Explore every episode of the podcast Trade Tales

James Dolenc and Tom Riker, the co-founders of Chicago-based firm James Thomas, are rounding out their firm’s 23rd year in business. That longevity, they say, is all thanks to their team—a group that’s invested in the firm’s long-term success, and supported by initiatives designed to boost work-life balance and pave the way for advancement within the firm. In the episode, they share their secrets to long-term employee retention, the benefits of a four-day workweek and why collaboration and separation play equal roles in their partnership.

This episode was sponsored by Dallas Market Center. 

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James Thomas
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Sarah Goesling answers a question from a young designer who is curious about what it takes to generate new business. Goesling, whose firm Goesling Group is based in Chicago, offers advice on cultivating a diversified approach to lead generation, the right language to use when networking and the hidden value in maintaining transparency and building connections with industry partners. 

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Sarah Goesling
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Laura Lubin’s firm has grown to encompass construction services and a retail operation, on top of her interior design offerings. She credits much of that success to her ability to sell a vision to clients—to cut through the noise, understand the transformation they’re looking for, and then explain exactly what her firm is capable of and how she’s going to deliver it. In this episode, she shares how hiring a director of design transformed her firm, why she launched a construction arm to deliver a luxury service and how sales can be a tool to teach clients to have confidence in the design process. 

This episode was sponsored by Dallas Market Center and Vanguard. 

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Laura Lubin
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Zuni Madera answers a question from a designer who is looking for a road map to understanding the art sourcing process. Madera, a partner at New York–based firm MC Interiors, offers advice on setting a room-by-room budget from a project’s outset, where a consultant can help with price education, and how to gauge a client’s desire for art discovery.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Zuni Madera
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Hattie Sparks Collins found herself in a situation every new business owner dreams of: a period of rapid growth almost immediately after launching her firm. As she scaled up, however, she felt herself losing control of the firm’s processes—and even worse, her project standards. She decided it was time to strip back to the basics, rebuilding with a focus on sustainable growth. What emerged was a firm that not only had real staying power, but reflected her vision for what a creative business should be.. In this episode, she shares the value in hiring for help with procurement, the systems’ approach that accelerated her firm’s growth, and raising her project standards to invest in her firm’s future. 

This episode was sponsored by Vanguard Furniture and Dallas Market Center.

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Hattie Sparks Collins
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In a live edition of the show—recorded at the Four Hands flagship in Austin, Texas—designers Evan Millard, Melissa Oholendt and Audrey Scheck share advice on attracting more qualified leads, investing in photography, understanding profit margins and more. At the end, they fielded live questions from the audience on topics ranging from color trends to tech stacks.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Evan Millard
Melissa Oholendt
Audrey Scheck
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Jay Jeffers has never been afraid of chasing his creative ambitions, venturing into retail and hospitality and embracing the risks that come with it. More than two decades into his firm, he’s reflecting on what it takes to build a business that can weather growth spurts and the slower periods that inevitably follow. In this episode, he shares how he’s protecting his firm from pipeline volatility, the value in creating a workplace that attracts senior talent, and what he learned from the process of opening his own hotel. 

This episode was sponsored by High Point Market and Minted.

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Jay Jeffers
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Dan Rak, whose eponymous firm has offices in Chicago and Southwest Florida, answers a question from a designer who is ready to revamp her firm’s finances. Rak offers advice on why the right sourcing strategy is crucial to improving profit margins, levelling up through a designer-friendly accounting software, and the importance of regularly examining your firm’s cost structure.  

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Dan Rak
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Ali Faulkner’s first career in high-end hospitality has played a crucial role in shaping the firm she leads today—one in which everything from her firm’s back-end operations, to hiring and onboarding are crafted around delivering an ideal client experience. In this episode, she shares how outsourcing social media caused her inbound leads to multiply, how working with a sales coach transformed her calls with prospective clients, and how she’s building a work environment that allows employees to create accountability for themselves. 

This episode was sponsored by High Point Market and Minted.

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Ali Faulkner
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, interior designer Shaun Crha of Long Beach, California–based firm Wrenstead Interiors answers a question from a designer whose clients want to know exactly what she’s paying for product. Crha jumps in with advice on using a budgeting guide to prepare clients for prospective room costs, an alternative approach to fully itemized pricing, and why some information always remains internal to his firm. 

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Wrensted Interior
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Kelly Finley set out to create her ideal firm—and then, after bringing that vision to life, realized a large staff and juggling tons of projects wasn’t all she’d hoped it would be. Moving forward, she decided to go back to basics—discovering the projects, clients and charitable pursuits that truly bring her joy. In this episode, she shares how she created a custom database for her firm’s backend, using AI to catch ordering mistakes and why she decided to launch a nonprofit that operates alongside her design firm.

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Kelly Finley
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, interior designer Erica Vassalotti of Philadelphia-based design firm Bergman Vass answers a question from a designer who wants to make sure she’s maximizing her investment if she’s spending big on photography. Vass jumps in with advice on the value in teaming up with your photographer to strategize about media coverage, how usage rights are akin to art commissions, and why it's important to also represent clients in a photo shoot. 

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Erica Vassalotti
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Molly Torres Portnof keeps her firm’s inner circle small—which means that each person in her orbit, carefully chosen, has an outsize influence on her success. She brings the same intentionality to the clients she works with, thanks to a series of safeguards that ensure it’s always a stellar fit. In this episode, she shares the value of publicity in a changing media landscape, why she sends an investment guide to every prospective client, and the process she swears by to find the most qualified leads.

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Molly Torres Portnof
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, New York-based interior designer Tina Ramchandani answers a question from a  designer whose firm is attracting plenty of potential clients—just not the ones she wants in her pipeline. Ramchandani jumps in with advice on finding the messaging that authentically conveys your firm’s value, tactics for filtering out unqualified leads, and the annual reset that helps crystallize her ideal client.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Tina Ramchandani
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Erica McLain has been continuously guided by a fierce drive and curiosity—qualities that propelled her to Stanford, the Olympics, and tech companies like Facebook and Google. Now, she’s combining those strengths to blaze a new trail in the design industry, rooted in a measurable, research-backed understanding of environmental psychology and neuroaesthetics. In this episode, she shares the “design potential report” she prepares for prospective clients, her firm’s unique B2B offering, and the toolkit she is developing to analyze a home’s impact on clients. 

This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture.

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Erica McLain
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Boston designer Dane Austin joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who knows the basics when it comes to presenting design ideas, and is now looking for advice on how to take her strategy a step further, ultimately selling her vision—and commitment—to her clients. Austin offers advice on bringing a theatrical edge to big-picture design planning, a strategy for physically packaging ideas that invokes the world of luxury shopping, and the value of refining the decision-making process through three levels of presentations. 

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Dane Austin
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Mandy Cheng launched her creative career in set production before discovering that transforming interiors was a perfect fit. The past few years have been pivotal for her firm, with industry accolades and high-profile clients that have brought growth, but also pushed her to explore what creative expansion will look like in the years ahead.

This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture. 

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Mandy Cheng 
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Melissa Oholendt of Minnesota- and Colorado-based firm Oho Interiors answers a question from a designer who is currently interviewing candidates for her firm’s first full-time position. Oholendt jumps in with advice on how to reveal a candidate’s true ambitions, evaluating skillset through a key question and knowing when to call for backup. 

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Oho Interiors
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Ali Budd had a shot at  TV stardom—and decided she wanted to bring viewers a side of the industry they hadn’t seen before. As the business she spent years building enters the spotlight, she’s sharing what it took to find her voice—and how she built a team that could carry that vision even further.

This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture. 

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Ali Budd
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, New York and Rhode Island-based interior designer Blair Moore answers a question from a designer whose firm is facing a sudden rush of shipping problems. Moore jumps in with advice on reckoning with a decline in shipping quality, how thorough channels of communication can help catch issues before they arise, and—when all else fails—establishing your own in-house receiving operation.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Blair Moore
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Angela Harris’s firm marks a bit of a departure from the typical Trade Tales guest, with a portfolio that spans master planned communities, model homes, commercial, hospitality, and everything in between. And yet, the lessons she’s picked up along the way—on executing her vision, firm leadership, and a rigorous approach to wellness—are valuable for designers in every corner of the industry. On this episode, she shares what it takes to fully inhabit the role of design visionary, how overhauling her firm’s infrastructure helped the team claw back creative time, why she’s pursuing a PhD centered on the concept of design as an ethical imperative.

This episode was sponsored by Vanguard Furniture and Kohler.

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Angela Harris
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, Philadelphia-based interior designer Lucy O’Brien of Tartan & Toile answers a question from a designer who recently had to compromise her creative vision after coming up against an order minimum. O’Brien jumps in with advice on finding a second life for extra material, the value in troubleshooting with sales reps, and being transparent with clients about unexpected fees during the procurement process.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Lucy O’Brien
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Rayana Schmitz balanced several different early career paths—from fitness trainer to firefighter—before landing on interior design. Today, she’s leading her firm with the wisdom to know when to trust her gut and when to rely on outside experts. On this episode, she shares the showhouse experience that pushed her creative boundaries, how a fractional CFO saved her firm’s finances and why she maintains strict hours of communication with clients.

This episode was sponsored by Vanguard Furniture and Kohler.

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Rayana Schmitz 
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

In this episode, Seattle-based interior designer Lauren Caron answers a question from a designer who wants to expand her business beyond her home city without sacrificing her firm’s standards. Caron jumps in with advice on billing clients for travel time, how she maximizes site visits before the transition to remote work, and the value in an exhaustive scope of work document.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands .

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Lauren Caron
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Audrey Scheck’s 20-person firm is a well-oiled machine—complete with a carefully structured leadership team and a top-down approach that sets the tone for every employee. Elsewhere in the episode, she shares her growth mindset as she expanded her team, how a bandwidth tracker helps the firm determine whether it's time to take on new business, and the questions that help clients step outside their comfort zone.

This episode was sponsored by Dallas Market Center and Kohler.

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Hema Persad
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Washington, D.C.–based Zoë Feldman on how to hire for aesthetic alignment, the metrics she uses to measure an employee’s progress at the firm, and how a team member with their own style can sometimes save the firm from adopting a formulaic look.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Zoë Feldman
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Hema Persad’s experience as an A-list stylist taught her what the one percent is looking for in the design process—and helped her build a firm that’s structured to meet those needs, while also complementing her decisive approach to leadership. Elsewhere in the episode, she shares how managing a team shifted her perspective on business growth, why she’s been a fast adopter of AI tools, and what to expect from celebrity clients.

This episode was sponsored by Dallas Market Center and Kohler.

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Hema Persad
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Los Angeles–based Christine Vroom answers a question from a fellow designer with a question about a project pipeline gone wrong. Vroom jumps in with advice on the importance of taking inventory of the hypothetical situations that could impact a design business, why her firm implements a “restart fee” for clients who need to push pause, and how to mentally prepare for the ebb and flow characteristic of a designer’s workload.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Christine Vroom
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Hanna Li has created an infrastructure and recruited a team that allows her to thrive as creative director of her firm. From that vantage point, the Los Angeles–based designer is able to think big about topics like sustainability and longevity, and examine what it takes to embed them into the fabric of each project. Elsewhere in the episode, she shares how she’s measuring the carbon footprint of every project, why she produced short films about her firm’s work, and the reason every role she hires for comes with a five-year plan.

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Hanna Li
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Melissa Oholendt of Minnesota- and Colorado-based firm Oho Interiors answers a question from a designer who is currently interviewing candidates for her firm’s first full-time position. Oholendt jumps in with advice on how to reveal a candidate’s true ambitions, evaluating skillset through a key question and knowing when to call for backup. 

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Oho Interiors
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

Elizabeth Bennett and Mallory Robins found their better business half in each other—one favoring function, and the other taking the lead on form. In this episode, they share why they no longer use a client questionnaire, how they maintain a single brand voice at every touchpoint, and why a willingness to go all-in is their new criteria for incoming projects. 

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Jess Ebert
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

San Antonio, Texas–based designer Alison Giese answers a question from a designer who is interested in tweaking her presentation approach to inspire trust and cultivate hands-off clients. Giese jumps in with advice on the value of providing clients with curated choices, how to hone powers of observation during the intake process and why whole-home presentations help convey continuity—and give designers a chance to build confidence and salesmanship skills.

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Alison Giese
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

Jess Ebert received a flood of new clients a few years back—and soon realized that the abundance of work was doing the business more harm than good. As she pared down the pipeline, she brought the firm closer to its ideal clientele—and started to clear the path for her own transition within her firm’s workflow. In this episode, she also shares how she communicates her entire team’s value to clients, the many ways hiring a PR firm is helping her navigate the changing social media landscape and why taking Wednesdays off represents a pivotal moment in her entrepreneurial journey.

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Jess Ebert
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home
This episode was sponsored by Garrett Leather. 

Oakland, California–based designer Chloe Redmond Warner joins the show to answer a question from a designer who is wondering if stronger systems could lend her firm a greater sense of professionalism. Redmond Warner offers advice on why an unstructured design process might miss out on the value-engineering phase, how to find the sweet spot between client responsiveness and total control, and why issuing a project schedule from the outset can help establish a firm’s sense of authority.

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

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Chloe Redmond Warner
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Melissa Oholendt has guided her firm through some major changes in recent years, including opening a second office halfway across the country and the introduction of a new business partner. She explains how every step she’s taken is a building block toward a bigger vision. In this episode, she shares the business partner who helped her firm set its sights higher, the strategy behind identifying an Instagram audience, and how she stays above the emotional fray when it comes to discussing finances with clients.

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Oho Interiors
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Chiacgo-based designer Alex Kaehler joins the show to answer a question from a designer who has stayed busy as a team of one, but wonders what growth might look like for her small firm. Kaehler offers advice on how to grow your firm without increasing your workload, using social media as a lower-lift lead generator and why size doesn’t always equate to success.

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Alex Kaehler
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

Dana Bergman Falcione and Erica Vassalotti had a surprising path to partnership. In this episode, they explain how they’ve come together—and how their workflow allows each of them to tackle their own domain within the design work while conveying a shared vision to clients. Elsewhere, they share what it takes to delegate decision-making, how they’ve divided their roles as co-leaders of the firm, and why they’ve avoided becoming the technicians of their business.

This episode is sponsored by Joon Loloi.

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Bergman Vass
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Dan Mazzarini, the founder of New York–based interiors firm Mazzarini & Co., joins the show to answer a question from a designer who wants to start sourcing antique and vintage pieces, but needs guidance navigating the purchasing process. Mazzarini offers advice on how to buy time with vendors while seeking client approval, what it takes to highlight an item’s top selling points, and why putting extra effort into visualization can help clients get on board with the broader vision. 

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Dan Mazzarini
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands.

Bryan and Mike Yates discovered that at the height of their firm’s success, their team’s morale was at its lowest. In this episode, they explain how that realization prompted an internal overhaul, setting in motion a structure that amplifies each employee’s strengths. Elsewhere, they share the low-overhead approach that got their business off the ground, the business consultant that inspired them to transform their firm’s structure, and how they’ve strategically created curriculums that outline pathways to growth for the members of their team.

This episode is sponsored by Joon Loloi.

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Yates Desygn 
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

DuVäl Reynolds, the founder of East Coast interior design firm DuVäl Design, joins the show to answer a question from a designer whose steady stream of clients has slowed down dramatically in recent months. Reynolds offers advice on how to spot early indicators for a slowdown in new business, adjusting your messaging to attract ideal clients, and the value of diversifying your firm’s offerings during slow months.

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DuVäl Reynolds
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands. 

Evan Millard’s strategic approach to showhouses catapulted his firm to early success. In the years since, he’s flourished as a solo designer, pursuing new business opportunities and entering what he calls the “adult stage” of his firm’s aesthetic evolution. In this episode, he also shares how being a solo designer offers him room to grow in new directions and the value in being transparent with clients about his firm’s finances.

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Evan Millard
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Victoria Sass joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who is hoping to land her young firm’s first magazine feature. She has a project she’s excited to share with the world—but finding press placement has been a challenge. The Minneapolis-based designer jumps in with advice on different approaches to working with a public relations agency, how digital placement can actually yield longer-term results for your business and why local press contains a wealth of value that’s often overlooked.

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Victoria Sass
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Zoe Feldman got some surprising advice just as she was starting to feel settled in her business: While she thought she couldn’t afford to hire more employees, she was told that if she wanted to keep delivering a high level of service, she couldn’t afford not to. On this episode of the podcast, she shares why she’s introduced a scaled-down option to her design offerings for clients who just want good advice, the many ways she has built philanthropy into the fabric of her firm, and why she insists that clients don’t really want full transparency.

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Zoe Feldman
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Kevin Isbell joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who reached out with the story of an order gone awry, and is now looking for advice on what it takes to make things right for clients while also holding vendors accountable. The Los Angeles–based designer jumps in with advice on vetting vendors, navigating expensive mistakes, and ensuring that the client’s experience comes first—no matter the cost.

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Kevin Isbell
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Alvin Wayne spent years juggling a double career in luxury retail and interior design. But when the pandemic happened, he was hit with a realization: it was finally time to wholeheartedly pursue his passion for interiors. Now, he’s committed to crafting a firm that serves him best—between his penchant for shopping retail, his streamlined client vetting process and his growing social media presence, he’s using his exacting attitude to bring his business to new heights.

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Alvin Wayne
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

Erin Gates joins the show to answer a question from a designer trying to establish boundaries with clients who requested revisions too late in the design process. Gates offers advice on the importance of documenting client communication to keep all parties accountable, the value of setting expectations early and how charging hourly can protect a firm in cases of revision.

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Erin Gates
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands and Crypton.

Richard Anuszkiewicz has been a rising star in the kitchen and bath industry since his design school days. He spent the better part of his career working within other design businesses—now, he’s starting a new era at the helm of his own. In this episode, he shares how he is developing professional extracurriculars outside of design, why he wants to be a chameleon for each client’s style, and why he evaluates his career goals every six months. 

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Richard Anuszkiewicz
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home
This episode was sponsored by Universal and Joon Loloi. 

Ashley Hughes joins the show to answer a question from a designer who is looking to reach the next level of clientele. Hughes, whose firm is based in Dallas, offers advice on the importance of auditing your existing clientele, how to create a rendering that reflects the client you want to attract, and finding the vendors that align with your ideal demographic.

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Ashley Hughes
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands and Crypton.

Lilse McKenna honed her craft under some of New York’s top design talents before striking out on her own. She learned from the best when it comes to systems and processes, but as the leader of her own firm, she’s also left room for her own creativity to run wild. On this episode, she shares how she honed her firm’s aesthetic and what it takes to find clients who are looking for her creative voice.

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Lilse McKenna
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home
This episode was sponsored by Universal and Joon Loloi. 

Designers Heather Fujikawa, Jean Stoffer and Grace Start joined host Kaitlin Petersen for a live episode of the show—recorded at the Four Hands showroom in Austin—to hear anonymous designer questions on topics like post-pandemic recruiting tactics, discussing price changes with clients in the era of tariffs, and expanding a firm’s client base to include out-of-state projects. The trio jumped in with advice on modeling your ideal work culture for new team members, staying level-headed in money conversations, and prioritizing communication and organization when working with out-of-state clients.

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House Sprucing
Jean Stoffer Design
Kaitlin Petersen
Business of Home

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands and Crypton.