Michelle Lynne 0:02
Welcome to design for the creative mind, a podcast for interior designers and creative entrepreneurs to run their business with purpose, efficiency and passion. Because, well, every design is different, the process should remain the same. Prepare yourself for some good conversations with amazing guests, a dash of Jesus and a touch of the woowoo. And probably a swear word or two. If you're ready to stop trading your time for money, and enjoy your interior design business. You are in the right place. I'm your host, Michelle Lynn.
Hello, hello. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. This is designed for the creative mind. It is a business podcast for creatives, and interior designers and anybody else who likes to think with their right brain. But we are talking about business today. And I'm super glad you're here because I have Suzanne Maria. She is a certified public accountant with over two decades of experience. Don't let that scare you, that's still going to be a fun conversation. She founded her firm Maria CPA PLLC in 2008. And soon after, became a certified profit first professional. She helps her clients design unique profit based plans tailored to their business by employing Profit First, and leveraging tech strategies. She is the host of the profit talk podcast and author of the book Profit First for minority business enterprises. So that is a mouthful. Lady, thank you so much for being here.
Susanne Mariga 1:42
Thank you, Michelle, for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Michelle Lynne 1:45
I am super excited to have you. And congratulations on your book that was just this year.
Susanne Mariga 1:50
Thank you. Yeah, I was really excited. Because one month out of launch of the book, we actually funded 22 scholarships for girls to go to school in Zimbabwe, I don't know if you are aware. But $1 For every book that's sold goes towards a scholarship fund with a partner with a nonprofit organization called Hope worldwide, where we send girls to school in Zimbabwe. So I was so excited. I think that was like, you know, I was doing cartwheels when I found that that we had funded 22 scholarships by the end of the first month. That
Michelle Lynne 2:22
is amazing. I didn't know that. Congratulations, just on so many fronts. Not only are you helping minority women and just women in general, or business people, but also helping the next generation. I got goosebumps, I have got goosebumps. That's really cool. So for those of you who don't know, Profit First it is well, tell us about it. Suzanne, what is profit? First, let's dig into that. First,
Susanne Mariga 2:48
you know, Profit First is a cash management system. And for me, it was a game changer in my business. And what it's based upon is, it's based upon the principle of we pay ourselves first as entrepreneur, it's kind of like Dave Ramsey's envelope system, you know, I know you and I had a chance to talk a little bit offline. And you know, traditional business schools, one of the things that they teach us is, you know, that accounting equation, you know, that US generally accepted principles, revenue minus expenses equals profit. And it's, it's interesting, because you know, all of us accountants, we throw it down our clients, throat to make sure they understand that. And while that accounting equation is very, very true, it's an accounting equation, that isn't really a great way to run a business, right? Because, you know, when we're teaching our entrepreneurs to focus on rat on this accounting equation, focus on we're teaching, focus on revenue, sell, sell, sell, sell to whoever discount your prices, get them did a door, you'll make it up in the volume, then we're teaching them paint me responsible, pay your expenses, right and get whatever you need to run your business and you don't pay taxes, right, then naturally, profit will will be something that follows and the problem with that is, it doesn't work. Because, you know, a lot of times when entrepreneurs come to me, and then I'm sure a lot of the creative designers are probably feeling the same way. You know, they're wondering at the new year, how much do I owe in taxes and, and they're like, don't even make a profit if I made a profit, where's the money, right? And in fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics tells that 80% of small businesses closed, right, because they don't have cash flow and profitability. So Friday, is very, very frightening. So obviously, that US GAAP isn't working. And so what Profit First says is literally we create intentional profitability. And we do that through bank accounts. And what happens is you literally set up at least five bank accounts, right, you have an account where all the revenue comes into, and then you have an account for profit, right? Because you got to pay your profit. First, you're going to transfer a portion of that revenue into your profit account. You're going to have an account for owners pay because yes, you are your MVP. And if you need to step out of your business, set your need to hire replacement. It's time for us to start thinking like shareholders versus just doers in our business. And then of course, You know, because you're so profitable and you got owner's pay, you're gonna have a tax obligation. So get over it, there's things that we can do to minimize taxes, but they're part of life, you dry the road, you send your kids to school part of life. So we're going to reserve for that. So you're not gonna be like, Oh, my gosh, do I have to finance this year's taxes with last year? You know, like, how am I gonna? How am I going to do this, but you're gonna, you're gonna actually put away money into your bank account for taxes. And then the last account you're going to have as an operating expense account, or literally, that's the account that you're going to use in order to pay your operating expenses on what we're literally what's left over is all that gets used to to fund expenses.
Michelle Lynne 5:34
That makes perfect sense. And, like for designers, oftentimes what we have are, so our clients will pay our design fee, okay, and then they pay, they pre pay for their purchases. So I think that one of the things that I learned early on is that I had to have a prepaid account. In addition to that now, you could probably put one of those buckets, because I thought I was rich, you know, they'd give me $50,000 to go buy some furniture back in the day. And 20 of it was mine, but 30 of it was theirs to go buy. And when it was in my operating account, I was like, Oh, I can spend that. And oh, shit, I had to go and buy the buy the furniture for the client.
Susanne Mariga 6:13
Oh, yeah, there's other accounts that we set out to that gets more in towards the advanced Profit First level? Well, we'll create we call mats and subs account or materials and account and what and subs account for like your subcontractors that you may use. But oh, yeah. And what we're doing there is we're reserving that amount, right? Because you are gonna have to purchase inventory for your projects, right, and you're gonna have to resell. And so those direct costs need to be segregated in that Matson subs account. Yeah,
Michelle Lynne 6:41
I learned that one really fast. Like that's not my money just because it's in my account actually move it out. You don't even think it's yours. Exactly. That is so. So, so intentional. So tell me why did you decide to open your own business after having been if I if I read your bio correctly, you were in Big Four with with KPMG. You're with Arthur Andersen. So you came out of corporate and decided to start your own business. And I follow a similar path, just obviously not in big four. But, but in that respect. Why, like, now that you now that I look back, because this is really hard. You
Susanne Mariga 7:21
know, it's interesting, because, you know, I love the work that I did in big four. And actually, my last job, you know, actually had went into the corporate world, we moved down to Houston, Texas, and I was actually responsible for all their Canadian operations. So I was like flying back and forth to Toronto, like every single week. And I remember that I was pregnant with my first child, my daughter, Florence. And I was probably about oh, goodness, probably about maybe seven, eight months pregnant at that time. Yeah, somebody asked how pregnant you are when you're on a bed, you know. And I remember sitting down in a chair and like, you know, it wasn't like pointing party I was wide belly pregnant. And I would fight for those like seats that you can get, you know, those one cedars, you know, that, like, you don't have to sit next to anybody. And I remember, like, sitting there, and then the airplanes to were asked me to put my arm down. And I remember, like, sitting there thinking, Oh, my gosh, how am I gonna put my arm down my belly is like, too. And, you know, and it hit me that my life is really, really, really gonna change at that point. Yeah. And so, you know, knowing that my life was gonna change knowing that I wanted to be more present for my daughter, right, which is a lot of our business owners go through that. I had to, you know, make a decision, do I want to continue to like, you know, have my husband raise my daughter while I travel, and I'm gone for weeks on end, or, or do something different. And so that that idea of entrepreneurship really grabbed in my mind, because, you know, when we start our business, we have that illusion of, yeah, I can have it all I can, like, be there for my daughter. And I can, like, you know, have a really great firm. And, you know, and that part of that, you know, was what brought me to Profit First realizing that, you know, just like many entrepreneurs, you know, I was in that sell, sell, sell cycle, drop your prices, I'll make up in volume. And the problem is, when you sell at the lowest cost, you get a lot more, you get a lot of clients, you end up being busy and the problem Oh my gosh, you know, you never make it up. And the only reason is going to work for free is you and
Michelle Lynne 9:33
the clients are harder to work with because they're shopping for the lowest price and expecting the highest level of service and it's just like you're caught in between a rock and a hard
Susanne Mariga 9:42
place. Oh, yeah, it doesn't get better. It absolutely doesn't get better. And it was sad because Michelle, you know, my I remember sitting down at the dinner table, my husband was there. And he was holding our daughter and he was like, Hey, we got to have a conversation and you know, you're married Michelle and you know, whenever I doesn't say you gotta have a conversation. Not good is about to happen. And I remember him telling me he goes, you know how to you're gonna be better off just going to jail Bay? And and he was absolutely right. You know, because at my last job I had the 401k I had the steady salary. I was often weekend, you know, Fridays, I had half days off. And, you know, I was working all the time because you do work, especially when you're the lowest cost provider, you work all the time. Yeah, and had nothing to show for. And it really wasn't until I employed Profit First, I really started to pivot my business.
Michelle Lynne 10:33
No kidding. And coming from an individual with your background and professional credentials. It's interesting to hear that because there's so many so many designers and so many creatives who just think that there's something wrong with their with them. And it's not as just running a small business as a bitch. I swear, I love Jesus, but I swear a little bit.
Susanne Mariga 10:56
It's okay. And you're right. It's absolutely psychological and biological, right? We're, we're psychologically and biologically programmed to spend everything that we have, we're efficient creatures, something called Parkinson's Law. And, you know, I always say it's kind of like dieting, when the first thing they tell you when you go on a diet is you smaller plates. And they're telling you smaller plates, because you're gonna eat less food, right? And that's exactly how it is in business, right? When you have small plates or bank accounts that are designated for certain purposes, you're, you're gonna still consume as much, right? But you're gonna consume less amount, because only a lesser amount is going to be available to you to spend, right? Because you've separated the money out into the bank accounts. And it's interesting, because, you know, as a CPA, I work with a wide variety of clients. And, you know, when, when the economy is great, I'm gonna go back to 2019. And everything is like, you know, gonna be the same tomorrow, you know, my answers are coming to me, like, hey, Suzanne, I'm gonna get this bigger office space next to me, and I don't really need it. But right now, my neighbor's moving out, I can go ahead and move in there. And when I need it, it's going to be there versus is going to be off the market for years if I couldn't get the space again. Or they're like, hey, Suzanne, I need a tax write off, can I go ahead and get this Mercedes? Under my dad, or they're asked me questions like, hey, Suzanne, you know what, I need to take a business trip for continuing ed and happens to be in this place called Bora Bora. Can I get that and? And you know, and during 2020, they're asking me different questions. You're like, hey, Suzanne, you know, what loyal psychic Can I keep right now? You know, how can I get rid of this office space right and go virtually? And better yet? You know, what, what government subsidies are out there? What PPP loans are out there, what eidl loans? Those are the questions they were asking me when things were scarce. And again, it's supply and demand, right? It's our human nature to use everything that that we have, whether we're an accountant or designer, you know, we're programmed to literally use everything that we have. Oh,
Michelle Lynne 13:01
that makes me feel so much better. Because I spent way too much on a runner for my, for my stairs the other day. But honey, it's natural. It's biological.
Susanne Mariga 13:13
We need Looney who has enough runners? Right?
Michelle Lynne 13:18
Exactly. It was really, really pretty. Y'all, this podcast episode was made possible in part by foyer, a lightning fast interior design software that creates photorealistic renderings. I'm not kidding, you can barely tell that it's not a real room. So why don't leave your beautiful designs up to the imagination of your client, when you can show them what their space is going to look like. You will sign more clients and get more approvals with the software. It's powered by artificial intelligence, and a whole vouch for its ease, because if I can do it, anybody can. Because y'all know that my design team are the ones who do all the work. Find them in the show notes. So you started your business literally so that you could have more quality time. That didn't actually happen until you implemented the methodology behind Profit First, and Profit First for those of you who don't know is it's while it is a system to manage your money. It's a book written by Mike McCalla wits. It's actually a very interesting, he's funny. Like his writing style is very funny. And he has some other books as well. But it's a very interesting way to change your perspective of all of the money coming in and going out from your from your design firm or from your spirit from your small business. So once you did that now, how old is Florence now? Florence
Susanne Mariga 14:44
is she's turning 14 this month. Oh my gosh. Oh, I know. He's already asking me for a birthday party and like it's COVID Girl.
Michelle Lynne 14:55
Can you birthday party? You're watching people on about that. So obviously, this has worked for you 14 years later, or maybe 13 years later, once you got once you got rolling? Oh, that's exciting. That's very exciting. So as a individual who helps small business owners, what do you find? What are the mistakes that entrepreneurs make in managing their finances?
Susanne Mariga 15:22
You know, I think the first thing, the first mistake that they make is, you know, they're running their business without intention, right? They're, they're calling their will, and they're on this bed, and they can't get off the wheel, because, you know, they're doing the American dream, they're selling, selling, selling, paying their expenses, keeping their debt down. If they're lucky, and they can't get off, they can't get off the cycle, because that equation keeps you on that, that cycle. So first of all, is deciding what's important to you? What does winning really look like for you? And how do we create those results that really get to that win? Right? And, and Profit First, you know, we had done a study of what healthy companies look like. And there's a certain percentage that is typically allocated for profit of your revenue tax owners pay, and a person tenants that makes up your operating expenses. And, you know, staying within those guidelines, you know, a lot of times we'll help you stay on that. So first of all, just being intentional. And the other mistake that I say, you know, is once they know, the good that they chose to do, it's the getting started, right. It's that, you know, oh my gosh, I just feel so intimidated, you know, from from just starting, and, you know, it's, it's the trade off between knowing the right you should do and not getting started, it just eats you up alive, right. And I'm like, you know, it's just like Mark Twain says, you know, if you need to eat a frog, do it first thing in the morning add to frogs eat the biggest one first, there's no making it go away. You know, it's a small actions over time, that gives you the results, right? It's the compounding interest that you're going to earn, you know, what are compounding returns that you're gonna get by just starting, you know, you, you underestimate what you're gonna do, you're gonna overestimate what you're gonna do in a year, underestimate what you're gonna do in the decade. And so just get started, you know, and, and create that life of your dream.
Michelle Lynne 17:15
Oh, I love that. And yeah, the frog first thing in the morning was like working out, I need to get my booty up and working out so that it is done. Otherwise, I sit there and find so many other reasons not to do it. And the same thing with for me when I, I've gotten much more comfortable talking about money. In my business, it used to be me huge anxiety, because it was the thing that I couldn't control. And it was the thing that was like, quote, unquote, life or death for business. And knowing now, a little bit more, and still learning. It just gives you that level of freedom, and a bit of control back. Not that not that I'm the best at it. I mean, first, you know, I'll be the first to admit that managing my money is very difficult. And it has to be very intentional. And I even set aside time on Fridays, it's financial Friday, and I'll you know, half the time I skip it. I'm like, oh, no, I can do that next week. And then oh, shit, I didn't pay that bill. And there's a late fee. So just keeping up with that, I think is such a important part. It's discipline. We all avoid what we don't want to do. And
Susanne Mariga 18:26
I like that idea to financial Friday. That's neat that you actually have a day and a setup for it. That's awesome.
Michelle Lynne 18:35
Financial Fridays, I've got it all in my head. executing it. I love it. Yeah. So for those of you who are, who I've coached, or in my program, and so forth, they all know, you know, I have great ideas, but it comes and goes in waves, you know, like, just like exercising, the discipline may be really high for a year, and then it falls off for three or four months. So just giving yourself the grace to not be perfect. Exactly.
Susanne Mariga 19:02
And I think you said something really key to Michelle. You know, the reason why your audience is able to be successful is they have a coach like you, right? That's keeping them accountable. That's answering question that's helping them think they processes you know, when you have a partner, or a coach that can help you implement and just stay on top of it say discipline, you know, sometimes that's the thing that you need with it. And then of course, the process and then the process, right, the process of actually moving the money, right?
Michelle Lynne 19:31
Which is what I was going to ask you that's like a perfect segue. No, that wasn't actually set up. But tell me and tell our audience and then at the end we'll we'll list where people can find you. But how do you help small businesses? Well,
Susanne Mariga 19:46
I am a Certified Public Accountant by background I've been in CPA for goodness, I don't even tell people anymore. Like more than 20 years. I love Miss Claire all and so it works out being a really great combination. So have, you know a lot of times when clients will come to us, they come to us because they have a cashflow problem, right like, like 80% of the businesses in the world. And using the Profit First methodology, we will help them create a system to create intentional profitability gets something called target allocation percentages, and get them on payroll. And a lot of times, it's not very uncommon for our clients to actually transition to a high net worth status. So it becomes a What started as a cash flow problem becomes a tax problem. And luckily, at the core of it, I'm also a certified tax codes. So I specialize in high network taxation and actually talk about that in my book, some of the high network tax strategies that I use on my clients. And you know, when you go to your normal accountant, one, the first things they tell you is, you know, they need if you need to get your taxes down as well, can you buy it in the ER, can you get it in a filing cabinet, right by design designers out there, prepay for that inventory, those are the things those accounts will tell you. And I will never tell you that I mean, it actually gives me goose bonds, because it keeps people on that cycle. And so what's going to happen is, we're going to look for ways for you to get that tax deduction, while not necessarily increasing your expenses. So let's look at something like a 401k, where you can maybe put away $56,000 A year, right, and you're getting a deduction, you're getting an expense, right on your p&l, but you're building your wealth, right, you're you're kicking that can towards another day. And if you've got employees, let's look at what your goals are, you know, one thing that's important and profit versus, you know, the longer your employees say with you, that's what happens, the better they get at their job, the more efficient they get. And so longevity is important. So maybe we create a plan where they kind of stay with you for a year or so before they can actually start to participate in the plan. Maybe they gotta stay with you for six years before they fully fast. So the plan, let's get away from some of these safe harbors. And let's create plans that are designed to really work with the intentions of the business. And again, I'm creating a tax deduction. But again, I'm kicking the can because I'm getting higher profits because my employees getting better. And if they leave me before they fully vas, guess what, I just find that my own retirement account.
Michelle Lynne 22:13
That's yeah, that those are the nuances that US Joe's on the street, have no understanding of and knowing that there's people like you out there to help. I just think that that is one more tool in our toolbox as entrepreneurs to make our dreams into that reality. Because correct me if I'm wrong. Cash flow when you have money in the bank doesn't mean you're profitable.
Susanne Mariga 22:41
Yeah, you can have money in your bank because of a loan, right? Yeah, your money your bank temporarily, because you got inventory that you got to buy for a client.
Michelle Lynne 22:51
Yes, I speak from experience there. And just knowing that there's somebody like you, so stay tuned, y'all, what we're gonna do is at the end of our conversation today, Suzanne's gonna let you know where she can find where you can find her. And then we'll have all of it in the show notes too, because I think that you're gonna want to make sure that you stay in touch with her and follow her podcast, profit talk, and pick up her book Profit First for minority business enterprises. And are you still those sales of the book? Was that just for the month that goes to the scholarship? Or is that ongoing? No,
Susanne Mariga 23:25
it's a permanent endowment that we set out with a book, you know, you know, when I read the book, it was, you know, let's change legacies, let's change legacies. Let's uproot communities, give people opportunities that will not have opportunities by educating everyone. And I said, you know, let's take it farther. Let's take it further. And how can we make this an even bigger deal, and you know, pick Zimbabwe, and we specifically picked sending young girls to school because, you know, in a country like Zimbabwe, the government traditionally has paid for people to go to college. But the interesting thing is, people don't make it to college, because they have to pay for that elementary, at primary school and secondary school. And if a parent has that choice of sending a boy to school or girl, because of finances, they're going to naturally pick the boy, or the girl, you know, as usually, unfortunately, have has to get married one day in order to be supported. And you know, and you know, there's things like polygamy that happen. And so I said, you know, what happens if we educate young girls? What happens if we give them an education because you can't tell a doctor that she has to be the second wife of any man. So that is the reason why we did what we did. Yeah.
Michelle Lynne 24:36
And who rules the
Susanne Mariga 24:38
world? Exactly, exactly.
Michelle Lynne 24:40
And this is just going to be the next generation. So that that is just amazing. So for those of you who want to go out and buy the book, just think about the long term impact that you're supporting, as well as your own as your own future. Let me interrupt myself to take a quick moment to think satin off Insurance Agency for sponsoring this episode of The designed for the creative mind podcast. Their support and understanding of the interior design, decorating and home staging industries is unrivaled. Satin off understands what our businesses do. And they provide insurance that lets me sleep at night. Yep, this is the firm that I use. And they will do the same for your sleep habits. And your business too. They're more than an insurance agency, they're an extension of my business, they take care of the worry, because they are the experts, which allows me and my team breathing room to do what we do best designed beautiful spaces. You can find their contact information below in the show notes, give them a call today. Okay, I could literally sit here and talk to you about all of this for like another two hours because this just just so interesting to me, but in the interest of time for our audience and for you. And maybe we'll have you back and we'll continue the conversation. The next segment is rapid fire. So it's basically just a quick q&a. It's a little bit of fun so that the audience can get to know you on a different level than just the CPA. Nothing's off the table. So let's see what comes up today. Okay, so what did you want to be when you were growing up?
Susanne Mariga 26:16
You know, actually wanted to be a doctor when I was growing up, did you? I did and then when I went to college, I took a phlebotomy class, which is like, you know how to draw blood. And like nobody wanted to let me draw because like, I always heard people like I would put the blood would come out
so many more men for that. And I learned you know, my dad had an accounting firm growing up so I had entered for him learn how to do some of the taxes with and I said, you know, I can switch majors and party more, study less and my grades would improve significantly.
Michelle Lynne 26:59
That's kind of like what you're teaching now. format. More fun make more money. Exactly. That's awesome. So what is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Susanne Mariga 27:09
You know, it's butter pecan.
Michelle Lynne 27:14
Now I'm getting hungry. Last movie you watched
Susanne Mariga 27:16
last movie that I watch. You know it was called the more I can fit Marie Mauritian the mortgaged moratoria, it's the one that has Jodie Foster on it. It's a base in Africa as 911. Very, very good. Very, it's really? Yeah. Might
Michelle Lynne 27:35
have to take a look at that. Okay, beach mountains. Beach beach. Dream travel destination.
Susanne Mariga 27:42
Oh, you know, I want to go to Hawaii next.
Michelle Lynne 27:46
I haven't been there either. Maybe we'll go and figure out how we can write it off on our taxes. Let's see. They
Susanne Mariga 27:52
got classes. They're amazing classes. And it's in the United States.
Michelle Lynne 28:00
When was the last time you took a nap? Suzanne?
Susanne Mariga 28:03
Oh, gosh. Probably on the airplane when SSB you're eating?
Michelle Lynne 28:11
cake or pie? Cake. It's
Susanne Mariga 28:13
definitely cake.
Michelle Lynne 28:14
introvert or extrovert?
Susanne Mariga 28:16
You know, I love those quiet moments. I'm gonna say Android.
Michelle Lynne 28:21
And what is your favorite music genre? Oh,
Susanne Mariga 28:26
that's a good one. I like so many things. I really like so many things. You know, I really really like so many things. I call it madwoman one. Who's that lady? She's a singer. She sings Hello, Adel.
Michelle Lynne 28:46
Yeah, with a new album is what I read. Oh, wow. Yeah. I
Susanne Mariga 28:50
love that deep music, you know? Yeah,
Michelle Lynne 28:53
it's moody. Moody, moody. I'm the same way. If you look at my Pandora list, it is all over the place. I love jazz. I love 80s country you just got of course I have cocoa melon and Baby shark on my Pandora.
Susanne Mariga 29:07
Baby shark is a really good one.
Michelle Lynne 29:11
My kid got it onto my Pandora and I have no idea how I'm gonna blame it on Alexa. Okay, so last one. If you can have dinner with anybody, past or present. Who would you invite?
Susanne Mariga 29:25
I'm gonna say President Obama. I want to pick his brain. Yeah.
Michelle Lynne 29:32
That would be interesting, wouldn't it? They really drill down, that the perspective of the person in the shoes is always so completely different than the perspective that we get. Exactly. Or given to us. I love that. Love that. Maybe we could do that in Hawaii. Yeah,
Susanne Mariga 29:49
exactly. We go to Hawaii to interview now. Over to
Michelle Lynne 29:58
All right, well, Suzanne Thank you. So much for being here and I know that there's so much that goes into your topic that to try to cover it in 30 minutes on a podcast is virtually impossible. So do tell the audience how or where they can find you. Well, we
Susanne Mariga 30:14
have a free masterclass where we teach the ins and outs of Profit First, and it's about a week long and we don't hold back you got questions and bring them in there. But it's called the if you go on Facebook. It's called the profit verse masterclass with Suzanne Murray and I had to sit make sure it says what Suzanne Marie because there's a lot of bootleg ones out there and I can't guarantee what kind of information you're gonna get. But Profit First masterclass with Suzanne, Maria, we'll get you into our master class.
Michelle Lynne 30:40
Oh, I need to get my booty over there. So is that the is that the best place to find you? And then everything kind of streams out from there.
Susanne Mariga 30:47
The edits, we do have the profit talk podcast and my book is also you know, it was a best seller. It was also received the the Publishers Weekly award. So definitely, it was editor's pick for Publishers Weekly. So check that out. Awesome. That was like, hello, it's Thank you. It was it was Yeah. Mike McHale. It's an I was a joint venture. Oh, I
Michelle Lynne 31:11
didn't know that. Yeah, just knew it was badass. I didn't realize that collaborated with him. Yeah, it's
Susanne Mariga 31:17
part of the family. It's part of the profit first family. They have different ones, you know, they have it for contractors, ecommerce. And that was was Minority Business Enterprises. Damn, which is good for anybody whether you're minority. Absolutely.
Michelle Lynne 31:30
But it's nice to just have that inclusion as well, just to make sure that everybody feels like they get a big hug. Exactly. Micro Jones in that family. That's really something to be proud of good for you. Thank you. Well, for those of you who can benefit from even more resources surrounding the business of running your interior design business, join the growing community on my Facebook private group. It's called the interior designers business Launchpad. And again, there's a couple of bootleg business launch pads out there for interior designers, but mine is on Facebook. And if you're listening to this podcast, wherever you are, please don't forget to leave a review. All right, Suzanne, thanks so much for being here.
Susanne Mariga 32:14
Thank you, Michelle, for having me.
Michelle Lynne 32:17
Hey, y'all, if you love the show and find it useful, I would really appreciate it if you would share with your friends and followers. And if you like what you're hearing, want to put a face with a name and get even more business advice. Then join me in my Facebook group, the interior designers business launch pack. Yeah, I know it's Facebook, but just come on in for the training and then leave without scrolling your feet. It's fun. I promise you'll enjoy it. And finally, I hear it's good for business to get ratings on your podcast. So please drop yours on whatever platform you use to listen to this. We're all about community over competition. So let's work on elevating our industry, one designer at a time. See you next time.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
