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Welcome to the Creative Genius Podcast with your hosts Gail Doby and Erin Weir, co-founders of Pearl Collective, a creative consultancy for interior designers. In their own honest musings and in their open conversations with industry leaders, experts, authors, and influencers, they share how they inspire each other and work through whatever life and business challenges come their way.
Every business is a journey. You never know where it might lead you or what you might encounter along the way. It helps to have a trusted partner to provide support and counsel. In today’s episode, Gail and Erin relate the many stages their business has gone through and how their long and enduring friendship has supported and strengthened them throughout their journey.
In this episode, Gail and Erin talk about:
- How their now-successful business was born
- How the business evolved to suit client needs
- Tips everyone needs to hear about starting a business
Often the journey begins with a big idea. One day, about two years after Erin had started working as an intern in Gail’s interior design business, they were sitting in Gail’s dining room talking about what they both wanted to do and seeing if they could figure out a different business model that they might want to try. “That was the dream spot,” recalls Erin. “Gail had this mural of clouds on the ceiling. It was the most magical room. It was this moment when we really got to dream together.”
Eventually that dream evolved into Design Success University, an educational firm offering classes and guidance to help other designers figure out a better way to run their business. But it wasn’t long before new paths began to unfold, taking them in new directions.
At the request of their clients, they began adding new materials and offerings, such as one-on-one coaching, which they called the VIP Experience. Eventually, in order to offer clients a higher level of service, they transitioned to a consultancy model and changed the brand from Design Success University to Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting.
Another big step along the journey has been the addition of live learning and networking events, beginning with the Design Summit, followed by the more intimate Genius Exchange and then even smaller Boardroom Mastermind and Alliance Mastermind groups.
As they sat in that room with the clouded ceiling, Gail and Erin could not foresee all the many ways their dream would evolve and grow. But they had faith they were well matched to make the journey together. “When I rewind back to that time, I probably should have been more nervous than I was,” says Erin. “But we loved working together, and we kind of felt like we could do anything together because we had that working relationship.”
From their journey so far, based on their own experience and that of their clients, they have garnered some hard-won insights into what makes for a successful business:
- No matter what kind or size business, “we all have a similar journey,” says Gail. “Everyone has the same issues, only on different scales.”
- Whether doing your best design work or solving problems in your business, it’s all about creativity.
- You can’t do it alone. You need others to support, inspire and help you problem-solve.
By sharing their story, Gail and Erin hope to inspire others to pursue their own path to success. There are a lot more “aha” moments in the podcast, so please give it a listen. And thanks for being part of the journey.