Michelle Lynne 0:02
Welcome to design for the creative mind, a podcast for interior designers and creative entrepreneurs to run their business with purpose, efficiency and passion. Because, well, 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 Lynn.
Hello, and welcome back to the podcast everybody. I'm so excited. You are here today because I have not only somebody who's become my friend, but somebody who has made my branding look amazing on the design for the creative mind side of my business. Her name is Nicolette and Nicolette pronounce your last name for me. There we go. So Nicolette is just amazing. So thank you so much for being here with me. Let me tell you a little bit about her before we dig in. Nicolette is a business strategist and a brand designer who helps business owners create beautiful, impactful, six and seven figure brands. Her mission is to help entrepreneurs simplify and streamline their brands for businesses so that they can grow the business of their dreams without any complicated systems, a busier work schedule or more stress, and I will vouch for that, from Nicholas Canva templates to her one on one coaching to her high end branding and design work. She's all about helping her clients discover how easy and aligned it can feel to grow a thriving business. So that like they can stand out online, they can look and feel more high end and build the kind of sustainable income and lasting wealth that supports a rich life. And as somebody who has recently had the pleasure to work with her during my interior design business bakery launch, and now she's working on my design for the creative mind platform, the website and everything. I just I'm so excited to introduce you guys to her because she is like nobody that I've had the pleasure of working with before. Plus, she's really fun. So let's dig in and find out a little bit more about Nikola. How did you get started in this business? Like, it's not something that I would have thought about growing up?
Nicholette Von Reiche 2:47
Interior Design, I mean, terrier design and graphic design? Yes. Oh, my God was a little different. I grew up thinking that I wanted to be either an interior designer or food stylist. And I went to a food stylist route. So I was working a different internship at a lifestyle magazine. And it was a lot of fun. But I was like, huh, fuck the environment that I liked back then it wasn't. Woman working together wasn't so fun. It wasn't. And this was like 20 years ago. And I was like, I want to I want to start my own thing. And so I started freelancing and meeting other photographers and freelance food stylists, and they were doing things differently. And I was like, I like this. There's no backstabbing. There's just this collaborative, learn something from me, I have something to teach you or you have something to teach me that was really fun. And that's kind of where the plant got seated entrepreneurship. But style has always been like a theme in my life. So then, my husband, I got married in Cape Town, South Africa, we moved to New York. And then I worked actually for an orthopedic surgeon while I studied through i n which is like an Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
Michelle Lynne 4:11
That I'm totally familiar with them. I have. I had a nutritionist Holly who taught me all about that. Oh, my gosh, we're gonna talk about that offline. But I love that. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes. And so
Nicholette Von Reiche 4:25
I was like, Well, I want to show how beautiful food and healthy living can be beautiful, the style aspect. So I got pregnant with my son. We moved closer to family in Colorado, and I started being like a health coach. You know, you know, when you're pregnant, you move houses, you buy cars, you start a new business, you build your website, you do all those crazy things. And at the same time I took Marie Forleo is the school that has a lot going on at the same time. And then it's funny because I started then also experimenting with school. graphics in Canva, creating my first online course, which was an eating for energy course for moms. And the people who bought my course. They're like, well, I want you to take us through your house, and show us how you organize your house. And I'm like, what? That has nothing to do with eating. But I also show them like, how I would stock my pantry and all those things. So then I did that, and I created another course to get them through my house. And then they're like, Okay, great. Now we want you to show us how you do your graphics. And I was like, Okay, and so it's funny, because I just let my audience guide me, because I feel like sometimes other people see things in you that you don't see, because you're just in it, right? Yes. So my things for granted, you do. And so they're like, Oh, that makes sense. And this is when you know, I would took Canva a lot more seriously, I use Canva for all my graphics, started teaching people how to do it. And then I saw that that gap in the industry, in terms of people not teaching business owners how to effectively create their own branding and graphics online. Because it was like, if you didn't work with a designer who had Photoshop or InDesign, you didn't have beautiful graphics. And then there was a turnaround time, but you would get on to the next thing so fast that you were like called, I don't want that anymore. I went this direction now. So I feel like can really fill that gap really nice.
Michelle Lynne 6:20
Oh my gosh, and Canva is so amazing, just as to how you can pull so many different pieces into it. And you're a master of it. Like I thought I was pretty decent. Seeing your graphics and I was like oh, and and then I'd go in and try to change it you'd slap my hand. Which I think the the creatives on here can completely appreciate interior designers are the same way. It's like that pillow does not go on that couch goes over here. And it goes. But what I think as creatives that are in the audience, we can understand, we can understand our designs, and why a lot of the details are important. But also from a business standpoint. How, how can you explain why branding is so important? To a business, maybe in a way that we can relate to as interior designers just Yeah, that makes sense.
Nicholette Von Reiche 7:20
Yeah. So I think, yeah, creating inviting spaces is really important as an interior designer, so that in first impression is key. But it's that whole experience that we're creating for our clients in person. So as far as possible, we want to bring that same kind of vibe online for our online clients. So we put so much love and care into every detail on I feel like our brand needs to be the same way. So sometimes we have all these beautiful systems in place to run our business.
Michelle Lynne 7:55
But yeah, have good systems if they design a 930 does.
Nicholette Von Reiche 8:01
Not everybody does. But you have a few key goals or things and then you're like, Okay, there's a lot I can do better. Or you start realizing I need to automate things a little bit. But there should be systems, right? Yes, want to run your business effectively. But then sometimes with the branding, those key strategies and systems are missing and the branding. And so there's the disconnect between what's happening in person and what's happening online, which is a shame because I feel like it would be so fun to take your audience along on that journey to see what you do for people in their homes and behind the scenes in your team and in your business. So that's the big piece that I often find is lacking.
Michelle Lynne 8:40
So it sounds like as interior designers, we tell the story of the people who live in the home. As a graphic designer, you're telling the story of the business that you are representing, and the people behind it. Yeah, it's it's basically the same philosophy. It's just different tools. Yes. Y'all, this podcast episode was made possible in part by foyer, a lightning fast interior design software that creates photorealistic renderings. I'm not kidding, you can barely tell that it's not a real room. So why leave your beautiful designs up to the imagination of your client when you can show them what their space is going to look like. You will sign more clients and get more approvals with the software is powered by artificial intelligence and a whole vouch for its ease because if I can do it, anybody can because y'all know that my design team are the ones who do all the work, find [email protected] as well as in the show notes. So what I come across with a lot of my with a lot of my clients and admittedly with myself, but I met you. I thought, I'm good at this, and I enjoy it. But you're like 10 times better at it, and you're faster. So I think if when designers or small business owners can get to the point to outsource some of these details, even if you're good at it, it's like we tell our clients, you might be good at that. But I'm great at it. I'm the expert. I'm the professional. And I think looking at the branding that you created for me, compared to what I had created in previous launches, is like exponentially better. So I would encourage others to say just because you're good at it, doesn't mean that you do well. Like your branding looks more like my like me than my branding looked like me. And I would have thought it would have been the other way around.
Nicholette Von Reiche 10:59
That's like saying, I'm really good at designing or styling my own home. And then you'd be like, Okay, well, how did you do your master? Well, I took a few trips to Target and I took a few trips. So Home Goods had sent a lot of stuff back, I spent hours online, and you're looking at my spreadsheet, like it's okay, they can see your style, but you already know what you need to look at. You already know how I could have saved myself a ton of time and money. Because you're good at it. And you're like, This is what we need to do we need to curate a mood board. We need to hear what she loves about the room, but she doesn't love about the room, what would make her life better? And you know exactly what I need, right? I think I know what I need until I work with the next part. And then I like,
Michelle Lynne 11:40
the differences is that you know what you want? We know what you need? Yes, exactly reversed. I know what I wanted, you knew what I needed? Yes.
Nicholette Von Reiche 11:51
Um,
Michelle Lynne 11:54
so getting clear on branding? What are some of the other benefits like I inherently can feel the benefits? But how would you explain that.
Nicholette Von Reiche 12:06
So I think and then I'm going to bring it back to systems and processes. Because I think, if you are really clear on your branding, and what my team and I notice a lot of people lack is they'll work with the design on some of the parts, I have a logo, I have some colors, I have these fonts that I'm using. But they're not working with someone to say this is the strategy. This is how to use it over and over again, this is how we're going to use it in your visuals. This is how we're going to use it in email, print materials, on your blog, so that that consistency is everywhere, and also saves you time. But I think once those things are in place, it makes you a more efficient business owner and a better leader. So when you're onboarding your team members, everybody knows what the expectation is, what the system is where to go for something. So it doesn't look so puzzle together. Right? Right,
Michelle Lynne 13:00
because it might be the same fonts. But the subtitle, it's a header, it's a whatever, like yours are consistently assigned to a space on the page, right?
Nicholette Von Reiche 13:14
Or it's like saying it looks similar, like this is later not open sound the same? I'm just gonna use this one. So like, again, with the space and we won't present a room without making sure every pillow is fluffed. And the curtains are hanging the right way. Every attention to detail is there, right?
Michelle Lynne 13:31
Yes. And I think I remember laughing when we were coming up with some of my branding and graphics and so forth. You were like, No, that's not quite right. And I'm like, Yeah, but it's good. And, and then I was like, okay, hold on, Michelle. This just sounds like your designers like Debbie and Megan are like, it's not quite, it's no, no. And I'm like, it's, it's fine. And they're like, Nope, there's something I know that I can tweak and make it that much better. You know, sometimes you just tweak it a millimeter, and there's not a big difference. It's like, who cares? But you can tweak it a millimeter in the other direction. And it's like, Oh, I totally understand what you're saying. So I had to, I had to shut up and get out of your way, just like I do with my team, Debbie and Megan. Now speaking of team, when you're talking about onboarding your team, and teaching them all of your stuff, so we have some solopreneurs, who might not have a team, but I think that this is still applicable to have it all written down. One because if you grow, you have it and it's not just all in your head. So as you create it, you have it there. Secondly is if you're having a moment where you're not thinking straight, you can also refer back to your own your own branding guidelines. And third is that if you outsource to like a virtual assistant or if you outsource to somebody to assist you with your social media, they can follow your branding that that has been created intentionally. Yes.
Nicholette Von Reiche 14:59
You With your podcast, right? Because we haven't gotten to that space yet. So you were like, there are templates in my Canva. Use these until we could guide guide them, right. So they weren't starting
Michelle Lynne 15:11
when I outsource my podcasting. Okay, so Exactly. So Nicolette had created a branding guideline for me, and some basic templates. And I was able to say to the people who are helping me produce the podcast, because I practice what I preach, and I outsource what I'm not good at including podcast production, they were able to grab Nicolette guidelines and stay true to the basic vision. If I were a betting woman, you'll probably get in there and tweak them when you get your hands on them just a little bit, but because you're a perfectionist, but for now, they look fantastic because of the framework that you provided us.
Nicholette Von Reiche 15:54
That's awesome. I love to hear that. And it's similar, I guess, briefly us so and we touched on brand board and brand guidelines, and there's definitely a difference. So, you know, the brand board is where I suggest everybody starts whether you are doing it yourself, or you have a team or you are working with a designer. So the first thing is just pull everything into one place, see what you're using. See the colors, the logo sequence actually still vibing with your vision for your business right now. Because sometimes, maybe you started using those colors a year or two ago, and you're like, I don't like that, or this font has creeped in or this color. Or I'm not even using this fav icon or the sub logo that a designer created for me. So pull them together, have a look and see if it's still the vision Yes. And then also remember, like a key piece is bringing in your personality. So when when we used that when we started working together, I had to do lots of exercises, lots of questions, but it was to get a feel for your personality. And then we when we created our Pinterest mood board, I took your brand words, I took everything that you said your business is what your vision is. And we started using those search terms inside of Pinterest to create vibes and photos and feelings and interior spaces that we felt represented you. It's
Michelle Lynne 17:19
it's so similar to a lot of the things that we do with our clients. It's just different terminology. And so again, it goes back to handling the professionals handing it over to somebody who is better than you faster than you and gets you the results that you want. And that's how we educate our our clients. Again, you could go down to rooms to go or you could go over to Havertys. Or you go over to wherever and piece these things together. But we take a look at this. You look at a brand as a whole, we look at a room or as a home as a whole. So you want to make sure that the rug under your dining table does not argue with the entry runner. And we want to make sure that it leads into the family room and doesn't argue with that rug, or whatever the case may be. So we see all of these things naturally. You see your components naturally? Yes,
Nicholette Von Reiche 18:17
that's such a good explanation visually. Because when I look at my spaces, I'm like, Okay, there's a theme, but it definitely feels a little disconnected because I'm not working with someone who is working with interior spaces all day every day. And I get like, Okay, well, this one is blue. That one there is also blue, blue, blue kind of ties in, you know,
Michelle Lynne 18:42
which is what I was doing to your graphics when I went into edit them.
Nicholette Von Reiche 18:48
Yes, and it's so helpful to have someone stand back and look into your home, look into your business, look into your branding and be like I know exactly what we need to tweak. But it is that overall, like every visual touch point, right, we want to make sure that that consistency is there and represents you. And it's the same within a home, you guys can stand back and see how all of it even though it's individual rooms, but it all works together so that the whole house has a specific vibe about
Michelle Lynne 19:14
it. I love that. And it tells the story to the people for us. It tells the story of our business and our personalities through those visual graphics as soon as they come across us. Yeah. So for anybody who is listening to this close to real time, you can go take a look at my before website. And then you'll be able to compare it to the after. And then you can take a look at all of the business bakery and rolling in the dough graphics and so forth that that Nicolette has created and you'll just be able to watch this particular line of my business evolve, and I'm super excited about it. Yeah, so now I'm 40 Genet that I'm far enough along in my business, I'd say I'm fortunate enough that I can finally afford a professional. I'm also wise enough to, to do it now. How does somebody's How does someone start coming up with their brand strategy? Let's just say if they can't afford to hire you right now, or a professional, like, how can they bootstrap it until they can get to the level of an expert? Question? Or do you already like and where would you put that in your level of priorities from building a business.
Nicholette Von Reiche 20:37
So I think, you know, hiring a quality designer is, is always going to be one of the best investments that you can do in your business. And I think sometimes people feel like if I hire a designer, it has to be for everything. But it can be for just your brand. What is your specific brand? What is the guidelines, and that at least is the foundation right? Doesn't have to be for all your social media channels, all your, your whole website. So if you can only afford working with a designer on one piece, that would be what I would suggest that you do, if it's something that you feel that you're struggling, if you'd like, It's easy in person, I know my personality, I know my style, but I'm struggling to bring all of that online, then I think it's going to save you a lot of time, and headaches to try and DIY it yourself. But if you're like that, I actually love doing this, or I have a team member that has that eye for design, then you want to make sure that number one, like we say create that brand board, because sometimes people are just like, well, all these things go really well together, but pull it into a brand board and actually make sure that the pieces do go well together and bring in like five to four brand words, your core values, like try and cool four or five brand words. And I always say like this helps you choose the colors, the font, the visual aesthetics, because you're going to run it through those four or five words exactly like we did for you. Does this match, like for me, it's timeless, and casual and chic. So everything, every graphic that I choose every font that I use, I make sure that it's in line with those brand words. So that's the one thing that I think is missing in this second step, once you've happy with your colors and fonts is to bring those brand elements across all of your social media channels, your print materials, your newsletters, your blog posts, and sometimes people freak out and I say, start with one at a time. This is what we're doing with YouTube. We start with one thing at a time for us. It was first the you know, big baking program. And then it was the workshop. And from there we were like Okay, now we're going to move on to a we did the Facebook group. So we knew what we were focusing on first. There's a lot of things that we could have focused on we could have said, Oh, Instagram, no website, no this freebie but we're like, No, we're going to start with one thing, then the next than the next. So how
Michelle Lynne 23:05
do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time? Yeah. You're gonna choke? Yes, exactly.
Nicholette Von Reiche 23:14
And there's a lot of resources, like I have some resources to in my shop and a membership that you can use. So if you're like, I want to focus on podcast, I want to focus on my Instagram. You know, I want to share tips. I want to share testimonials. Then there's resources that you can use you don't have to create from scratch every single time.
Michelle Lynne 23:35
Yes, that is a beautiful thing just to just to get started. It's the baby baby steps. Let me interrupt myself to take a quick moment to thank satin off Insurance Agency for sponsoring this episode of The designed for the creative mind podcast. Their support and understanding of the interior design, decorating and home staging industries is unrivaled. Satin off understands what our businesses do, and they provide insurance that lets me sleep at night. Yep, this is the firm that I use. And they will do the same for your sleep habits and your business too. They're more than an insurance agency. They're an extension of my business. They take care of the worry because they are the experts which allows me and my team breathing room to do what we do best design beautiful spaces. You can find their contact information below in the show notes. Give them a call today. What is the most difficult or rewarding aspect of your job because your job is similar to ours. So what would you say is the most rewarding or difficult?
Nicholette Von Reiche 24:42
Well, for me, it's always the big reveal. But I think I love like we have these conversations and you tell me your vision you tell me why you're frustrated. And I love how I can look into your business and know exactly what we need. Because we do give you the beautiful brand we do give you everything set up in Canva templates it like it's systematized. It makes your life easier. But it's like, when we work together, you're like, we're doing this too. And this is happening too. And so it's not just the day you're going to look more put together. But you also feel more put together together, because you realize that there's now these systems and processes and everything is you don't just use that graphic ones, right. So we repurpose every single thing that we create.
Michelle Lynne 25:29
I love that. It's so effective. Yes. And I think that's one of the other reasons we get along. Well, it's like, first of all systems and processes are my love language, and then everything's pretty and it's color, it's united. And then we can repurpose, so it's very functional.
Nicholette Von Reiche 25:50
Yes. And I think the big thing too, is all systems and processes help you automate and scale, which is going to give you a ton of backup your time, right before you even outsource. And that's something you need to do before you outsource, otherwise, you're gonna outsource and it's just going to be a whole mess to manage everyone, and there's no foundation in place. So and we, I think it's just important to go through your business, systematized processes exactly like like your teaching. And then you approach your branding the same way, same way you want to in person in the same way you would for onboarding clients. Like there needs to be systems and things in place. So that's what we focus on to. And then beyond that, if you do have a team or a VA, we show them how to use the template, so they don't go and then mess up all the hard work that we've done. Or, Oh, I can't find this podcast graphic. I'm going to make my own and then we're like, oh, no, we follow a solution right here. Yeah.
Michelle Lynne 26:43
And there are links to it everywhere. So I have one more question before we get into the fun part of our segment. Oh, not that this isn't fun. Not that this isn't fun. So how does someone decide whether or not to do this themselves or to work with a professional? And I think we've kind of touched on that, but how would you how would you how would you guide them to decide?
Nicholette Von Reiche 27:09
I think it comes down to what you are ready for. No, and maybe
Michelle Lynne 27:18
it's a little pup pups. But you know what, this is real life, y'all we're not going to edit out the dog barking because we all have to
Nicholette Von Reiche 27:29
use Mojo. Mojo I think the big thing, not everybody's talking in the background,
Michelle Lynne 27:41
that's okay. So
Nicholette Von Reiche 27:45
when you feel ready for you know, like, you can you always have the option to DIY, and you have the option to hire someone. But if you aren't going to DIY, again, make sure that that you have a strategy. And then all the hard work that you're putting in is paying off for you like, you're going to have a system in place, it's going to save you time when you're creating content and content creation. visual content creation, like the kind that we do is time consuming. And then if you are ready to hire out, maybe you just get that designer for one piece. And then you can decide if you want to continue working with them in the long run. Dude,
Michelle Lynne 28:25
I'm totally going to be sharing that information with my with my, with my audience, with my listeners, with my clients and so forth is that you don't have to hire her for the whole thing. Right?
Nicholette Von Reiche 28:35
I don't have to hire you for my whole house. I can start with my outfit. On my
Michelle Lynne 28:39
new do we have, we have to make an exception. But but we also do have like we have vertical service levels for our interior design. So I'm just being a little silly. But yeah, it's nice to be able to say you can here's here's the here's the first bite and then here's as you get bigger, and I think we're going to be touching on that at the end as to how people can get in touch with you. Now, you know I'd love to talk all things business and and processes and systems are just my love language. But I also want to have a little bit of fun. So the next segment is rapid fire. Okay, it's just q&a format to get to know you a little bit better. Nothing is off the table. Okay, so just don't even think about the answer. Just let's see what comes up today. So are you ready? Did your mountains both what is your favorite form of exercise? Walking
Nicholette Von Reiche 29:41
chocolate
Michelle Lynne 29:44
or dancing or dancing while you're walking? Your neighbors would love that. Chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies. Chocolate chip. Do you have a consistent morning routine
Nicholette Von Reiche 29:58
somewhat I think if I just start my day in silence with a cup of tea when the boys aren't awake yet, and I just focus either reading, meditating, journaling or working out like doing something for me, that sets my day up for six hours.
Michelle Lynne 30:12
Well, that was my next question to your coffee. There we go. Are you left writing left right handed? So are you really?
Nicholette Von Reiche 30:22
Yeah, I was born left handed. And then my mom was like, I think it will be better for if she's right handed. So I write with my right hand, but I'm always switching when I'm doing other things. So interesting.
Michelle Lynne 30:32
Yeah. Lefty. When was the last time you took an app?
Nicholette Von Reiche 30:43
Two weeks ago.
Michelle Lynne 30:44
Nice. Favorite book.
Nicholette Von Reiche 30:48
I don't have one because I just love too many different things. Hard times, like choosing you can. Well, it
Michelle Lynne 30:57
just depends on the mood. I understand. Would you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert?
Nicholette Von Reiche 31:06
Introverted extrovert.
Michelle Lynne 31:07
I think that's called an ambivert. I need to look that up. That up cake or pie? Cake, flavor cake, chocolate chocolate frosting.
Nicholette Von Reiche 31:23
I used to love the frosting of the kid now I'm like, How can you buy frosting? I want the cake part.
Michelle Lynne 31:28
Which goes perfectly with my interior design business bakery, because we have the this is not a plug for it. But do you remember when we were putting it together? And we had the key ingredients? Yeah. And then I asked you to create a frosting section for all of the extra sweet stuff. Uh huh. Like and people were like, No, you have to have cake with frosting. I'm like, no cake by itself is pretty damn good. frosting is the extra. Oh, that's so funny. Well, Nicolette, thank you so much for being on the show today. I mean, this is I always enjoy visiting with you. But I love sharing your I guess I could call it design genius. It's just graphic design, instead of interior design your design genius with the audience, and I know they've loved everything that you've shared. Will you tell the audience how they can find you, please?
Nicholette Von Reiche 32:17
Yes, and thanks for having me. It's always fun visiting with you know, it's Nicolette styles and so on social media Nicollet styles.com. And then I have a special link for your listeners, so they can go to Nicolette styles.com. And so I'll put some resources for them on that page. Perfect.
Michelle Lynne 32:37
And, um, I will make sure all of that is in the show notes so that you guys can figure out Nicolette styles, Nicolette styles, Michelle, Lynn, all of these types of details. And I highly recommend that you follow her because every so often she gives away freebies, she has little courses, big memberships, all sorts of things that can can eat it can that can continue to uplevel your business until you're just so damn busy that you have to hand it off to her. So those will all be listed in the show notes. So 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 Facebook private group, it is called the interior designers business launch pad. And then also, if you're enjoying this podcast, please don't forget to leave a review anywhere you're catching it. It really does help keep us relevant. It introduces us to more designers. And my goal is that a rising tide lifts all ships. So we will see you next time. Hi. 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 the 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 feet. It's fine. 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.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
