EP 475 | The Most Expensive Word in Your interior Design Business Is “Maybe” with Andrea Liebross

April 7, 2026

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Want to know what’s really behind under-earning, decision fatigue, and burnout in design businesses? It’s not pricing, marketing, or even workload — it’s the decisions designers make long before a project ever begins.

Kimberley Seldon is joined by life coach Andrea Liebross to explore why hesitation is so costly, how “nice” projects quietly drain CEO energy, and what it looks like to lead your business with clarity instead of hope.

Together they unpack how designers end up negotiating with themselves, saying yes when their instincts say no, and taking on work that slowly erodes time, margin, and focus. Andrea shares a practical decision filter you can use to evaluate opportunities quickly and confidently — without burning relationships or shutting doors.

If you’ve ever felt stuck between yes and no, this episode will change the way you make decisions in your business.

In this episode we learn:

  • Why “maybe” is more dangerous to your business than “no”
  • How to evaluate opportunities using a simple 3-step decision check: ROI, alignment, and capacity
  • The difference between revenue and real profit — and why hope is not ROI
  • How decision fatigue leads to burnout, under-earning, and leadership exhaustion
  • A practical grid to sort opportunities into Hell Yes, Absolute No, Delegate, Delay, Delete, or Do with Changes
  • Language for declining or reshaping a project without damaging the relationship
  • Why strong design businesses are built on clean decisions, not good intentions

So, is it a Hell YES or an Absolute NO? Get the Worksheets >>

 

DESIGN INTERVENTION

Being an entrepreneur is a journey in personal development disguised as an entrepreneurial adventure. Your business will only grow as fast as you grow as a human.

 

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About Andrea Liebross

Andrea Liebross is a business and life coach for high-achieving entrepreneurial women, author of She Thinks Big, and host of the She Thinks Big podcast. She helps women step out of overwhelm and into the CEO role of their business and life, using simple decision frameworks that turn messy what-ifs into clear, confident next steps.

www.andrealiebross.com

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Get the Book | She Thinks Big – The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary

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Legal Disclosure | This podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be used for any legal decisions. Kimberley Seldon Design Group, Kimberley Seldon Productions Inc., Kimberley Seldon Design and Media, Inc., Business of Design™, or any of its affiliated companies or staff is not responsible for any errors or omissions effecting accuracy in any content, and they will not be held liable for the use or misuse of information, facts, details or any other aspects should there arise any defects, errors, omissions or perhaps inaccuracies. Extensive research has been conducted to put this podcast together for the purpose of educating our industry in order to better serve the public. Care has been taken to acknowledge ownership of copyrighted material. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is offered with the understanding that we do not render any legal, accounting or other professional advice. Seek the advice of a lawyer and/or other competent professional person in all matters of law. Further, listeners should be aware that internet websites mentioned may change or disappear between when this was recorded and when it was listened to.