February 26, 2026 • 22 mins
Welcome to the Thrive in Design Podcast, hosted by Nicole Lashae Hall, founder of Thrive in Design. This podcast is for interior product brands ready to move beyond scattered marketing, outdated sales tactics, and visibility for visibility’s sake—and into clarity, alignment, and real momentum.
In this opening episode of Season 9, Nicole reintroduces the podcast, shares her personal and professional evolution, and clearly defines who this show is for: interior product manufacturers, marketers, and sales leaders navigating change in a post-pandemic, AI-influenced design industry. She explains why many brands feel “stuck” despite doing all the things—and why the real issue is often positioning, not visibility.
Nicole also outlines what makes this season different. Expect deeper conversations around go-to-market strategy, designer–vendor dynamics, brand clarity, and the practical role of AI in sales, product development, and marketing. This season is designed to challenge assumptions, encourage strategic thinking before execution, and help brands become the ones designers actually remember—and specify.
If you’re looking to sharpen your brand story, align sales and marketing, and build systems that scale without constant reinvention, this episode sets the foundation for everything to come.
⏱ Timestamps-
00:00 – 01:45 | Welcome to the Thrive in Design Podcast + Nicole’s reintroduction
-
01:46 – 03:30 | What Thrive in Design does and who this podcast is for
-
03:31 – 05:30 | Why this podcast exists and the impact it’s had so far
-
05:31 – 07:45 | Why Season 9 is different: clarity, experience, and research
-
07:46 – 09:45 | Go-to-market strategy, brand storytelling, and what’s changing
-
09:46 – 11:45 | Designer–vendor dynamics and generational shifts
-
11:46 – 13:30 | How AI fits into sales, marketing, and product development
-
13:31 – 15:30 | Visibility vs. positioning: identifying the real problem
-
15:31 – 17:15 | Why effort does not equal impact
-
17:16 – 18:55 | Strategy before tactics: websites, messaging, and campaigns
-
18:56 – 20:45 | What designers actually remember—and why it matters
-
20:46 – 22:20 | Guests and conversations coming this season
-
22:21 – End | Spec Ready framework, AI & Design Summit, and what’s next
-
“Visibility is not the same thing as clarity.”
-
“Effort does not equal impact. Noise does not equal strategy.”
-
“If designers can’t retell your value in one sentence, you’re forgettable.”
-
“Strategy clarifies who you’re for, sharpens what you’re known for, and makes decisions easier for your buyer.”
-
“Clarity—not noise—is what sells now.”
Follow Thrive In Design for insights on design leadership, business strategy, and growth in the A&D industry:
- Website: https://www.thriveindesign.co/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thriveindesign/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thriveindesign/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thriveindesign
- Take the SpecReady™ Assessment: https://specready.co/
- Join the Thrive In Design: AI in Design Summit on May 20, 2026:https://tidsummit.com/
• Nicole’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleben
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Thrive in Design Podcast. The show for interior
product brands ready. To turn insight into action. I'm
your host, Nicole Lachey hall, founder of Thrive in Design.
Each week we explore how manufacturers, marketers
and sales leaders can align strategy, storytelling and
systems to drive real specification growth. This podcast
(00:22):
is about moving beyond scattered marketing, outdated sales
tactics, and visibility for visibility's sake, and
into clarity, alignment and momentum. Whether you're
navigating change, scaling thoughtfully, or rethinking how
your brand shows up in the design industry, you're in the right place.
(00:47):
Welcome back for another season and another
episode of the Thrive and Design Podcast. Hello to
all of my longtime Thrive and Design listeners and
welcome to those new listeners that are now discovering the
show. Whether you're new here or you've been
listening for a while, I just want to take a moment to do a
(01:08):
reintroduction and reset. First of all, you probably just
heard the new intro to this podcast and I introduced myself as
Nicole Lachey hall and you're like is that even the same person?
Yes, it's still me. Actually got married last year and my
name went from Nicola Shay Ben to Nicola Shay hall. So I just
wanted to reorient you first and that
(01:31):
but what we're doing at Thrive and Design is still the same, but actually
a little bit more refined. Thrive in Design, as you may or may
not know, is more than just a podcast. On this podcast we share
so many industry insights, but we are also a service
based company. We serve interior product companies,
typically companies that are small to medium sized
(01:53):
that are looking to grow their sales in. The hospitality,
healthcare, senior living, workplace and beyond
segments of our industry and just need the strategy and the know
how and a team to support them in implementation of
what they need to do for their product launches and product marketing.
So I'm so excited to have you here. No matter how you stumbled upon this
(02:16):
podcast, just know that you are in the right place if you are
AI obsessed or looking for new strategies. Especially
in this post pandemic era that we are in where everything
has been shaken up and everything has changed in how interior
product companies go to market and you're probably still trying to
reinvent the wheel. So I'm so excited to have you. Here today
(02:40):
and I'm super excited for this season. If you've listened
to past seasons, you know that every season gets better and
better. We are at season nine now. So season one
I was still figuring things out and figuring out what
types of messages and stories and strategies you all
wanted to hear, but I feel like I know you all really well
(03:02):
now. I know that you guys want to understand
generational gaps in the workplace. I know that you guys
want to understand how millennials and Gen Z's are specifying and how
you can reach them where they are. And no matter what
changes in our world or in our industry, you always want
to figure out how to get more specifications and how to
(03:23):
get more sales. So my role here
is to just help you see clearly. I'm not here to sell
you on anything. I'm here to provide
you resources, information, point you in the right direction.
Now, if you want to work with Thrive and Design, it's more than listening to
us on this podcast. You're more than happy to reach
(03:46):
out. But think of this as your strategic
partner. As you're in your car listening or on your way to the
gym or maybe working out or maybe in your office sharing this with your
team, this is your strategic partner.
So thank you for listening and you have got some
good things to hear. Before we get into what is coming
(04:08):
up this season, I wanted to call out some stats of
success that we have going on at the Thriving Design Podcast.
When I first started this podcast, I started it in the
corner of my bedroom, probably in my pajamas,
way before the pandemic. And I set out
to share different strategies, different ways that brands
(04:30):
can tell their story, both online and offline. And I really
didn't know who might be listening. I didn't know if anybody would
ever press play. But I proved myself wrong, and
I'm thankful for that. Since we initially launched,
we've gone to have over 7,000
downloads on this podcast. There are over
(04:52):
2,800 of you around the world that are listening to
this podcast maybe once, maybe on a regular basis.
Most of you are in the United States, but we are
growing internationally. And that for me
isn't just numbers, but those numbers translate into meaning.
It means that you guys aren't casually listening. It means that you
(05:14):
are repetitively paying
attention to the insights that we're sharing for the professionals
that you are. So thank you for listening on your
Alexa enabled devices through Apple
Podcasts and just being intentional and
focused in your listening. So let's talk about
(05:35):
why season nine is different than any other
seasons. First of all, I feel so
much more clear this season than ever
before and I can't even really put it into words. And the
clarity that I've gotten over the last year and a half,
honestly. And that probably comes from really doing the
(05:57):
work for my clients and understanding their
challenges. How they're going to market what they're coming up against,
how they need to pivot, how they need to successfully tell their brand
story both on and offline. So I've had all of these
conversations and implemented strategies from my clients. And I've also
been doing just a lot of research, having tons of conversations,
(06:19):
testing out so many AI platforms. If you know
me personally, you know that I probably test out at
least one AI platform per day and
trying to understand, like, how it works, how it doesn't work, what are the
benefits? Can this be applied to the A and D sales
so that you all have the insights that you need to do your job
(06:41):
successfully? So season nine is different because I. Feel so
clear and I'm so excited. About all the tools that I've been. Testing out
and implementing for my own clients. It also builds
on conversation topics that we've had over the
past eight seasons, right? One of which is go to
market conversations. When it comes to product
(07:04):
marketing and go to market strategy in our industry, there
are some things that are standard, right? We always need to have a really good
product that should be standard. Go to market
strategy is also always going to involve
online strategy so that you're reaching your customer base, but
it's also going to involve some traditional go to market strategies when it comes
(07:26):
to sales and business development. But even though
those things are remaining the same
year after year, there are some things that have shifted
in terms of how we develop those strategies or how we develop
those products. So we're going to be building off of that conversation
in season nine. The other thing that we'll build on
(07:48):
is designer vendor dynamics.
And so with this, of course, in past seasons, we've
talked about how generational gaps have shifted our industry
when it comes to vendor dynamics. Sales teams are
more leaning more towards, like baby boomers and Gen X,
(08:10):
a little bit more millennials in terms of the workforce.
But when it comes to the specifiers, the designers, they are leaning
more towards Millennial and Gen Z. And there's so much research out
there that backs up that information, right? That's not a
concept or not a thought or feeling. It's fact.
So we're going to dive deeper into designer vendor
(08:33):
dynamics and how that is impacting your
specifications and sales and how you're going to market.
The other thing that we're going to build on is brand clarity work
from past seasons. So in past seasons, we've talked about
what is storytelling, why is it important? How do you
even structure your brand story and make sure that it is
(08:55):
consistent across touch points. This season, we're really going to dive.
Deeper into what that means. Right. Sometimes people or
brands have come to me and they say, hey, Nicole, we need a brand story.
And they're like, we have a budget of a hundred dollars to write
our brand story. And you might be able to
work strategically with a Claude or ChatGPT
(09:16):
for their monthly subscription, but it's going to take much
more deeper dive than that. It's going to take understanding
your company, why your company values, how
your clientele perceives you right now, and how that. Aligns
with how you want to be perceived. Right. And then working
through that to actually. Structure a brand story that makes sense.
(09:40):
And effectively telling that across touch points. So I'm excited to
dive deeper into that as well. This season will
be more strategic, more direct, and more
willing to challenge your thinking. So get
ready to get a little bit more uncomfortable in
how you're thinking and how you have done things. And I say
(10:02):
that because I've worked with many companies that are like, they tell their
team, hey, keep doing what you're doing. And
we're going to throw that out this season
and make you get a little bit more uncomfortable
to identify. If you want people to keep doing what they're doing,
what is it that they're doing that is actually working? What is it that
(10:25):
they're doing that is not working? And that goes for your sales team, that
goes for your marketing team, and any bridges between that,
even your quotes team or whoever processes
your orders, it goes across your departments within
your company. This season, AI will
enter the conversation in a different way than it has before. In past
(10:47):
seasons, I trickled AI into the conversation
to get a feeler for where you guys are in terms of
how you've adapted AI, how you understand AI.
And I have gotten the same questions over and over again over the
last 12 months. People are still trying to figure out,
how does AI fit into sales
(11:10):
and product development? Where do they start? Is it a shortcut?
Is it a gimmick? Are there tools that I can actually leverage for
myself as a leader and for my team? And so if
you've been thinking these things, then this season is for you, because we're going to
dive into all of those things and I'm going to give you some practical tools
that you can step away from a podcast episode and you can go implement
(11:32):
immediately. And I'm so excited to even host an
event around AI and design at the end of this season as well.
So stay tuned for more information on that. If you've seen
cycles come and go, you know what matters isn't trends, it's
what lasts. Spec Ready is a readiness framework that helps
interior product brands create clarity, alignment, and
(11:54):
systems that don't rely on constant pushing or reinvention.
It gives teams a shared language and structure so the brand
continues to show up clearly and competitively, even as
leadership evolves. And for perspective on how AI
fits into the industry's future without the noise, the AI
and Design Summit offers thoughtful, practical insight grounded
(12:17):
in real business realities. Learn more at
specready.co and tidsummit.com.
So those are all the things that you have to look forward to when
it comes to season nine of this podcast. And so if you're like, oh my
(12:37):
gosh, all of those things sound exciting. What next, Nicole? What
next? So the first thing that I want to talk about, post
talking about what to look forward to in season nine, is just like,
why are all of these things important right now? So I want you
to take a moment, just a rethink moment, of
why all of these things that I'm saying are important right now.
(13:01):
So if you're a vendor leader that. Is.
Doing more marketing, right, maybe you're like, hey,
we have this really great product. We've seen success with it before. We've gotten
specification, but we're doing all the things. Like we've
gotten on Instagram, we've gotten on LinkedIn, we've started
investing in tools in content and campaigns,
(13:24):
but you're still feeling stuck. There's something still not clicking
because there might be gaps between your communication
on your teams or a lack of training or lack of
understanding for the designer in how to specify your product.
Or maybe a designer is coming to your website and you're losing them because
there's too many clicks and they can't find what they need. In
(13:47):
order to reframe this, you need to understand that it's not
necessarily a visibility problem, right? You're probably doing all the
things and doing more marketing, investing in the tools and
designers see you, they see you at the trade shows,
they might see your emails, they might even see your reps
coming into their office or scheduling meetings with them.
(14:09):
The issue is not even a talent problem, right? You've done
your due diligence with HR and hired an amazing sales
team. The issue is a positioning problem,
right? And so positioning always comes down to
effectively telling your brand story
and clearly telling that story
(14:31):
equivalent, equivalently across platforms.
So say, for instance, you say, hey, my brand story
is XYZ now We need to
audit that to see, hey, is what you're saying
actually resonating with the designer in the way that you think
that's part one and then part two, once you
(14:54):
align it with the way that a designer is actually thinking and
actually specifying and actually needing your brand,
how are you effectively telling that across touch points? And we talk
about that in how we approach
design, sales and auditing and marketing and go to market
strategy within our proprietary method at Thrive and Design called
(15:16):
ASA Journey. So if you've gone back and listened to past episodes and you're like,
oh yes, I know ASA Journey. I am a die hard
fan of Dive and Design. You.
I am a die hard fan of Thrive in Design. You know what I'm
talking about. But we're going to dive deeper into that and what it means in
(15:36):
2026 and beyond of how are you going to
properly position your product in key segments within
the interior design industry. And the key shift for
you is for again for designers to remember
stories, not necessarily specifications, because those
stories will turn into specifications and then
(16:02):
give them all the tools that they need in order to specify. So it
should be in those in that regard and in that order.
So if designers can't retell your value, then
you're forgettable. So if I go up to a. Designer and I say, hey, tell
me about ABC Corporation and they cannot
effectively tell your story in one sentence, then we need to talk.
(16:25):
And actually just thinking about that, I'm going to give you some homework. After you
listen to this podcast, I want you to go find a designer
and not one of your like top accounts that is
already specifying you for everything. I want you to go to a B account or
a C account or even poll people on social media and
ask a designer to summarize your brand story and what
(16:46):
you do and the value of your company in one sentence. If
they can't do that or if no one responds, then
you need to pay close attention to season nine.
I want you to remember a few things that effort does not equal impact.
Making noise does not equal clarity. Inactivity
(17:07):
of all the things that you're doing of keep doing what you're doing does not
equal strategy. So what the strategy
actually look like? Many brands are
stuck in making a new website, making new messaging,
making new campaigns, and then getting the same results.
Now those things are important, but what strategy
(17:29):
actually does is clarifies who
you're for. It sharpens what you're known for
and makes decisions easier for your buyer.
So if you become clear on your strategy without saying, hey, we need a
new website, we need new messaging and all the things the
strategy needs to come first. And I say this from experience
(17:52):
because brands have come to Thrive and Design and they're like,
hey, we need a project proposal, we need a new website and we need
somebody to manage our social media, which are all things that we
do at Thrive and Design. And then I'll tell them, hey,
what's your strategy? And they say, hey, we don't have one. We just need
you to create the website. We need you to manage the social media.
(18:14):
And I can't work with people or companies like that, just to be frank,
because if you want me to just come in and do your website, of
course, yes, we could do that. But you'll be in the same position that you
were in before with your old website. Without a strategy, without a
brand story that resonates, without designers understanding how to retell your
story, without so they remember you. And then ultimately those
(18:36):
specifications turning into sales. Right. In order for
designers to decide for you to be specified,
we first need to start with the strategy. And that's what we're going to talk
about and why it's so important in a whole lot of different ways during the
season. And I hope it resonates with you in a different way than it
has before. So if you're ever looking to work with drive and design and
(18:59):
you're like, hey, Nicole, we need a new website, just know that we're going to
go through auditing where you are first and then
coming up with a strategy. And then that strategy will lead
everything else that we do with your website, your messaging, your
campaigns, whether that's trade shows or online and beyond.
(19:19):
So think of this season as a layer before execution
and a filter that makes tactics works.
So if you're like, okay, so who are we going to hear from, Nicole? Is
it going to be just you talking the whole time? No, trust me, it will
not just be me. There are a few episodes where it will just
be me sharing concepts with you that I
(19:41):
have learned from my own clientele and from own research
and sharing our proprietary methods so that you can take them and
apply them to your own business. But we do have some really exciting guests that
I'm going to tell you who they are right now. So the first person that
we have coming up in three Episode two Get Excited is Cheryl
Durst, who is the president of the International Interior Design
(20:03):
association, also known as Iida. We
have Amanda Schneider from ThinkLab. So I always
reference Thinklab research in the work that I do and a lot of times
on this podcast. So I'm excited to have Amanda to share
ThinkLab insights with you guys here. On this podcast we
have the co founders of vendor Bootcamp and we have some
(20:26):
amazing other guests that are gonna be focusing on building
CEUs using AI, go to market strategies using
AI. We also have Stacy Garcia coming back. To us for a
second time as a guest to talk about product development and
product marketing with AI. So this is going to
be an impactful, amazing season.
(20:48):
So I hope you all are as excited as I am
and these voices matter. You've heard them before so you know
that they are close to buyers, they're close to research, and they're close
to real decision making. And I'm so excited to layer
their perspectives and their expertise onto the conversation
and expand on everything that I introduced to you today.
(21:11):
So get excited, get ready to rethink
how you've been going to market and feel a little bit uncomfortable to
get comfortable. In the end,
let go of your old assumptions and I just
want to reinforce that this season is compassionate. It's not critical,
it's going to be clear and not overwhelming. So I want you to keep
(21:34):
listening. Let's build on these ideas and stay
curious as the season unfolds. It's
going to be about becoming the brand designers remember,
because clarity, not noise, is what sells now.
If today's episode sparked ideas, the next. Step is
(21:56):
giving those ideas structure. Spec Ready is Thrive
and Design's strategic framework designed to help interior product
brands show up, clearly align marketing and sales, and
become easier to specify without adding more noise or
complexity. You can learn more at SpecReady Co,
and if you'd like to continue the conversation, be sure to follow the
(22:18):
podcast. And check out the show notes for. Links, resources and ways
to get in touch with our team. Thanks for listening to the Thrive in Design
podcast. I'll see you next time.
Welcome to the Thrive in Design Podcast. The show for interior
product brands ready. To turn insight into action. I'm
your host, Nicole Lachey hall, founder of Thrive in Design.
Each week we explore how manufacturers, marketers
and sales leaders can align strategy, storytelling and
systems to drive real specification growth. This podcast
(00:22):
is about moving beyond scattered marketing, outdated sales
tactics, and visibility for visibility's sake, and
into clarity, alignment and momentum. Whether you're
navigating change, scaling thoughtfully, or rethinking how
your brand shows up in the design industry, you're in the right place.
(00:47):
Welcome back for another season and another
episode of the Thrive and Design Podcast. Hello to
all of my longtime Thrive and Design listeners and
welcome to those new listeners that are now discovering the
show. Whether you're new here or you've been
listening for a while, I just want to take a moment to do a
(01:08):
reintroduction and reset. First of all, you probably just
heard the new intro to this podcast and I introduced myself as
Nicole Lachey hall and you're like is that even the same person?
Yes, it's still me. Actually got married last year and my
name went from Nicola Shay Ben to Nicola Shay hall. So I just
wanted to reorient you first and that
(01:31):
but what we're doing at Thrive and Design is still the same, but actually
a little bit more refined. Thrive in Design, as you may or may
not know, is more than just a podcast. On this podcast we share
so many industry insights, but we are also a service
based company. We serve interior product companies,
typically companies that are small to medium sized
(01:53):
that are looking to grow their sales in. The hospitality,
healthcare, senior living, workplace and beyond
segments of our industry and just need the strategy and the know
how and a team to support them in implementation of
what they need to do for their product launches and product marketing.
So I'm so excited to have you here. No matter how you stumbled upon this
(02:16):
podcast, just know that you are in the right place if you are
AI obsessed or looking for new strategies. Especially
in this post pandemic era that we are in where everything
has been shaken up and everything has changed in how interior
product companies go to market and you're probably still trying to
reinvent the wheel. So I'm so excited to have you. Here today
(02:40):
and I'm super excited for this season. If you've listened
to past seasons, you know that every season gets better and
better. We are at season nine now. So season one
I was still figuring things out and figuring out what
types of messages and stories and strategies you all
wanted to hear, but I feel like I know you all really well
(03:02):
now. I know that you guys want to understand
generational gaps in the workplace. I know that you guys
want to understand how millennials and Gen Z's are specifying and how
you can reach them where they are. And no matter what
changes in our world or in our industry, you always want
to figure out how to get more specifications and how to
(03:23):
get more sales. So my role here
is to just help you see clearly. I'm not here to sell
you on anything. I'm here to provide
you resources, information, point you in the right direction.
Now, if you want to work with Thrive and Design, it's more than listening to
us on this podcast. You're more than happy to reach
(03:46):
out. But think of this as your strategic
partner. As you're in your car listening or on your way to the
gym or maybe working out or maybe in your office sharing this with your
team, this is your strategic partner.
So thank you for listening and you have got some
good things to hear. Before we get into what is coming
(04:08):
up this season, I wanted to call out some stats of
success that we have going on at the Thriving Design Podcast.
When I first started this podcast, I started it in the
corner of my bedroom, probably in my pajamas,
way before the pandemic. And I set out
to share different strategies, different ways that brands
(04:30):
can tell their story, both online and offline. And I really
didn't know who might be listening. I didn't know if anybody would
ever press play. But I proved myself wrong, and
I'm thankful for that. Since we initially launched,
we've gone to have over 7,000
downloads on this podcast. There are over
(04:52):
2,800 of you around the world that are listening to
this podcast maybe once, maybe on a regular basis.
Most of you are in the United States, but we are
growing internationally. And that for me
isn't just numbers, but those numbers translate into meaning.
It means that you guys aren't casually listening. It means that you
(05:14):
are repetitively paying
attention to the insights that we're sharing for the professionals
that you are. So thank you for listening on your
Alexa enabled devices through Apple
Podcasts and just being intentional and
focused in your listening. So let's talk about
(05:35):
why season nine is different than any other
seasons. First of all, I feel so
much more clear this season than ever
before and I can't even really put it into words. And the
clarity that I've gotten over the last year and a half,
honestly. And that probably comes from really doing the
(05:57):
work for my clients and understanding their
challenges. How they're going to market what they're coming up against,
how they need to pivot, how they need to successfully tell their brand
story both on and offline. So I've had all of these
conversations and implemented strategies from my clients. And I've also
been doing just a lot of research, having tons of conversations,
(06:19):
testing out so many AI platforms. If you know
me personally, you know that I probably test out at
least one AI platform per day and
trying to understand, like, how it works, how it doesn't work, what are the
benefits? Can this be applied to the A and D sales
so that you all have the insights that you need to do your job
(06:41):
successfully? So season nine is different because I. Feel so
clear and I'm so excited. About all the tools that I've been. Testing out
and implementing for my own clients. It also builds
on conversation topics that we've had over the
past eight seasons, right? One of which is go to
market conversations. When it comes to product
(07:04):
marketing and go to market strategy in our industry, there
are some things that are standard, right? We always need to have a really good
product that should be standard. Go to market
strategy is also always going to involve
online strategy so that you're reaching your customer base, but
it's also going to involve some traditional go to market strategies when it comes
(07:26):
to sales and business development. But even though
those things are remaining the same
year after year, there are some things that have shifted
in terms of how we develop those strategies or how we develop
those products. So we're going to be building off of that conversation
in season nine. The other thing that we'll build on
(07:48):
is designer vendor dynamics.
And so with this, of course, in past seasons, we've
talked about how generational gaps have shifted our industry
when it comes to vendor dynamics. Sales teams are
more leaning more towards, like baby boomers and Gen X,
(08:10):
a little bit more millennials in terms of the workforce.
But when it comes to the specifiers, the designers, they are leaning
more towards Millennial and Gen Z. And there's so much research out
there that backs up that information, right? That's not a
concept or not a thought or feeling. It's fact.
So we're going to dive deeper into designer vendor
(08:33):
dynamics and how that is impacting your
specifications and sales and how you're going to market.
The other thing that we're going to build on is brand clarity work
from past seasons. So in past seasons, we've talked about
what is storytelling, why is it important? How do you
even structure your brand story and make sure that it is
(08:55):
consistent across touch points. This season, we're really going to dive.
Deeper into what that means. Right. Sometimes people or
brands have come to me and they say, hey, Nicole, we need a brand story.
And they're like, we have a budget of a hundred dollars to write
our brand story. And you might be able to
work strategically with a Claude or ChatGPT
(09:16):
for their monthly subscription, but it's going to take much
more deeper dive than that. It's going to take understanding
your company, why your company values, how
your clientele perceives you right now, and how that. Aligns
with how you want to be perceived. Right. And then working
through that to actually. Structure a brand story that makes sense.
(09:40):
And effectively telling that across touch points. So I'm excited to
dive deeper into that as well. This season will
be more strategic, more direct, and more
willing to challenge your thinking. So get
ready to get a little bit more uncomfortable in
how you're thinking and how you have done things. And I say
(10:02):
that because I've worked with many companies that are like, they tell their
team, hey, keep doing what you're doing. And
we're going to throw that out this season
and make you get a little bit more uncomfortable
to identify. If you want people to keep doing what they're doing,
what is it that they're doing that is actually working? What is it that
(10:25):
they're doing that is not working? And that goes for your sales team, that
goes for your marketing team, and any bridges between that,
even your quotes team or whoever processes
your orders, it goes across your departments within
your company. This season, AI will
enter the conversation in a different way than it has before. In past
(10:47):
seasons, I trickled AI into the conversation
to get a feeler for where you guys are in terms of
how you've adapted AI, how you understand AI.
And I have gotten the same questions over and over again over the
last 12 months. People are still trying to figure out,
how does AI fit into sales
(11:10):
and product development? Where do they start? Is it a shortcut?
Is it a gimmick? Are there tools that I can actually leverage for
myself as a leader and for my team? And so if
you've been thinking these things, then this season is for you, because we're going to
dive into all of those things and I'm going to give you some practical tools
that you can step away from a podcast episode and you can go implement
(11:32):
immediately. And I'm so excited to even host an
event around AI and design at the end of this season as well.
So stay tuned for more information on that. If you've seen
cycles come and go, you know what matters isn't trends, it's
what lasts. Spec Ready is a readiness framework that helps
interior product brands create clarity, alignment, and
(11:54):
systems that don't rely on constant pushing or reinvention.
It gives teams a shared language and structure so the brand
continues to show up clearly and competitively, even as
leadership evolves. And for perspective on how AI
fits into the industry's future without the noise, the AI
and Design Summit offers thoughtful, practical insight grounded
(12:17):
in real business realities. Learn more at
specready.co and tidsummit.com.
So those are all the things that you have to look forward to when
it comes to season nine of this podcast. And so if you're like, oh my
(12:37):
gosh, all of those things sound exciting. What next, Nicole? What
next? So the first thing that I want to talk about, post
talking about what to look forward to in season nine, is just like,
why are all of these things important right now? So I want you
to take a moment, just a rethink moment, of
why all of these things that I'm saying are important right now.
(13:01):
So if you're a vendor leader that. Is.
Doing more marketing, right, maybe you're like, hey,
we have this really great product. We've seen success with it before. We've gotten
specification, but we're doing all the things. Like we've
gotten on Instagram, we've gotten on LinkedIn, we've started
investing in tools in content and campaigns,
(13:24):
but you're still feeling stuck. There's something still not clicking
because there might be gaps between your communication
on your teams or a lack of training or lack of
understanding for the designer in how to specify your product.
Or maybe a designer is coming to your website and you're losing them because
there's too many clicks and they can't find what they need. In
(13:47):
order to reframe this, you need to understand that it's not
necessarily a visibility problem, right? You're probably doing all the
things and doing more marketing, investing in the tools and
designers see you, they see you at the trade shows,
they might see your emails, they might even see your reps
coming into their office or scheduling meetings with them.
(14:09):
The issue is not even a talent problem, right? You've done
your due diligence with HR and hired an amazing sales
team. The issue is a positioning problem,
right? And so positioning always comes down to
effectively telling your brand story
and clearly telling that story
(14:31):
equivalent, equivalently across platforms.
So say, for instance, you say, hey, my brand story
is XYZ now We need to
audit that to see, hey, is what you're saying
actually resonating with the designer in the way that you think
that's part one and then part two, once you
(14:54):
align it with the way that a designer is actually thinking and
actually specifying and actually needing your brand,
how are you effectively telling that across touch points? And we talk
about that in how we approach
design, sales and auditing and marketing and go to market
strategy within our proprietary method at Thrive and Design called
(15:16):
ASA Journey. So if you've gone back and listened to past episodes and you're like,
oh yes, I know ASA Journey. I am a die hard
fan of Dive and Design. You.
I am a die hard fan of Thrive in Design. You know what I'm
talking about. But we're going to dive deeper into that and what it means in
(15:36):
2026 and beyond of how are you going to
properly position your product in key segments within
the interior design industry. And the key shift for
you is for again for designers to remember
stories, not necessarily specifications, because those
stories will turn into specifications and then
(16:02):
give them all the tools that they need in order to specify. So it
should be in those in that regard and in that order.
So if designers can't retell your value, then
you're forgettable. So if I go up to a. Designer and I say, hey, tell
me about ABC Corporation and they cannot
effectively tell your story in one sentence, then we need to talk.
(16:25):
And actually just thinking about that, I'm going to give you some homework. After you
listen to this podcast, I want you to go find a designer
and not one of your like top accounts that is
already specifying you for everything. I want you to go to a B account or
a C account or even poll people on social media and
ask a designer to summarize your brand story and what
(16:46):
you do and the value of your company in one sentence. If
they can't do that or if no one responds, then
you need to pay close attention to season nine.
I want you to remember a few things that effort does not equal impact.
Making noise does not equal clarity. Inactivity
(17:07):
of all the things that you're doing of keep doing what you're doing does not
equal strategy. So what the strategy
actually look like? Many brands are
stuck in making a new website, making new messaging,
making new campaigns, and then getting the same results.
Now those things are important, but what strategy
(17:29):
actually does is clarifies who
you're for. It sharpens what you're known for
and makes decisions easier for your buyer.
So if you become clear on your strategy without saying, hey, we need a
new website, we need new messaging and all the things the
strategy needs to come first. And I say this from experience
(17:52):
because brands have come to Thrive and Design and they're like,
hey, we need a project proposal, we need a new website and we need
somebody to manage our social media, which are all things that we
do at Thrive and Design. And then I'll tell them, hey,
what's your strategy? And they say, hey, we don't have one. We just need
you to create the website. We need you to manage the social media.
(18:14):
And I can't work with people or companies like that, just to be frank,
because if you want me to just come in and do your website, of
course, yes, we could do that. But you'll be in the same position that you
were in before with your old website. Without a strategy, without a
brand story that resonates, without designers understanding how to retell your
story, without so they remember you. And then ultimately those
(18:36):
specifications turning into sales. Right. In order for
designers to decide for you to be specified,
we first need to start with the strategy. And that's what we're going to talk
about and why it's so important in a whole lot of different ways during the
season. And I hope it resonates with you in a different way than it
has before. So if you're ever looking to work with drive and design and
(18:59):
you're like, hey, Nicole, we need a new website, just know that we're going to
go through auditing where you are first and then
coming up with a strategy. And then that strategy will lead
everything else that we do with your website, your messaging, your
campaigns, whether that's trade shows or online and beyond.
(19:19):
So think of this season as a layer before execution
and a filter that makes tactics works.
So if you're like, okay, so who are we going to hear from, Nicole? Is
it going to be just you talking the whole time? No, trust me, it will
not just be me. There are a few episodes where it will just
be me sharing concepts with you that I
(19:41):
have learned from my own clientele and from own research
and sharing our proprietary methods so that you can take them and
apply them to your own business. But we do have some really exciting guests that
I'm going to tell you who they are right now. So the first person that
we have coming up in three Episode two Get Excited is Cheryl
Durst, who is the president of the International Interior Design
(20:03):
association, also known as Iida. We
have Amanda Schneider from ThinkLab. So I always
reference Thinklab research in the work that I do and a lot of times
on this podcast. So I'm excited to have Amanda to share
ThinkLab insights with you guys here. On this podcast we
have the co founders of vendor Bootcamp and we have some
(20:26):
amazing other guests that are gonna be focusing on building
CEUs using AI, go to market strategies using
AI. We also have Stacy Garcia coming back. To us for a
second time as a guest to talk about product development and
product marketing with AI. So this is going to
be an impactful, amazing season.
(20:48):
So I hope you all are as excited as I am
and these voices matter. You've heard them before so you know
that they are close to buyers, they're close to research, and they're close
to real decision making. And I'm so excited to layer
their perspectives and their expertise onto the conversation
and expand on everything that I introduced to you today.
(21:11):
So get excited, get ready to rethink
how you've been going to market and feel a little bit uncomfortable to
get comfortable. In the end,
let go of your old assumptions and I just
want to reinforce that this season is compassionate. It's not critical,
it's going to be clear and not overwhelming. So I want you to keep
(21:34):
listening. Let's build on these ideas and stay
curious as the season unfolds. It's
going to be about becoming the brand designers remember,
because clarity, not noise, is what sells now.
If today's episode sparked ideas, the next. Step is
(21:56):
giving those ideas structure. Spec Ready is Thrive
and Design's strategic framework designed to help interior product
brands show up, clearly align marketing and sales, and
become easier to specify without adding more noise or
complexity. You can learn more at SpecReady Co,
and if you'd like to continue the conversation, be sure to follow the
(22:18):
podcast. And check out the show notes for. Links, resources and ways
to get in touch with our team. Thanks for listening to the Thrive in Design
podcast. I'll see you next time.
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