About Nick May…your host.

Is it weird that your host is not an interior designer?  Well, I guess it shouldn’t.  Tom Brokawinterviews people all the time, and he is not a firefighter, a head of state, or a convicted criminal.  So, I guess you could think of me as Tom Brokaw but better, because I actually do know a thing or two about the topics we discuss, business and interior design.  I’ve been in and around business and interior spaces for over 15 years, and have worked with a few good designers, and lots of bad ones.  Don’t get me wrong, most of them were great people, and at least decent designers, but many of them are a mess when it came to running a business.

My clients have asked me to do a lot of things over the years, and designing a few spaces has been one of them.  I know I am NO interior designer, I’ve learned that, and I have learned that there is a TON to know about interior design and what it takes to design, truly design a space that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.  And the two do not always co-exist.  What I do know a lot about however is building a business:  building systems, marketing, managing employees, and sales.  These are all topics that many interior designers need help with, and that is why I started The Chaise Lounge.   However, I did not think for a second that designers would think that they could learn, or would want to learn from a painting contractor.  As an industry, we don’t carry the best of reputations for running a business.  However, I do know that designers love to hear from OTHER designers that are more successful than they are, so I figured that would be a better format.