970: Power Talk Friday: Ali Stein: Strategies to Acquire New Clients

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Today With Ali Stein

Welcome to A Well-Designed Business. My guest today is Ali Stein, owner of Grabler Brand. This is the first time you have heard from Ali on the show, but not the first time you have heard about her on the show. Back when I had Regan Baker on, if you remember, she raved about Ali. Over seven years Ali helped grow the Regan Baker Design team from 5 to 20 employees and she helped increase their revenue by 1200%. Ali was the Director of Operations and she oversaw HR, Performance Management, Finance, Business Development, Marketing, Project Management, and more. Ali now has her own business, Grabler Brand, where she advises creatives as a business strategigist and operations advisor. This smart lady is joining me on the show to give tips to designers on how they can land their next clients.

Pick It Apart:

[7:55] Ali starts the conversation by explaining how to get your next client.

[8:35] Tip number one to gaining new clients.

[15:45] Why Ali thinks it’s important to cultivate authentic relationships and how to do that.

[24:20] Pushing yourself a little to make relationships, even if you are an introvert.

[36:19] Ali advises to put yourself out there and ask for help.

LuAnn Nigara and Ali Stein's Ah-Ha Moments

“It is important to give clients that next level experience and not to rush through the process.” - Ali Stein

“When you can establish a working relationship with someone, that can be a strong engine in developing future business.” Ali Stein

“If you are an introvert, there is a way you can be in a room with 25 or 250 people and connect with two or three of them in a meaningful way.” LuAnn Nigara

More About Ali Stein

Ali Grabler Stein brings nearly 20 years of experience to Grabler Brand, a business strategy and operations advisory for the design and build industry. Early in her career Ali worked at Google and then as one of the first 50 employees at Facebook (now Meta). There she helped grow the community from 6 million to over 1 billion users during her 10 year tenure. She played various roles in User Operations, Product and Partner Management, and had the opportunity to lead both small and large teams. Ali then went in-house at Regan Baker Design, a full-service interior design and styling firm, to serve as the Director of Operations where she oversaw Human Resources, Performance Management, Finance, Business Development, Marketing, Project Management and more. She helped grow the team from five to nearly 20 employees and grew revenue significantly. At Grabler Brand her goal is to be a sounding board, ally and guide as creatives navigate their business growth and subsequent twists and turns. As someone who has managed both small and large teams, Ali has a strong sense for the inner workings of a successful business. From her industry knowledge to her experience with internal processes and marketing, Ali helps business owners and teams work towards becoming the businesses they want to be.

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Other Shows Mentioned:

AWDB #392: Dala Al-Fuwaires: Commercial Designer, Focused Business Owner

AWDB #683: Jessica Matteson: The Client Experience Is #1 in Design

AWDB #838: Regan Baker: Building A Team That Supports Your Core Values

AWDB ·798: Brook Perdigon: Turning a Creative Passion Into a Thriving Business