Trade Tales

Hosted by Business of Home, Kaitlin Petersen

Business Entrepreneurship Arts Design

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Episodes

184

Latest episode

Sep 2026

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About the show

Business of Home's editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen talks to interior designers about nurturing creativity, finding a firm’s financial footing, setting goals and discovering their own version of success as a result.

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60 recent

September 9, 20261 hr 15 min

Ali Faulkner on building a team that’s passionate about the client experience

Ali Faulkner’s first career in high-end hospitality has played a crucial role in shaping the firm she leads today—one in which everything from her firm’s back-end operations, to hiring and onboarding are crafted around delivering an ideal client experience. In this episode, she shares how outsourcing social media caused her inbound leads to multiply, how working with a sales coach transformed her calls with prospective clients, and how she’s building a work environment that allows employees to create accountability for themselves. This episode was sponsored by High Point Market and Minted . LINKS Ali Faulkner Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

September 2, 202654 min

Ask Us Anything: How Shaun Crha presents product pricing to clients

In this episode, interior designer Shaun Crha of Long Beach, California–based firm Wrenstead Interiors answers a question from a designer whose clients want to know exactly what she’s paying for product. Crha jumps in with advice on using a budgeting guide to prepare clients for prospective room costs, an alternative approach to fully itemized pricing, and why some information always remains internal to his firm. This episode was sponsored by Four Hands . LINKS Wrensted Interior Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

August 26, 20261 hr 2 min

How Kelly Finley is building a firm that brings her joy

Kelly Finley set out to create her ideal firm—and then, after bringing that vision to life, realized a large staff and juggling tons of projects wasn’t all she’d hoped it would be. Moving forward, she decided to go back to basics—discovering the projects, clients and charitable pursuits that truly bring her joy. In this episode, she shares how she created a custom database for her firm’s backend, using AI to catch ordering mistakes and why she decided to launch a nonprofit that operates alongside her design firm. LINKS Kelly Finley Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

August 19, 202649 min

Ask Us Anything: Erica Vassalotti’s guide to photo rights

In this episode, interior designer Erica Vassalotti of Philadelphia-based design firm Bergman Vass answers a question from a designer who wants to make sure she’s maximizing her investment if she’s spending big on photography. Vass jumps in with advice on the value in teaming up with your photographer to strategize about media coverage, how usage rights are akin to art commissions, and why it's important to also represent clients in a photo shoot. This episode was sponsored by Four Hands . LINKS Erica Vassalotti Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

August 12, 202659 min

Why Molly Torres Portnof hands every prospective client an investment guide

Molly Torres Portnof keeps her firm’s inner circle small—which means that each person in her orbit, carefully chosen, has an outsize influence on her success. She brings the same intentionality to the clients she works with, thanks to a series of safeguards that ensure it’s always a stellar fit. In this episode, she shares the value of publicity in a changing media landscape, why she sends an investment guide to every prospective client, and the process she swears by to find the most qualified leads. LINKS Molly Torres Portnof Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

August 5, 202639 min

Ask Us Anything: Tina Ramchandani on attracting your ideal client

In this episode, New York-based interior designer Tina Ramchandani answers a question from a designer whose firm is attracting plenty of potential clients—just not the ones she wants in her pipeline. Ramchandani jumps in with advice on finding the messaging that authentically conveys your firm’s value, tactics for filtering out unqualified leads, and the annual reset that helps crystallize her ideal client. This episode was sponsored by Four Hands . LINKS Tina Ramchandani Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

July 29, 202658 min

Erica McLain on bridging the gap between science and design

Erica McLain has been continuously guided by a fierce drive and curiosity—qualities that propelled her to Stanford, the Olympics, and tech companies like Facebook and Google. Now, she’s combining those strengths to blaze a new trail in the design industry, rooted in a measurable, research-backed understanding of environmental psychology and neuroaesthetics. In this episode, she shares the “design potential report” she prepares for prospective clients, her firm’s unique B2B offering, and the toolkit she is developing to analyze a home’s impact on clients. This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture . LINKS Erica McLain Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

July 22, 202647 min

Ask Us Anything: Dane Austin on taking design presentations to the next level [Rebroadcast]

Boston designer Dane Austin joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer who knows the basics when it comes to presenting design ideas, and is now looking for advice on how to take her strategy a step further, ultimately selling her vision—and commitment—to her clients. Austin offers advice on bringing a theatrical edge to big-picture design planning, a strategy for physically packaging ideas that invokes the world of luxury shopping, and the value of refining the decision-making process through three levels of presentations. LINKS Dane Austin Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

July 15, 202659 min

Why Mandy Cheng won't delegate her firm's finances [Rebroadcast]

Mandy Cheng launched her creative career in set production before discovering that transforming interiors was a perfect fit. The past few years have been pivotal for her firm, with industry accolades and high-profile clients that have brought growth, but also pushed her to explore what creative expansion will look like in the years ahead. This episode was sponsored by Kohler and Vanguard Furniture . LINKS Mandy Cheng Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home

July 8, 202640 min

Ask Us Anything: Melissa Oholendt’s go-to interview questions for new hires [Rebroadcast]

Melissa Oholendt of Minnesota- and Colorado-based firm Oho Interiors answers a question from a designer who is currently interviewing candidates for her firm’s first full-time position. Oholendt jumps in with advice on how to reveal a candidate’s true ambitions, evaluating skillset through a key question and knowing when to call for backup. LINKS Oho Interiors Kaitlin Petersen Business of Home