Only Girl On The Jobsite

Hosted by Renee Biery

Entrepreneurship Education

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Episodes

284

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to Only Girl On The Jobsite, the podcast for designers ready to step up their project management game and make confident decisions on the jobsite. I'm your host, Renée Biery, an interior designer with 30 years of experience navigating the world of construction. This podcast is your go-to resource for navigating the ups and downs of jobsite management, working with contractors, and overcoming common pitfalls that can derail a project. Each episode will empower you with actionable advice and real-world lessons to make your projects run smoothly. Ready to elevate your jobsite skills? Start listening, and discover how you can make every project a success. Learn more at www.deVignierdesign.com.

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60 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 2841 hr 43 min

284. How to Build a Successful Interior Design Career With Amy Vermillion

I've admired Amy Vermillion for a long time, so this conversation felt like sitting down with someone who truly understands what it takes to build a lasting career in this industry. We both started our businesses in 2000, worked our way up through firms, and learned the hard way, through experience, mistakes, and a lot of time on job sites. And what became very clear in this conversation is this: there is no single path to success in interior design, but there are patterns. In this episode, we talk about how a design career is actually built, from early jobs that teach you more than you realize, to starting your own firm, to navigating clients, construction, and the reality of running a business over decades. We also get into: Why construction knowledge changes everything for a designer How to position your value with clients (and why it's not about time) The importance of community in what can be a very isolating industry How the design industry has evolved — and where it's heading next This is one of those conversations that's equal parts practical and grounding. Whether you're just starting out or years into your business, it's a reminder that careers are built slowly — one project, one decision, and one relationship at a time. Find out more about Amy here: Website: https://www.amyvermillion.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyvermilloninteriors Mentioned in this episode: Join The Designer's Edge waitlist here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/building-an-interior-design-career-amy-vermillion

June 9, 2026Episode 28325 min

283. Why Interior Designers Shrink on Jobsites (And How to Stop)

If you're an interior designer managing construction projects, you already know the feeling. You walk into a room, a jobsite, a contractor meeting, an industry event, and something in the air quietly suggests you don't fully belong there. That the builders and the architects and the trades have a kind of authority you haven't quite earned yet. And without even realizing it, you get a little smaller. In this episode, I'm talking about what happens when interior designers shrink on jobsites and in rooms they weren't expected to be in, the over-explaining, the unnecessary apologies, the deferred decisions, and why each one compounds into something that costs you more than you realize. I'm also sharing the concrete language and the 60-second practice that changes how you walk into any room from here on out. Because your authority isn't something you earn once you're in the room. It's something you carry in with you. Mentioned in this episode: Join The Designer's Edge waitlist here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/interior-designer-confidence-jobsites

June 2, 2026Episode 28231 min

282. Scope of Work, Change Order, and Addendum: The Three Documents Every Interior Designer Needs on Every Project

There are three documents every interior designer managing construction projects needs to understand. And most don't, not fully. Not because they're complicated. Because nobody ever explained the difference between them and why each one matters so much. In this episode, I'm walking through the scope of work, the change order, and the addendum to scope of work; what each one does, when to use it, and what it costs you when you don't. I'm also talking about how these three documents together answer the question every client is quietly asking: why do I need a designer, and is this worth the investment? Because when you run a project with clear documentation and a system your whole team understands, you stop having to explain your value. Your clients feel it. Your contractors trust it. And your projects end the way they deserve to. Mentioned in this episode: Join The Designer's Edge waitlist here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/three-documents-interior-design-project

May 26, 2026Episode 28124 min

281. How to Handle a Contractor Who Stops Communicating (Without Blowing Up the Project)

You're a few weeks into a project. Things started well. And then the contractor goes quiet. The texts take days to get a response. The updates get shorter. You show up for a site visit, and no one told you the schedule changed. And you start filling in that silence with stories; he's probably just busy, maybe I'm being too demanding, maybe I should wait a little longer before following up. Here's the thing: that silence is not neutral. It's telling you something. And the longer you manage around it instead of addressing it directly, the more it costs you — in time, in money, in your client relationship, and in the authority you've worked hard to build. In this episode, I'm breaking down the four real reasons contractors go quiet, why the responses most of us default to make it worse, and exactly what to say when you have the conversation, so you can reset the dynamic without blowing up the project. Mentioned in this episode: Join The Designer's Edge waitlist here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.comcontractor-stops-communicating

May 19, 2026Episode 2801 hr 13 min

280. She Got Frustrated Enough to Build the Solution Herself — with Fiona Sanipelli

I love talking to people who came up through this industry the hard way and then figured out something that makes all of our lives better. Fiona Sanipelli is one of those people. She studied architecture, spent nearly 20 years in hospitality design, worked her way through some of the most celebrated firms in New York, and somewhere in the middle of all of that, got so frustrated by the chaos of spec writing that she and her brother built a better solution. That became DesignSpec. In this episode, we talk about her path through the industry, why your specs are either saving your projects or quietly killing them, how the right software can genuinely replace a hire, and what both of us actually think about AI and where it's headed for designers. Whether you're a solopreneur juggling everything yourself or you have a team trying to get more organized, there is something in this conversation for you. Connect with Fiona here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/designspec/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/designmanager/ https://www.instagram.com/designspec.com_/ https://www.instagram.com/designmanager/ Mentioned in this episode: Join The Designer's Edge here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/interior-design-spec-writing-software

May 12, 2026Episode 27929 min

279. That Feeling Early in a Construction Project? It's Telling You Something

Most hard construction projects don't announce themselves as disasters. They arrive as a feeling. A low hum. A sense that something's slightly off and you can't quite name it yet. And most of us push through it, manage around it, or work harder to compensate for it. Because that's what we do. But in this episode, I want to talk about what that feeling is actually telling you, and what becomes possible when you act on it early instead of managing through it later. Because a lot of the projects that feel hard from the start didn't have to. They feel hard because of a handful of small moments, early in the project, that went unaddressed. And by the time the hardness is undeniable, those moments are long past. If you've ever finished a project and thought, that was so much more work than it should have been, this one is for you. Mentioned in this episode: Join The Designer's Edge here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/early-warning-signs-construction-projects

May 5, 2026Episode 27825 min

278. Why Your Construction Projects Feel Like You Worked for Free

When you finish a construction project feeling like you worked for free, the instinct is to assume the number was wrong. Sometimes it is. But more often, the number was fine. What broke down was everything around it. In this episode, I'm talking about the two specific places pricing falls apart on construction projects, and neither one is your math. The first is how you present your fee. The second is how you protect it once the project starts. Both will cost you just as reliably as a loose scope of work will. They just do it more quietly. If you've ever hedged in a proposal meeting, absorbed hours you should have flagged, or finished a project and thought, that was so much more work than I accounted for, this one is for you. Mentioned in this episode: Join The Designer's Edge and my May 5th workshop here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/construction-project-pricing-interior-designers

April 28, 2026Episode 27730 min

277. The Structural Problem in My Business That Years of Hard Work Couldn't Fix

I've never told this story in full before. The financial pressure when my husband's career collapsed. My son's medical crisis. My own Graves' disease diagnosis right when my business was finally gaining real momentum. The debt that stayed through all of it — not because I wasn't working hard enough, but because the structure was wrong. This episode is about what it actually took to get to the other side. And why the fix was faster than I spent years convincing myself it would be. If you're surviving right now and wondering when it turns, this one is for you. Mentioned in this episode: Join the waitlist for The Designer's Edge and my May 5th workshop here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/interior-design-business-pricing-structure

April 21, 2026Episode 2761 hr 7 min

276. What Interior Designers Don't Know About Contracts (But Should) with Wendy Estela

Interior design contracts are often misunderstood, not just by clients, but by attorneys who don't understand how this industry actually works. In this episode, I'm joined by Wendy Estela, Founder of Estela Law and Designed Counsel™, a contract template and subscription service created exclusively for interior designers. With 25 years of experience in business law and a background in construction, Wendy serves hundreds of designers from AD100 and Elle Decor A-List professionals to those just starting out. We talk about what designers need to know about contracts, scope of work, liability, construction dynamics, copyright, and how to protect your business before problems arise. If you've ever: Wondered whether your contract truly protects you Felt unsure about construction management language Struggled with scope creep or warranty confusion Questioned what you can legally call yourself in your state Been nervous about sharing work on Instagram This episode is for you. Wendy brings practical, business-minded advice to an industry that is often underserved legally. And this conversation may completely change how you view your contract — not as paperwork, but as protection. Find out more about Wendy and follow her here: www.designedcounsel.com www.estelalaw.com https://www.instagram.com/estelalaw/ https://www.instagram.com/designed_counsel/ Mentioned in this episode: Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/interior-design-contracts

April 14, 2026Episode 27430 min

275. Why Interior Designers Can't Close the Deal (And How to Fix It Before the Proposal)

So you built your fee. You did the work. You went through every phase. You estimated your hours. You accounted for your role. And you landed on a number that actually reflects what this project will require. And then you presented it. And then the client either said, "That's more than we expected," or "Let us think about it and get back to you." And then they went quiet. If this has happened to you in the past or recently, let me please be the first to tell you: you are not alone. And I want to tell you something important before we go any further: The fee is probably not the problem. I'm actually betting on it. What happened before the fee is the problem. And that's what we're going to talk about today. Mentioned in this episode: Join the wait list for The Designers Edge and my May 5th workshop here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/construction-management-interior-designers Grab Your Free Script Guide here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/push-back-script-handout Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/appliance Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/interior-design-fee-rejection