing the problems and then finding solutions. How Syd managed to streamline their systems by building their own internal software. Syd's initial focus was really on allowing the Designers to get on with their designing. The sacrifices that they made initially to ensure that there was enough content for their business to grow. The great pay off they've had from consistently investing the time in putting out really high-quality photos on Instagram. How to know when it's the right time to start charging more. How Shea and Syd have pushed each other, to create their Design Empire. The time it took for them to afford to create their own catalog. Attracting the type of clients that they have now. The financial risk that they took and what they put on the line to keep going forward to create their dream. The kind of support that Shea and Syd give one another. How they came to be doing their Webisodes on Youtube. Some of the actionable things that they have done, to really grow their business. All about McGee and Co, a website that they started about a year ago where you can go online and order from their really great product line. It's really demanding to be a very good mom and a great entrepreneur, but it can be done! Links: Shea and Syd's website: www.studio-mcgee.com You can do your purchasing from: www.mcgeeandco.com Shea and Syd on Instagram Shea and Syd on Facebook Shea and Syd on YouTube Follow A Well Designed Business on YouTube For your free offer, from MyDoma Studio, as a listener to the podcast, go to: www.mydomastudio.com/awelldesignedbusiness.

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.
1:39.0	This episode is sponsored by Revelwoods. Revelwoods is your source for premium hardwood and resilient flooring.
1:45.4	Using the Revelwood selector tool, you will be able to find curated suggestions for each specific
1:50.8	project based on criteria such as style, color, zip code, and usage. Because the species of wood
1:57.9	that performs in a laundry room in Key West is not going to be the same as the wood
	...

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