What You'll Discover In This Episode:
John McClain is the CEO & Creative Director of John McClain Design, a successful business by almost anyoneās standards. Early on in his entrepreneurial journey though, John almost lost it all.
He had an awful situation with a client. He had no systems, no processes and no organization at the time. He didnāt even have a written agreement with the client for that matter. All he had was a handshake and a smile which set him up for a disaster. The client had taken advantage of John but he wasnāt aware of it and was just flying off the cuff getting the project done. Then, suddenly it all blew up in Johnās face.
John got a call from the client saying, āI am going to sue you for everything you have.ā As a baby designer who had limited resources and wasnāt worth much yet, John still had to hire an attorney and figure out what to do about this scary situation. It ended with the client getting as many items as possible that had been ordered for the project. John had to deliver the items with an armed security guard and the clientās attorney present. Once the drop-off was complete, John pulled over to the side of the road and cried like a baby because he had just been through the most terrifying ordeal of his life and was now free of it. On the two-hour drive, Johnās tears dried up and he had his come to Jesus moment. He told himself he would never let this happen again and came to the realization that he had no systems and processes in place to prevent being taken advantage of by clients.
That was a huge turning point for John. He then made it his mission to create systems and processes for all the minutiae that happen between the first time a potential client contacts him to when the project is fully complete. He was eager to grow his business and this time, he wanted to get it right! He honed all the detailed steps and documented them before bringing more people on so everything could easily be replicated.
In this episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with John McClain to dive into creating systems and processes for your business so you can gain peace of mind knowing that every project will run like a well-designed machine and attain greater success.
Episode Links & Resources:
About Guest:
John is a multi-faceted leader in the interior design industry and proudly serves in his field as an interior designer, product designer, author, business coach, and podcast host.
As the CEO and Creative Director of his internationally acclaimed award-winning interior design firm, John McClain Design, his interior design and home furnishings creations have been featured by numerous shelter publications and television networks including Elle DĆ©cor, Traditional Home, HGTV, CBS, and NBC. John is also a contributor to outlets such as Martha Stewart Living, Interior Design magazine, The Wall Street Journal, & House Beautiful. As a product designer, John has created distinctive home furnishings that have not only garnered awards but have made numerous television appearances in their own right.
Johnās coffee table book, The Designer Within: A Professional Guide to A Well-Styled Home, features homes designed in his signature āComfortable Chicā aesthetic alongside helpful design tips and processes. John and launched an online education & business coaching program, Design Success Academy, where he instructs and coaches interior designers on best business practices. He continues these lessons on his growing podcast, The Designer Within.