Ten questions for clear decision making

In this episode I’m sharing  the essential questions you should ask before making any business decision. These questions are designed to help align your choices with your goals and values:

1. What does this look like if it's easy?
2. Why am I uneasy about this?
3. How does this decision support my long-term goals?
4. What is the opportunity cost of pursuing this option?
5. Who can I ask for advice or insights?
6. How does this decision impact my ideal clients?
7. What are the potential risks and how can I mitigate them?
8. Is this decision scalable as my business grows?
9. Am I making this decision based on fear or opportunity?
10. How does this decision align with my core values and mission?

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Transcript

0:12

Welcome to designing success from study to studio. I'm your host Rhiannon Lee founder of the Oleander and Finch design studio. I've lived the transformation from study to studio and then stripped it bare, took time to write down the step by step framework. So now you don't have to overthink it. In this podcast, you can expect real talk with industry friends, community connection, and actionable tips to help you conquer whatever's holding you back. Now let's get designing your own success. This podcast episode is coming to you from late night in my studio last night, and I'm just sitting down to record. I'm going to try to keep this nice and sharp. We are in the middle of a launch of the Emerging Designers version of the framework. The feedback so far has been phenomenal. The girls that have gotten in there are like, wow. Holy next steps, Batman. I'm really excited. I'm excited. I'm always excited when I get another 10 or so girls to work with. I just love learning about their businesses and just knowing that I'm going to get to meet with them weekly because we do build such a big relationship in that year. And a lot of what I do is very targeted because yes, whilst there's a roadmap or a framework or whatever, one size does not fit all for business. And you do need someone who can overarchingly look at your business and go, I actually don't think that aligns for you. Or that would not be my advice for you specifically, because I feel like it will push you beyond what I think you're capable of. Or I feel like it would push you into a direction that doesn't feel aligned with you, all sorts of things. So I actually love being like such a hands off part of the course. Today's podcast, I want to talk to you about, just as I said, there is no right or wrong way to do business. It's just really about the way that feels most suited to you. So I'm going to do a bit of a rapid fire questions of things that you should ask yourself with every decision that you make inside of your business. So before you make that decision, these are the questions that I often run my mind through a bit of a filter. The first one, what does this look like if it's easy? This is my favorite question. And this is something that I feel like was born in all of those boardrooms that I was in, in like early 2004. In that boardroom were always like deep dive and what does it look like if we do this? And what would it look like if it looked like this? And I think I still have that sort of language cause it's steered me a good steed over the years. Every time I. sit back and say, what does this look like if it's easy? It generally guides me to the direction of the like path least resistant, whatever that saying is. And it helps me simplify really complex decisions or just find the most straightforward path. to progress so that I can just go, okay, cool, but you could be overcomplicating this. So what does it look like if it gets to be really easy? And does that mean you hire someone to implement it? Does that mean I hire someone who's or reach out to someone who's already implementing it? So there's a lot of things that it can spark ideas and pathways for. So I think it's a really important question. What does this look like if it's easy? The second one, I often ask myself when things just don't feel like they fit. Why am I uneasy about this? And why doesn't it feel aligned to Oleander and Finch? What is it about this? It just encourages a bit of self reflection and it helps me spot some potential red flags or misalignments with my personal or business values. Because often what happens if I'm uneasy about something or it doesn't feel aligned, it's usually because it's like, uh, Not my goal, not my style, or it's something that I think I need to be doing in order to keep up with course creators and other people on the internet, when in fact that is not who I am. So I don't want a ever growing business. What I'm going to say, I don't want a business that is volume numbers, numbers, numbers. I want something that is easily sustainable inside of my kids school hours that I feel capable of being really involved in, really hands on. And if I have too many businesses inside of my framework container, I wouldn't know them as intimately as I do. So I would be speaking to one of my students, Shirley, for example, and I would be like, Oh sorry, remind me again what your business is. I don't need to ask her that. I know what her business is. I know what her goals are. I know what she's trying to do in this next three to six months of our 12 month journey together. So that's really important to me. So if something feels uneasy or like I've got a gut feeling that it's not right, I definitely want to Get deeper on why what is it about this that just is not feeling like a good idea? Third question, how does this decision support my long term goals? So this ensures that all the decisions I'm doing, and I use that word aligned again, with broader business objectives and the future of Ole Andrew and Finch. And If this isn't something that directly feeds into or supports a longer term vision I don't want it, it's not something that I need to be busy in myself with right now. I have very strong ideas about where I want this business to go and what that looks like, and so everything is tasked down to get me to that result, so I don't need to be distracted with things that don't support that long term goal. Okay. Number four, what is the opportunity cost of pursuing this option? So this helps me consider what I might be giving up or sacrificing if I choose this particular path or this particular decision. Now, often the answer is nothing. It's a benefit. There's a great return on investment, but sometimes it is an opportunity cost of energy and expelling too much energy. Or I can be a bit of an empath sometimes if there are seasons in my business where it. For want of a better phrase, if she hits the band with two or more of the girls at the same time in the framework, I carry that and their issues and their red flags and their clients along with my own business and my own coaching program. So I need to always be very clear. Protective of that energy and that space. So when I'm making decisions, I'll sometimes be like, okay, what is the opportunity cost? If I pursue this, am I opening myself up to taking on more than I can feasibly support in a way which delivers excellence? Number five, who can I ask for advice or insights on this decision? This question prompts me to seek out external perspectives and get support from mentors, from my business coach, from peers that I respect, from other coaches in the industries, and colleagues from everywhere outside wherever I can. So who can I ask for advice or insights? on this decision. So I'll reach out. Hey, I'm thinking about changing the pricing structure. I'm thinking about doing this. Have you ever heard of this before? What are your thoughts? What could be, what could go wrong? What would be the benefit? How does this help? All those sorts of things. And I brainstorm it out with my people. And if you don't feel like you have this kind of business ecosystem or structure of colleagues and things around you. Just come and ask me honestly, like I know that sounds really silly and I've just said, I can only take so many people, but I'm so open to having those discussions in my DMS just this week alone. I've, Sunday morning I was workshopping with an ex frameworker on her niche and her overall aesthetic. And yeah, she finished the course 12 months ago or something, it's just something that I take to heart and I'm very strong on wherever I can give advice if you need a quick. piece of support from a mentor and you see me as a possibility in that role for you, please come and ask. And I think everyone should be asking more questions. Generally, the community people are good at their core. They want to help. It is not as closed down as you think inside of the interior design industry. I think you can slip into someone's DMs and say, I've got this idea. What are your thoughts? Number six, a very important question. How does this decision impact my ideal or potential client? This keeps the focus in my business on how the choices that I make affect my target audience and their experience with my brand. So I'm very big on, it's all well and good to change things or do something, but is this change for their benefit and is this providing excellence beyond what I was previously providing? How is it supporting my client and how, or if it doesn't, how does it impact? Because the impact could be minimal or barely felt, in which case it could be the right decision for me in my business and it's not going to bother my potential or existing clients, then that could make it much more of a no brainer when it comes to locking in that decision okay, number seven, what are the potential risks and how can I mitigate them? So we want to be proactively thinking about possible challenges and then what are the solutions before we've even gone live. Okay, if I change the frequency of the Q and A's, for example, inside of the course, is that going to mean that I risk? People staying engaged and completing all of the modules and therefore actually getting that transformation of running a thriving business with lots of clients, that's a potential risk. So you've got to be very serious about that and really look at you, going back old school to pros and cons, really going this, everything has cause and effect and what I'm trying to do right now. What are the potential risks? And I think this is a really important question that we sometimes shy away from a little bit because we're a bit like, oh, I, I'm just really excited about this other idea that I had and I don't really want to think about the potential risks to my bottom line, to my delivery, my experience, the whole lot. Okay, number eight. Is this decision scalable as my business grows? So this is where I evaluate whether the decision can be maintained. Can it be expanded? As the business evolves, will I be able to give this much? If I'm making a decision, is this a decision That is easily outsourced later. I know I'm being quite vague because I'm not talking about or relating it to a specific decision. And that is because my ideal client and my decisions in my business are quite different, but as CEOs, we all have to make these decisions. And even if I think about with my design clients I can think of lots of times where I've remove service offerings, for example, because they're not scalable. They are training time for money, like designer for a day, such a drainer. I've done it like four times in my career and I've really resented it. I have not liked it. Sorry to the four ladies. If you're listening and we went shopping together, the day was fine. I did enjoy it. I don't enjoy. Yeah, the energy that that's an energy cost that we spoke about before. But for me, it's really, having to be on for 6 to 8 hours and walking around and visiting showrooms. And I like to do that stuff, but I don't like to do it in a paid capacity. So when I was looking at that about whether it was scalable. I'm like, no, it's one client at a time. It just doesn't feel right to me. So there was lots of answers to these questions that pointed in the negative and therefore it was just removed as a service offering from Alejandro Finch in late 2022 okay. Number nine, am I making this decision based on fear or opportunity? So we want to distinguish between reactive and proactive decision making. Is it because cost of living that I've just gone, Oh my God, we have a mortgage payment due and I just need to get more money into the business. Am I being, Like reactive and rushed and not considered in any way, or am I making the decision based on opportunity? I have scanned the economic climate and I feel like I could actually grow from a volume strategy if I started doing one hour consults. at X amount of money. That is more of a decision based on opportunity than it is on fear. So decisions based on fear are things where we think something's going to be taken away from us, where we're not going to be perceived as good enough, if we've got imposter syndrome, if we've got a fear of our family or friends thinking that we won't succeed at this business. There's all sorts of stuff. We do have to do a lot of deep work to be a business owner. Like I, I hate that sort of woo feeling that you've got to do the work, but it's so true. You are so constantly self aware. You have to be, you have to know what it is that you are excellent at and what are your skills that should always be present for and always conducted by you and what are the things that you just, are expected to do on a day to day but they're not really your jam. So many girls inside the framework get to the marketing module I need a lot of help because this is not natural to me. I don't like it. I don't like showing up on Instagram. I don't want to show up. I don't even have a private account. I don't want to be the face, I don't want to have a personal brand. I don't want, if I had my own way, I would have a faceless account, a couple of quotes. We know people buy from people and it's never been more important than it will be as we. Go deeper and deeper into the world of A. I said, this isn't a marketing lecture, but I will say that, they would probably be making marketing decisions based on fear and not on opportunity because they're like, it's easier to be reactive and just show up because there's literally no more bookings. I've run out of doing all the busy work in my business. So now I've got to quickly go and do some marketing and that's fear based reactive marketing and decision making. Okay, number 10, and I will say as a caveat, these don't necessarily need to be in this order, 1 to 10, because the number 10 is just as important as number 1. Number 1, a reminder, what does this look like if it's easy? Number 10, how does this decision align with my core values and my core Long term, like my mission, and this ensures that every action taken is consistent with the fundamental principles of Oleander and Finch interior design. Is it helpful? Is it cheerleading the next generation of designers? Is it? Like teaching every single little hack and never gatekeeping it. If I learn something, am I sharing it? Am I taking action every single day that is consistent with these core values of connection? Communication is a huge value for me. So how am I showing up in communicating? Am I participating in our Slack group chats? Am I making sure that the girls feel there's open lines of communication to me at any time? If somebody sends me their pricing and investment guide, am I giving good feedback? Am I taking the time to really look over everything? And am I treating their business like I treated my own? And this is what is really important to me. Part of my value is admission. So when I'm thinking https: otter. ai level of, and that principle or value of communication. If I was to make a decision where I said I am only available from now on between 10 and midday on Mondays and Fridays for questions from students. That would not be aligned with my values and what I'm bringing inside of the framework. Okay, trying to keep it a quick one because it is late and I'm still going to go and edit this and post it live let's recap our 10 questions whenever you're making business decisions that will really help you align them with your goals and your values and minimize making mistakes and making the wrong choice. So question one, what does this look like if it's easy? Question two, why am I uneasy about this or why it doesn't feel aligned? Question three, how does this decision support my long term goals in this business? Question four, what is the opportunity cost of pursuing this option? Question five, who can I ask for advice or insights on this decision? Number six, how does this decision impact my ideal client or existing clients? Question seven, what are the potential risks and how can I mitigate them? Question eight, is this decision scalable as my business grows? Question nine, am I making this decision based on fear or opportunity? And last question, how does this decision align with my core values and mission? Now, if you love this episode, please tap on the link at the top of the show notes. It says text me and tell me what you thought of this episode and let me know. I would suggest that it's a pretty quick one. And if you can, I would probably bookmark this to come back to when you are doing your quarterly reviews or biannual reviews, or even in January, when you just need to make some big decisions. This is the episode to come back to, to run it through this 10 question filter. And I promise you, if you are honest with yourself with the answers of this question, you will always steer yourself in the right direction. Trust your gut because I said it before, there's no right or wrong way. There's only your way. And you actually know a lot more about how to make this business successful than anybody else that you will ever work with. Okay. On Thursday, please join me when I am interviewing April from Maydream Creative and April works with interior designers on their Instagram strategy. You're definitely going to want to hear all of the mic drop moments from Thursday's episode. I will chat to you then. Bye for now. That wraps up another episode of Designing Success from Study to Studio. Thanks for lending me your ears. Remember, progress over perfection is the key. If you found value in today's episode, go ahead and hit subscribe or share it with a friend. Your feedback means so much to me and it helps me improve, but it also helps this podcast reach more emerging and evolving designers. For your daily dose of design business tips and to get a closer look at what goes on behind the scenes, follow at oleander underscore and underscore finch on Instagram. You'll find tons of resources available at www. oleanderandfinch. com to support you on your journey. Remember, this is your path, your vision, your future, and your business. Now let's get out there and start designing your success.