It will be nearly impossible for you not to scale the growth of your design firm with this powerful business coaching for interior designers.
(more money, more time, more team, more sanity)
A comprehensive and powerful business model for creative entrepreneurs
The Design Paradigm™ is our focused Interior Design business coaching program utilizing live workshops and coaching access 24/7 via email/app/office hours to support the online training and tools we use every day.
This is BETTER than one on one coaching as it is layered, consistent and with a specific agenda. AND, we are here with you every step of the way. Slow and steady so that you can continue to run your business.
It is nearly impossible for you to not accelerate your growth when done with this program. We will make sure of it.
This is the real deal in running a successful business with a proven model.
The business of design. The marketing you need. The systems to make it work.
Business and marketing coaching for Interior Designers from a 22 year business owner and designer.
Read more about Cheryl’s success with other interior designers here.
The Design Paradigm™ program is for Interior Designers who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.
Click below for a complete catalog listing all of the 60+ classes and the descriptions of what each will convey.
The Design Paradigm will deliver:
A core system of ideas and concepts including principles, design philosophies, business psychology and strategies you will use daily.
A business model based on projecting income, marketing to your people and planning for sustained growth.
A guide to achieving specific goals in a creative business while remaining adaptable to the needs of growth and a changing marketplace.
A structured approach to a successful business model that will unleash your creativity.
A veteran of the interior design business, coaching, retail, managing people and wearing all the hats to be your partner in this adventure.
The unique benefits of this coaching
program for Interior Designers:
A definitive business model with a method of calculating flat fees, when to charge hourly, how to implement the minimum expenditure and explain it to the client as a win/win for both of you. No more questioning others, you will know.
The plans for future growth- 1 year, 3 years, 5 years.
Client profiles that fit the needs of your specific business considering longevity in business, location and your own personal desires.
The secure knowledge of when to hire, whom to hire and how to train for optimal performance.
Extended knowledge in kitchens, baths, remodels and new construction and how to anticipate needs of clients and contractors.
A defined and compact process to implement for designing new construction, remodels, one room or 30 rooms.
Methods to overcome obstacles, with a creative mojo to rival the best of the best.
Certification to add to your website and business cards! Woohoo!
How is The Design Paradigm philosophy different?
It is no secret to those who know Cheryl well, to understand how her world view of business and marketing has evolved from a long time study of behavioral psychology and a deep passion and understanding of how quirky consumer behavior can influence the decision making process. How to harness this understanding in the business of design, a high touch and emotional business, is a big part of her success.
This outlook influences the way she coaches Interior Designers about business, marketing and the growth of their business.
Along with this unique vantage point, there is the wealth of experience running a successful firm with 20 of the 22 years with a team. These insights will shape what you take away from The Design Paradigm. She and Liz are working actively in the trenches along side you dealing with the same daily learning opportunities. Liz brings a wealth of knowledge of small business operations, hands on project management experience and amazing insight into what makes a successful project tick. And she writes a mean email!
The live workshops alone are vastly different than what others are offering as we are committed to each and every person enrolled in the annual program. This is BETTER than one on one coaching. It gives you the benefit of three ways to hear the messaging and understand the business model. And you are a single person to us–not part of a group. Please understand this is different than anything you have seen before as most do not address the individual business.
This is why we ask you to fill out a specific assessment for us–we want to know YOU.
Our greatest strength is the unique approach we take to building a business-one layer at a time.
Business and marketing coaching for Interior Designers who embrace being held accountable and want to elevate to the next level–whatever that looks like for you.
What is included for the "all in" annual programs?
Premium pricing. And, you can pay off the investment monthly for 12 months if you begin before the end of DECEMBER. After this time period it will revert to a shorter payment option in terms of months.
The live workshops (20, 24 or 26 depending on your selection) to put into practice what we are talking about in the subject study. These workshops are the real deal.
Access to one on one help via office hours, the ACT app, and email. We are here for you.
Each subject within the section has fully self contained video teaching to support the live workshops.
PDF Info Guides bound and sent to you along with some DGD swag.
Our signature nudge app we are calling ACT. This app will helps us communicate as well as assess progress and help you ACT upon the information with short bursts of teaching, encouragement, and accountability. You could do it all on this app if you so choose but you have both options. Includes checklists and such that will be beneficial. And this is the place to ask quick questions for Cheryl and LIz as well as a place for us to “check in” with you and review progress. We are here with you for the duration!
Damn Good Designer certification – minimum number of credits required: 100
Office hours set up for those pesky dilemmas you want help solving. All 12 month program participants will have greater access to Cheryl. I will begin office hours however the fourth week of January for sign ups. These are 20 minute speed dating style of meetings!
Case Studies that will walk you through real jobs- with the costs, the profit, the problems, the solutions.
Templates, forms, checklists, spreadsheets and more tools to help you run your business.
Most excellent guest Speakers periodically to enhance the value and specific to a particular industry.
For anyone who knows Cheryl well, it’s no secret that her world view of business has evolved from a long study of behavioral psychology and a deep passion and understanding of how the decision making process is influenced by consumer behavior. In her own business she works tirelessly engaging her team on how to harness this understanding in the business of design–a high touch and emotional business– cultivating good habits for critical thinking and technical brilliance when it comes to solving problems and winning over clients.
This outlook influences the way she teaches anything and everything about business and marketing.
Along with this unique vantage point, there’s no avoiding the wealth of experience her career affords having running a successful firm for 22+ years (20 of which has been with a team!) These insights will shape everything you learn from The Design Paradigm. She and the In Detail team are working actively in the trenches along side you, dealing with the same daily learning opportunities, shifts in market activity, and struggles with all facets if the business in an effort to do their best work and leave a trail of happy clients in their path. There is NO OTHER opportunity like this and is why it has taken a year to put together.
Our greatest strength is the unique approach we take to building a business-one layer at a time.
All applicants are subject to review of their stage in business. What this means is simply that the workshops are dynamic and we want to ensure a baseline of knowledge of all participants.
Note the following:
The individual sections do not include the office hours or additional access to coaching but do have access to the ACT app for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the last live workshop.
What is it about our App that is so different from others?
We are calling it ACT- Accelerate Creative Thinking
The most basic definition of a nudge is the act of “encouraging or persuading someone to do something in a way that is gentle, rather than forceful or direct” We want to use our custom app from Nudge to get you to ACT on the information we present. Having the information in a format that makes it easy to digest just a portion of it while waiting in car pool line or between appointments and most importantly remember it later.
To this end much of the teaching of The Design Paradigm philosophy is in shorter information bursts and will be available on the ACT app as well as the main platform. The biggest problem for leaders and entrepreneurs is a lack of time resulting in not putting into practice what you have learned.
This results in 70% forgetting what the information entirely. We aim to change that with our multi pronged platform and accessibility to the information when you need it as well as encouraging you to ACT upon it.
This will encourage accountability in our business coaching for interior designers.
What are we talking about in this program?
Each section can be purchased alone or within the total program. Click below to learn more!
What is next?
Register in advance at launch pricing. Pricing will increase after first launch. This is a lot of information! Click any of the buttons throughout this document.
- Bear in mind, the annual group will be small by design. There is a cut off of people enrolling so do it now to save your place for January. Information will be sent before then to get you going!
There will be an assessment form sent out to you within a few weeks of signing up. This is important in that it tells us more about the type of business you are working in now and the areas you wish to work on. Our team will review all of these so that we have a good idea of the make up of the workshops. This will help tremendously if you need additional guidance from Cheryl on specific issues that come up along the way.
When does this begin?
The classes will drop beginning in January so you have time to review prior to the first live workshop on January 17th Not all classes are immediate. They will be dropped as they are ready to launch as this is our inaugural voyage! So if you are doing the “all in” program, they will be staggered which will keep you focused.
The finances?
You can purchase full course options or individual sections (see Investment page for details on pricing)
If you purchase the entire program a monthly payment plan is available until 12/31/22. After this it will be a reduced amount of time to pay for it. Please note this is a noncancellable subscription for the 12 month term AND by signing up you are are agreeing to the non cancellable nature of this program should you pay in installments.
What is the DGD Certification and why does it matter?
It is fun.
You can put DGD on your cards and laugh when no one ever asks about it but your close friends
It illustrates that you showed up and took the business of business seriously.
And it is legal schmegal because we are doing it the right way.
"Set your hat at a jaunty angle if you are going to wear them all.
Attitude is best served looking good." Damn Good Designer®
Cheryl Kees Clendenon
Poobah, Shopkeep, Interior Designer, Rainmaker, Small Business Owner,
Business Coach
2021 KBB Person of the year
2021 Design Studio winner Dallas Arts Awards
2021 Changemaker Design Hounds
200 or so years ago a child came roaring into the world feet first ready to show up and argue a cause. Just because. Her mother still maintains the story is- she was screaming-“why”- from the minute she landed wrong side up and slapped the doctor for disturbing her afternoon nap.
And to this day does not give “it” a rest except when she is sleeping. Which is where you will find her only between the hours of 2am and 7:30am. A belligerent non-smoker (in case you were wondering) and a frequent challenger of anything that resembles “normal” or desired by the masses, Cheryl is a natural born contrarian who talks faster than 2x speed on a podcast.
She gravitates towards wanting to help clients and designers who are the square pegs in a world of round holes, lose earrings impossibly frequently, fall off of platform shoes and are unapologetically saucy. Relaxing is not in the skill set. Life begins and ends with family.
Her sacred words are: Why, Percipient, Whizbang and Profit.
But please do not say the words: Package, Blocks, Red Flag, Overwhelm or Picked. Hives break out and it gets ugly.
Known for her creative “what if” approach to all facets of design and an unrelenting search for the best solutions, creating homes from the inside out is her passion. But the flow, function and visualization of the future plan is her super power. Running a successful and dynamic business follows as a close second.
Her favorite hobby is research. Reference the “why” upon birth and it makes sense.
She has two daughters, one husband, one Earl, two dogs and lives on a tiny barrier island on the gulf coast of Florida-and yes- keeps a hoodoo voodoo doll buried in the sand protecting against hurricanes.
Liz Lapan
VP of Everything, Interior Designer, Work Wife, Team Cook, Unicorn
One day about 8 years ago Cheryl had to squeeze in some interviews for a gal friday/assistant on a Saturday. In the middle of a (paid!) styling gig for HGTV and off to London in two days, the ever efficient Cheryl asked the two ladies to accompany her on a high level shopping sojourn to Home Goods for HGTV props.
Liz was wrapped up in a heavy scarf like a New Hampshire El Taco burrito—-in the fall ya’ll—-fall in Florida is spelled H O T. Ignoring the side eye sent her way over the odd Yankee behavior, Liz quickly established herself as the heir apparent and Nosey Rosie was given the magic wand to rule the land.
People ask, when did you KNOW you had found your ideal work wife- Cheryl will reply ” When she drew me 8 different cacti on her 3rd day because I said -find me a damn cactus”.
The woman who has never been through an airport without being extended an invitation to stop and play show and tell with the contents of her backpack, can single handedly plow snow with a rake and rescue her boss in a snowstorm in Arizona.–yes, I said Arizona–after sleeping all night in a tuna can of a rental car.
They don’t make ’em like this anymore folks. (by the way she is completely tethered up with air tags so do not even think about it) The dedication is real and she extends this to her clients in too many ways to mention.
Her sacred words are: “Are you kidding me Cheryl”, “Mamma mia” and “I can’t believe it’s Friday”
An accomplished designer in her own right with an amazing sense of color and pattern, Liz can wear the designer hat in the morning, the project manager hat at noon and return to the office being the ultimate manager of all the things. Client’s love her, Subs respect her and the team adores the woman who gets “it” done-whatever “it” may be.
Get ready
Beginning January 17th with the live workshops!
FAQ
Cheryl and Liz both feel holding yourself accountable is a huge part of success in any discipline. And To that end we will have a signature Nudge app that you will have access too–for questions and concerns and for updates on how you are doing. We are there for you.
And the highlights, the big take aways will be on the app too for on the go bite sized learning opportunities! ( and reminders) Cheryl has done some work in this fashion in the past and loved it.
If you are not doing the 12 month program, your access to the app (and we think you will be addicted) will begin two weeks before the live coaching begins and end 2 weeks after the live workshops are over.
There will a lot of motivation on this app!
Without a doubt our philosophies and methods are not for everyone. We challenge the status quo of design and coaching too.
We are fearless creatives. And we do not do anything like anyone else. We are actionable. Ask anyone who has worked with Cheryl. She is a rainmaker of ideas and loves creating small business success stories with an unequaled passion.
Due to the nature of this content and downloadable pdfs, templates and spreadsheets you will not be able to cancel your monthly payments or receive a refund. We will honor a refund if you are not happy after our first launch welcome meeting.
Fill out this form and we can schedule some time to chat with someone on our team about any questions you may have!
It is a lot of information to digest and highly recommend you doing the annual enrollment so that you have more direct help from our team. You absolutely can make it work for you as a newer designer if you are willing to put the work in.
100 credits total either from the program or other coaching with Cheryl. There will be fun quizzes when you meet the credit hours. And, the visual proposal should you decide this game changing method of giving info to a client about the scope of work, will be reviewed and critiqued and is included in the program. One pass at it with comments from Cheryl or Liz but the effort to make it is part of our “push” to help you get it done and will count as a win towards the DGD certification!
Once we get into the program pricing will go up. It is THAT good. But of course always kinks in the beginning of any new program so this is why we are offering TDP at this pricing now.
This is the framework that needs to be included in your business model. It is a guide to achieving specific goals in a creative business yet remains adaptable to the needs of growth and a changing marketplace. Do we talk about design? Absolutely that is part of the process after all. However, this is not a course on how to be an interior designer, it’s how to elevate your interior design business.
