525: Traci Connell: Take Your Business from Setback to Success

Welcome to a Well-Designed Business! Today is a special episode because it features a #smartlady that LuAnn has come to know over the last several months and has been impressed by how thoughtfully and purposefully she runs her interior design firm. Traci Connell joins LuAnn and weaves in info not only about how she designs, but how she delivers the design process to her clients. You’re going to learn how Traci reflected, analyzed, and documented what she did, how she did it, and what worked and what didn’t, all in the face of tremendous anguish and hardship. Traci is the combination of a sweet, southern lady with the grit and fortitude it takes to not only survive but to thrive and to provide for herself, her family and her staff. Traci Connell is an award-winning creative entrepreneur whose business sense and design skills are combined with a passion for delivering interiors that are at the heart of livable style. Her well-edited spaces feature functionality for a distinctive aesthetic she calls Ease of Glamour. She gives you luxury you can live in along with an innovative customer service experience that saves you time and money. High-end design, business savvy and a simplicity-driven approach — that’s what makes Traci one of leading interior designers in Dallas and the surrounding areas. Traci’s projects have been featured on the cover of Luxe Interiors and Design as well as projects showcased in Traditional Home, among numerous other publications. She has been named D Home Best Designer of 2018, 2019, and 2020 and was included in the 2018 Gold List by Luxe Interiors and Design. Her latest endeavor is her consulting business to teach other designers how to get unstuck and scale their business just like she did using her proven system that she tested and developed over the past 8 years. She is really excited to share this system with others. Check out her website Traci Connell for more details. Show Highlights: Traci shares her story and describes how she was trying to up-level her business during a trying time but couldn’t get any straight answers to the questions she had. This experience gave her the desire to help other designers who are experiencing setbacks to get unstuck. Remember that you have a choice! Get vulnerable and accept help from coaches, mentors, or whoever it takes. There’s no reason to go it alone. Put your business under a magnifying glass and take a hard look at your finances, margins, and revenue streams. Evaluate your pipeline and run your projections for the year. Create processes and systems for your business. As Traci explains, this is KEY in being able to confidently deliver an excellent client experience, to be able to scale, and to be able to take time off from your business when you need it to take care of yourself, especially if you may be in crisis like she was as she built her business. It is critical to build the right team. You must surround yourself with a team that can execute and help grow and run your firm profitably. Traci shares her concept of “Ease of Glamour”, which is livable luxury, and tips on how she streamlined her own personal life. The confidence behind finding your niche is super-important. Always deliver more than what is expected. This communicates value to the client. Traci is coaching and teaching other designers like you to go from setbacks to success using her proven system that she has tested and developed over the past 8 years. For more info go to Traci Connell. Links : LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review! Purchase LuAnn’s Book! Sara’s Blog post onLuAnn’sBlog Power Talk Friday LIVE CLASS with Sara Lynn Brennan, Starting April 22! If you need help with your processes, in getting your business systemized so you can scale, you can hire, you can finally be confident in your projects, Process Leads to Profits is back! To find out all about this live class, taught over 6 consecutive weeks starting April 22, go to Process Leads To Profits. Is Chairman of the Board Right for Your Business? LuAnn Nigara Connect with Traci! Traci’sEmail  Traci’s Coaching Website Traci’s Interiors Website Traci’s Instagram Traci’s Facebook Traci’s Pinterest SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: If you are listening in real-time, we are on the 2nd day of our epic online summit hosted by Mydoma Studio. It is called 19Hours. A huge thanks to Mydoma Studio as well as our other sponsors: Kravet, Article, Kirsch, Jaipur Living, Monogram, IDS, Revelwoods, Summer Classics, and Gaby Home. Traci will be on LuAnn’s panel Thursday, April 9th, along with Sandra Funk, Monica Wilcox, and Tobi Fairley. Don’t miss it!! Event: 19hours Hosted by: Mydoma Studio Monday, April 6th - Thursday, April 9th This is a FREE VIRTUAL EVENT! Presentations Each Day at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm EST. It will be recorded for later viewing. This Is The Industry’s Answer to Covid-19 and Contains Much of the Content That Was Planned for HP Market. DON’T MISS the Solo Presentations by Some of the Industry’s Top Business Leaders and Panel Discussions with Some of the Industry’s Top Designers! To Sign Up, Go to 19hours Thank You to This Podcast Sponsor: Connect with Your Local Kirsch Distributor Now! Kirsch Other Shows Mentioned: LuAnn #491 Chairman of the Board Opportunity Nancy Ganzekaufer #15, #159, #256, #389 Nicole Cole #509 Kim Merlitti #361, #442 Michele Williams #137, #180, #395, #424 Denise Wenacur #513 For conversation about the importance of reciprocal mentoring and paid coaching, go to Rasheeda Gray #267, Christina Bruce #486, Laurence Carr #484 and Laura Umansky #492 For a good conversation about taking a hard look at your finances, go back and re-listen to Cheryl Clendenon’s show #482 as well as Kimberly Merlitti #442. Conversations about creating processes and systems for your business include: Sara Brennan #463, Darci Hether #220 and Christine Lin #470. For shows about building the right teams, go to Eileen Hahn #363, Janelle Photopoulus #364, Rebecca Richardson #303, and Chad James #68.