LuAnn Nigara

LuAnn Nigara I help home decor pros create profitable businesses.
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LuAnn Nigara, keynote speaker, business stategist, host of both A Well-Designed Business and Window Treatments For Profit podcasts, co-owner of Exciting Windows and National President of the WCAA.

Here’s my business advice for Labor Day weekend: Stop working.I know, I know. There’s always something you could be doin...
09/05/2026

Here’s my business advice for Labor Day weekend: Stop working.

I know, I know. There’s always something you could be doing. An email you could answer, a proposal you could finish, a few loose ends you could clean up before Tuesday.

But one of the reasons we work so hard to build good businesses is so that every once in a while, we can actually step away from them.

And if your business truly cannot function without you checking in for a day or two, that might be something worth paying attention to when you get back.

But not today.

Close the laptop. Go outside. Spend time with your people. Watch the sunset. Enjoy the long weekend.

The business will still be there Tuesday. And so will I, ready to help you tackle whatever comes next. 💚

Before you buy another ticket to a conference, ask yourself:What will I do differently in my business because I attended...
09/05/2026

Before you buy another ticket to a conference, ask yourself:
What will I do differently in my business because I attended?

Because inspiration is nice.

But if you come home with pages of notes and nothing changes in your pricing, systems, leadership, profitability, or decision-making, what did you really get for your investment?

That is one of the reasons NEDCON caught my attention.

It’s three days, October 5–7 in Hoboken, NJ, focused on the real business behind the work.

And I’ll be there as the guest speaker on Wednesday, October 7.

If you are going to take three days away from clients, projects, and your team, make those three days count.
Investing in yourself matters.

Implementing what you learn is where the return happens.

Take a look at NEDCON and decide if this is the right investment for you and your business.

Go to https://loom.ly/8EMSHb8 to learn more and register

What kind of culture are you creating inside your business?For this Best Of A Well-Designed Business episode, I’m bringi...
09/04/2026

What kind of culture are you creating inside your business?

For this Best Of A Well-Designed Business episode, I’m bringing back my conversation with leadership consultant Jennifer Tokatyan about building a strong company culture and a team that gets results.

Because the minute another person joins your business, leadership matters. And whether you’re intentional about it or not, you are creating a culture.

If you haven’t heard this episode before, now is a great time to listen.

And if you have, listen again.

You may be leading a different team or facing different challenges today. Sometimes revisiting a conversation in a new season of business gives you an entirely fresh perspective on what needs your attention now.

Go to https://loom.ly/I5a7gIE to listen, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What do you do when your business turns double digits? You have a party in High Point! Who's coming?We'll kick things of...
09/04/2026

What do you do when your business turns double digits? You have a party in High Point! Who's coming?

We'll kick things off with the premiere of Part 5 of the Docuseries by JudeCharles, celebrating the podcast's journey over the last decade, followed by cocktails, light bites, music, and time together with this incredible community.

Whether you've been listening since episode one or you just found the podcast, I'd love to celebrate with you. Mark your calendar and RSVP here 👉 luannnigara.com/birthday/

🗓 Saturday, October 17
📍 High Point Market
🎉 The A Well-Designed Business 10th Birthday Party

designpodcast

Busy all day, but still wondering what you actually accomplished?For this Best Of A Well-Designed Business® episode, I’m...
09/02/2026

Busy all day, but still wondering what you actually accomplished?

For this Best Of A Well-Designed Business® episode, I’m bringing back my conversation with Pamela Durkin about time blocking and becoming more intentional with one of your most valuable resources: your time.

Because being busy and being productive are not the same thing.

If you haven’t heard this conversation before, now is a great time to listen.

And if you have? Listen again. Sometimes you hear the same conversation a second time and one idea hits differently because it’s exactly what you need right now.

Go to https://loom.ly/HbxIVSw to listen, or wherever you get your podcasts.

09/02/2026

When a client asks, “What’s your markup?” they may actually be asking something completely different.

Can I trust you?

When they ask why something costs so much?

Is this really worth it?

When they question the vendor you selected?

Are you making the best decision for me or for you?

Kate O’Hara’s advice is to stop hearing these questions as attacks and start getting curious about what’s underneath them.

Maybe they’ve been burned before.
Maybe they don’t understand full-service design.
Maybe they simply need to understand your process.

Not every pricing question requires a defense.

Sometimes it requires a conversation.

If you missed this episode, now is your time to listen. Go to https://loom.ly/rPzDYhw or wherever you get your podcasts to listen to episode 1219 now

When was the last time you went digging through the A Well-Designed Business podcast library?Because I have to tell you,...
08/30/2026

When was the last time you went digging through the A Well-Designed Business podcast library?

Because I have to tell you, there is a LOT of gold in there.

More than 1,000 conversations with designers, window treatment pros, coaches, authors, industry experts, and business owners who have been willing to share what worked, what didn’t, and what they learned along the way.

And you don’t have to start with the newest episode. Go back. Search for the thing you’re working through in your business right now — pricing, hiring, profitability, systems, sales, difficult clients, leadership. Chances are, we’ve talked about it.

So whether you’re cleaning out the studio, sitting at soccer practice, or just have some time in the car between client meetings, pull up an episode.

There might just be a conversation in there that you need to hear right now. 💚

Unpopular opinion: I think you DO have to sweat the small stuff.Maybe not every little thing in life, but in business? C...
08/30/2026

Unpopular opinion: I think you DO have to sweat the small stuff.

Maybe not every little thing in life, but in business? Come on. It's all small stuff when you really think about it.

🤔 Did you build enough project management hours into your fee for the inevitable backorders, reselections, contractor questions, and extra site visits—or are you about to work ten hours for free?

🤔 Did you ask that thrilled client for a review while she's excited about the process, or wait until the week her kitchen is torn apart and she's eating takeout for the fifth night in a row?

🤔 Did you confirm the lead time in writing? Double-check the measurement? Follow up when you said you would? Make sure your client knows exactly what happens next?

None of these sound like a big business strategy. But miss enough of them and suddenly you're losing margin, managing an unhappy client, or fixing a mistake that could have been prevented. So yes, sweat the small stuff.

The details aren't small things. They are the business. 💚

“You cannot Google or YouTube your business of design.”Rick Campos said it, and I couldn’t agree more.You can search for...
08/29/2026

“You cannot Google or YouTube your business of design.”

Rick Campos said it, and I couldn’t agree more.

You can search for SOP templates. You can watch videos about leadership. You can listen to podcasts about positioning, client experience, workflow, or scaling.

But none of those things know your business.

They don’t know where your process is breaking down. Why your team structure isn’t working. Where the client experience is getting messy. Or which of the 14 things keeping you up at night is actually the thing you need to solve first.

That’s where an experienced set of eyes changes things.

Rick Campos, founder of Design Biz Survival Guide and a Boardroom for Creatives Board Member, has spent years having the conversations design business owners need to have, the ones about what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change next.

Want to get a feel for how Rick thinks before you sit down with him?

Go listen to Episodes 774 and 790 of A Well-Designed Business®. In Episode 790 in particular, Rick and I talk about this very idea: the questions we have as business owners don’t necessarily go away as we grow. The circumstances around them change.

Then, if you hear Rick talking and think, 'This is exactly the conversation I need to have about my business' , don’t stop at the podcast.

Book 50 minutes with Rick inside the Boardroom for Creatives.

Bring him the business problem you’re tired of Googling.

In today's Best Of A Well-Designed Business® episode, and I want you to ask yourself a question:Is your website actually...
08/28/2026

In today's Best Of A Well-Designed Business® episode, and I want you to ask yourself a question:

Is your website actually helping you attract the clients you want?

In this conversation with Robyn White of RDW Design Studio, we’re talking about what it really means to market to the luxury interior design client and the role your website plays in doing that.

Because a beautiful website is not enough.

Your website needs to communicate who you are, what makes working with you different, and most importantly, how you help your client.

And here’s a little gut check for you: If someone can read your website, substitute another designer’s name for yours, and everything still makes sense, you have some work to do.

Your prospective clients should be able to land on your website and begin to understand why YOU are the right designer for them.

If you missed this episode the first time, now is the time to listen.

And if you heard it when it originally aired, listen again.

You are in a different season of your life and your business today. Your ideal client may have changed. Your services may have evolved. Your positioning may need refinement. Sometimes you can hear the exact same conversation a second time and suddenly one idea lands completely differently because now you’re ready for it.

Go to https://loom.ly/0gYwmOs to listen to today's episode , or wherever you get your podcasts.

Address

34 E Northfield Road
Livingston, NJ
07039

Telephone

(973) 535-5860

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