13 Jun From BOLD Logistics and Design Week to Style Eyes – Dallas Market Makes It Happen!

Are you ready?  Because in order to make things happen in your life and business, you need to be ready to take action. Not tomorrow, but TODAY! This is what I’ve learned from Julia Molloy, founder of BOLD Summit, Leslie Carothers from Savour Partnership, and many other talented business owners, like my coach Cathy Kegley of Luxury Design Marketing.  Julia brought her BOLD Just Logistics workshop to Dallas in April for a 2-day Workshop of Mastery, of which I attended, during Dallas Design Week. And although Leslie Carothers could not be there, her business, Savour Partnership, had the most amazing handout to demonstrate how she, and her partner Sam Henderson, help many new and experienced designers take their brand to the next level.

Read about why BOLD Logistics is a must HERE! And 3 Tips to Take Your Brand to the Next Level. In late June, after I return from Dallas next week, I’ll feature Part II of my NEW blog Series “Taking Your Business to the Next Level”. I can tell you right now, that if not for Julia’s BOLD Summit of which I had the honor of attending in September of 2017, I would not be doing interviews or videos on our Instagram.  It’s a learning curve, but to BeBOLD works!! Just ask me and Julia Molloy!

Me and Julia Molloy, the CEO of BOLD Summit.

It’s no easy task, especially if you’re a solopreneur.  I’m still in the throes of taking Deborah Main Designs, to the next level, tweaking our brand story and business model, and on the cusp of hiring an assistant to help me keep our brand moving forward.  I was honored to recently be interviewed by Kathleen Bandaruk of Tastefully Inspired for “Design Showcase” . Check out how we’ve expanded our services HERE. Our pillows were also accepted into a juried art exhibition “DECO-R: Decorative Arts” showing through July 6th in Fort Collins, Colorado. We’ve also added  @deborahmainpillows Instagram for those who need their “everything pillows” fix featuring our vintage textiles, trim, jewelry and other unique materials. It’s a lot to keep up with, but we’re very excited about the changes at our little studio and all the wonderful talent we’ve been connecting with. If you haven’t yet subscribed to our blog, what are you waiting for?

Now, onto some of what I learned at BOLD Just Logistics and the panel “Elevating Your Brand” during Dallas Design Week.

The first Dallas Design Week,  launched this spring at Dallas Market Center, was very exciting!!  Says CEO Cindy Morris –

With thousands of designers visiting our growing design marketplace each month, it is increasingly important for Dallas Market Center to be a center of education, connection, and inspiration. We are excited to support the design community by adding Dallas Design Week to our record number of design events for 2018. – Cindy Morris, President and CEO of Dallas Market Center

And she’s spot on!  I needed a little jump start to stay focused on our new biz model, and being able to attend the BOLD Logistics in April was PERFECT timing.  It was incredible to meet and network with other designers and learn from panel discussions. Also, for those interior designers needing CEU’s it was the perfect opportunity.

Nick May of The Chaise Lounge, dived right in during “Dine + Design” luncheon interviewing Julia Molloy of BOLD Logistics and NYC interior designer Drew McGukin. The room was packed! Both Julia and Drew, with Nick’s fantastic questions,  shared their experiences with clients and projects.

Moderator Nick May talking with Julia Molloy and interior designer Drew Mcguin.

The food was delicious and Michael Bauer gave away tons of prizes.  You won’t believe this, but yes, The Pillow Goddess won a pillow!!  It was too funny because those who know me were laughing at the irony of it, while the other attendees had no clue what we were laughing about. Below is the wonderful pillow I won from Ethan & Associates, a fabulous showroom at Dallas Market Center.

Michael Bauer about to announce that the Pillow Goddesss just won a pillow! 🙂

That evening at a cocktail reception at Palecek showroom in the new Interior Home + Design Center (another exciting NEW reason to attend Dallas Market!), the showroom manager so kindly invited me to attend the panel discussion the next morning, but said to get there early!

“Elevating Your Brand” featured D Magazine’s Marketing Director, Gillea Allison, moderated the panel of two brands I was dying to learn more about: Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry of Pulp Design Studios (which has been growing rapidly, where they now have their own textile line) and Caitlin Wilson, a well-known product and interior designer (whose had great success since 2007 and now has her own textile line!).  And afterward we could sit down with Executive Director of D Magazine, Ryan Conner, and share our work. Now how awesome is that!!

It was another packed house in such a gorgeous showroom, Palecek, perfect for all the texture we love here at Deborah Main Designs. (Photos of the wonderful texture at end of post).

I met so many wonderful people and learned so much at Design Week and BOLD Logistics, that it’s kind of hard to sum it all up.  What you need to know about why it’s so important to attend events and network is because your life and business will be enriched by meeting other designers and learning from them. Here are 4 of the most important take-aways for me from both Design Week and BOLD Logistics about successful design businesses:

1. Successful design businesses are people just like you and me. They might have families, career changes, or anything in between. But they all have a story to tell of how they got started and grew their business. I was so impressed with meeting Beth Dotolo #irl (in real life) for the first time. We had been friends on Facebook for awhile and I heard wonderful things about her and Carolina. But I didn’t expect her to be so approachable – super nice, humble, warm and friendly, even offering to help brainstorm ideas if I needed it. It helps give you confidence in your own business when you meet people who you can relate to one-on-one.  Read about the Pulp designers HERE.
2. Successful design businesses have a plan. They have specific strategies. They analyze their data. They do not just do something like that expression of “throwing spaghetti on the wall and hoping something will stick.”  They create their businesses with intention. Like Beth and Carolina started their company with $500 but new what they wanted and mapped out a strategic plan to get there.
3. Successful design businesses can still evolve.  They almost have to be fluid to adapt to changing inspiration or economic climate or even technology. Like Caitlin’s husband’s job took their family overseas and it was living there for two years that inspired her to create her textile and pillow line with a Middle Eastern and Asian influence. Read about Caitlin HERE.
4. Successful design businesses have a clear brand story and message. Everything a brand does has to be consistent across all social media. As Julia Molloy emphasized in BOLD Logistics, your brand message has to start with your recording machine and end with your follow up thank you. It has to be a common, consistent thread throughout every single touch point with your clients. Read more about Julia HERE. 

Palecek Showroom Manager Greg Barnes introducing moderator Gillia Allison of D Magazine.

Product and Interior Designer, Caitlin Wilson.

Beth Dotolo and Carolina Gentry of Pulp Design Studio.

I even got to sit down with D Magazine afterward and tell them about Deborah Main Designs.  It was so wonderful to be around such successful design businesses who genuinely cared about your success.  But that’s no surprise to me, as Dallas Market Center gets the best of the best and makes sure all market attendees reap the benefits of speaking directly with successful interior and product designers.  How exciting that DMC now has Dallas Design Week!!!

Stay tuned later this week for “Style Eyes”, another brand NEW program tastemaker program with Dallas Market Center. “Dallas Market Center announced the launch of Style Eyes, noting the program will “leverage the knowledge and taste making skills of many of the leading industry social media influencers for their insights and discoveries.”

I know several of the designers on the list (who will be great fun to see!), but I really look forward to meeting the ones I don’t know and hearing what they all have to say about design trends going forward on Friday, the 22nd. at 4 p.m.

Please enjoy all the wonderful photos from posed to silly, cause we all have to have fun doing our jobs or it’s not worth it.  I can’t wait to go to the Dallas Total Home & Gift show and LIGHTOVATION next week at the June Dallas Market, June 20th – 26th. Be sure to check back for our next blog post for many of the exciting events to attend including the Grand Opening of the NEW Smart Center!  Till then, hope you’re enjoying a little bit of summer in between your work deadlines. I know I will be soon come mid-July, vacation time!  XO PG

NOTE: This is not a sponsored post. All images and opinions are my own, except for “Style Eyes” logo.

The fabulous Ms. Robin Baron! That is her signature hello with the hand upward. Be sure to stop by her showroom in the NEW Interior Home + Design Center. Read more about Robin on our blog HERE.

Me and Laura Van Zeyl who heads up #LIGHTOVATION.

The fabulous and colorful lunch that DMC served!

Me with new friend, interior designer Shinethia Mabry of Mabrilium.

Me with Beth Dotolo and Carolina.

Several attendees and new friends with Caitlin Wilson.