Epic Entrepreneurs

How Boundaries, Delegation, And Transparency Fuel a Thriving Interior Design Firm with Kateri Babb

• Bill Gilliland

Share episode

Want a behind‑the‑scenes blueprint for growing a creative business without burning out? We sit down with Kateri, founder of Kateri Jane Designs, to unpack the practical playbook that powers her interior design studio: flexible systems, honest communication, and boundaries that actually hold. No fluff—just the exact moves that turn chaotic days into smooth client experiences.

We start with the foundation: how choosing a malleable CRM like Dubsado transformed inquiry to contract with one‑click automations, clean scheduler links, and customizable templates. That operational backbone reduces back‑and‑forth, prevents mistakes, and gives clients a consistent, professional journey from discovery call to install. From there, we dive into hiring in a field everyone wants to join. Katiri shares how she finds self‑starters, trains by learning style, and builds a culture where questions are welcomed and initiative is expected. The payoff is a team that adapts fast, communicates clearly, and keeps projects moving when plans change.

Then we tackle the owner myths. There’s no “free time” windfall when you run a studio—there’s admin, insurance, payroll, and vendor wrangling. The antidote is delegation and transparency. By outsourcing bookkeeping and installs, and by telling clients the truth about budgets, timelines, and trade‑offs, she earns steady referrals and protects her creative focus. The theme that ties it all together is boundary setting: no interior design emergencies after 5 p.m., weekends reserved for life, and workload caps that keep quality high. Those lines don’t scare clients; they attract the right ones.

If you’re a service‑based founder, designer, or creative entrepreneur looking to scale with sanity, you’ll leave with actionable steps: implement a client‑friendly CRM, hire for initiative, document your processes, delegate non‑core tasks, and guard your calendar. We wrap with quick hits on growth, continuous learning, planning without rigidity, finding inspiration everywhere, and committing through daily small steps. Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a builder who needs better boundaries, and leave a review so more entrepreneurs can find us.


Guest Contact info:

kateri@katerijanedesigns.com

Website: https://www.katerijanedesigns.com/

Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!
Bill

Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/

All the best!

Bill

SPEAKER_03:

All right, perfect. All right, welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. I am Cliff filling in for Bill Gilliland with your local business training and coaching firm, Action Coach Business Growth Partners. I am excited to have Katiri on with Katiri Bab, Katiri Jane Designs. Uh on as the focus for our Epic Entrepreneurs podcast today. So, Katiri, please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself and your company and what primary products or services you offer the community.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, thank you for having me. Um, I'm Katiri. I'm the owner and founder of Katiri Jane Designs that started in about 2022. Um, I offer interior design services to clients around West North Carolina and beyond. Um, do everything from small little consultations to full house renovations and furnishings to help clients bring their vision for their home to life.

SPEAKER_03:

Very nice, very nice. I love that. All right. So, yeah, so if you had to start your business from square one, would you do anything differently?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, that's a hard one. I'm like, I was I had worked for somebody for almost eight years, and I did I did ease into starting the business when I did it, um, just so that I could reset. And I'm like, there's think about something that I could change have done differently, maybe have spent a little bit more time setting up, you know, bus CRM programs, things of that nature, and you know, standard processes a little bit earlier on than I did. But other than that, I'm kind of I'm relatively happy with how I started it, where I took my time, made sure I learned a little bit more, eased into it, took on fewer clients that we could really get it set up and situated.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, okay. Yeah, I love that. I love that. So so you say, you know, taking on your CRM. So what I mean, what CRM do you use currently?

SPEAKER_00:

Currently, I'm using Dub Sato. Um, I had investigated many others, but Dub Sato was the right fit for in an interior design firm. So it worked out well.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, okay, great, great. Any features in that program that you use that you really like?

SPEAKER_00:

It has a really nice um automated setup. So, like it's very intuitive. So a client can fill out an inquiry on my website to have us reach out to them. We can send them a discovery call email, an investment guide, all of that. And all we have to do is press a button. Um, and then from there, like we can send our contracts. So there's a lot of things that domino in that program, and you can either have them automated that they automatically send it, or you have the option to basically push it through, which gives a lot of flexibility. Um, the program in general is very malleable for anybody. Like they get you have the option for templates, but they pretty much start with you with a blank slate, and then you can create it, build it up as much as you want, or as little as you want. Um, but it definitely made it a lot easier to streamline and not have people trying to schedule appointments too, because they do scheduler on there. Um, because otherwise, people are texting or emailing constantly trying to coordinate an appointment, and instead they can go on there or we send them a scheduler link to make it really easy.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, okay. Yeah, that sounds like a really, really good streamlined uh CRM. I have to look into it. Um, so what have your big biggest learning, you know, learnings been as an owner and employer since you started your business? Like you've kind of talked about it here a little bit, just a little bit earlier, but what would you say are even more your biggest learnings that you've learned as an owner of a business?

SPEAKER_00:

I think the biggest learning one pieces that have come into play are like when hiring somebody, um, because the design field is so specific, but everyone and their mom kind of wants to be a part of it at this point because of like HGTV. Um so it's been interesting to see the uh I've had a few different design assistants and multiple at a time, um, the different uh levels and training them and you know figuring out their best learning, like way they learn in general, because some people are like visual, some people are better just you know, hands-on things of that nature, or they want to watch videos and read the whole time. Um that's been a little bit, that's definitely been a learning curve for sure, because I have to uh morph to whatever learning style that person needs so that I can make sure that they get up to speed and are helpful to the company, but also I'm not they're not bored and they're excited to do what we're doing. So that's probably that's probably the top one, besides like having the stream, like getting this the protocols in place and things of that nature. Um, yeah, like the employee part probably is a little tricky, but I keep it flexible, which I I know some places don't. Um I kind of let it be like an organic process. Um, like there's certain things that we go over, but at the same point, um, we definitely leave it, let it be a little bit more fluid because on the average day things change constantly in the office or out of the office for the design team in general.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Now what would you say is your ownership or management style?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm so I'm pretty laid back.

SPEAKER_03:

Um, yeah, you seem pretty laid back.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I had worked in a place where the person was very rigid and um it was it made it difficult for employees to like kind of grow and learn and also like feel safe enough to do that. And so I keep it definitely very flexible. Um, I expect people, I do set the expectation that they need to be a self-starter and be able to do things and take initiative, but other than that, I keep it pretty open communication that it's more like almost family-like and or friend-like, that they don't feel uncomfortable asking questions, they don't feel uncomfortable requesting something. I mean, I've not had anybody abuse it so far. Um yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, I yeah, at the end of the day, we're I mean, everyone's an adult, right? And if you need constant micromanaging, if I have to keep reminding you to do something, then you probably shouldn't be around, right? You know what I mean? Like it's that does that make sense?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, it's like I already babysit, uh I already babysit on design jobs as is that I don't need an employee that I have to babysit. Um, but most of every person I've hired, um, even if they've been temporary, they have all been like self-starters or creatives and they want to learn or they are able to pick up the material quickly and rock and roll and you know, follow like see how we work, see how the I work in general, and then they're able to morph to that to be able to be benefit helpful, but also they can learn and have a little bit of fun in the design field without getting too stuck or something, or me being like, no, no, no, we have to do it this way.

SPEAKER_03:

Like, yeah, yeah. And and that and that's a uh a tribute to to you, which you do. I mean, obviously you're you have a keen eye for hiring the right people, so that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's very it's in it's a difficult industry to hire in for sure. Um because like I said, so many people want to be a part of it and have no background in it, um, or have no, like they they've never even done anything with it. Um, but I seem to they seem to come to me. I've gotten numerous, a few that like literally were cold emailed, cold emailed me or cold called me and was like, hey, like I want to work for a designer. Are you open to that? And um, I'm always willing to have an open conversation and at least, you know, not totally shut someone down. And if I don't have the capacity to take them on, I I try to send them in direction, like give them some options of places locally that might be. Um, so keep it I I I try to keep it's like I keep it open communication in general, and I do that even when someone's interested in working with us, so it makes it a little bit easier.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah. No, I love that. I love that. So, what are some common misconceptions about running a business and how do you address them?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, we have all we have more free time and that our schedules are a little bit looser. That one's a good one. Um, okay, okay. Everyone's like, oh, you own your own business, you can do whatever you want, and you can take off and go on vacation for a month. And it's like, no, no, I can't. I mean, technically I can, but the amount of uh admin work, I think sometimes people don't realize the amount of background things that have to be completed, administration, like like with the bills and you know, insurance and all that. People think it's a lot simpler than that, um, or even payroll. Um I think people just don't realize all the nitty-gritty that comes with owning your own business. It's definitely it. I mean, I wouldn't do it, I would not go back. Um, and I know a lot of people are a lot, a lot of people that have started their own companies and businesses. Once you go out on your own, you generally don't want to go back working for somebody else. Um even with all of the item, the whole list of things you have to complete on a regular basis and maintain. Um, but also realizing delegating is I think some people think they have to do all of it um from the every little tiny thing. And in reality, it's better you can delegate. Delegation is your friend. Um, yeah. So um I've I've been learning that's one learning thing that I've been working on over the last uh four years. Um, is learning to delegate some things a little bit more. Um, because I feel like most entrepreneurs to some degree are are a little bit of control freaks. Um just because we can't have to be.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I think you kind of have to be to be a business owner a little bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And so delegation is definitely a for is definitely a friend. Um, and learning to delegate the appropriate, you know, tasks to even outsourcing them to other local companies just so that you can give yourself a little bit more space to do the part of the business that you love and the reason you started the business. Um, it's not gonna hurt you.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And I know a lot of people get get nervous about doing that. So um, and I've heard that from when I feel like when you're a business owner, uh you end up becoming friends with a lot of other business owners. It just like attracts like. Um, and so I have a friend that owns another company, and she her and I are constantly pinging ideas. She actually worked for me for a year as my design assistant. Um, okay, while she was getting her business up and running. And her and I always are pinging up, she's pinging ideas off of me. And like, I'll give her resources and be like, hey, you should totally delegate that to an actual bookkeeper or you know, pass this off, things of that nature to lessen the load and let her do the things she likes within her company. Yeah, um, okay. So it's definitely, I think that's that's the probably that's probably the best best one of the two would be that.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, no, I love it. Yeah, that's great. That's great. So, what do you attribute your growth to so far?

SPEAKER_00:

Consistency and my transparency with my clients. Um my transparency with my clients uh started because I was trying to re basically the company I worked for was not very transparent 100% of the time with the clientele. Um, and so I wanted my clients to feel heard and have the open communication. And so, because of the fact that I've had constant referrals and things of that nature, I've been able to bring on design assistants, admin assistants, um, some installers, um, to be able to let the business grow a little bit. Uh, so it makes it, I think the client having good our client base being so solid and a constant referral flow has made it easier to grow because I'm like, I need somebody, I can't do this by myself.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah. No, you're you're very you're very quick to delegate things, it sounds like so. And that's and that's good to kind of, yeah. So, next question, I guess, would be, you know, how do you balance your personal life with the demands of running a business? And you kind of went into this a little bit earlier, but how do you how do you balance your personal life with the demands of running your business?

SPEAKER_00:

So I'm big on trying to maintain that work-life balance. Um, at the end of the day, to know it's like there is no such thing as an interior design emergency. I'm sorry. I love my job, I love my work, but there is no interior design emergency that would land on me. Um, like if it's someone's water situation, that's the plumber. But I've made, I've definitely put in hard boundaries with people. Clients know that if they text me past five o'clock, there's a chance I'll respond, but also don't expect me to respond. Um I draw the line very hard with that. I also, you know, if I have, if I feel like I have we have family in town come like, because both um my sister-in-law and my sister and her husband, they all all of them live in California. So when they come to visit, I try I immediately am like, okay, I'm not gonna work a full day, I'm gonna leave my schedule open. Um and I communicate that with the clients that are current so they're aware that we're not working. I have family in town. Um, and then making sure that like if my husband and I decide to take a day off, because he also owns his own business, we're one of those crazy households. Um you know, both of us are glutton for punishment on that one. Um we'll, you know, we make sure we have time and we take our weekends very seriously. So we don't work on the weekends. It's a very rare occasion that I will I will, if I'm unless it's like on me and I choose to, I we shut off for the weekend. I don't respond to emails. I don't really I try not to check them. Um, and I think even just that little bit of saying weekends are sacred, they're for the family, they're for us to do fun things, they're for you know, us to go to the farmers market, go get coffee, um, hang out with the dogs. It's a boundary that my at least my clients understand. Um, like even a week ago, I told them I was like, I'm taking off. I went to a work event that was through the weekend, and my birthday was the following. And I was like, I'm taking the week off. I need a break. I'll I'm not available. Every single client was like, Great, you deserve it. Take the time, decompress, talk to you next week. Every single one. I was like, oh my gosh, this is what this is why I do what I do, this is why I pick the clients I sign on with. Um, just because that's what we try to attract, is people that understand that like we have lives too. Um, and at the end of the day, no, you don't want to be laying on your deathbed, which I tell my friend this who owns the business as well. You don't want to be laying out, you're not gonna lay on your deathbed saying, I wish I worked more. You're gonna be laying there going, I wish I spent more time with my friends or my family or my dogs. Like, yeah, so I always have that running through my head that I don't need to work myself into the ground. Um, and we also cap like we try to cap our workload in the office in general, so that even if my like my assistant has family come into town and she's like, Hey, I don't know what we're planning. We keep it. I'm like, fine, you don't have to work this week. Go do that stuff. Um, so I de it's very important to me. And I have a few other people that I like work and uh coordinate, like collaborate with, and they're very much like about one person she finishes work at one o'clock on Fridays. That's her cutoff.

SPEAKER_03:

Um I no, I love that. No, I love that. I mean, that's and I mean it's true, right? I mean, you know, I I get basically at 5 p.m. on Fridays, you guys are done. Oh, yeah, and that's it until the until Monday morning. So yeah, I love hearing that. Yeah, no, it's it's good because you you do have to have a work-life balance, right? I mean, it's huge because like you said, you know, you want to leave a legacy in this life, and a legacy doesn't have to be all attributed to work, right? It can be attributed to what you're doing outside of work, like you said, with your family, with your dogs, and doing having experiences, getting out of the house. And yeah, I really, I really do like that. I believe that as well. Um, all right, perfect. So, what qualities do you look for in employees and how do you foster a positive and productive work environment?

SPEAKER_00:

So I'm like, I always look for someone that's like a self-starter, which seems to be the case because they all come to me for some reason. They reach out and I'm like, they they've obviously got a little bit of guts on that part. Um they it's like the self-starter. They let's think. I'm like, I made a list like recently because I was talking to somebody else. Um can take an, I mean self-starter, but also like takes initiative, doesn't need to be handheld necessarily after they've had some of the training. Um is willing, like is pretty flexible, like they don't need a rigid setup because even my design assistant, week by week, we go, okay, what days do you want to work next week? Do you want to do half day? Do you want to do full day? Um, just because the business is so like ever-changing that if they can't just like somewhat fly by the seat of their pants, they it it it can be a little jarring for someone that you know needs like I need it to be nine to five, structured, give me my list of honeydew lists and I'll get it done. Um but most of them like people that are easy that are open communicators are like accurate communicators, even my current assistant. She her the first email I got from her, I was like, dang, this girl knows how to write a good email. And so I was like, okay. Um, yeah, I'm like, even and then just like having some creative aspects that they look like are into. Um and also that they, you know, they want that work-life balance. It's it's like it's very dependent on each person. Um because I'm one of those people that like I generally can get a feel for somebody, uh, and see like, but pretty much self-starter and taking initiative, doesn't need a babysitter, um, willing to learn, willing to pick it up quick, like willing to figure it out themselves, but also are are not afraid to ask questions. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, okay, yeah. No, I love that. I love that. So um, so yeah, so basically now I'm gonna go through a quick fire round. So um it's gonna be quick, quick questions, just give me the first thing that comes to your mind. Um so it's gonna be B, bring the energy. So yeah, that's basically the acronym right there. So, what would you say for what words of advice would you offer other business owners who are looking to grow?

SPEAKER_00:

Looking to grow. I mean, you just gotta take the first step. I mean whatever it is, if you're like I I'm contemplating hiring someone, just throw it out there. Put the job listing out, reach out to your network, like just do it. You know, especially if you can if your workload can handle it and your finances and all that, just do it. Just make the step uh in that direction.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, okay, perfect, perfect. All right, so education. What would you say? What would you what would you give other people advice about as far as education and owning a business?

SPEAKER_00:

Educating, like learning while you're still in the business or correct while okay. Um definitely beneficial. I would highly recommend it. Um, every industry is different, so you know, just keep learning because it's gonna allow you to, it'll let you grow more um as a business owner and a leader in your company in general, and also give you fresh perspective that you might not have thought of. Um, because when you're in the daily grind of running the business, you can kind of get tunnel vision. So having doing CEUs, depending on what industry you're in, or you know, even just listening to a new podcast or reading new books that have come out. Um just keep doing it, keep learning because things are ever changing in every business. So it'll keep you fresh and keep your perspective, like keep you a little bit open to new perspective on it as things change in the world in general.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, okay. Now planning. What uh advice would you give for planning?

SPEAKER_00:

Definitely have a plan at the start. I'm like, don't just be like, I'm gonna start a business and have no plan. Have some sort of plan, otherwise you're gonna be backtracking for sure.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Inspiration.

SPEAKER_00:

I was gonna say, look for it everywhere. I'm like, if you're asking, and of course you're asking someone that's in the creative industry. So like I take inspiration from everything. I mean, even just like looking at you know, other people's websites or following someone's Instagram of like a company that you're trying that you like and like how they're it appears they're rolling, you know, or talk to people in your network that business-wise either align with the kind of where you're trying to aim with your values for your company, like just look for it everywhere. I mean, you never know where you're gonna find it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, no, you you're right, you're right. I'm personally for me, I I'm a musician, so um, in my spare time, so I can hear like sometimes I'll like hear a song on the radio or I'll hear a song that's you know somebody else is playing and I'll get inspiration. I'll be like, man, I want to make a song now, you know, or I I want to get down and get on the keyboard and start playing. Like, you know, it's just I take inspiration from anything, and it usually has to do with music. So that's my my personal thing. But um now what would you say for commitment?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, you can't you can't really, you know, you gotta you gotta be you gotta be committed you gotta be a hundred percent in, or even you know, 200% in. And sometimes you don't feel like you are, and you might be nervous, but you just have to go get at it every day. Like every day wake up, even if it's a small thing, you're like, okay, I'm going to work on my website, or I'm going to try to find a lead, like just even if it's the smallest little baby step, just that's still that's still committing. You're committing that day to do your job, to do what your business is, things of that, and all of that, you know. It's just you just gotta, it's like you just gotta take that one step.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, okay, okay. And what's the next big thing for your business?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh probably at some point in the next I want to say three years, trying to bring another interior designer on. I'm like, because I'm the only one on the team right now. So um, but that's been uh in the works and conversations are in motion, but nothing's fully stuck or committed to at the moment, uh bringing on another designer so we can handle a little bit more uh projects and help more clients make their home feel a little bit more like them. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, perfect, perfect. And lastly, what's the best way for someone to reach you or or get in touch with you?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, it would probably be my website or even um Instagram.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, so that's the best way to reach you. Is a website or Instagram? All right, perfect. And what's the Instagram?

SPEAKER_00:

Instagram is at Katier Jane Designs.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, perfect. Perfect, perfect. All right, that's uh yeah, that's pretty much it. Fantastic. Thank you so much for being a part of this community and for all you're doing. Uh, we certainly wish you continued success. Anything else? Anything last you'd like to say? That's pretty much the recording right there.

SPEAKER_00:

Nope. I think I'm good.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, all right, perfect.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, perfect.