What You'll Discover In This Episode:
If you’re in the interior design industry, you’ve no doubt heard of LuAnn Nigara. You’ve likely attended one of her events, seen her speak at a conference, had a conversation with her at High Point or Las Vegas World Market, or at the very least, seen her face flash across Instagram as you’re scrolling. She’s an icon in the industry.
If you’re not in the interior design industry but you’ve been listening to my podcast for awhile, you’ve no doubt heard me talk about LuAnn or listened to one of her guest episodes. I have had LuAnn on a few times because yes, I adore her as a friend and as a client (to know her is to love her), but I also know how much intrinsic value she can provide every conversation.
I also look up to her for many reasons. LuAnn is a visionary. She is a connector of people and ideas. She is fast-talking, even faster working, and has an undeniable presence that makes heads turn when she enters a room. She is super high-energy - like Energizer bunny super. She has lofty goals and ideas, along with the wisdom and experience to carry them out. LuAnn is warm, authentic, and engaging, but also reliable in giving it to you straight. She is great at interviewing people and synthesizing information to fill gaps and solve problems. LuAnn always has multiple projects going at once and somehow finds a way to lead her team to accomplish each of them. On her successful podcast, in her books,and during her talks and classes, LuAnn covers a wide variety of topics like processes and systems, pricing strategies, finance, marketing, sales, branding, hiring, and personal development - all in a way that helps her listeners, attendees, and clients see huge gains in their businesses. LuAnn is a powerhouse and everyone within her increasingly wide radius knows it.
But LuAnn wasn’t always the speaker, author, and podcast host we know her to be today. She wasn’t always hosting LuAnn University classes and Power Talk Fridays. Once upon a time, she was the full-time CEO of WindowWorks, a window treatment company in New Jersey. She acted as the company’s visionary while her husband built the necessary systems and handled operations. It was a $2 million gross revenue business that was more than making ends meet.
But after 30 years of co-running that operation, LuAnn had the epiphany that she didn’t want to do it for another 30 years so she began pondering what to do next. She started her podcast which took off quickly, opening hundreds of new doors of opportunity. Her creativity kept sparking new avenues to try and business ventures to pursue. I came along to coach her through her challenges, undertakings, and transitions. LuAnn originally asked me to fix her but I encouraged LuAnn not to try and change who she is but instead, optimize on who she is - because she is spectacular! She has been running that play for several years now and it’s been a successful and rewarding one.
In this special Behind The Business episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with Author, Keynote Speaker, host of A Well-Designed Business and Window Treatments for Profit Podcasts, LuAnn Nigara, to peel back the curtain on what it took to evolve from the CEO of WindowWorks to her current career roles, and discuss what it now takes to face operational realities in her businesses as a creative visionary.
Episode Links & Resources:
About Guest:
LuAnn Nigara is a leading business expert, keynote speaker, and media personality, known for helping entrepreneurs stop playing small and take decisive action. As the host of the top-rated podcasts A Well- Designed Business® and Window Treatments for Profit—with over 1,000 episodes and 9 million downloads —LuAnn has built an international reputation for delivering no-nonsense business advice.
A seasoned entrepreneur, she has successfully launched three businesses, including LuAnn Nigara Inc., where she provides business education through live events, LuAnn University, and bestselling books.
Known as the go-to speaker for business owners ready to get out of their own way and step into profitability, LuAnn delivers engaging, actionable keynotes that inspire and challenge audiences to make bold, smart decisions in their business.
