Send Katie a Text Message!!

If you’ve ever looked at your business and thought, “Why did this feel easier when I was making less money?”—this episode is for you.

Today, I’m talking directly to designers who are doing “everything right” on paper. The revenue is there. The team is there. The projects are bigger. And yet… everything feels heavier. More complex. More draining.

Here’s the truth I want you to hear upfront: you didn’t do anything wrong. This tension doesn’t show up because you failed—it shows up because you succeeded. And in this episode, I walk you through what that actually means and how to respond as a CEO, not by working harder, but by building a business that can truly carry its own weight.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why most designers hit a wall after profitability—not before it
• The difference between effort and capacity (and why effort eventually stops working)
• How to recognize when your business has outgrown its current “muscle”
• Why more revenue doesn’t automatically equal more freedom
• The mindset shift from control to capacity—and why letting go is strategic, not reckless
• How the wrong client mix can exhaust even the strongest systems
• Why decision-making has to be decentralized if your business is going to scale sustainably
• How processes like project closeouts reduce emotional labor and prevent repeated mistakes
• The real reason your business feels heavy (and why it’s not a time management failure)

I also share personal examples from my own firm—where I hit ceilings, what broke when we grew too fast, and the exact shifts that allowed the business to support growth without burning me out.

This episode is about evolution. About recognizing when your business is asking for something different. And about understanding that heaviness is a signal—not a verdict.

Final takeaway:

If your business feels heavy right now, it doesn’t mean you’re bad at managing your time. It means your business has outgrown the way it was built—and that’s not failure. That’s growth asking for leadership.

And if you’re listening and thinking, “This is exactly where I am,” I see you. You don’t need more grit. You need a business designed for the level of success you’re already experiencing.

As always, your business should be working for you—not the other way around.

Connect with Katie

LinkedIn

Business Strategy Sessions for Interior Designers

Free Resources for scaling your interior design firm

Website