Episode 93: How to Organize Your Design Business with ClickUp with Kaci Ackerman

podcast

Show Notes:

My next guest is Kaci Ackerman, a Certified Business Manager and ClickUp expert. Kaci has helped over 1000 business owners streamline their businesses with ClickUp. She saves CEOs 10 hours a week and increases their profit by 25% with a robust and automated ClickUp system.

In this episode, Kaci explains what ClickUp is and how it saves time, the platforms it can replace, and why having a project management tool like ClickUp is crucial to your business. Kaci believes that when you have systems in your business, you are able to scale and empower your team.

Visit www.kaciackerman.com for Kaci’s ClickUp templates, her Confidence in ClickUp course, and to book your VIP day with her. Connect with Kaci on Instagram @kaciackerman and Facebook @theclickupqueen.

Get more info about our year-long mentorship and coaching program: https://www.designedforthecreativemind.com/business-bakery

Thank you to our sponsor for their support!

Sidemark is an all-new, all-in-one software that organizes sales, marketing, and business services all in one convenient location. Join mysidemark.com to help grow your interior design business.

Text UPDATES to 214-380-1969 for all our DFCM updates.

About Michelle

Michelle Lynne began her interior design career after spending more than two decades working in Corporate America. She began in the home staging arena and has since built a successful, award-winning, full-service interior design firm, employing talented designers and serving clients across the country.

In the summer of 2018, Michelle began focusing on a big gap she saw missing in the interior design industry: teaching interior designers how to run the business of an interior design business. She now engages in private coaching and leads an in-depth, 12-month group coaching program, both options focus on teaching designers profitable processes, systems, strategies, and mindset needed to run a streamlined, profitable interior design firm.

Her motto is simple: we rise by lifting others.

Connect with Michelle

To stay in touch with Michelle, please follow her on Instagram and join our Free Facebook Community!

Have ideas or suggestions or want to be considered as a guest on the show? Email me!

Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.

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Transcript

Michelle Lynne: Welcome to Designed for the Creative Mind, a podcast for interior designers and creative entrepreneurs to run their business with purpose, efficiency, and passion. Because, while every design is different, the process should remain the same. Prepare yourself for some good conversations with amazing guests, a dash of Jesus and a touch of the woowoo, and probably a swear word or two. If you're ready to stop trading your time for money, and enjoy your interior design business, you are in the right place. I'm your host, Michelle Lynne.

Michelle Lynne: Welcome back, everybody. I'm so excited that you're here. And I know that I say that every single time. But I just love what I get to do, and that is to have some wonderful conversations with wonderful people. So let me introduce you today to Kaci Ackerman. She helps business owners save 10 hours a week through a project management tool called ClickUp. So, Kaci, thanks for being here. And am I correct? Is ClickUp a project management tool?

Kaci Ackerman: It is, yeah. And thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to be chatting with you today. But yes, ClickUp is a project management tool.

Michelle Lynne: So okay, I've heard of ClickUp. I've never used it. What is it?

Kaci Ackerman: So for me personally, and especially in the space that we're in, it's definitely a project management tool for businesses. There are other amazing features to ClickUp as well. So ClickUp has form capabilities, they have docs, and they have kind of a table view. So you can definitely start to hone in on bigger pieces than just the project management side. But if we're talking about just comparison, so if you've heard of Trello, Asana, Monday, Basecamp, any of those that's very comparable to that.

Michelle Lynne: Okay, so why do you love ClickUp?

Kaci Ackerman: I love ClickUp because it allows you to grow with it. So when I first started my business, I used Trello. And I feel like probably everyone out there has used Trello at some point, typically at the very beginning stages. But I just quickly hated it to be honest. I grew out of it very quickly, because it just didn't make sense. There was you know, just stuff everywhere. And also, once you start to add on, you know, like a virtual assistant or a team member in your office, you know, in your studio, Trello doesn't work. It just doesn't.

Michelle Lynne: It's very basic.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah, exactly. It's like that basic piece. And so I dabbled a little bit with some of the other ones. And ClickUp just really spoke to me in the capabilities, like I mentioned before, of like forms and docs and different stuff. And I've been using ClickUp for three years now. And I don't use Google Suite anymore, outside of my email. So it has replaced docs for me, it's replaced Google Forms, I can build pretty much any process inside there. So what I love about it is I get to start my day and end my day in one place, just ClickUp for me.

Michelle Lynne: That is nice.

Kaci Ackerman: It makes my day to day so easy.

Michelle Lynne: That definitely says a lot because I know that as business owners, which is what our audience prevalently is, is that we do we click back and forth. And we go to different platforms in different places to get what we need and kind of Frankenstein them together sometimes. So that's interesting. I didn't realize that ClickUp can replace like, are you saying, it kind of replaces Google Drive, or just the docs aspect of it?

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, so it stores everything too.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah. So I use it for some storing capabilities. I will say, I use Google Drive for one thing. And I have a freebie. And I store it in Google Drive just because of the sharing capabilities for that one thing. But when we're talking about working one-on-one with clients, I don't use Google Drive, I use ClickUp. So ClickUp has this awesome feature where you can build like a portal, if you will, for your client to log into and see this. It's called a dashboard. And they have everything they need right there, which is really awesome. So we're not, you know, sifting back and forth through Google Drive folders. Another thing that would frustrate me is when I would have to go to a different window, if you will, or different tab. It's like distraction city. And so I would like open a tab and then I'd be like, oh look at that thing. Why don't I work on that? Or why don't I do this or do that. Or like, what's going on on my phone since I have to redirect my brain, you know, so it just, it eliminates a lot of that, and it allows you to literally be more productive in less time. And I know that's kind of a hot little keyword phrase, but it really is true.

Michelle Lynne: No. And that makes sense. I think that, you know, whatever platform you find that works for your brain. So for example, when I first got on Trello, I didn't fully understand it, it felt overwhelming. And then once I learned it, I was like, okay, this isn't overwhelming. It's rather simplistic.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: But having used it for a while, I just think it's important to find that platform that speaks to you. And then as your business grows, and as your needs grow, you have these other opportunities.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: So how do you use it? So you're an OBM, an online business manager.

Kaci Ackerman: Yep.

Michelle Lynne: Let's dive into that for a second. What is an OBM, and how can it benefit entrepreneurs?

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah, so an OBM, like you said, Online Business Manager, it really allows you to get out of the day-to-day of your business. Oftentimes, when I work with clients, I do a lot of team management as an OBM, and I do a lot of planning and projects. You can almost clump like team management, project management, planning, all of those different pieces, that while they are crucial to the business, they aren't actually like, giving life to your vision, if you will. So really, like an OBM can kind of take over the inside day-to-day management and allow you to really focus on bringing your vision to life, like living out your mission of your business, really connecting with your current clients and also potential new clients. Because you, if you're the face of your business, that's where you need to shine. And that's where you know, so figuring out, like, what that looks like, and then the OBM supporting kind of the backend and the behind the scenes, if you will.

Michelle Lynne: No, I think that makes sense. Because as interior designers, a lot of the individuals that I interact with, and a lot of our audience, they might be a solopreneur, or they have a small team or something along that line. And what I teach, and what I preach is that you're the face of the business. So you are the one driving the majority of the sales. So you're out there doing business development, but you're also the design genius. So where do we make our money, it's not managing, you know, the business, it is doing the design and doing the sales and so forth. But you can't ignore the rest and expect to stay sustainable.

Kaci Ackerman: There's this one thing I love saying, and it's like, you aren't meant to be an expert in all the areas of your business. Because there are so many pieces of your business that I think it's interesting too a lot of times, you know, we start our business, and we're really excited to do the fun part, if you will, of our business, but then there's so many of these other pieces that like you didn't even know existed that you have to do.

Michelle Lynne: Oh my word. It's so true.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah, and so that's kind of where I thrive of like the idea of like, you're not meant to be an expert in those areas. And there are experts out there for those areas, you know, to make sure that someone's managing your projects, somebody is, you know, following up on those orders for you, someone's placing orders for you. Because once you do the design, and you have your client's selection and all that, you don't need to sit on your computer and order stuff, like somebody else can do that for you.

Michelle Lynne: Absolutely.

Kaci Ackerman: So figuring out like those mundane, if you will, or non-revenue, generating type stuff and getting that off your plate allows you to focus on the design and business development more and more and more.

Michelle Lynne: Absolutely.

Michelle Lynne: Hey, y'all, as my interior design business grew, there were some struggles that quickly surfaced. It was balancing, management, just all of the things that come together, and especially when it came to consolidating my marketing efforts, my client relationship management, social media planning, website building, all the things. I felt like Dr. Frankenstein, just trying to tie all of these things together and it didn't really come out very pretty. I thought it would be great if I could find something that would bring everything together into one place. And I believe I have found it. The support of Sidemark, growing your interior design business has never been easier. It will be available this spring. Sidemark is an all-new, all-in-one software that organizes sales, marketing, and business services all in one convenient location. By signing up for Sidemark, you too can get access to all of the essential tools needed to help your business succeed. With features such as a built-in website builder, a custom sales pipeline, email marketing, client relationship management, scheduling on a calendar, and more. This is going to expand your interior design business and make it a breeze. Go online now to join the waitlist at mysidemark.com. You will receive 10% off your first year and get notified of all of the new and exciting updates yet to come. Visit mysidemark.com to start your journey towards successful business growth without the stress and join mysidemark.com today. You won't be sorry.

Michelle Lynne: So when you're doing your online business management, or as you are encouraging others to use ClickUp, what have you replaced? Like, what other platforms have you replaced with ClickUp?

Kaci Ackerman: So I replaced Google Drive. That's the biggest one, probably. But I've also replaced like, the need of meetings. So I'm not in, you know, a ton of meetings every single week with my team, because ClickUp has allowed us to really work in there. I've also replaced, you know, Google Sheets. ClickUp has the capability of some formulas and has different views to work off of. It also has time tracking. So you can also if your team is time tracking, you can eliminate whatever tool you're using, because it's inside ClickUp. So it has all of these pieces that, it's interesting because you don't realize how many different places that you are going to do something until you start seeing like, oh, ClickUp can do this, ClickUp can do that. So like our team as a whole, we don't really have meetings, we have forms. So my team members on every Monday morning, they fill out a little form, they tell me what they're working on for that week, if they need any support from me, I reply to it if needed. And then on Friday, they do a little reflection and say like, hey, this is my biggest win. And I got these things done. And I didn't get this, but this is why, and just those different pieces, and it allows us to, because I swear, every time I get on what should be a 20- or 30-minute call, it goes into like an hour.

Michelle Lynne: Right? Yes.

Kaci Ackerman: So it's replaced other pieces of that. But it's also replaced, like my, the amount of brain mental energy that I'm spending in my day-to-day, because there's automations in ClickUp. So ClickUp has allowed us as a team to be able to do the task and then basically, if there's another person involved, it hands it off. And ClickUp just alerts them as needed.

Michelle Lynne: Ah, nice.

Kaci Ackerman: And so there's, we use a lot of automations. We even use something where we're repurposing our marketing content and ClickUp actually creates the task for us. So we type in an idea and ClickUp will create the task for us, put a little template in there, assign it to the correct person. So the amount, like if you're thinking about that, and say you are posting five days a week on social media, right, so that's at least 20 posts a month, roughly. You know how much time it would take me to like, create the task and put the template in there and assign it? It doesn't sound like a lot but when you start to add up all those pieces, that's where like, you start just mentally exhausted, like, because you spent the whole day planning out your content when you can automate a huge piece of that. So ClickUp replaces lots of things, but also kind of non-tangible things, if you will, like time or mental energy, which has been huge.

Michelle Lynne: Right, mental energy. Yeah. And it's true, because when we're in the middle of running our business, not only do we have all of the business details, tasks, deadlines, timelines, all the things in our head, but then we also have the design side. Dealing with the clients and dealing with the vendors and dealing with the selections and all of those details. So any time it's possible to simplify and streamline, I think taking advantage of any tool is imperative. And it sounds like ClickUp just has a lot of muscle behind it.

Kaci Ackerman: It does, yeah.

Michelle Lynne: That can take away from using our own muscle. Just replacing it.

Kaci Ackerman: Right. And you know, I've worked with a few interior designers. And I think all of them that I've worked with uses Ivy, the CRM type thing.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, really?

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah. And so it's great. And Ivy is great for like the invoicing and the product selection and stuff. But what's cool is once the client selects their products, you then have to order it, you then have to follow up, you know, if the shipping date comes and it's not shipped, or you have to follow up on how much the freight is, all these different pieces.

Michelle Lynne: Right, all the procurement.

Kaci Ackerman: Right, that Ivy doesn't take care of and then get this, you can actually send out emails directly from ClickUp. So you can like pull up a thing that says, like, if you get a notification that something has shipped, you can send off a quick email to your client directly inside ClickUp. Like, hey, this has shipped, yay, you know, or whatever. You know, or expect this to be there, those things. So you're not going into your email and then also getting distracted because your email is a whole other thing.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, that's a beast, that is a beast. Okay, so I understand how you can integrate it in some instances. Does it actually integrate with, what does ClickUp integrate with?

Kaci Ackerman: ClickUp integrates directly with email, Slack, there are time tracking devices to create, like Gusto and stuff, it will connect directly to there. It integrates with Zoom. I think there's a couple others where it directly integrates. But the main thing that you can do is utilize Zapier, and that will connect a lot of pieces. So that will connect like, you know, if we're talking about Ivy for instance, you can connect something where when a project is created, you create the folder and template in ClickUp and, you know, get the stuff kind of setup for working with that client. And all the info will, you can have it all kind of just move over to ClickUp.

Michelle Lynne: Auto populate. So just, and I'm just trying to picture it without seeing a screen, which is also what our listeners are doing.

Kaci Ackerman: Right.

Michelle Lynne: Does it have like a CRM in it?

Kaci Ackerman: So I say no, but this is up for debate. With a lot of ClickUp experts, it depends on who you ask. And I think the biggest piece is determining what a CRM means to you. Because I say no, because ClickUp does not have the capability of sending out invoices or contracts. It doesn't have a scheduler, and those are all the pieces that you would have to get a separate tool for, or a separate platform for, where if you define a CRM as just tracking your current clients, past clients, in like a little spreadsheet.

Michelle Lynne: Like a Rolodex

Kaci Ackerman: Right, like a Rolodex, then sure you could. So that's where the debate is. And I think the biggest piece is like, what's the definition of a CRM. And for me, it's doing all those things for me.

Michelle Lynne: It is, it's a customer, it's a client relationship, customer or client relationship manager. And that means it's a relationship back and forth, where you can communicate. So you've got the email and the portal and stuff like that but you don't have the capability of sending out like the invoices and things along that line.

Kaci Ackerman: Right.

Michelle Lynne: What about social media? Does it tie in with any sort of like email platform, or social media planning, things along that line?

Kaci Ackerman: So you don't have to integrate anything, because I do all of my marketing inside ClickUp. And that's because they have a lot of different views. So we use calendar view for our marketing, and we can literally like drag and drop tasks and plan everything out into this calendar. And then we mainly post video, so Instagram actually just came out with this awesome, like in-house scheduler, so we can just schedule stuff directly in Instagram now. So that's what we do. Because since it's video, you can't, there's not really any scheduler that will post a video with the correct audio and all these, it's like a long process. So we use the calendar piece of it, we use the Instagram, but there's a lot of back and forth during that process. And ClickUp does all of it. So like my marketing person that helps me out, she will plan out all the content, she finds all the audios, everything's in ClickUp for me. So every other Monday, I can open it up and record the videos that she needs, all the raw stuff. I dump back into ClickUp, and then she edits and schedules and does all the rest of it all.

Michelle Lynne: All of the things. So it's a great, yeah, that's a great communication. So interesting. It sounds like it is very robust.

Kaci Ackerman: It is very robust.

Michelle Lynne: And like you said, takes 10 hours a week off of your life. No wait, not off of your life, maybe it gives you 10 hours back to your life.

Kaci Ackerman: Yes.

Michelle Lynne: Let's just clarify that. Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.

Kaci Ackerman: I want to mention too, so you mentioned how Trello is like really simplistic. And what's really cool about ClickUp is you can use it that simplistically. But you can also use it as robust as I'm talking about. So that is why it's my favorite. Because you can literally start with just like it has a board view just like Trello. So you can literally start with just your tasks on a board and you do them and that's it, you know?

Michelle Lynne: Yep.

Kaci Ackerman: And then you can go as far as I have where I have integrations going and automation and emails and, you know, forms and all this crazy stuff. So, that's my favorite thing, is that you can use it at any level.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, that is very cool. Yeah. Because I know that one of my former students in my Interior Design Business Bakery, she was a huge ClickUp fan. And so that's where I was first kind of introduced to it. Because I moved from Trello to Asana. And I love me some Asana. But she was talking about some of the things that she could do and streamline through ClickUp. And so it's one of those as a business owner, there's always that next shiny thing. I'm like, I'm trying to really just stay focused on Asana right now, but I keep hearing, and I'm so glad to have the time to chat with you, because even though there's always the shiny object syndrome, if it can save you that much time, hell to the yeah, you need to explore a lot of things. But it's all about timing too.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah, it is and, you know, that's where I also say that the most important project management tool is the one that you're going to use.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, I love that.

Kaci Ackerman: And if you are doing really well in Asana, and you are not unhappy with Asana, keep using it.

Michelle Lynne: But know that there's also something out there that when you outgrow it or need something different.

Kaci Ackerman: Right, yes. Because you will outgrow Asana. You will, I would say in terms of how robust project management tools are, it goes from Trello, Asana, to ClickUp.

Michelle Lynne: Right.

Kaci Ackerman: That's kind of the, and I see a lot of people go that direct path, where they move into Asana and they're like, oh, wow, this is awesome. And then they get team members and they're like, oh, my gosh, this is not enough for me. I need, you know, XYZ, and then they move on to ClickUp. But I mean, don't feel like just because everyone else is doing it, you have to do it either. You know, I think it's important to, I guess kind of put your blinders on sometimes, you know, and if it's working for you and there's not this crazy, like overwhelm of this is a mess and it's not working, then keep doing it.

Michelle Lynne: Right. And thank you. I appreciate you saying that. Because I think that, as I have myself, as I've become a more sophisticated business owner, I can put those blinders on. But years ago, it was also like, what else is there? What else is there? What else is there? I should try this, I should try that, I should do this, I should do that. And it's like, no, you find what works, and you hold on to it for as long as you can. And then when you do outgrow it, then you're ready to move on.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: Imagine trying to bake a cake without a recipe. You kind of know what the ingredients are, but you don't know how to put it all together. After lots of hard work and trying different combinations, all you are left with is a sticky situation and a stomachache. Babe, running an interior design business can feel exactly that same way. That is why I created The Interior Design Business Bakery. This is a program that teaches you how to bake your interior design business cake and eat it too. If you don't want to figure out the hard way, and you want guidance to follow, a recipe that has already been vetted, someone that has already been there and done it and will help you do it too, then check out the year-long mentorship and coaching program, The Interior Design Business Bakery. If your interior design business revenue is below $300,000, or if you're struggling to make a profit and keep your sanity, this is the only program for you. You can find that information at designedforthecreativemind.com/business-bakery. Check it out. You won't regret it.

Kaci Ackerman: And, you know, it's interesting too, because I would agree with you, you know, in the past, where you're also maybe like not knowingly, but searching for the thing that's gonna like, fix it all, or like make you millions of dollars.

Michelle Lynne: The magic pill.

Kaci Ackerman: Yes, the magic pill, yeah. And so you're jumping from this, this, and this. And the magic is you just have to pick one. And you just have to use that one thing.

Michelle Lynne: Yes and stay consistent. It is so true. It's like you can't buy a gym membership and not show up and think you're gonna get stronger.

Kaci Ackerman: Right? Yes, exactly. You gotta go.

Michelle Lynne: You gotta go. You gotta lift those weights, you gotta tear those muscles. So yeah, that is so true. And then just like so many other things when you outgrow it, you know what your options are. And I love like, I honestly, I might have clicked, no pun intended, clicked over to ClickUp once or twice when I first had heard about it, and then just put my blinders on. So I really love hearing from you like how you're using it in regular day-to-day. And especially with the interior design, you know, if y'all are on Ivy, I think that's a great solution. Because that was one thing, we had tried Ivy and the procurement.

Kaci Ackerman: Is not great.

Michelle Lynne: It's, yeah, I'm trying to keep my words soft here.

Kaci Ackerman: I'll say it.

Michelle Lynne: Yes, thank you. Yes, we had to find another solution. It was not ClickUp, but we found another option to go down that path. But we still use Asana. And like you said, a project management tool is invaluable.

Kaci Ackerman: Right. Well, and also remembering that you are supposed to have, like a tech stack, if you will. So you are supposed to have a CRM, you are supposed to have a project management tool, you are supposed to have an area to, you know, have Zoom meetings, or, you know, video meetings. So like, it's important to remember that you shouldn't just always be looking for the one tool that will literally will replace everything. Because ClickUp for me is hands down the best project management tool I've ever seen. I will never use it as a CRM, though, ever.

Michelle Lynne: Right. And yeah, it's not one size fits all.

Kaci Ackerman: Right.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, you can't answer all solutions with one platform.

Kaci Ackerman: Right. Exactly.

Michelle Lynne: But can you imagine if we could invent that?

Kaci Ackerman: I know, right? Yes.

Michelle Lynne: We could rule the world.

Kaci Ackerman: Technically ClickUp could do it, but I don't want to have to pay three other platforms, and then also Zapier and connect everything. And then when a connection doesn't work, or breaks or whatever, like, I don't want to deal with all that. I want to just get a CRM that just goes through our little workflow and sends off the invoice when it's supposed to, and the contract, you know, and schedule the appointments. I don't want to have to worry about all of it.

Michelle Lynne: I think that makes perfect sense. Yeah, it is, it's just nice when it can be solidly, like just consolidated.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah, yeah.

Michelle Lynne: I love this. I love this. So Kaci, what I want to do is, I love to talk about all things business related, and this just really floats my boat. But I also like to have a little bit of fun. So what I want to do is dive into this next section, which is a Q&A sesh where the audience can get to know you a little bit better. And then at the end, I want to circle back around to talk a little bit more about you and some of the services that you offer and how people can connect with you. So are you ready for a little bit of fun first?

Kaci Ackerman: I am.

Michelle Lynne: All right. Well, here we go. Rapid fire, just the first thing that comes off the top of your head.

Kaci Ackerman: All right.

Michelle Lynne: Lynne

All right, if you won $10 million tomorrow, Kaci, what would you spend it on?

Kaci Ackerman: I would pay off our house and buy another house. And then I literally have no idea what I'd do with the rest.

Michelle Lynne: But that's okay. Isn't it fun to dream?

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Kaci Ackerman: Cookies and cream.

Michelle Lynne: Mm, yummy. If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?

Kaci Ackerman: Helping people save time in their business.

Michelle Lynne: There you go. What, I was gonna ask you what your favorite productivity hack is. So let me ask you, what's your favorite productivity hack, other than ClickUp?

Kaci Ackerman: Ooh, timers. Like setting timers and working focused work.

Michelle Lynne: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Do you have children?

Kaci Ackerman: I do not. We're trying.

Michelle Lynne: That's always fun. Like, the timer has saved us some sanity because we use it. I have a four-and-a-half-year-old. And I'll tell her, okay, Genevieve, in two minutes, we're gonna go brush your teeth. And then when the timer goes off, it's so much easier than me saying, time to go brush your teeth right now, because she already knows what's going on. So there's a productivity hack for you when the time comes.

Kaci Ackerman: When we have kids. Yes, I'm going to use it.

Michelle Lynne: It works. It works really well. Okay, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Kaci Ackerman: Ooh, teleporting.

Michelle Lynne: Yeah, amen to that.

Kaci Ackerman: I can just be wherever I want to be.

Michelle Lynne: Absolutely, absolutely. And not have to deal with the lines and everything.

Kaci Ackerman: Right?

Michelle Lynne: What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Kaci Ackerman: Oh my gosh, this answer is so fun. I wanted to be this.

Michelle Lynne: Really?

Kaci Ackerman: I have to tell you. Yes. Can I tell this story?

Michelle Lynne: Yeah.

Kaci Ackerman: Okay. So when I was growing up, like 6, 7, 8 years old, my stepdad had his own business and I would go into, my mom kind of ran the books and all that kind of stuff. And I would go in there and I would help her with paperwork.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, how fun.

Kaci Ackerman: And then she would let me like write checks as I got, you know, a little older, and obviously she would make sure they were correct. But you know.

Michelle Lynne: Not too many zeros.

Kaci Ackerman: Right, and I would do you know, like, I would do all the envelopes and the stamps, and all those things. And then in high school, I used to daydream about being in this admin position of, like an office manager, if you will, of, you know, like taking care of paperwork and helping, you know, all of the ins and outs of the business and all that kind of stuff. And then I was an office manager for 10 years. And then I started my business. So it's literally evolved since I was like, six or seven years old.

Michelle Lynne: Oh my gosh, that is so amazing. How neat is that?

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah, I love it.

Michelle Lynne: You are truly where you're supposed to be.

Kaci Ackerman: I know. So fun.

Michelle Lynne: Oh, my gosh, that is so cool. And I'm on my third career. So God bless you for having a passion that you were able to pursue and like, blossom.

Kaci Ackerman: I will say, when I was, I think maybe preteen or teenager, I wanted to be a crop duster. Do you know what that is? Like the helicopters that spray fields.

Michelle Lynne: Yes, I do.

Kaci Ackerman: Okay, so I grew up around planes. My stepdad has airplanes, and so we would fly a lot. So it was very much in our nature to be around all that kind of stuff. And so I wanted to do that. But my mom told me no, because it was too dangerous.

Michelle Lynne: That's quite a big difference between the two.

Kaci Ackerman: I know. I know.

Michelle Lynne: That is too funny. Oh, my gosh, that's a great story. That is a really great story. Okay, what scares the hell out of you, other than flying crop dusting?

Kaci Ackerman: No, it doesn't scare me. It scared my mom. Snakes and sharks are my two greatest fears.

Michelle Lynne: That would do it. And they don't live together.

Kaci Ackerman: No, no, they do not.

Michelle Lynne: So, Kaci, what would you pick for your last meal?

Kaci Ackerman: Oh, my goodness. My last meal. Well, this is a hard one. The first thing that came to mind was popcorn, which I don't think that's a meal, even though sometimes I eat it as a meal. Like movie theater popcorn, you know? Also, I love Chinese food. So it'd probably be some sort of Chinese, like some chow mein and I don't know beef and broccoli and sweet and sour chicken. I don't know. Just something. I love Chinese food.

Michelle Lynne: I don't know, but I'm getting hungry just listening to it. Oh, that sounds so good. Okay, last one. Very important.

Kaci Ackerman: Okay.

Michelle Lynne: Is your belly button innie or outie?

Kaci Ackerman: Innie. That one's fun.

Michelle Lynne: All right. I just, I love talking about all the business stuff, but I think it's also just so interesting to get other people's perspectives and thoughts along that line.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah.

Michelle Lynne: So Kaci, tell the audience about how they can work with you, and then how they can connect with you, like social media handles and stuff like that.

Kaci Ackerman: Yeah, so I 100% work in ClickUp. So to work with me, I have various options, we have a VIP day where I come in for one day, and put together some systems for you. We have an entire week where we work together in ClickUp. I also have templates and a course all around ClickUp. So literally everything ClickUp you can think of, I've got it. And then to find me, I hang out on Instagram. And my handle is my name, Kaci Ackerman, but I would love for you to come follow me say hello. If you want to pop over to my website, that's also kaciackerman.com.

Michelle Lynne: Thank you so much. And that's Kaci with a K, K-A-C-I Ackerman. And I will also make sure that all of those details are listed in the show notes so that our audience can reference that.

Kaci Ackerman: Perfect, thank you.

Michelle Lynne: Absolutely. And for those of you who can benefit from even more resources surrounding the business of running your interior design business, join the growing community on my Facebook private group page. It's called the Interior Designers Business Launchpad. And yeah, I know, it's Facebook. It's not everybody's favorite platform. But it's the best place that you can have a private group. I go live once a week. And we have a lot of support and interaction. So come over and join me. So thank you very much for listening. Kaci, thank you for being here.

Kaci Ackerman: Thank you.

Michelle Lynne: And until next time.

Michelle Lynne: Hey, y'all. If you love the show and find it useful, I would really appreciate it if you would share with your friends and followers. And if you like what you're hearing, want to put a face with a name and get even more business advice, then join me in my Facebook group, The Interior Designers Business Launchpad. Yeah, I know it's Facebook, but just come on in for the training and then leave without scrolling your feed. It's fun. I promise you'll enjoy it. And finally, I hear it's good for business to get ratings on your podcast. So please drop yours on whatever platform you use to listen to this. We're all about community over competition. So let's work on elevating our industry, one designer at a time. See you next time.

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