The Naked Truth, TNT Podcast is exactly what the name implies. These are conversations you don’t often hear discussed within a public forum...until now. You will hear real stories that will help you to succeed as an interior design business owner; how to better navigate business relationships; learn proven marketing strategies and much more. Join host Claire Jefford, an Award-Winning Interior Decorator; Dynamic Business Coach & Public Speaker, known for her straightforward approach and energy that is ridiculously contagious. Claire believes that sharing real-life experiences in this way is the BEST WAY to learn. Whether you tune into episodes that are roundtable style with other design guests, or you listen to Claire on one of her solo rants, it’ll be dynamite!
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A solo episode of The Top 5 posts from my private Facebook group for interior designers, Interior Design Business Strategies. These are the hottest topics, these are the posts that received the most engagement from the group in one month. I’m sharing my thoughts on the following topics:
A solo episode of The Top 5 posts from my private Facebook group for interior designers, Interior Design Business Strategies. These are the hottest topics, these are the posts that received the most engagement from the group in one month.
Topics include: Clients making demands; contractors calling you ‘honey’; realistic deliverables and fees; who else loathes the procurement phase?; and branded business apparel
Running an Interior Design business isn’t easy, but nothing worth having ever is. The best way to learn how to run a successful interior design business is to learn from others’ experiences. In TNT The Naked Truth podcast, I do just that.
In my ‘Real Client Project’ Episodes, I share details of real client projects. I review how the client came to find me, what my fees were for the interior design initial consultation and for interior decorating services. You will also hear specific details of the project including what happened during the process with trades, purchasing products, presenting design plans, and the overall working relationship between everyone involved.
In this Real Client Project episode, I am sharing details of my very first custom decorating project! What went well? What did I charge the client? Why did the project go over budget? What didn’t the client like about the trades? How did I deal with the ‘Bully in the Room’? For Dynamite Claire-ity, take a listen to hear all the details. Cheers!
Building solid relationships with our trades is essential for running a successful Interior Design business. Unfortunately, as Interior designers we generally have a reputation of either being too demanding and controlling or uneducated and inexperienced -or both!
Conversely, as Design professionals, we feel that contractors and trades typically do not welcome us onto a project nor our creative ideas for design. It can also be a concern for a designer that if they are not overseeing every step of the project, then original design plans may be altered and sometimes trades may even try to squeeze the designer out of the project completely.
These are valid concerns for both parties and today Claire sits down with two of her contractors for the second time to have a more casual conversation to discuss The Naked Truth on this extremely important topic. Working collaboratively and having a mutually, respectful working relationship is mandatory for everyone to show solidarity and work as a team.
Shane Ritcey, Owner of Ritcey Custom Cabinetry
Shane Ritcey is a small business owner who has been in operation since 2008. A business built around customer relations and quality work. Ritcey Custom Cabinetry prides itself on rising to any design challenge.
Walter, Summit Development Group
Walter Ferreira from the Summit Development group. Walter is a general contractor whose company has been servicing southern Ontario for over 27 yrs. They facilitate all aspects of a project, whether it be for residential or commercial renovation, remodeling, custom builds and even outdoor landscaping projects. Walter’s team combines quality workmanship and knowledge that provide clients with unmatched service.
Find out more about my Coaching & Courses to excel your interior design business:
4: Top 5 - Dress for Success, Rude Behaviour, Video Marketing
Season 1 · Episode 4
Friday, May 22, 2020 • Duration 31:49
In this solo episode, I review the Top 5 posts from my private Facebook group for interior designers, Interior Design Business Strategies. These are the hottest topics, these are the posts that received the most engagement from the group in one month.
Topics include, How to dress for the initial consultation meeting, a showroom Designer who was treated badly by a client, contractors who don’t like fancy design elements and using video to market your business. Join me and let’s do this!
3: Improving relationships with your Trades. Guests: Walter Ferreria & Shane Ritcey
Season 1 · Episode 3
Friday, May 8, 2020 • Duration 45:26
Building solid relationships with our trades is essential for running a successful Interior Design business. Unfortunately, as Interior designers, we generally have a reputation of either being too demanding and controlling or uneducated and inexperienced -or both!
Conversely, as Design professionals, we feel that contractors and trades typically do not welcome us onto a project nor our creative ideas for the design. It can also be a concern for a designer that if they are not overseeing every step of the project, then original design plans may be altered and sometimes trades may even try to squeeze the designer out of the project completely.
These are valid concerns for both parties and today Claire sits down with two of her contractors to discuss The Naked Truth on this extremely important topic. Working collaboratively and having a mutually, respectful working relationship is mandatory for everyone to show solidarity and work as a team.
Shane Ritcey, Owner of Ritcey Custom Cabinetry
Shane Ritcey is a small business owner who has been in operation since 2008. A business built around customer relations and quality work. Ritcey Custom Cabinetry prides itself on rising to any design challenge.
Walter Ferreria, Summit Development Group
Walter Ferreira from the Summit Development group. Walter is a general contractor whose company has been servicing southern Ontario for over 27 yrs. They facilitate all aspects of a project, whether it be for residential or commercial renovation, remodeling, custom builds and even outdoor landscaping projects. Walter’s team combines quality workmanship and knowledge that provide clients with unmatched service.
Find out more about my Coaching & Courses to excel your interior design business:
2: The lady who wore sunglasses at the cons
Season 1 · Episode 2
Friday, April 24, 2020 • Duration 20:42
Running an Interior Design business isn’t easy, but nothing worth having ever is. The best way to learn how to run a successful interior design business is to learn from others’ experiences. In TNT The Naked Truth podcast, I do just that.
In my ‘Real Client Project’ Episodes, I share details of real client projects. I review how the client came to find me, what my fees were for the interior design initial consultation and for interior decorating services. You will also hear specific details of the project including what happened during the process with trades, purchasing products, presenting design plans and the overall working relationship between everyone involved.
In this Real Client Project episode, my situation will remind you why it’s so important to go with your gut and why you need to know the tradespeople that you are bringing onto an interior design project.
1: How to work with family and friends. Guests: Joanne Jakab and Karin Bennett
Season 1 · Episode 1
Friday, April 10, 2020 • Duration 44:17
One of the most difficult aspects of being an interior design professional is knowing how to deal with family and friends who will inevitably ask for your advice or need your help. Do you charge them for your interior design services? Do you discount your pricing? Do you have them sign a contract?
How about when you are at a social event and someone finds out what you do for a living. Do you let them ‘pick your brain’?
How do you handle a situation where a friend asks you to come over for a glass of wine and to take a look at their home to give them ideas for design and decor? What exact words do you use to explain how they can work with you? How does it differ to working with clients? Do you stick to your processes? How do you communicate your terms?
Understanding how other interior design professionals have handled these types of experiences in the past can help you to navigate similar situations, which will definitely arise at some point in your interior design career.
Hear Karin, Joanne and I discuss our real-life experiences. Joanne will share the single most important question that she asks clients who pass her a referral, while Karin tells us how a friendship was forever ruined after doing design work for them without proper processes in place.
Don’t miss this very first Roundtable episode of TNT, The Naked Truth Podcast...Dynamite Claire-ity for your Interior design business.
Bio Joanne Jakab - @joannejakab
Joanne Jakab is a well-known award-winning local designer specialising in residential interiors. She helps busy professionals and their families to design and renovate their home so they can live the life they truly desire.
Clients who had initially felt overwhelmed truly appreciated her proven track record for sorting through the myriad of options and creating a cohesive design plan. Identifying the key elements that will take them from standard design to extraordinary concept on time and on budget since 1999.
Joanne Jakab resides with her family in Burlington, Ontario and has just announced her retirement.
Welcome To The Naked Truth
Friday, January 10, 2020 • Duration 10:58
Welcome to The Naked Truth – I’m super excited! This has been on my bucket list for soooo long and finally, the time has come.
I’m Claire Jefford, a certified & award-winning Interior Decorator, business coach, vlogger & speaker. I’m here to bring you THE NAKED TRUTH about running a successful ID business. Here we will have real conversations about the multitude of topics & situations that affect your business and our industry every day…but these will be conversations that we don’t often hear discussed within a public forum. More on that in just a minute.
First, if you already know me, you may know me from either my YouTube coaching channel – Claire Jefford. Or perhaps you saw me speak at a Design event or you may be part of my private Facebook Group - Interior Design Business Strategies. IDBS – where there is no BS.
A lot of the discussions that we have in my private group of over 4000 interior designers, decorators, and stagers from all across the globe, are similar to the discussions I will be having here, out in the open on THE NAKED TRUTH – TNT the podcast. Bringing you dynamite Claire-ity for your interior design business.
I will be speaking with design professionals just like you and maybe even speaking with you too in future episodes as The Naked Truth evolves. Let’s face it, without you, your stories and your willingness to share, this podcast would not be possible.
Some of these conversations will take place as ‘roundtable’ style discussions. Who doesn’t freakin’ love roundtables?! The magic that happens during open talks at roundtables is the most exciting, the most exhilarating and the most highly anticipated part of many events and conferences.
The roundtables are where the nitty-gritty questions are asked and answered by speakers and participants. The roundtables are where real stories & actual experiences are shared. It’s where we look at one another and can truly empathize with a situation or feeling, shouting, ‘Yes! Yes! I’ve been there too!’
This is my goal for THE NAKED TRUTH podcast and it aligns perfectly with the reasons behind: why I started my coaching business; why I created my private FB group & why I speak at events & coach designers all across the world. I get the opportunity to connect with you directly and remind you that you are not alone in this…not at all. When we share real-life experiences and stories of real situations we come up against in running an interior design business, we come together as a supportive community. Collaboration over competition is something I believe in 100%.
14: She shopped me!
Season 1 · Episode 14
Friday, October 23, 2020 • Duration 21:40
In this solo episode, I review a previous client project to share Dynamite CLAIRE-ITY with you on why this project ended badly! Everything to a point was so wonderful, but then the working relationship took a bit of a turn. Find out why and all the details when you listen to the show.
Although the project ended on a sour note, I learned some valuable lessons that I am sharing with you so you don’t make the same mistake that I did. Listen to the podcast to hear more!
Plus, see links below, as mentioned in the podcast and more.
**LINKS**
Contract Template Bundle with Services outlines and walk through videos, plus my LOA can be found here: www.interiordesigndocuments.com
Karin Bennett Designs is a full-service design firm specializing in large scale remodels and new builds. She believes in designing a home that is both functional and stylish. Karin has been married for 18 years and is a busy mom of three teenagers and two sweet dogs. Karin grew up with parents that are modern-day House Flippers. Her mom was a designer and realtor who loved to fix up homes and move on to the next challenge, so renovating and designing homes is in Karin’s blood.
Consider this podcast as an extension of my YouTube channel and my FB group. All of the content I share across these platforms are focused to help you gain more confidence and a better understanding of how to run a successful design business, so be sure you follow me over on YT –search Claire Jefford and be a part of my amazing tribe over on FB – search Interior Design Business Strategies.
I’ve been in the interior design business for nearly 10 years. I graduated as a Certified Interior Decorator and thought that starting my own business was going to be so much fun! The problem was, despite having a certification; I had no idea what I was doing in terms of running a business! I started ‘Creating Contrast Designs’ (this was the name of my business for 6 years before moving under one umbrella as Claire Jefford in 2017 and now Claire Jefford Inc in 2019)
And let me tell you, I was going at it blind my friends. I had very little clue as to what I was doing. Does that resonate with you at all? Hmm? Maybe just a little?
Here’s a little bit of background for you on my journey in life so far and how I came to be where I am today.
I grew up just outside Toronto, Ontario in the beautiful city of Burlington. My parents divorced when I was 10 years old. I lived with my Dad, sister & stepfamily close to the Niagara Falls area from the time I was 11 years old until moving back to Burlington with my Mom to attend a local college in my early 20’s.
After initially graduating from Corrections in 1998 and having done a short stint in prison – not as an inmate but as a Correctional Office –an opportunity presented itself for me to move to England. My Mom’s side of the family was all from the UK & so I decided to take some time out to head across the pond to nanny for my aunt & uncle, as well as explore Europe. I was 23 years old. (To save you from doing the math, today I’m 44 years young.)
In August of 1998, I moved to a little town called Watford, just outside London. In November of that same year, I met Chris. Chris is the lovely Brit whose voice you will hear in the intro of every TNT podcast. He is my other half – probably the better half if I’m honest…and seeing as my podcast is called THE NAKED TRUTH, you’ll soon learn that there is no other way that I know how to be than totally upfront, all the time.
Although I was meant to stay in the UK initially for only 6 months, after meeting Chris I stayed for 6 years. I traded ‘Corrections’ for ‘Collections’ and got a job at a large car company that you may have heard of – Ford Motor Company. I worked initially in Collections for a short time at Ford Credit until being promoted into a Human Resources position.
Here my role was to support management in different divisions within the company. I worked in recruitment, interviewing new and current employees looking to advance their career, monitoring absence patterns, initiated a ‘return to work’ program, as well as creating many processes and systems.
As I’m sure you can appreciate if you’ve been in this business for any length of time, this HR experience proved invaluable as I began my career in Interior Design.
After much travel across the UK and through Europe, including a 3-week backpacking excursion on my own to Greece, Italy, France & Spain, Chris and I planned our inevitable move back to Canada. In February of 2004, we had our son Adley who was born in London just a few months before we made the move back to my home town.
Back in Burlington, I was extremely happy to be a stay at home mom for 4 years, welcoming our daughter Elise into the world on Remembrance day in 2006. As my children went from babies to toddlers, it was time to consider what I was going to do for work. Despite having worked 4 years in HR in the UK for one of the biggest auto companies in the world, it was not possible to get a job here doing the same role for another company because I had no formal education or certifications in human resources. Don’t get me started, because, in the end, it really was for the best. Even though, it’s totally ridiculous because we all know that practical on the job experience is way more than valuable than anything we learn in a classroom. Anyway, moving on and let’s fast forward.
I enrolled in an Interior Decorating course and after graduating with honours and with no previous experience whatsoever in the interior design field, I started my own business.
Let me tell you, I learned a lot about myself throughout the process of trying to figure out what the heck I was doing! And I had an urge to document and share things that weren’t really being talked about when it came down to dealing with clients and how to run a business.
We often hear a lot of the ‘what you need to do’ but very little about the ‘how to actually do it’. That’s when I took to video and to social media platforms to share with the world what I was learning and how I could help. Oooh, it was then that I knew I had found my calling.
I shared videos titled ‘THE NAKED TRUTH’ on my Claire Jefford Consulting YouTube channels, showing actual costs of furnishing a space & revealing clients' costs for full room designs including fees for my services. I was determined to educate my clients and the world about the benefits of hiring a design professional, determined to overcome the ridiculous stories & unrealistic timelines portrayed by HGTV.
In private FB groups previous to starting my own, I would post videos showing my processes for organizing client folders, what my marketing strategies were for getting clients and much more. It was then that I realized through the comments and private messages that so many designers were interested to SEE how I was doing things and what was working for my business. Gone are the days where we need to feel all alone when working as a business owner. Thank goodness we’ve come a long way since then my friends.
It was also then that I learned how much I loved teaching and how I knew there was the need for not only homeowners to see behind the scenes & better understand how design professionals do what we do, but that it was just as important for designers to learn in the same way –because in school we did not learn how to deal with client’s, we weren’t taught how to hire and handle the trades or even what services to offer in our business or how to bill for our time & so much more.
While all of that was disappointing, frustrating and super scary, there was a relief in knowing that I was not alone. And neither are you.
In this podcast, we will get real. My guests and I will talk openly & honestly about the ups and downs in our journey as business owners in an industry that’s ever-changing. If you are in my FB group you will be familiar with my weekly live WIDWIL videos or should I say ‘WIDWIL!!’ What I did and what I learned.
You can expect a very similar flavour here on TNT. Here you will hear us sharing real stories about what we did and what we learned. All I ask is that you understand that the only way I am currently able to bring TNT to you without it being perfect and being overly time consuming (which is why I have been delaying it for all this time), is that it will be for the most part, uncut & unedited. What you hear is what you get. This is…THE NAKED TRUTH – TNT the podcast. Dynamite Claire-ity for your interior design business.
Okay, are you ready? Let’s do this! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast, links are below. Follow me on IG at @clairejefford and use #tntclairejefford to get updates on new shows, tag me when you are listening to the show, do a selfie so I can see you! In the show notes, you’ll always find links to everything we talk about by visiting my website…www.clairejefford.com/podcast
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