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PODCAST

Damn Good Interior Designer

Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan

Join Cheryl Kees Clendenon and Liz Lapan, the dynamic duo behind the visionary and integrator balancing all the moving parts of a full service interior design firm in their no-nonsense and thought-provoking podcast, the Damn Good Designer. Each episode is full of damn good truths and real talk as they share invaluable insights on how to run and build a successful business while challenging the norms, the industry, each other and YOU. Emphasizing a business-savvy approach, Cheryl and Liz take you

arts design

All Episodes

30:14

Season 4 Ep 81: The problem with being the one who...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/09/29

Burnout in a design business can have very little to do with the number of hours you work. Cheryl digs into what happens when every decision, client issue, contractor problem and team question eventually finds its way back to the owner. You can delegate tasks, hire employees and reduce your project load and still be the person carrying all of the judgment and responsibility.In this episode, Cheryl looks at how designers make themselves indispensable without realizing it, why being needed can feel a

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18:13

Season 4 Ep 80: They waited too long to call the...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/09/15

Your client already has a general contractor, so why do they need you?Cheryl digs into one of the biggest misconceptions about a designer’s role in a renovation and why waiting until it’s time to choose finishes is already too late. From layouts and electrical plans to the hundreds of decisions that affect everything that comes next, the real value of a designer starts long before the pretty stuff. If you’re still selling your value through selections, it may be time to rethink what you’re actually

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09:46

Season 4 Ep 79: ASKED & ANSWERED - Should my team...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/09/01

Should your designers earn a commission, bonus, or a share of the profit?In this Asked & Answered episode, Cheryl breaks down how to build an incentive plan that rewards the behavior you actually want inside your firm. She explains why bonuses should be based on profit instead of total sales, how participation should affect the percentage, and why a simple system helps team members think more like owners. Because revenue may look impressive, but profit is what stays in the bank.Have a

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34:35

Season 4 Ep 78: Vibe What?

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/08/18

Cheryl has spent 25 years building systems around the way her design firm actually works. So what happens when AI suddenly gives her the ability to build the software around those systems, too?In this episode, Cheryl shares what happened when one irritating business problem turned into building her own app through “vibe coding,” what she’s learned along the way, and why knowing your processes matters more than knowing how to code. AI can help you build almost anything, but it will also happily

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12:47

Season 4 Ep 77: DESIGNER DRAMA - They do not know...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/08/11

When clients ask questions or make requests that rub you the wrong way, it doesn’t always mean they’re trying to take advantage of you. Sometimes, they simply don’t understand what designers actually do. In this Designer Drama episode, Cheryl explains why designers need to get better at communicating their value instead of constantly protecting it and why your value can’t rest on gatekeeping sources.Have a question--click here to ask us.Loved this episode? Click here to leave a 5⭐ reviewRESOURCE

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49:09

MOST POPULAR EPISODE - S3 Ep 54: Are you afraid to...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/08/04

Little did we know our Pricing and Salary Survey results were going to give us great nuggets of information that we could share for many future podcasts to come! One of the biggest challenges we found designers face is defining their product. Too often, “full-service design” means something different to every designer—and that inconsistency makes it nearly impossible to set confident fees, manage scope, or show clients the real value of design work. The secret lies in creating clear deliverables

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55:02

BEST EPISODE OF SEASON 3! If you confuse them, you...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/07/14

One of our top episodes of Season 3! The confusion you accidentally create long before the proposal ever hits your clients inbox is the real reason clients hesitate. Your price is not the problem. You can unintentionally create confusion through discovery calls, the way you talk about freight, receiving, vendors, timelines, your value, etc. This causes your clients to be constantly collecting clues about whether saying yes to you feels SAFE or SCARY. Learn how your language, tone, and timing shape

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19:56

Season 4 Ep 76: ASKED & ANSWERED - Why “What Does It...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/06/30

Price is one of the first questions designers hear, but it is often the wrong conversation to lead with. Cheryl explains why posting big budget numbers and focusing on square-foot pricing can create the wrong expectations, intimidate potential clients, and reduce design to a transaction. Instead, she shares a better way to communicate value. By helping clients understand the thinking, process, and decisions behind the investment, they can then make informed choices with confidence. Have a

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01:05:14

Season 3 Ep 75: Retail, Reality and how it helps your...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/06/16

Retail is one of the most misunderstood business models in the design industry.In this episode, Cheryl sits down with designer Ryan Williams of Artisan Design Studio to talk about the realities of adding retail to a design firm. From inventory investments and vendor relationships to client trust and showroom strategy, they discuss what retail actually costs, what it can do for your business, and why a storefront should support your design firm not distract from it.They also share lessons learned,

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17:07

Season 3 Ep 74: DESIGNER DRAMA - Why some designers...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/06/02

Visibility matters, but posting yourself in your bath robe is not the same thing as building authority and for designers this can backfire fast.Because design is not an impulse buy. Clients are not hiring you for constant access to your every thought, errand, emotion, and car-confessional. They want you to lead expensive decisions, protect their investment, and bring a level of taste, judgment, and discernment they do not have on their own.Cheryl makes the case for more thoughtful marketing that

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01:10:50

Season 3 Ep 73: When big risks, make for bigger rewards

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/05/26

Cabinetry may be one of the biggest money opportunities hiding in plain sight for interior designers, but it is not for the faint of heart.In this episode, Cheryl sits down with Brooke Eversoll of Bee Studios Design to talk about what really happens when a design firm decided to take the leap and look at cabinetry as a serious revenue stream, design responsibility, and business decision. Brooke brings over two decades of kitchen and bath experience, along with the kind of technical precision and

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18:30

Season 3 Ep 72: DESIGNER DRAMA - You cannot legislate...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/05/12

Our Asked and Answered segments have done so well we also noticed a common theme scrolling through social media that needed its own segment - introducing 'Designer Drama: Is it the client or is it us?'! These episodes will take on topics that seem to be hot buttons for designers. Want to learn Cheryl's take? Listen in!In this episode Cheryl takes on the growing trend of designers putting every client behavior, boundary, and communication issue into their contracts. She breaks down why legal

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17:05

Season 3 Ep 71: Judgement is the new currency

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/04/28

AI can generate ideas in seconds. That’s not the threat.In this episode, Cheryl gets straight to it—designers are no longer being hired for ideas but for their judgment. This means knowing what works, what doesn’t, and what’s going to cost the client later. Because in the world of AI clients don’t need help imagining anymore. Someone needs to help make the right decisions.Designers need to lean in and not push back on AI or you will sound irrelevant. Ideas are everywhere. Judgment is not and you can

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57:15

TOP EPISODE OF SEASON 3! Why Selling Yourself Short...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/04/21

Listen to our TOP episode of Season 3! Kitchen and bath design must be treated — and priced — as the high-level specialty it is. These are not "just another room" — instead, they are some of the most complex, high-stakes, and profitable part of your business if you treat it that way. Too many designers undervalue their skills, we discuss how flat fees protect both your expertise and your bottom line, and why being the expert in the room changes everything. From navigating subs and code changes to

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49:00

Season 3 Ep 70: ASKED & ANSWERED - What Do I Do When...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/04/07

When construction bids come back higher than expected, it can stop a project in its tracks and shake a client’s confidence fast. Cheryl and Liz discuss exactly how to handle that moment without losing the project's momentum and the client’s trust.They walk through how to review bids against the scope, where designers should step in (and where they should not), and how to guide clients through smart decisions instead of emotional reactions. You’ll learn how to reframe the conversation, prioritize

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32:38

Season 3 Ep 69: ASKED & ANSWERED - Why your pricing...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/03/24

Designers think their pricing problem is the number, but the real issue is how that number is positioned. In this episode, Cheryl breaks down why client pushback isn’t about being too expensive but introducing pricing before the value is fully understood. When designers lead with fees, tie their work to time, or fail to clearly communicate the depth of decisions, coordination, and problem-solving involved, clients default to their own (and very often incorrect) assumptions.We want you to think about

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50:29

Season 3 Ep 68: How Education is the New Advantage...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/03/04

Industry events are not vacations, designers can utilize these trips to create relationships with vendors. In this episode, Cheryl speaks LIVE from KBIS and sits down with special guest, Veronika Miller, to break down how designers can use events like KBIS and High Point as business accelerators instead of exhausting field trips. Taking time out of busy schedules to attend these events go beyond walking showrooms and collecting samples. It is about positioning, visibility, strategic networking, and

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22:44

Season 3 Ep 67: Are You Asking? Negotiating with Vendors

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/02/24

If you sell product, you should be asking.In this episode, Cheryl and Liz discuss how to build vendor relationships that actually improve your margin with better pricing, extra percentages, showroom discounts, and free samples by strategy. They share how to pre-sell projects, position your showroom as leverage, communicate upcoming sales, and negotiate from clarity instead of hope. Because reps are motivated by volume — and if you’re moving product, you have influence. This is about operating like a

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53:30

Season 3 Ep 66: When Good People are in the Wrong Roles

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/02/10

Hiring is one of the most expensive lessons a design firm will ever lear and it’s rarely because the person was “bad.” In this episode, Cheryl and Liz unpack the real reason team hires go sideways: confusing likability with fit, and potential with performance. This is real deal what is happening in our firm now and were owning up to our mistakes as we have been up to our eyeballs in the hiring process. Cheryl walks through the hard truth most firm owners avoid where sometimes the issue isn’t the

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13:41

Season 3 Ep 65: ASKED & ANSWERED - What am I missing...

Damn Good Interior Designer ·

2026/01/27

Window treatments are often treated as a finishing touch, but that mindset is what keeps them from being profitable. In this Asked & Answered episode, Liz is going solo this week and walks you through the key decisions that actually drive successful window treatment design--from measurement and fabrication to functionality and timing.This episode covers why planning earlier matters, how small details prevent big mistakes, and how window treatments can become a reliable part of a designer’s

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100 results

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