Hot Young Designers Club | Interior Design Business Podcast

On this week's episode we're excited to sit down with Asha Chaudhary, the CEO of Jaipur Living. Jaipur Living is one of our favorite rug and textile vendors to work with. Asha shares what it's like to run a business with her family and how they like to collaborate with textile artisans globally.

Questions/comments? Email us at [email protected]

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Stuff they mentioned:

This episode is sponsored by Jaipur Living. Visit JaipurLiving.com/HYD to set up your account today.

We appreciate the family-owned attention Jaipur Living gives to their products and their customer experience.

Asha and her sisters are all helping their company build on their father's vision that started in India.

It was fascinating to hear about how the relationships with the artisans helps create a unique and beautiful textile and we love sharing that story with our clients.

Asha is on the steering committee for the Nest organization, a non-profit supporting the responsible growth of the artisan and maker economy.

The Jaipur Rugs Foundation is helping to uplift the artisan communities throughout India.

We talk about Jaipur's partnership with designers at Verde Home to create a unique collection based on what designer's are looking for.

And you know we enjoyed hearing about the supply chain impacts on their business so we can help our clients understand what's happening globally and build the right expectations into our business.

Asha also shares with us how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their families, artisans, and their business. It was a good reminder for us to consider the impact that individual people are having on the goods we bring into our clients' homes.

There are lots of great customization options in the work with Jaipur Living which is exciting as a designer to think about how we can create our own bespoke pieces for clients.

Asha shared how she has been investing in her own professional development recently through the StrengthsFinder book and online StrengthsFinder assessment.

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This week the Hot Young Designers are sharing how they outsource tasks in their business and home life. If you've been feeling overwhelmed, it's probably time to delegate tasks. And growing your business doesn't just mean hiring permanent employees - it's time to stop that "I can do it all myself" life!

Questions/comments? Email us at [email protected]

Follow Rebecca

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Follow Shaun

Instagram + Website

Stuff they mentioned:

House of Hipsters Open Letter To Pinterest

Design Influencers Conference

Shaun's Le Labo Santal 33 cologne is a highlight of his day

Rebecca's reading It Didn't Start With You about inherited family trauma

Shaun recommended the My Favorite Murder podcast

Cecily's favorite ferret TikTok

They both use meal kits like Sun Basket, Blue Apron, Marley Spoon, Hello Fresh to save time and simplify their home lives

We loved Eneia White Interior's episode when she talked about hiring

This week episode is all about the never ending battle between design influencers and designers. Just kidding! But the Hotties are talking about how the two business models differ and their experiences on both sides. It take a lot to do them successfully and running two businesses isn't as glamorous as it sounds.

Follow Rebecca

Instagram + Website

Follow Shaun

Instagram + Website

Stuff they mentioned:

Is Rebecca going to do the ORC again?

She might be getting to use a bold wallpaper by Milton & King and designer Tiff Manuell

If you hadn't heard, there's a huge lumber shortage and it's increasing the cost of projects exponentially.

Shaun got to go to his first dinner party since February 2020 pre-covid.

He shares more about how LGBT people create safe spaces to be authentically themselves.

This episode was recorded when we were together during Las Vegas Market in April 2021.

The blurred line between design influencers and designers can make it challenging for someone outside of the design industry to understand why they're each different

Feedback from our 2021 Listener Feedback Survey suggested a number of designer influencers for potential interview

We talk about what we're looking for in a guest episode and interview

We focus on the value a designer can offer to all of our listeners when we consider them for an episode

The main difference in the business model of design influencers is selling product - either through wholesale designer-exclusive vendors or via retail goods.

It's possible to be a design tastemaker without monetizing it to become an influencer

Amber Interiors and Studio McGee have been examples for many designers.

Amber Lewis recently partnered with Portola Paints on work for her own home, and launched her own line with Anthropologie

Ginny MacDonald talked about her partnership with Lulu & Georgia when we interviewed her for Episode 6

We talk about developing a strategy to build a following and understanding the "why" a follower base can help you depending on your business growth goals

Not all designers want a boutique or a shop

Designer led e-commerce platforms like Kathy Kuo Home or Burke Decor sell a lot of products from wholesale designer sources

Your own home can be a great place to experiment with your design style and push your creative limits

Consider using blogging as a method to build trust with potential clients and build your audience

More content on Pinterest and increasing your SEO performance can increase traffic to help clients find you

There aren't as many influencers who are actively working interior designers

We can learn a lot from influencers about marketing strategies, how they build their audiences, and how they present themselves authentically

As designers we need to get out of our own heads and put ourselves out there on social media to develop relationships with our future clients

We are our own most powerful marketing tool

How to connect ideas and be a storyteller

Consider using the