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Great accomplishments begin with grand visions. Give yourself permission to dream big and go for it. The sooner you begin, the sooner your dream will come true.
In this podcast, Gail and Erin talk with interior designer Cheryl Stauffer, CEO and principal, Crimson Design Group, Columbus, Ohio, offering residential and commercial design services. The daughter of two Mennonite missionaries, she has made it a point to integrate philanthropy and a giving spirit into her firm’s culture and operations. To date, the firm has used a portion of client fees to donate more than $300,000 to a variety of non-profit organizations.
With a staff of 10, a stable of loyal clients, and millions of dollars in annual revenue, Crimson Design Group is a thriving practice. Nonetheless, Cheryl has big plans for its future. She has set herself and the firm a goal that by 2029 it will be a $50 million-dollar-a-year company, with seven studios and 50 staff, with satellite offices in various locations, and doing work globally. Achieving that level, said Cheryl, will give the firm more money and influence to accomplish more and provide more opportunities for staff to develop professionally and achieve their own dreams for themselves.
Flashback to when Cheryl first started working with Gail, with a staff of five, and her firm was bringing less than $1 million a year. Gail asked what had changed for her that she now has the confidence to grow to a $50 million-a-year firm in less than 10 years. “I gave myself permission to grow,” Cheryl replied. With Gail’s help, she said, she had broken out of her scarcity mindset. “When you look at everything from a scarce standpoint, it makes you not believe in the things that you can really do and it holds you back. Now I know, if I want to grow, I can grow.”
Erin asked Cheryl if, in hindsight, there was anything she would do differently. “Give myself permission to grow sooner,” she responded, “to allow myself to vision having a big company. To dream bigger sooner.”
Gail asked Cheryl if she had any tips or advice to share with listeners to help them with their businesses. She said,
- Take time to meditate, give yourself space to think about what you really want
- Give yourself permission to vision, be true to yourself
- Push past your mind-limiting beliefs
Cheryl had a lot more to say about how she’s grown her business, her philanthropical activities, why she named the firm Crimson Design Group, and why her mother is the person who inspires her the most. Listen to the full podcast for more insights
Mentioned in This Podcast
You can find out more about Cheryl, her firm and her work at crimsondesigngroup.com. To learn more about the firm’s philanthropical work, go to crimsongivesback.com.
Cheryl named two interior designers who inspire her: hospitality designer Kit Kemp, founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels (more information at kitkemp.com), and Joni Vanderslice, owner and president of J. Banks Design Group (more information at www.jbanksdesign.com).
A couple of books Cheryl said she has been reading recently are
- Three Feet from Gold: Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities! by Sharon L. Lechter & Dr. Greg S. Reid, which presents the key principles of self-help guru Napoleon Hill’s best-selling Think and Grow Rich, first published in 1937 (available in print and e-book from bookstores and online)
- The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life by Lynne Twist (more information at soulofmoney.org)