639: Mina Duque: Starting an Interior Design Firm in a Foreign Melting Pot

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

Business, Design, Arts

4.8 • 786 Ratings

🗓️ 9 February 2021

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today with Mina Duque: Welcome to A Well-Designed Business®. Can you imagine starting your firm in a foreign city—one where you have no connections, no network, and where you haven’t even visited? That’s exactly what Mina Duque ended up doing. Today, she’s sharing her story of how she started her business in Tulum, the unique challenges presented by working in a major melting pot, and how she grew her business even without a community and network. Pick it apart: [18:00] Mina shares the challenges and triumphs of working with different cultures and communication styles. [36:24] LuAnn and Mina discuss the value of mentorship and how to set parameters within the relationship. [44:38] Mina discusses how 3D renderings not only changed the landscape of her business but gave way to her husband starting his own rendering design company. [52:54] LuAnn and Mina talk about the book Rocket Fuel and the importance of intentionally scoping out business goals. LuAnn and Mina Duque’s Ah-Ha moments: “We do that all the time in business...we say to our vendors, ‘Just give it to me straight, I need to know.’ But you’re saying as a culture, that’s not likely to happen. It’s so deeply engrained...and to them, there’s a level of respect in not saying a boldfaced no.” -LuAnn Nigara “I always tell my vendors, I so prefer that if you think that something is going to take two weeks, tell me it’s going to take four weeks, because if you deliver sooner, I’m happy, but if you deliver later, I’m not happy.” -Mina Duque “We get really good at visualizing, but that’s not everyone’s forte. So something that sounds really good or looks good on paper, when you see it in real life, you’re like, ‘I’m not really crazy about that.’” -Mina Duque “It builds so much more trust and confidence in my client when I can show them everything in advance before they start spending money.” -Mina Duque More About Mina Duque: Mina, the principal designer at Interiors Tulum, founded the firm in early 2019. Her style is influenced by her unique background growing up between Casablanca, Morocco and Los Angeles, California. Mina grew up between Casablanca, Morocco and Los Angeles, California. Her degree from USC, along with her world travels and experience as a property manager for Airbnb’s, influence her design and decision-making process every step of the way. Her Moroccan background adds a unique accent to her designs blended with the relaxed, Caribbean bohemian vibe that she works with so often. She is an ambitious, driven woman, enjoys research, suffers little risk adversity, and celebrates exploring new cultures and ideas. Now with her business expanding she has a few employees and is striving to create a company culture that reflects her values of honesty, reliability, authenticity, and passion. Working with people from different backgrounds and celebrating their cultures energizes Mina as she loves to learn about their history and discover ways that she can help them enhance their lifestyle by designing relaxing and luxurious living spaces. Currently based in Tulum, Mexico, Mina lives with her husband, Fernando, and their high-energy rescue pup, Lulu. Connect with Mina Duque: Website Instagram Facebook What's new with LuAnn Nigara www.luannnigara.com/cob Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: The Making of A Well - Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Book 2: A Well-Designed Business - The Power Talk Friday Experts Pre-Order Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2 Connect with LuAnn Nigara LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Blog Power Talk Friday Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast A Big THANK YOU to Today’s Podcast Sponsor: Revel Woods: Revel Woods is dedicated to providing premium hardwood and resilient flooring curated for your design and needs. They offer a wide range of perks for perks we offer interior designers, contractors, & industry professionals. Visit revelwoods.com today to get started. Kravet: Kravet is the industry leader in to the trade home furnishings. You can easily shop Kravet, Lee Jofa, and Brunschwig & Fils all in one place. Introducing new and easy to use search features so you can find the latest products and collections right at your fingertips. Use promo code AWDB10 for a 10% discount on Kravet fabric, trim, and wallcoverings. Other Shows Mentioned: #291 Cheryl Luckett – From Side Hustle to Full Time Interior Design #267 Rasheeda Gray: A Pipeline With Over 20 Interior Design Projects in Under 2 Years

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? Maybe you're hosting and you're busy getting all of your dishware organized and your menu organized. Or maybe you're like me. You're at the season where you just get to ring the doorbell with a pie in your hand, right? Either way, I hope you are planning to spend some quality time with friends and family, whether that means it's a big,
0:21.1	raucous crowd and lots of carrying on or downtime. Either way, I'm wishing you a happy
0:26.5	holiday season. And, you know, what happens after Thanksgiving, we have Black Friday.
0:31.6	And on Black Friday, Luann University is officially opening registration. And here's the thing. Because it's Black Friday,
0:39.2	we got some Black Friday deals for you. All right, first of all, let me explain this. Early Bird for
0:44.0	Luann University is open from November 29th through December 31st, 2024. So that is the entire early bird
0:52.4	period. And during the early bird period, you get two bonuses.
0:57.2	Number one, you get the early bird pricing.
0:58.8	But you also get, if you buy, whether you buy a five-week course or a three-hour intensive,
1:05.2	if you purchase and register during the early bird period, you are going to be enrolled in the workshop that
1:13.4	Amber DeLegarza and I are hosting together live. It's called Success by Design. Strategic
1:20.6	Goal Setting meets Time Mastery. Okay. So this is going to be a live workshop. It is going to happen in real time on january second
1:30.4	twenty twenty five and we're going to spend part of the time mapping out how do you set your goals
1:37.1	what do you do how do you decide if it's a legitimate goal if it's a reach goal if it's a too easy
1:43.2	of a goal what should your goals be?
1:45.5	And then Amber will take over and she will help us figure out how to carve that time in our
1:52.9	work life to work on our business. Okay. So it's managing the expectations of the hours
1:59.6	you have available so that you can get it all done.
2:02.3	So this is going to be a fantastic class that you are going to take real time and ask us real questions.
2:08.5	Okay, so those are two bonuses that you get if you sign up any time during the early bird period,
2:14.3	November 29th to December 31st.
2:16.4	But there is an extra bonus if you sign up during
	...

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