537: Nicole McGuire: Design + Build + Property Development

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business! Just wait until you meet today’s guest, Nicole McGuire. Every word of her bio is expressed in every word of her conversation, and in LuAnn’s eyes, that makes Nicole one #smartlady. If you don’t epitomize your written bio, this conversation will make you rethink yours! Listen in, as Nicole has some great tips and lessons for us all. You’ll notice right away that she is clearly a business woman running a design firm. Passion and drive define Nicole.  These traits have been foundational to her success in the highly intense and competitive building market.  She is a visionary leader and disrupter of the status quo. Nicole is a gifted conceptual thinker with strengths in strategic planning, team leadership, mentoring, and community outreach.  She has actively worked to create space for women to be empowered and given leadership opportunities within the design and construction industry. Nicole was raised in a home building family, but she has never been one to rest on legacy.  After graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Nicole partnered with her father, the late Jeff McGuire, to begin a new venture, building spec homes, and eventually creating unmatched custom homes and personally curated design pieces, all available within the McGuire Homes Collection.  Nicole has continued to dive deeper into best practices for the industry, even studying Sustainable Business Strategy at Harvard University- expanding her business through social and environmental sustainability standards. Show Highlights: A custom home-building company, McGuire Homes, is the foundation of all of their businesses. Nicole’s passions are in design and bringing women into construction leadership roles. She started Nicole McGuire Design Studio as another revenue stream, giving her the opportunity to sell all of the products, the finished materials, that go into a new construction home or a remodel, back to themselves. This includes cabinetry, flooring, lighting, and furniture. McGuire Development Group is a company that holds homes that are hire-in leases to professionals. The homes come furnished, unfurnished, or a full executive rental, as well. Nicole shares a mistake they made in 2019 and how they have been correcting it. Stay focused on your core business, she suggests. Nicole details her marketing philosophy. All about Around the House with Nicole McGuire. Nicole provides advice about how to get your own show! Communication between her clients, her design team, her build team and herself is extremely important, and Nicole does it all within project management software. Nicole describes the three different mood boards that clients get, and why. Getting clients on board with “important” vs. “urgent”. One of the biggest challenges is managing client expectations. If you have a question that you’d like LuAnn to answer- go to wwld and she’ll answer yours on air in the coming weeks. There’s a new episode of WTF this week with Vita! Also on Friday at 12:00 noon, EST Vita and Kim will be going live on LuAnn’s Window Works FB, talking tips, and design for custom window treatments. Please follow Window Works too, both on FB and IG, and be sure to join WTF Live every Friday on FB. Links : LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Podcast - Please SUBSCRIBE, Rate & Review! Purchase LuAnn’s Book! LuAnn’sBlog Power Talk Friday Luann Live LuAnn Nigara WWLD Is Chairman of the Board Right for YOUR Business? LuAnn Nigara COB Are you a #babydesigner, #risingdesigner, or a #seasoneddesigner? Take the “What Level is Your Design Firm” Quiz and Find Out! Get a list of things to do that day, by the end of the week and by the end of the month, in addition to the best podcast episodes to listen to appropriate to where you are in your business journey! Connect with Nicole! Nicole’s Website   Nicole’s Instagram  #mymcguire Nicole’s Facebook Nicole’s Pinterest See Nicole’s tips here! Around the House with Nicole McGuire Nicole has also given talks at University of Illinois and women’s groups on the subjects of construction, design, and business. A Big THANK YOU to These Podcast Sponsors: FREE Trial! A One-Stop Shop to Keep Everything Organized! Check Out Their Client Portal and Time Tracking Features! My Doma Studio: A Well Designed Business Open Your Trade Account & Get 10% Off Any One Purchase of Kravet Fabric, Wallpaper, or Trim! Use Code at Checkout: awdb10 Kravet