Design Biz Survival Guide

Today we welcome Christina Cruz, owner and principal designer of her namesake design studio based in Austin, Texas. In this episode, Christina shares her transition from a seventeen-year career in media sales to a thriving interior design business. We also discuss how a lifetime of influence from her father provided a creative foundation for her meaningful approach to design, and Christina reveals her number-one resource for design knowledge and information. Spoiler alert: it's not a classroom.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
Christina shares how she transitioned from a long career in media sales with companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and BuzzFeed into launching her Austin-based interior design firm.
She reflects on how her father's lifelong passion for interiors, architecture, hospitality, and creating meaningful spaces shaped her creative foundation.
Christina discusses the leap of faith involved in building her design business while still working a full-time corporate job.
She explains how her background in psychology and sales helps her listen deeply, solve problems, and serve clients through emotional storytelling.
Christina shares why job sites, contractors, artisans, and hands-on experience have been her most valuable design education.
She emphasizes the importance of partnering with skilled tradespeople and understanding how design details are actually executed.
Christina discusses how her Latina heritage and exposure to Mexican artists and artisans influence her design perspective and passion for meaningful, culturally rooted design.
She shares how gratitude, family, and staying grounded in her own path help her navigate entrepreneurship and define success.
NOTABLE QUOTES
"It's never too late to reinvent yourself or start over. And you can do that at any moment in time."
"When you feel lit up, you'll never work a day in your life because yes, it's hard work."
"Part of design is also being really flexible and being nimble and being able to adapt."
"My personal definition of success has to be more time with my family."
SUPPORTING RESOURCES
Christina Cruz Interiors Website: https://www.christinacruzinteriors.com/
Christina Cruz Interiors on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinacruzinteriors/
SPONSOR LINKS
Design Manager: https://designspec.com/survivalguide
Interior Design Society: https://interiordesignsociety.org/

Today we welcome James Fung, Principal Designer and owner of NB Design Group based in Seattle, Washington. In this episode, James shares his journey of design from architecture to interior design using an effective process of elimination. We also discuss the unexpected opportunity for ownership of a legacy studio brand and how James and his business partner, Whitney, navigated the path to ownership and what they learned about each other and the ownership side of the business. James is also an executive board member of the Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance, and he shares with us the intention of the organization and how they support the rise and visibility of design professionals.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
James shares how his early interest in creative expression, paired with a process of elimination, ultimately led him from architecture to interior design.
He reflects on how his architecture education continues to shape his work, from understanding space and history to communicating ideas through hand drawings.
James discusses his early career experience in New York City and how working in a small, high-end residential firm became a practical masterclass in the business of design.
He shares the story of joining NB Design Group in 2013 and later navigating the opportunity to take ownership of the legacy firm with his business partner, Whitney Mayhara.
James explains the importance of building a trusted support team when evaluating a business transition, including attorneys, administrative support, and experienced family members.
He and Rick explore what makes a strong business partnership, including shared values, different personalities, constant collaboration, and a commitment to putting the business first.
James introduces the Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance, also known as AAPIDA, and discusses its mission to elevate AAPI voices and designers of color within the design industry.
He shares why partnership, community, mentorship, and emotional security are essential to long-term survival and success in the design business.
NOTABLE QUOTES
"I lean on that architecture experience and that schooling every single day at work."
"The things that stress me out tends to not stress her out and vice versa."
"When we say collaboration, it really is, in some ways, it's like almost too much collaboration."
"I think any type of partnership that is rooted in respect and rooted in wanting to make the business better, so whether that's a mentor or even like a CFO or an advisor, those types of collaborative relationships is essential in what we do."
SUPPORTING RESOURCES
NB Design Group Website: https://www.nbdesigngroup.net/
NB Design Group Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nbdesigngroup/
James Fung Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameskfung/
AAPIDA Website: https://aapida.com/
AAPIDA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aapi_designalliance/
SPONSOR LINKS
Design Manager / Design Spec: https://designspec.com/survivalguide
Interior Design Society: https://interiordesignsociety.org/

Today we welcome Dalia Soles, founder of Design Assisted, a project management agency and strategic partner for interior design businesses. In this episode, Dalia shares her journey from graphic design to interior design and ultimately her transition from designer to industry partner. We dive deep into the complexities of the business of design, and Dalia shares the moment she realized she could be of better service to design business owners, which prompted the development and launch of Design Assisted. Dalia is a champion of community over competition, and she is dedicated to supporting and empowering design business owners through personalized and meaningful partnership.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
Dalia shares how her creative background in graphic design became a gateway into the interior design industry.
She reflects on her early experience working in a wallpaper library and how it introduced her to textiles, wallpaper, and the trade side of design.
Dalia discusses her time working at Celerie Kemble's Palm Beach studio and how that experience deepened her respect for the design profession.
She opens up about realizing that while she loved the design industry, the problems she wanted to solve were rooted in process, organization, and business support.
Dalia explains how the pandemic unexpectedly pushed her to bet on herself and launch Design Assisted.
She describes how Design Assisted helps overwhelmed designers with healthy pipelines scale their businesses without burnout.
Rick and Dalia discuss the importance of outsourcing revenue-generating tasks, delegating strategically, and building a support system.
Dalia shares why community has been essential to her survival in business and how trusted relationships have shaped her next chapter.
NOTABLE QUOTES
"I had no choice but to bet on myself."
"The kind of clients that come on usually are people who are stressed out, inundated. They have a really healthy pipeline. They just need some relief."
"Our mission now is to help interior designers scale their business without burnout at the end of the day."
"The secret's out because it's community."
SUPPORTING RESOURCES
Design Assisted Website: https://www.designassistedco.com/
Design Assisted Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designassisted/
SPONSOR LINKS
Design Manager: https://designspec.com/survivalguide
Interior Design Society: https://interiordesignsociety.org/

Today we're celebrating our 8-year anniversary of the podcast with our annual podcast takeover. This year, the conversation is hosted by my friend and design community champion Jen Davidson of Interiors by Jen Davidson. In this episode, Jen leads the conversation, and we dive deep into the results of my Enneagram test. My personality type is revealed, and we discuss the corresponding characteristics that both surprised me and made perfect sense of it all. This conversation is a rare glimpse into the strengths and weaknesses that guide and challenge my personal and business journey.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
Rick celebrates 8 years of Design Biz Survival Guide with the annual podcast takeover episode.
Jen Davidson introduces the Enneagram as a personality tool that helps reveal the motivations, fears, and desires behind behavior.
Rick shares that his Enneagram results revealed he is a One wing Nine: the reformer with a peacemaker wing.
Rick and Jen discuss how perfectionism, integrity, fear of failure, and the inner critic show up in Rick's personal and business life.
Jen explains how Enneagram numbers shift in stress and growth, and how understanding those patterns can create more self-awareness.
Rick reflects on how self-awareness can help entrepreneurs better navigate business challenges, creative blocks, and personal growth.
Jen shares how the Enneagram has helped her better understand herself, her clients, her team, and her business relationships.
Rick opens up about vulnerability, control, organization, and how his Enneagram results gave him a new tool for understanding himself as a coach and entrepreneur.
NOTABLE QUOTES
"The better we understand ourselves, I think the better we'll understand our actions and how we arrive at this endgame that we're calling success, whatever that looks like, it's different for everyone."
"I'm not a control freak. I'm a control enthusiast."
"Being vulnerable is actually a gift to others."
"Our business is so much of who we are. It's important to know these things and to understand yourself better, so that you can build a better business because we are not a product."
SUPPORTING RESOURCES
Link to Eclectic Energies Enneagram Test:
https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test
Link to The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron:
https://www.amazon.com/Road-Back-You-Enneagram-Self-Discovery/dp/0830846190/
Interiors by Jen Davidson:
https://interiorsbyjendavidson.com/
SPONSOR LINKS
Design Spec:
https://designspec.com/survivalguide
Interior Design Society:
https://interiordesignsociety.org/

Today we welcome Nikki Watson, founder of The Design Quad—a staging, interior design, and renovation business based in Dallas, Texas. In this episode, Nikki shares how she discovered staging and how $10 and an Instagram post launched a career that would change her life. We also discuss the nuances of the staging business model, industry perception, and the logistics of it all. Most importantly, Nikki emphasizes how being of service is part of her personal and business ethos and the impact that "caring" has on her business and the community.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
Nikki shares how her background as a flooring rep led her to discover the world of home staging.
She explains the key differences between interior design and staging, including the psychology of designing for the masses.
Nikki tells the story of how $10 in gas money from her mom helped launch her first staging job.
Rick and Nikki discuss the scale of The Design Quad, including staging multiple homes per day and managing hundreds of homes' worth of inventory.
Nikki shares how hiring people with strengths opposite her own helped her build a strong, efficient team.
She explains how her partnership with a moving company grew alongside her business and became an essential part of her operations.
Nikki highlights why stagers are major furniture buyers and why brands should pay more attention to the staging industry.
She shares how community service is at the core of her business and how giving back has shaped her definition of success.
NOTABLE QUOTES
"It started with that ten dollars."
"You really have to take yourself out of it."
"I hire according to strength."
"This is what success is. This is what you're able to do for your family or loved ones or something that they can only dream of."
SUPPORTING RESOURCES
The Design Quad Website: https://thedesignquad.com/
The Design Quad Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedesignquad/
Nikki Watson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamnikkiwatson/
SPONSOR LINKS
Design Manager: https://designspec.com/survivalguide
Interior Design Society: https://interiordesignsociety.org/