137. CEO Summer School: What I Know for Sure
Are you ready to slow down this summer, but still feel like you should be making progress in your business? Maybe you want to give yourself more space to enjoy the season, but also want to keep your interior design business moving forward.
In this episode, I’m announcing the return of CEO Summer School—my free audio series designed to help you navigate the summer months without feeling overwhelmed. This year, we’re bringing it back with a new theme, and I’m excited to share all the details with you. If you participated last year, you’ll want to tune in for a fresh twist this time around.
CEO Summer School is all about helping you reassess, recharge, and prepare for the second half of the year. Whether you’re working more or taking some time off, these episodes will offer business insights that are easy to absorb and apply, giving you the tools to finish the year strong.
Click here to enroll in CEO Summer School! We kick off June 11, 2025. You'll receive a dedicated email resource every other week to take what you’ve learned and apply it directly to your business.
If you've been thinking about working with me one-on-one, be sure to get on the private coaching waitlist! Click here to learn more about Design to Thrive and secure your spot to be the first to know when availability opens up.
What You’ll Discover from this Episode:
How to participate in CEO Summer School while maintaining your summer lifestyle.
Why this year’s theme brings universal business truths for every stage of your business.
The way to access bonus resources that complement each episode.
How to get the most out of the bi-weekly release schedule.
Why peer discussion and implementation will make all the difference in applying what you learn.
Listen to the Full Episode:
Featured on the Show:
If you love what you’re learning on the show, and want to learn how I can support you, click here to learn more about coaching.
Click here for the latest workshops and free resources.
Follow me on Instagram!
Sign up to my Monday Mindset email list to get bite-sized insights on topics that you can use to set your week up for success!
Get my free Life & Business Vision Journal!
Check out the new CEO Summer School series! We kick off June 11, 2025.
Full Episode Transcript:
Hey designer, you're listening to episode 137. In this one, I'm announcing the details of CEO Summer School. It's a free audio series hosted on the podcast to help you over the coming months. Those summer months when you want to have a little bit more fun, work a little bit less, and keep the business moving.
If you participated last year, make sure you still listen to this episode because we have a different twist coming this year. And if you're new to CEO Summer School, I'm going to give you all of the details on what it is, how it will support you in a really accessible way, and how you can participate. I can't wait to tell you more, and I'm also going to share this year's theme, and it is a good one.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you're ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you're in the right place.
I'm Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let's go.
Hello designer, welcome back to the podcast. We're talking all about CEO Summer School today, and it does not feel at all like summer here in Minnesota. It's actually pouring rain. I had to test my audio before I knew for sure I could record today because the water is just splashing against my office window. And yeah, we're missing the summer vibes, but I am here to tell you how I'm going to support you and your interior design business over the summer months.
Last year, I hosted a free podcast series called CEO Summer School, and designers loved it. I've even heard from some of you that you're still referencing those episodes and resources, which is incredible. So I'm really excited to put school back in session starting next week, June 11th will be the first episode in the series, and then it's going to run through the end of August.
On today's episode, what I'm going to do is share all of the details about what CEO Summer School is. And as a little hint, it is way more fun and not nearly as much work as actual summer school. I'm going to tell you what you can expect and, of course, how it's going to help you move your business forward during a time when you also kind of want to be lounging by the pool or hanging out with friends and family, taking it a little easier, and give yourself a moment to pause and recharge before you head into the final quarter of the year. I'm also going to be announcing the theme for this year in today's episode, which I am really looking forward to sharing with you.
Before we dive into all of the details, I have a favor to ask of you. If you love listening to this show, please take a second and rate and review the show. This really is so helpful to me in that it helps me spread the word about the podcast and helps other designers tap into this work. It really only takes a minute, and not only are you going to help another designer find this show, I absolutely delight in reading your reviews. So you're going to make my day as well. And while you're there, make sure you're subscribed and following the show so that you don't miss the CEO Summer School episodes.
As I mentioned, we're going to be kicking off next week, June 11th, and it'll run through the end of August. And if you're following along with the follow button or subscribe, however it is in your podcast app of choice, you're not going to miss any of the episodes, and you don't have to think about going to find them.
Now, when we talk about CEO Summer School, I want to be really clear on what it is not. So this is not actually like school where there's a lot of homework. There's no sitting at a desk. You can definitely listen to this anywhere: in your car, on a walk, on the boat, wherever it is. And it's definitely not going to be boring and technical with lots of details to remember. And then another big piece of this is that it is not going to become just another thing on your to-do list. There's many ways that you can apply what you take away from CEO Summer School and make it your own and make it doable for you, whatever this coming season looks like.
While this series is not going to give you a mile-long to-do list, it is absolutely going to help you move the needle in your business, though. What I love to think about over the summer months is what is a low-lift, big impact way that I can support you. And that is absolutely what CEO Summer School is going to be: low lift and big impact. And that's because it centers on you as the business owner developing. And as you develop, as you evolve through listening to this series, from there you can take doable, intentional action that suits your own personal capacity. So when we all get that back-to-school energy, the fresh start that we often feel around fall, you're going to be ready to dive back into the business with momentum under your feet instead of feeling like you have to shift into that whole new gear.
What I'm going to be sharing throughout this series really is meant to give you opportunities to first and foremost, pause and assess the way that you're doing things in your interior design business. So you can decide if you want to keep doing them that way or if you want to make some changes. The second thing that I want for you is to be inspired and feel invigorated. And lastly, this is going to be a way to set the stage for the remainder of your year. We come in strong with New Year's resolutions and setting goals around the year, and we work hard through the first quarter into quarter two. Then we hit summer, which tends to be a little bit of a looser time, and then we come back strong so that way we finish out the year with purpose.
If you're listening to this and you're already like, yes, I absolutely want to do CEO Summer School, then I'm going to give you the link. Or if you are one who did it last year and loved it, and you want to make sure that you hop on the sign-up, absolutely. Do that now. It's desiid.com/summerschool. And with anything I ever mention on the podcast, if you forget the unique link to it, you can always go to my main website, desicreswell.com/resources, and I always have the things that I've been working on or that are current linked there. So that's a great place to go as well.
Now, I want to share this year's theme. I kind of wish that I had a little drum roll sound effect. But here we go. Last year, I didn't explicitly name the theme that I was taking you through in summer school, but it really was this process of creating your own playbook of sorts to reference in your business. And this year, I was thinking about what do I want to do over the summer months for the podcast? What would be helpful? What would be doable for me as the person creating the content, and what would be doable for you as the business owner? And what would feel really impactful and empowering for you as the listener?
And I was out on a walk, kind of just letting this question float through my mind, and the theme came through for sure. And what came through really was, yes, I do want to do CEO Summer School again, and also the theme. And that is “What I Know For Sure.” After I thought of this, I thought, oh, actually, I think Oprah maybe had something like this. And I loved that. Well, I'm definitely not Oprah. Maybe I'll be the Oprah of interior design for you or something like that.
But what I was thinking about really with this theme is if I could only share a limited number of episodes with you all, really summing up what I know to be true about growing a thriving interior design business that is sustainable and that supports the lifestyle that you want to live while also really fulfilling your creative desires, what is it that I would share? What would those truths be that I would stand by without hesitation, and that I've seen proven time and time again in my own business, and over the course of the past seven years, I've been intimately supporting interior design business owners.
What would be those truths that span the wide variety of clients I support? Those in the earlier stages of business, and then those who have been in the industry for decades. The designers who are bringing on some of their first employees, and also those who are leading large teams already. What would be true about the studios that are based in smaller areas, maybe in the Midwest, to those who I've served in larger cities, on the coast, and even internationally?
CEO Summer School is where I want to share with you the principles and practices and through lines that I see have been foundational to creating a business that supports you financially, creatively, and also as the human behind the business. We're in an era where there's just so much information at our fingertips. We can access experts in a variety of platforms, and there's always different strategies that we're hearing about that you could implement. And that is amazing. When I started my interior design business, there was nothing. I think I bought a physical book from ASID and used that a lot. But now it's really unlimited.
And while I love that, and I am a part of that as well, we never have the full context or understanding of what, how, and why things are being recommended and could work. And that's really where it's up to you as the designer CEO to filter what you hear and read through your knowledge of yourself, your business, and your clients. Of course, I help my clients do this extensively through our coaching work together. And at the same time, at the end of the day, what they do or don't do is always their decision.
The truths or what I know for sure, the principles or practices, however you want to phrase that, that I'm going to be sharing through CEO Summer School, really are meant to guide you in your own decision-making process as you take next steps to improve and grow your business. As I share what I know to be true, after helping hundreds and hundreds of designers firsthand, more than thousands if you count the live workshops I've hosted or the podcasts I've spoken on, you're going to be able to take these truths, decide if you agree with them, and then make them your own in your own unique way.
This process of filtering, taking what I share to be true based on my experience, my beliefs, and then empowering yourself to use these tools and teachings to plan and execute in your business is a meta skill that you are required to develop as the leader of your company. And it's one of those skills that are just going to continue to be necessary, and you need to continue to grow with that skill set. Critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, adaptability, and your leadership, it all improves through learning the skill set of taking what someone else shares and deciding what's for you and deciding what isn't for you. And no matter where you're at in your own journey of growth, that skill must continually be honed and expanded upon.
With each episode of CEO Summer School, I'm going to be sharing a single truth with you. And like I said, this is going to be a guiding principle that I just have seen, yes, this makes sense. And then I'm going to guide you to apply it to your business and your specific goals to make sure that it makes sense for you and you believe it as well. You're going to get all of that on the podcast. So, again, you want to make sure you're subscribed and following the show so that you don't miss an episode.
These truths that I'm going to be sharing are meant to build on each other and at the same time can definitely stand strong on their own. So if you're listening to this at a later date, no worries. You can always catch up and join us whenever you hear this. Listening to the podcast on its own is going to be so impactful.
And I also wanted to give those of you who want to take this work to the next level an opportunity to do so with my additional support. And that's why I'm offering a free bonus resource that'll be paired with each of these CEO Summer School episodes for those of you who sign up.
If you go to desiid.com/summerschool, there's a quick little form you fill out. It's absolutely free. And then when you do that, you're going to receive a brief email from me after each summer school episode has been released, which is going to summarize the truth so that you can refer back to it as much as needed, along with a reflection prompt that will take you from listening and thinking, yeah, that sounds good. I should probably do something about that, into actually taking action.
Having these truths marinate from having listened to the episode, just like I said, it's absolutely going to be powerful. I also know that it will be exponentially more impactful if you do something with what you're hearing. And that's not always going to be action or a to-do, but it is always going to be integration so that you are moving forward and evolving as the business owner.
I want you to consider this episode your official invitation to join me for the Interior Design Business CEO Summer School series. If you're not already subscribed, you can do that now. If you are subscribed, keep on going and watch for that first episode to drop next week, which is June 11th. If you want to receive that bonus content, all you have to do is go to desiid.com/summerschool, and you can sign up for free.
Quick note, CEO Summer School episodes will be released every other week. And then on the off weeks, you can expect a more traditional format episode that'll support the overarching theme of this series. So you're going to love that as well. And for those of you who've been devoted to the podcast, know that you'll still have some of those episodes that you have come to love and count on every week.
That's what I have for you today. Remember, we're starting next week, June 11th. Head to the show notes to sign up. And then also tell a friend so you can discuss what I'm sharing here. Talk about the truths, how they apply to you, how you're going to implement them. I personally love doing this with a friend or a colleague, where we listen to the same episode and then schedule a walk and talk, whether it's in person or over the phone. Just really helps embed what I've consumed and apply it in a whole new way.
Next week, I'm going to be kicking off the series with our first truth, which is one that just really underpins every other thing I'm sharing over the coming months. You definitely want to be there for that opening episode. I'm really excited to support you in this way. And until next Wednesday, I'm wishing you a beautiful week.
Thanks for joining me for this week's episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools and strategies visit DesiCreswell.com, where you’ll get immediate access to a variety of free resources to help you take what you learn on the podcast and put it into action. And if you love what you’re hearing, be sure to rate, review, and follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. I’ll talk to you next week.
If you participated last year, make sure you still listen to this episode because we have a different twist coming this year. And if you're new to CEO Summer School, I'm going to give you all of the details on what it is, how it will support you in a really accessible way, and how you can participate. I can't wait to tell you more, and I'm also going to share this year's theme, and it is a good one.
Welcome to The Interior Design Business CEO, the only show for designers who are ready to confidently run and grow their businesses without the stress and anxiety. If you're ready to develop a bigger vision for your interior design business, free up your time, and streamline your days for productivity and profit, you're in the right place.
I'm Desi Creswell, an award-winning interior designer and certified life and business coach. I help interior designers just like you stop feeling overwhelmed so they can build profitable businesses they love to run. Are you ready to confidently lead your business, clients, and projects? Let's go.
Hello designer, welcome back to the podcast. We're talking all about CEO Summer School today, and it does not feel at all like summer here in Minnesota. It's actually pouring rain. I had to test my audio before I knew for sure I could record today because the water is just splashing against my office window. And yeah, we're missing the summer vibes, but I am here to tell you how I'm going to support you and your interior design business over the summer months.
Last year, I hosted a free podcast series called CEO Summer School, and designers loved it. I've even heard from some of you that you're still referencing those episodes and resources, which is incredible. So I'm really excited to put school back in session starting next week, June 11th will be the first episode in the series, and then it's going to run through the end of August.
On today's episode, what I'm going to do is share all of the details about what CEO Summer School is. And as a little hint, it is way more fun and not nearly as much work as actual summer school. I'm going to tell you what you can expect and, of course, how it's going to help you move your business forward during a time when you also kind of want to be lounging by the pool or hanging out with friends and family, taking it a little easier, and give yourself a moment to pause and recharge before you head into the final quarter of the year. I'm also going to be announcing the theme for this year in today's episode, which I am really looking forward to sharing with you.
Before we dive into all of the details, I have a favor to ask of you. If you love listening to this show, please take a second and rate and review the show. This really is so helpful to me in that it helps me spread the word about the podcast and helps other designers tap into this work. It really only takes a minute, and not only are you going to help another designer find this show, I absolutely delight in reading your reviews. So you're going to make my day as well. And while you're there, make sure you're subscribed and following the show so that you don't miss the CEO Summer School episodes.
As I mentioned, we're going to be kicking off next week, June 11th, and it'll run through the end of August. And if you're following along with the follow button or subscribe, however it is in your podcast app of choice, you're not going to miss any of the episodes, and you don't have to think about going to find them.
Now, when we talk about CEO Summer School, I want to be really clear on what it is not. So this is not actually like school where there's a lot of homework. There's no sitting at a desk. You can definitely listen to this anywhere: in your car, on a walk, on the boat, wherever it is. And it's definitely not going to be boring and technical with lots of details to remember. And then another big piece of this is that it is not going to become just another thing on your to-do list. There's many ways that you can apply what you take away from CEO Summer School and make it your own and make it doable for you, whatever this coming season looks like.
While this series is not going to give you a mile-long to-do list, it is absolutely going to help you move the needle in your business, though. What I love to think about over the summer months is what is a low-lift, big impact way that I can support you. And that is absolutely what CEO Summer School is going to be: low lift and big impact. And that's because it centers on you as the business owner developing. And as you develop, as you evolve through listening to this series, from there you can take doable, intentional action that suits your own personal capacity. So when we all get that back-to-school energy, the fresh start that we often feel around fall, you're going to be ready to dive back into the business with momentum under your feet instead of feeling like you have to shift into that whole new gear.
What I'm going to be sharing throughout this series really is meant to give you opportunities to first and foremost, pause and assess the way that you're doing things in your interior design business. So you can decide if you want to keep doing them that way or if you want to make some changes. The second thing that I want for you is to be inspired and feel invigorated. And lastly, this is going to be a way to set the stage for the remainder of your year. We come in strong with New Year's resolutions and setting goals around the year, and we work hard through the first quarter into quarter two. Then we hit summer, which tends to be a little bit of a looser time, and then we come back strong so that way we finish out the year with purpose.
If you're listening to this and you're already like, yes, I absolutely want to do CEO Summer School, then I'm going to give you the link. Or if you are one who did it last year and loved it, and you want to make sure that you hop on the sign-up, absolutely. Do that now. It's desiid.com/summerschool. And with anything I ever mention on the podcast, if you forget the unique link to it, you can always go to my main website, desicreswell.com/resources, and I always have the things that I've been working on or that are current linked there. So that's a great place to go as well.
Now, I want to share this year's theme. I kind of wish that I had a little drum roll sound effect. But here we go. Last year, I didn't explicitly name the theme that I was taking you through in summer school, but it really was this process of creating your own playbook of sorts to reference in your business. And this year, I was thinking about what do I want to do over the summer months for the podcast? What would be helpful? What would be doable for me as the person creating the content, and what would be doable for you as the business owner? And what would feel really impactful and empowering for you as the listener?
And I was out on a walk, kind of just letting this question float through my mind, and the theme came through for sure. And what came through really was, yes, I do want to do CEO Summer School again, and also the theme. And that is “What I Know For Sure.” After I thought of this, I thought, oh, actually, I think Oprah maybe had something like this. And I loved that. Well, I'm definitely not Oprah. Maybe I'll be the Oprah of interior design for you or something like that.
But what I was thinking about really with this theme is if I could only share a limited number of episodes with you all, really summing up what I know to be true about growing a thriving interior design business that is sustainable and that supports the lifestyle that you want to live while also really fulfilling your creative desires, what is it that I would share? What would those truths be that I would stand by without hesitation, and that I've seen proven time and time again in my own business, and over the course of the past seven years, I've been intimately supporting interior design business owners.
What would be those truths that span the wide variety of clients I support? Those in the earlier stages of business, and then those who have been in the industry for decades. The designers who are bringing on some of their first employees, and also those who are leading large teams already. What would be true about the studios that are based in smaller areas, maybe in the Midwest, to those who I've served in larger cities, on the coast, and even internationally?
CEO Summer School is where I want to share with you the principles and practices and through lines that I see have been foundational to creating a business that supports you financially, creatively, and also as the human behind the business. We're in an era where there's just so much information at our fingertips. We can access experts in a variety of platforms, and there's always different strategies that we're hearing about that you could implement. And that is amazing. When I started my interior design business, there was nothing. I think I bought a physical book from ASID and used that a lot. But now it's really unlimited.
And while I love that, and I am a part of that as well, we never have the full context or understanding of what, how, and why things are being recommended and could work. And that's really where it's up to you as the designer CEO to filter what you hear and read through your knowledge of yourself, your business, and your clients. Of course, I help my clients do this extensively through our coaching work together. And at the same time, at the end of the day, what they do or don't do is always their decision.
The truths or what I know for sure, the principles or practices, however you want to phrase that, that I'm going to be sharing through CEO Summer School, really are meant to guide you in your own decision-making process as you take next steps to improve and grow your business. As I share what I know to be true, after helping hundreds and hundreds of designers firsthand, more than thousands if you count the live workshops I've hosted or the podcasts I've spoken on, you're going to be able to take these truths, decide if you agree with them, and then make them your own in your own unique way.
This process of filtering, taking what I share to be true based on my experience, my beliefs, and then empowering yourself to use these tools and teachings to plan and execute in your business is a meta skill that you are required to develop as the leader of your company. And it's one of those skills that are just going to continue to be necessary, and you need to continue to grow with that skill set. Critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, adaptability, and your leadership, it all improves through learning the skill set of taking what someone else shares and deciding what's for you and deciding what isn't for you. And no matter where you're at in your own journey of growth, that skill must continually be honed and expanded upon.
With each episode of CEO Summer School, I'm going to be sharing a single truth with you. And like I said, this is going to be a guiding principle that I just have seen, yes, this makes sense. And then I'm going to guide you to apply it to your business and your specific goals to make sure that it makes sense for you and you believe it as well. You're going to get all of that on the podcast. So, again, you want to make sure you're subscribed and following the show so that you don't miss an episode.
These truths that I'm going to be sharing are meant to build on each other and at the same time can definitely stand strong on their own. So if you're listening to this at a later date, no worries. You can always catch up and join us whenever you hear this. Listening to the podcast on its own is going to be so impactful.
And I also wanted to give those of you who want to take this work to the next level an opportunity to do so with my additional support. And that's why I'm offering a free bonus resource that'll be paired with each of these CEO Summer School episodes for those of you who sign up.
If you go to desiid.com/summerschool, there's a quick little form you fill out. It's absolutely free. And then when you do that, you're going to receive a brief email from me after each summer school episode has been released, which is going to summarize the truth so that you can refer back to it as much as needed, along with a reflection prompt that will take you from listening and thinking, yeah, that sounds good. I should probably do something about that, into actually taking action.
Having these truths marinate from having listened to the episode, just like I said, it's absolutely going to be powerful. I also know that it will be exponentially more impactful if you do something with what you're hearing. And that's not always going to be action or a to-do, but it is always going to be integration so that you are moving forward and evolving as the business owner.
I want you to consider this episode your official invitation to join me for the Interior Design Business CEO Summer School series. If you're not already subscribed, you can do that now. If you are subscribed, keep on going and watch for that first episode to drop next week, which is June 11th. If you want to receive that bonus content, all you have to do is go to desiid.com/summerschool, and you can sign up for free.
Quick note, CEO Summer School episodes will be released every other week. And then on the off weeks, you can expect a more traditional format episode that'll support the overarching theme of this series. So you're going to love that as well. And for those of you who've been devoted to the podcast, know that you'll still have some of those episodes that you have come to love and count on every week.
That's what I have for you today. Remember, we're starting next week, June 11th. Head to the show notes to sign up. And then also tell a friend so you can discuss what I'm sharing here. Talk about the truths, how they apply to you, how you're going to implement them. I personally love doing this with a friend or a colleague, where we listen to the same episode and then schedule a walk and talk, whether it's in person or over the phone. Just really helps embed what I've consumed and apply it in a whole new way.
Next week, I'm going to be kicking off the series with our first truth, which is one that just really underpins every other thing I'm sharing over the coming months. You definitely want to be there for that opening episode. I'm really excited to support you in this way. And until next Wednesday, I'm wishing you a beautiful week.
Thanks for joining me for this week's episode of The Interior Design Business CEO. If you want more tips, tools and strategies visit DesiCreswell.com, where you’ll get immediate access to a variety of free resources to help you take what you learn on the podcast and put it into action. And if you love what you’re hearing, be sure to rate, review, and follow the show wherever you listen to podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. I’ll talk to you next week.
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