Michelle Lynne 0:00
Music. 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 while 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 Woo, woo, 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, you
Michelle Lynne 0:48
Hey, hey, hey, y'all. It's Michelle Lynn, back for another podcast. I'm glad you're here. I want to introduce to you a woman that I have known for a few years now, and I'd like to say I can call her friend. Her name is Gaia filipi, and I'm not sure if I even pronounce that right, even though I've known her for a while, it's the it's the Italian Gaia Philippi, the Italian California turned Dallas transplant with a passion for creating interiors that are anything but ordinary. Gaia has a background in high end fashion and a sharp eye for design, so she brings a global perspective to residential projects that span styles from modern, traditional to contemporary. Gaia believes that great interior design is a perfect balance of right and left brain, where creativity meets problem solving precision. She's outgoing and approachable, and she's here to share her design journey, her knack for turning houses into homes with personality and style, and her signature trait delivering unfiltered, straight shooting opinions to clients, colleagues and friends alike. I giggle because I know how true that is. So what drives her the hunt for something new and different. Gaia spends countless hours sourcing unique pieces, often traveling abroad just to find the right touch, and she thrives on solving the puzzles that make each client's home truly personal. So join me in welcoming Gaia. Thanks for being here and pronounce your last name for us. Gaia filipi,
Unknown Speaker 2:18
thank you for having me,
Michelle Lynne 2:21
it doesn't you're doing so much better with that, with the authentic Italian. Oh, I'm so glad you're here. It's good to
Speaker 1 2:30
see you. It's really fun to be here. Thank you.
Michelle Lynne 2:35
All right, so let's dig in. How long? How long have we known each other? Just like, three years?
Speaker 1 2:40
No, I think it's been four. Well, coming on before I think,
Michelle Lynne 2:44
yeah, maybe so, yeah, coming it's such a small world. So Gaia went through our interior design business bakery, and happened to have been my former neighbor, basically, yeah, so we were talking one time, and she actually referred the school that my daughter went to for a few years, which was such a sweet little gem. So I'm excited that you're here to share, and I always get to learn more new things about you. So your career started in high end fashion. Yes, what were you doing?
Speaker 1 3:14
So I was actually not a designer. I was on the PR side. I was on the PR and VIP relations and event side for some, you know, I don't know if I should name them, but high end Italian and European brands in house for several of those years. And then, you know, not in house for a couple more with with other brands. So, yeah, I catered to, again, a lot of celebrities, a lot of VIPs and that kind of forward facing part of the business that, Yeah,
Michelle Lynne 3:55
I'll bet you were good at that. How that background influenced your approach to design.
Speaker 1 4:00
So I think that the part that really comes into play from that background is just really knowing, you know, catering to the needs of really discerning clients with high net worths, people that you know, whose purchasing powers might be different from yours or mine. And you know, and that comes into play a lot, because in hoping, what the expectations are, what they're used to, what they're open to, what they're curious about, because it's always, you know, very often, these people are kind of like after the next, The next thing that you know nobody else has, and anticipating those needs and then also recognizing, which I think a lot of us might, you know, stumble upon while we're designing, is realizing that their budgets are not necessarily each line of the year. So we're. You might have sticker shock and be afraid to present something. You have to remind yourself that you're dealing with, with, with, with different, you know, pocket change
Michelle Lynne 5:11
Absolutely, and it's so true, because we can't assign our wallets to our clients. That's right, yeah, that's fine, right, yeah.
Speaker 1 5:20
So I think also just the, you know, exposure to really fine craftsmanship, seeing factories where where things have been made and passed on for 100 years, or the sourcing of really excellent materials and the way that they're put together and the way that they're discarded, if they're not perfect.
Michelle Lynne 5:37
So I love the fact that you're taking these lessons from an outside industry. But what do you think that there are, you know, how would you talk to other designers about that? Like there's so many, and here's what I mean by that, there are so many people that I talk to that are not, let's say, classically trained, and have been doing interior design. Let's say it's their second or third career. That means that they can take other lessons from other industries. 100%
Speaker 1 6:10
I think you can take lessons from what your background is, no matter what it is that you go on to do in your second and third career, right? I mean, some people have really incredible strengths with marketing or with finances, or with, you know, budgeting, with communication, with there's all sorts of things. Thing about interior design is, and I would, I would caution people. I mean, I say this because you know this too, right? What happens when you tell people that you're an interior designer, that's so cool, that's so fabulous, you know? And you hear this all the time, but people don't realize that it's definitely a 5050, business, and the creative has to, you know, be met with the business side of things. And if you don't have that personally, you better find somebody that does to bring into your business, whether it's a partner or an advisor or a CFO or CEO, whatever it is, right? So anyways, I think that if you have that any parts of those background, of things from from your background in another career, it's, it's great to bring them in
Michelle Lynne 7:20
absolutely, and I think not to downplay them, because to downplay them absolutely. Yeah, so no matter what it was that we've done in the past, in the past, whether you were a stay at home mom or a teacher or a doctor or a lawyer, whatever, there's something that you can bring to the table in this new
Speaker 1 7:39
adventure. Absolutely, I love, I
Michelle Lynne 7:43
love the fact that you, you really taken your previous experience and examined it as to what you could bring forward.
Speaker 1 7:52
Yeah, and recently, in this last year that I've had a little bit of time to start addressing it, I've actually started doing some PR and getting press and that it was a very quick transition for me to be able to pivot and know how to do that. Oh, nice. The way it works has changed from the late 90s fashion VR to the way it works today. Uh huh, we spent a lot of time gifting people and lunching people and, you know, creating experiences, and you don't need that now. Oh, and so, right, but, but, but anyways, I was able to pivot and do that as well. And ultimately, you do bring in all those different things. Because truth is that as soon as your business does start taking off and going. There's no way you can do everything anyways,
Michelle Lynne 8:45
amen to that. Yeah, and if you try to, you're just gonna screw something up. You're gonna die, typically, from direct experience.
Unknown Speaker 8:57
Yeah, yes, you're gonna lose a lot of sleep, yeah.
Michelle Lynne 9:01
So Gaia, if you weren't in interior design, what would you be doing? Now,
Speaker 1 9:06
if I wasn't at all an interior designer, and I was, I would probably be in some form of events and catering. That makes sense. Yeah, that makes total sense. No, yeah, I have a pretty serious food background. Yeah, and I'm a pastry chef. I'm a trained pastry chef. You knew that you remember that, right for that? Do I
Michelle Lynne 9:27
totally remember that beauty of the bakery? Yeah, that was super fun. Okay, so let's go back to when did you when did you start? When did you put your toe in interior design? How long have you been in the business? Now,
Speaker 1 9:44
I think it's coming up to, like around seven years ago, initially working a little bit with a friend who was an interior designer, and then going out on my own. Yeah,
Michelle Lynne 10:00
so let's go back to share with the audience, like, what is one mistake that you made early in your design career, and what did you learn from it? Because we've all made multiple mistakes, but yeah,
Speaker 1 10:13
let's Yes. So I think it's important to mention on the design for the creative mind podcast, that I avoided a lot of those mistakes by going into that's
Michelle Lynne 10:25
number one. Well, thank you. We'll, I'll take that out. Yes, so
Speaker 1 10:29
Michelle, you helped me avoid a lot of those mistakes. Um, but there was, there's one that's been standing out like a sore thumb in this past year, and that was definitely not paying attention to marketing and lead generation. And I was very busy out the door at the get go. It was also shortly after COVID. You know, COVID started shortly after I started the business, right? So that was just bonkers. There was a lot of work going around and scrambling, you know, being new in the business, scrambling to keep up with the actual work on hand and also the learning on the go, right? Because, yeah, we're, you're, you're learning on the fly as well. You're learning learning as you're doing. And I certainly didn't give almost any thought, even though I listened to, you know, you and and I was always listening to, like, the how to, how to beef up your Instagram following, how to, you know, take care of the marketing. But I wasn't bothering to do it. The leads were coming in organically. I didn't even have time to build my website. I remember that
Michelle Lynne 11:44
that was just kind of puny to begin with, right?
Speaker 1 11:48
Yeah, I slopped up a page that was like, on, you know, Google or something like that, one of those sort of temporary pages, and that was all I did. I don't think anybody even visited it. So it took me quite a while, and then what happened is that I found my, you know, as a result of not focusing on that at all. I found myself in slower periods this past year. I remember that, and then it was something that I'd put on the back burner. And it's, you know, learning that it's just as important as your design work, and you have to consistently invest in your visibility and nurture those relationships that can bring you leads even when you're busy. So I think, you know, the best designers don't just work, but they build systems that keep them thriving and keep their pipelines full and even during quieter periods. So guess what? I'm playing we're I'm playing catch up
Michelle Lynne 12:41
right now on all that I know, and it's so nerve wracking. You're like, I've got overhead. I have things I have to pay for, and there's nobody calling. So what are you what are you doing in general? What are you focusing on for your marketing? Um,
Speaker 1 12:59
well, like I said, I mean, I had done so little of it that, you know, it's I'm kind of approaching it from all angles. So I created, for example, a blog on our website, and starting to populate that, I created a newsletter. Oh, good. I did have a right from past leads and past consultations and past clients and, you know, various people. I did have a little bit of a of a list to start with. So I did that. And, and those are, you know, two, two major things, in addition to starting to reach out to people that can bring in leads, whether those are people that I know who are real estate agents or contractors that I've worked with. And,
Michelle Lynne 13:54
yeah, good. Are you getting involved in different organizations locally?
Speaker 1 13:58
Well, I've been involved a little bit. And in I've been involved in IDs, and I've attended some, you know, other events of other of other builders organizations and architect organizations and things like that. So
Michelle Lynne 14:12
that's perfect. Good, good, good. Yeah, so sooner than you realize, you're probably going to be able to start turning projects down, because they'll start calling me again
Speaker 1 14:23
with that's, that's the goal for all of us, right, to have your pick,
Michelle Lynne 14:28
but, Oh, that's funny. And, you
Speaker 1 14:29
know, and then also realizing that, you know, it's, it was really, it's, it's been a lesson, no matter what happens, because I have sort of on the horizon, coming up for the next year, a humongous project that's in the pipeline, and it's there's a few things to work out before it starts. It's a new build. But even once that kicks in, you know, lesson learned, I will not just be servicing that client, spending, yeah, on marketing. To future clients. And I think that that marketing Mondays,
Michelle Lynne 15:03
yeah, let me tell you, I just set aside a few hours every Monday, and you won't get you won't be in that hole again, right? Yeah, or whatever day works for you. I just did Mondays because, you know, I do. I remember that marketing Mondays, financial Fridays, all the things, yep. Um, so when do you spend time, like, thinking about your business strategy? Do you have a is it always running in the background? Do you set aside a day every quarter like, what does that look like for you?
Speaker 1 15:36
That's a good question. I think it's always running in the background to an extent, of course, but I would say that it's similar to what happened with the marketing where I was so busy servicing clients that, you know, you kind of don't see the forest for the trees, right? Yeah, you're, you're scrambling to service those clients best you care and you know, making sure that I'm really big on product knowledge and brands, and knowing brands and knowing where to source things. And I've spent a lot of time doing that so that, oh, that business strategy is, is something that hasn't had its own pocket of time. It's something that, you know, again, it's just runs in the background, but not necessarily, has its own day. I certainly break down into quarters. No, I think that's something that we covered in the bakery, that breaking down, sort of goals, into quarters, and then reviewing those regularly. I was just starting to write down my first quarter of next year, just last week, actually. Oh, good, yeah. And, and then sometimes you go back and you look at like, you know, third quarter of 2022, and it still hasn't been done, but at least, you know, it's, you know, it's, No, I totally understand we, yeah, we readjust those, well,
Michelle Lynne 16:57
that. And sometimes you just like, Oh, what was I thinking? That's not the direction I want to go today. That's true. I looked back at some of my goals and I'm just like, Okay, I'm really glad I didn't. And I think that oftentimes our gut is telling us where to go hard and where not to or at least my instinct will sometimes say, Okay, write this goal down. So for example, I have a goal that I want to put a book out, and it's basically, it's going to lead people back to the coaching that I do. But it's like, that's not my driving passion right now, so it's on my list of goals, and it has been for a few years. But for me, unless I'm feeling super passionate about something like, there's other things that I want to do to move the needle forward. So I look back at that and I'm like, yeah, it's not done yet, but I haven't felt the urge to do it.
Speaker 1 17:52
Yeah, I can relate to that as well. I started thinking two years ago about putting out a line of a certain product, and then was giving myself a hard time for not having started that. And, you know, then I realized, well, it's really not that important right now. There's other fish to fry first,
Michelle Lynne 18:13
yeah, like getting the marketing and getting that business coming in so that you have that, I think, just having the bandwidth financially to Ray off of the path,
Unknown Speaker 18:25
I agree. Yeah, I
Michelle Lynne 18:26
think that makes a difference. Imagine trying to bake a cake without a recipe. You kind of know what the ingredients are, but you don't know how to put it all together after lots of hard work and trying different combinations, all you are left with is a sticky situation and a stomach ache. Babe running an interior design business can feel exactly that same way. That is why I created the interior design business bakery. This is a program that teaches you how to bake your interior design business cake and eat it too. If you don't want to figure out the hard way and you want guidance to follow a recipe that has already been vetted, someone that has already been there and done it and will help you do it too. Then check out the year long mentorship and coaching program the interior design business bakery, if your interior design business revenue is below 300,000 or if you're struggling to make a profit and keep your sanity, this is the only program for you. You can find that information at designed for the creative mind.com. Forward slash, business, dash, bakery, check it out. You won't regret it.
Michelle Lynne 19:53
Let me ask you, what piece of advice would you give your 20 year old self? Oh, my God. God, okay, back. Like, what is one piece of advice you would tell her
Speaker 1 20:07
my 20 year old self? Uh huh. I think I'd have to maybe start with telling my 20 year old self to not be so hot headed.
Unknown Speaker 20:15
Ah, yeah, you can see
Unknown Speaker 20:17
that right
Michelle Lynne 20:21
now. That's a good one. And I think that we know
Speaker 1 20:22
a lot more now about networking and building bridges, oh yeah, compared to, you know, back when I was that age. So I think it's just that, you know, constant, constantly building bridges in terms of work we're talking right? I think that constant bridge building and not burning at all, you know, yeah,
Michelle Lynne 20:45
that's good, yeah. But you know, at 20 I knew everything, so I wouldn't have listened to myself anyway.
Speaker 1 20:55
Yes, exactly. I probably would have told myself not to fight so much with my boss back then. But, you know, it was the 90s in New York in fashion. It was wicked. I mean, it was the Sex and the City days. And, I mean, these women were horrified, vicious. It was all about backstabbing. And it's funny when I see all this stuff. But
Michelle Lynne 21:14
women lifting up, women
Speaker 1 21:17
the opposite back then, it was like, How bad, how many nine daggers could you, you know, that's too funny, bury into their backs, you know, and that, and that was, and that was how it was. What a nice change. Such a nice change. I wasn't guilty of that, but that I would not like that. And ultimately, it kind of, it kind of was a signal to how it was not cut out for that business. That's very much how it was back then. That
Michelle Lynne 21:41
makes sense. Yeah, wasn't that Devil loves Prada back in the day, it was
Speaker 1 21:45
totally like that. It was totally like that. That's what I was in and it was very much like that. That's crazy. And I ate carbs.
Michelle Lynne 21:58
Oh, the good old days. Would you believe me if I told you I've never seen a Sex in the City? You have not. I have not seen an episode, not even a full episode. I've seen like snippets. I
Speaker 1 22:09
I know I'm from. That's a first. How come?
Michelle Lynne 22:16
You know what it is I think, um, I like to go against the grain. If people are saying how good it is, how good it is, how good it is, I'm just not even going to watch it. Like there's a
Speaker 1 22:27
Hangout. I can get totally behind that. I like that. It's a bunch of
Michelle Lynne 22:31
women, and I really like just so anyway, yeah,
Speaker 1 22:35
that was that there's, it's so funny that you said that actually, do you know that on Saturday night, I was out to dinner, and it was a couple that I had never met before, somebody acquaintances with my husband. And at a certain point, the wife turned around and said, You there's it's crazy. You totally remind me of Samantha from just I went, but she wasn't info. Maybe
Michelle Lynne 23:00
your husband's probably going, Oh, very funny. Okay, so what? Let's going back to Design. What is the favorite aspect of the work? Like, what's your favorite thing that you do? We know it's not marketing.
Speaker 1 23:18
It's not marketing. I think there's, there might be two things. One is the thrill from figuring out pickle, yes, yes. You know, learning something new and figuring out something that you hadn't figured out before, something completely different. And so this happens, you know, multiple times, right in every project I I can't think of the last time that I was given a square, rectangular room just to design it and be to either order some furniture and be done with it. There's always something technical, challenging, different, so it's the figuring out. Sometimes that's the figuring out in a technical way. Sometimes that means meeting somebody that helps you figure it out, or bringing on a new trade, or learning you know about a new product. And that happens all the time, and so you reach into your bag of tricks next time, and you know you have something that you've learned the time before. Isn't
Michelle Lynne 24:26
it crazy? It's like, this is not like a county where things don't change, right? You learn something and you continue to build on it every project. Yes, yeah,
Speaker 1 24:36
absolutely. And then the other part is the sourcing itself. Because I just, I love finding things you
Michelle Lynne 24:44
like to shop in general.
Speaker 1 24:46
Um, I used to, I don't. I prefer to spend my time in other ways now, probably
Michelle Lynne 24:55
because now you get paid to shop. And it's, yeah, yeah. I was talking, yeah, it kind of takes the joy out of the hunt. Yeah,
Speaker 1 25:05
it does. But, you know, and you know, you know, my hunt is far reaching. You know, I travel a lot
Michelle Lynne 25:09
to look for things. Talk about that. So, how do you So, how do you, um, are you traveling? Because, like, for those of y'all who, after this episode, will probably want to follow Gaia on Instagram, like you go and you travel to Europe a lot. Is that that you're just going over there personally to see friends and family, and then you tie it in with business, or do you both?
Speaker 1 25:34
Both? So I I'll go to some shows, and I have some on my list that I haven't been to yet.
Michelle Lynne 25:41
What kind of shows are you talking about? Where do you go?
Speaker 1 25:45
So there's I've been to salona del Mobile in Milan.
Michelle Lynne 25:49
Okay, wait, say that again for those of us, Salone del
Speaker 1 25:53
Mobile, it's massive. It is, I don't know if Maison Abu Jay in Paris is larger, or Salone is larger, technically, but they both, I think that they both have a component, like, if you go to salona, then Bobby lay in Milan, there is the fairgrounds, which is, I believe, the largest fairgrounds in Europe, and everything happens there. So the big brands have a presence there. And then all of Milan transforms in the city, transforms into, like, one ginormous, redesigned show. Yeah, spectacular
Michelle Lynne 26:28
makes High Point look puny. I would imagine, oh,
Speaker 1 26:32
crumbs compared, yes, wow. It's also, you know, much higher end. At high point you find, you know, bit of everything. But when Saturday, then maybe you're really going to have the big European brands and then, but everybody gets in town gets involved. Sorry, in town, they all, you know, the big fashion brands will have displays. Some of them will host collaborations. There's a lot of very spectacular historical buildings where there will put on different design exhibitions, but it's chaotic. And you know, when it comes to Italians, which being one of them, I know so well, they all want in on the action. So people who have absolutely nothing to do with the design industry just so there's the longest lines you've ever seen to get into these time you give up if you don't have an invitation or a preview. But you know, there's there's that. And then there's some that are on my list, like like Paris and all day, or the London Design Week that I haven't been to. And even Copenhagen has started doing an interesting one. Oh, how fun. Yeah. And then, you know, there's, there's other things. I've been to antique shows and Right, right. And then, like you said, it does help that I have places to stay. I have my sister in Milan, so for example, I can always combine things as well. But sometimes I do go just for for that. Just that makes sense, yeah. So I just came back. I was there a month ago, and I was actually visiting mostly a part of Italy that I've been wanting to tour for a while. And I that that's a part all the way in the northeast, near a city called Yeah, so north east of Venice, if you will, like they can picture that extreme border, and that's the chair capital of Italy. So they make chairs.
Michelle Lynne 28:29
Oh, interesting. Yeah, it's interesting because that's right up there by Milan. So you're staying in the same general vicinity. Well, it's, it's bit of a drive. Well, I mean, let me rephrase that, three hour drive. Yep, same part of the country, same part of the country. It would be like New York to Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 28:46
It would be and then I have my best friend that's like, in the in a city just 45 minutes away. And so,
Michelle Lynne 28:51
well, I think I'm gonna have to put that on my bucket list and just, yeah, find out when you're going and
Speaker 1 29:00
I'll do it. You can translate,
Michelle Lynne 29:03
because there's not a whole lot of words that I know anymore. Oh, fun. Okay, so let's go back to what's a new designers you've been in the business for a little while, what's a piece of advice that's often given to new designers that you think they should ignore.
Speaker 1 29:21
This one might be a little bit controversial or not. No,
Michelle Lynne 29:26
we can't. We can't have a session with you that's not going to have a little bit of some that's part of your charm. Tell me what you're thinking.
Speaker 1 29:35
I think one of the things that I hear a lot that I've shake my head out a little a little bit. And it's not just with design, I think it's with a lot of advice out there, and it's this pressure to position yourself as an expert and with which is fine, that's the fine part, but to charge more than what you are probably worth in the beginning. No, don't be afraid to charge. Don't be afraid to charge. Raise your prices. Raise your prices. Well, I don't think that's such a great idea. I think that there is, you know, an industry out there that's pushing people to pretend to be something they aren't, charge premium prices, to present themselves as more experience than they actually are. And I think it could create a disservice, both for the designer that's trying to grow and certainly, you know for the client,
Michelle Lynne 30:27
they're not getting the right experience, right, right, right?
Speaker 1 30:31
I've had it. I have even a recent experience where I have a client that I'm helping look for an architect. We're all a search for an architect, and I've seen a designer position themselves or try to convince him that they were they're an architect, when in fact, that they're not. And so if you're kind of faking that, that's
Michelle Lynne 30:59
Be careful where I step into right identity, right?
Speaker 1 31:03
And that's, you know, a designer, and I was surprised that maybe the the client didn't realize that, but that's, that's how it is out there. People put things on their websites and on their Instagram and, you know, you and I know that it's all AI rendering images, but the client doesn't realize you know all these things happening. It's so
Michelle Lynne 31:25
truth. And that goes back to, I don't suggest you put any stock images on your website, even if you know you're capable of creating that. Yes. So yeah, there is a fine line.
Speaker 1 31:39
There is definitely, definitely a fine line there. I would just say, you know, careful with the fake it till you make it to a certain extent and value. You know your uniqueness and your authenticity, and don't, you know, try to emulate others or over promise what you can't deliver. Build that trust, build that client base, even if you start a small and then, and then the rest will come. You know, you'll
Michelle Lynne 32:03
Yeah, I think that that is so true, because one of the things that I've been talking about more recently is that as you get more sophisticated, your business gets more sophisticated. As your business gets more sophisticated, you get more sophisticated, and then that's the experience that you're going to be giving to your client. And therefore, that's when you can raise your rates, because you cannot charge a premium to buy a Mazda, you know, you can charge a premium to buy a Mercedes, but you have to start, you know, to start somewhere,
Speaker 1 32:37
yeah. And, you know, lean into that. I mean, why not lean into that. You know that you're able to to offer maybe a lower price because you don't have employees yet, you don't have overheads yet, if you're working out so you don't have, you know, yeah, oh, but don't give your services away. But don't give your services away. Absolutely, there's, there's
Michelle Lynne 32:58
definitely a fine balance, because we there could be people listening, saying, Okay, well, you know what, I am brand new. I'm just going to charge 35 bucks an hour. It's like, no, no, no, no, no. There still has to be some sort of a standard for a luxury service. There's not really a standard, but there has to be some level of confidence that goes into the value that we create there
Speaker 1 33:17
is there does have to be that that standard, of course, and I think that you can also look at, I think it might be even more important to look at making money through the sale of product. And yeah, that away, that is okay. Go ahead and get, you know, charge less for your your hourly or your flat fee services, because you're new, but then don't give away the product, because there you do a disservice to the whole industry. That
Michelle Lynne 33:51
is such a great point, because until you know how to run a project smoothly, you shouldn't be charging a premium. But you're right. You should be, you should be making money on the product,
Speaker 1 34:03
right? And be prepared with with that question that people ask about your so called discount, which, of course, is not a discount, it is the price. It is our price.
Michelle Lynne 34:15
That's a whole other podcast that I can just go a
Speaker 1 34:17
whole other podcast, but it ties into the idea of you're still going to be able to make money if you do things.
Michelle Lynne 34:23
That's a great point. That is a really great point. So let me ask you, Who do you need to be in order to like, conduct, and what I mean by that is, like, what do you do to continue growing? What do you do? Gaia specifically to to become the designer that you want to become, that you are becoming, and that can go in a variety of directions. I don't have it
Speaker 1 34:49
does go, yeah, it does go in a variety of directions, because it comes from, on one hand, facing new challenges on the projects themselves. Jobs and stepping up to the plate when the projects get larger, and you've never done them before, right? Or you've never faced certain you know things before, whether that is the structure of how you're approaching a project or the size of the project itself. And when I say that, for example, I mean you might find yourself in unusual circumstances where you might need to amend or change your billing process or your onboarding or your contractual agreement, your payment milestones, whatever that is right. And on the other hand, it's about continually being out there and learning about products and what's on the market.
Michelle Lynne 35:46
So it sounds like your ability and growth, yeah, yes,
Speaker 1 35:49
and the growth and and I love finding new things out there, even if I have no use for them at the moment. And I I'm really good at keep remembering and keeping track of products or services or things that, you know, down the line it might come up, right? And I think that that's another way of growing, and I think that's really, really, really important to lean on a community of other designers and other business people. And when you have questions, be, you know, have a network of people to reach out to and help that that'll help you grow well, that
Michelle Lynne 36:23
and giving yourself grace that you don't have to know everything. You just need to know who to call to ask questions. You
Speaker 1 36:29
really, really don't. You really don't. That's exactly true.
Michelle Lynne 36:34
I think that that was a big obstacle that I had to overcome when I was starting my business. I felt like I needed to know it all, and that's impossible, because, like you said earlier, every project is different. Yes, like, every project is different. Now that's that's one of my key takeaways. Is every project is different, but the process should be the same. So as long as I know what the process is, the rest of it, I don't feel like I need to have all the answers.
Speaker 1 36:59
Yeah, completely the way I see the things that you taught the bakery are kind of like the guideline, right? So there's the road and there's a river right, and the road going through the mountains follows the water right, the river. Now you might have to veer off, but you've got to come
Speaker 2 37:17
back to on, yeah, you've gotta come flexible to following
Speaker 1 37:23
the river right, because that's ultimately leading the right to the right place, destination, the right destination. So that might mean, with a certain project, changing the way that you charge. That might mean amending your contract to reflect, you know, different things. That might mean cutting things out into phases in a way that you haven't done before, or whatever it
Michelle Lynne 37:49
is. And that goes back to your problem solving. Yes, like, what works best for this particular project is not necessarily what's going to work best for the next one, with some of the with some of the areas that can be wiggled. Obviously, you're going to have a contract for every single project. There's some major boulders that you don't want to move when you are following that road exactly. I love that. Do you read? A ton? A ton. Okay, so what are some books that you would recommend?
Speaker 1 38:22
Oh, I met, I read novels a
Michelle Lynne 38:25
lot. That's okay, that no, no, that's okay. So I should give you the disclaimer, like, what's, what's some of your favorite books that you've read, whether it's for pleasure or whether it's for professional
Speaker 1 38:35
I'm cons. I'm always reading something. 95% of it is, is for pleasure, is just, you know, novels, I actually am trying to finish the covenant of the water, which is a monster 700 pages. Yeah, I've seen that previous book, which is called cutting for stone. Oh, that's on my list. That's phenomenal. And it takes place in Ethiopia. And my whole family is born and raised in Ethiopia. So there is a whole element of, yes. So there's a whole element of, you know, and, and I love books. I my, probably my favorite type of novel is magical realism. So you have a lot of South American authors, Gabriel, Garcia Marquez, or, yeah, I'm familiar with him. Books like, like, Water for Chocolate, or the house of the spirits or it, you know, the Shadow of the Wind is actually a Spanish author from Spain, Spanish, but,
Michelle Lynne 39:33
oh, good. And then I
Speaker 1 39:34
read a lot of, like, fun Villa stuff, you know, Gone Girl kind of things, yes, yeah. And and in terms of formative books that help, I mean I I'm blanking on the names of some of them. I have one on my desk almost at all times that I refer back to a lot, and it's Deepak Chopra is the seven spiritual laws of six. That's,
Michelle Lynne 40:00
oh, I don't think I've heard that one. Or it's check
Speaker 1 40:03
that out, quick read. It's like a guideline. It's kind of like it's quick and it's, it's a good guideline. It's a good reminder. I
Michelle Lynne 40:10
love that. Well, good now, when I run out of my stack of books at my house, I know that's right.
Speaker 1 40:17
And then I have another one that I have another one here, and this, this is because of my amazing coach, who's actually in Brazil, and I've known her for 30 years. And this is translated from Portuguese called the power of action. So the translation is kind of funny, but you know the power of action, everything you know you just you gotta move
Michelle Lynne 40:43
forward. You gotta act. Yes, I love that a body in motion stays in motion
Unknown Speaker 40:50
Absolutely. Oh, good, good, good, good.
Michelle Lynne 40:54
Gaia, I could continue this conversation for quite a while. Well, the next time with cocktails. Um, but I know that the audience has loved everything that you've shared. How can they connect with you?
Speaker 1 41:08
So the best ways are through my website or my or my Instagram. It's at Gaia underscore G, underscore interiors
Michelle Lynne 41:17
and Gaia is spelled
Unknown Speaker 41:18
G, A, I, a,
Michelle Lynne 41:21
there we go for those non Italians
Speaker 1 41:26
and and it's just Gaia gene terriers com y'all
Michelle Lynne 41:30
need to follow, especially those stories when she is traveling with your stories. I
Unknown Speaker 41:35
think I'm done for the year, though, right now.
Michelle Lynne 41:38
Check me, check me. Hit me up in a couple months. Yeah, after, after 2025, launches Exactly,
Speaker 1 41:44
exactly. I think I actually need to curb it a little bit and focus a little bit more on this marketing so but,
Michelle Lynne 41:49
and what's your website? Because I know you've dot com. Oh, there we go. Yeah, because I know that it's beautiful Now it's better. It's better than the place folder. You know what?
Speaker 1 42:02
Though, I will just say one thing that is the single most important piece of advice, and I tell other people. I told another friend who's trying to start a new business just just the other day. And you know, all the other bakers that I'm still friends with, we all still use this, and it's Michelle taught us, Done is better than perfect. Yeah, Done is better than perfect. Is just the golden rule. It's the golden rule,
Michelle Lynne 42:32
and it gives you so much freedom, doesn't it gives you a lot of freedom. Yeah, Done is better than perfect. Just get that started, babe. That goes back to the action too. Totally turn yourself
Speaker 1 42:44
into a pretzel just because you've got to form an LLC. It's really not a big deal. Jump on chat GPT and say, chat GPT. How do I form an LLC? And you'll have it done in 10 minutes.
Michelle Lynne 42:54
Yeah. And that just that's, that's the same with almost anything. It's like, even your website, because, like, I commend you, because you had something up done. Is better than perfect, because that wasn't your priority, right then, right? So, you know, there's so many people that just get twisted because their their Instagram post isn't perfect. Like, y'all, you've got seven followers just there,
Unknown Speaker 43:19
absolutely. Oh,
Michelle Lynne 43:21
good. I think that's a great piece of wisdom to leave, to leave people with. Oh, thank you so
Unknown Speaker 43:26
y'all you, I got it from you, absolutely.
Michelle Lynne 43:28
Well, I will make sure that those details are, like your contact information and everything is in the notes for our audience to reference. And thank you for mentioning the interior design business, bakery. So for those of you all listening, if you think that this free podcast content is good, imagine what you get when you work with me in one of my mentorship or coaching programs. So we've mentioned the interior design business bakery. This is my signature program. It's 12 months with the entire it's like the whole bakery to launch your business, all the ingredients, the recipes, like everything, and it's going to launch you five years into the future and into a multiple six figure revenue. Just shy of that, we have the key ingredients, which is, it's just like the title. It's kind of like the diet version of the bakery. Sugar and Spice society is a six month program helping to generate some revenue so that you can get involved in some of the next levels of coaching. And then, of course, we have private coaching and the Facebook group called the interior designers business Launch Pad. These are all business related, and by popular demand, we have also created what's called design from scratch. It's a course for people working to increase their interior design knowledge and skills, but there's no business, so it's just a good little refresher as well. So all of that's in the notes. Gaia, thank you so much for spending this time with me and sharing your experience and talent as well with the with the audience.
Speaker 1 44:59
Thank. You so much, Michelle, it's always a pleasure to see you. I'm so lucky that we live in the same city, I know, and so I get to see you. That's awesome. Yes, and use
Michelle Lynne 45:11
studio works to present at
Speaker 1 45:13
clients, which I love. I love having it so close. And thank you for having me.
Michelle Lynne 45:17
It's been so much fun. 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 pad. 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 you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
