68: Branding, Boldness & Brilliance: The McClain Method Podcast Debut Episode!

🎙️ Episode 68 is here, y’all!
Say hello to the very first episode of the newly rebranded McClain Method Podcast — and let me just say… she’s bold, she’s brilliant, and she’s ready to take center stage. 💁‍♂️✨

In this kickoff episode, I’m pulling back the velvet curtain on why I rebranded the podcast, what The McClain Method really means, and how YOU can stop playing small and start building the visible, profitable, soul-aligned business you actually want.

We’re talking: 💫 Why your “backstage” (aka systems, messaging, and brand foundation) matters just as much as your stunning “front stage” 📱 How to make your Instagram bio actually work for you 🖥️ Why your homepage might be doing more harm than good 🗣️ Why your opinions aren’t too much—they’re your magic 📣 And how to let your client testimonials sell for you (without lifting a finger)

Oh, and I’m spilling the tea on my new baby: The McClain Method Lounge—an Instagram-exclusive membership where the brilliance flows like cocktails at a speakeasy 🍸

This episode is your official invitation to stop dimming your light and start designing a business that reflects the brilliance that’s been there all along.

✨ Your brilliance is your brand. Don’t dim it—design it.
 Listen now via the link in bio & make sure you’re following @themcclainmethod for the drops that’ll have you standing in your spotlight.

00:00 Introduction to the McClain Method 

00:33 Welcome to the McClain Method Podcast

02:09 Rebranding: From Designer Within to McClain Method 

03:19 The Importance of Visibility and Branding

06:15 Introducing The McClain Method  Lounge

11:21 Five Tips to Strengthen Your Front Stage

17:41 Running a Business with Soul

20:17 Conclusion and Next Steps

Freebie Alert: THE GET NOTICED BIO TEMPLATE: https://themcclainmethod.johnmcclain.co/bio-template-optin

A Fill-in-the-Blank workbook for Interior Designers to create the perfect bio for your website, Instagram, and in-person conversations!

Transcript

 The McClain Method Debut Podcast Episode 68:

Every successful design business has the front stage, which is what the world sees to your website, your brand, your portfolio, your Instagram, your voice, your energy. What you see on the backstage is much different than what you see on the front stage, but the backstage supports the front stage. Your pricing is there, your processes, agreements, systems.

All of those things are back there that keep your business running so that the front stage is beautiful and attracting the right audience that you want. You cannot have a strong front stage if the backstage is a mess. Hey, y'all, you're listening to the brand new MLA Method podcast, episode number 68, but kind of episode number one, two.

Let's get started. Welcome to the McClain Method, the podcast for interior designers who are ready to stop hiding and start shining. I'm your host. John McClain designer, business mentor, author, and your branding bestie. This is not about paint colors or pendant lighting. It's about building a business that's both visible and profitable inside and out.

From marketing and messaging to mindset systems and visibility. We cover the front stage and the backstage of your design business because you are brilliant. Deserves the spotlight and your business deserves to run like a dream behind the scenes. So if you're ready to be seen, get recognized, and get booked, it's time to let it shine.

Welcome to the McClain Method. Hey there, designer friends. I am John McClain and I'm very, very happy to welcome you to the very first official episode of the McClain Method Podcast. If you've been here for a while, you might recognize this same space. It started, of course. With the designer within podcast, which you guys have hopefully been listening to, those episodes are fantastic and they are still there and they're still going to be there.

But if you're brand new here, I wanna welcome you. As I said, I'm John McClain. I am an interior designer, a business mentor for designers, author, and your go-to business branding bestie. And I really am excited to be here and I wanted to. Talk to you about what's going on. So as you know, this space is now called the McClain Method Podcast, and you're going to hear that name a lot coming up because I'm going to be talking about it.

But what does that name even mean? So let's talk about this name change, right? So why the rebrand? What's new? What's staying the same? And most importantly, how is this podcast going to help you build a business that is extraordinary as your talent? So hang with me. This is going to be a brief but also very educational episode because I'm going to give you some tips at the end that you can apply to your business today to change your marketing.

All right. Why the name change? Why am I changing it? From the designer within to the McClain Method podcast From day one, this podcast has never ever been about. Toss pillows or paint colors, right? You know that it's always been about the business side of design, the mindset that you work on, the systems and processes that we know we need to have.

And we talk about those pricing strategies, agreements, and the real life challenges of running a creative business because we know that those challenges are sometimes unique to our line of work. And it feels great to be able to discuss those in a safe space. And that safe space is still here. But I'll tell you this, after coaching and mentoring hundreds of designers, I've noticed something that's pretty loud and clear.

Y'all are not struggling with creativity. Y'all are not lacking talent. What you are lacking sometimes is traction. You're lacking visibility and you're lacking brand recognition. You've got all these fabulous projects that you love and that your clients love, but you don't have any press to go around those.

Or you have some press, but not what you're really wanting or not enough. You have the talent. Not the audience to receive the talent. And you're looking out on Instagram or on social media in general and you're seeing lots of people broadcast where their projects are ending up. You're seeing them do speaking engagement, you're seeing them win awards, you're seeing them press and in magazine and being quoted, and you're thinking like, where the heck is mine?

Why not me? I know that. But here's what I want you to know. Whether you are building your name from the ground up and starting out right now, or whether you are kind of leveling up what you've already built. One thing is very, very clear. You are done playing small and so am I. You are ready to be seen and I want you to be seen.

You are ready to be recognized, and I want you to be recognized. You are ready to be booked out with luxury clients, and I want that too. I want you to have all of that. I want there to be a buzz around your business. And again, the more and more I talk to you guys, the more I hear This is really what you're wanting to know about nine times outta 10.

Now, that does not mean that all of the processes and pricing and systems are never going to be discussed again, or that the ones that we've worked on aren't important. Oh, I beg to differ. They are so important. As a matter of fact, they're even more crucial when you're putting your name out to the world on a bigger scale.

So those topics are not going away. And as a matter of fact, we are going to amp up those topics, but the marketing side of it, the branding side of it, the visibility side of it, the brand recognition side of it, that is why I have evolved this podcast from the designer within to the McClain Method. I really want to support you in making all of your branding, marketing, and even sales happen.

So the new name isn't just cosmetic, although it does have a nice ring to it, McClain Method, and I'm working on trademarking that. But it really reflects a larger mission, one that lives now across everything I offer. So this podcast, my private membership, my coaching program, my one-on-one strategy sessions, and of course all the digital courses that I have offered and will still continue to offer in some capacity.

All of this is now a part of the McClain Method and how I've summed this up. It is my signature approach to helping interior designers build bold, profitable, and well run businesses on your terms. Preach, microphone, drop. Yes. Right. I want you to be bold. I want you to be profitable, and I want your business to run well on the inside, but also we're going to get your name out there.

We're going to get your name out into the world to bring in better clients and better branding. So inside of the whole method, you're going to find my McClain Method Lounge, which is on Instagram. I'm going to tell you more about that in future episodes, but for now, just head to Instagram and follow the McClain Method, my last name and method, right?

The McClain Method. Very easy. Follow that because that is going to be the new spot in that area. I'm calling it the lounge because you know, y'all know I love a cocktail here and there. So this is going to be the McClain Method lounge. Inside of that, I'm calling it bite-size business brilliance. Ooh, lots of bees, but it's my private space for people who decide to join as a membership.

But I'm also offering free version for those who just want to follow along until you decide to join. So there's lots of information going to be there on the public page, but when you do join as a member, you are going to be able to have private access into my close friends ser, and that's just not going to be a little bit every now and then.

Oh, no, no, no. I'm taking everything that I know from coaching, from courses, from one-on-ones that I'm having with you guys from group coaching calls, all of the things that I've ever discussed. I'm putting it into this because I wanted to meet you where you are. I know y'all are on Instagram. I see you there.

It is much easier to go to something that you already know and learn from that place. So I wanted to drop it if you will, much like a record drop. So you, you know, Beyonce will drop a record. I'm going to drop five tips for landing your dream clients. You know, things like that. But the message will be inside of the McClain Method Lounge, and you can find that at the McClain Method on Instagram.

So head over there to the McClain Method, follow along, and you're going to start to see lots of things popping up there that are going to help you with your business and this new approach for all of my learning platforms. In addition to the McClain Method Lounge, I'm going to have some new coaching sessions that I'm offering.

You can find those on the website. Side McClain method.com and also some ways to still access the focus training and the downloads and the courses. All that good stuff will still be offered to those of you who like to have that. But I am only going to offer that on limited doses, so stay tuned for how that's going to work.

Just know that you can find all of the information on McClain method.com. And the reason I'm doing this, the reason I'm moving the educational platform over to Instagram from the platform that I have used in the past. It's because I've listened to you. I want to again, meet you where you are, and I don't want to do any more cookie cutter coaching.

I want to do something that is impactful, that is helpful. I know you're busy, and if you can go to an Instagram page and find out what you're needing in 10 minutes or less as you're having your coffee in the morning. I love that, and I want to meet you there, and I will meet you there. There's going to be live sessions.

There's going to be private coaching. There's going to be drops every single week with information that you need. And you're going to have access to downloads and templates and all of those things. So head to the McClain Method on Instagram, give it a follow. And again, if you want to know more, head to McClain method.com for all of the information there.

And the reason behind all of this is because I believe in businesses that reflect your vision and also honor your soul. You're going to hear soul a lot because I don't believe you can run a business without putting your heart and soul into that. And I've spoken to so many of you, and I know you're.

Soul for people, and I want you to not be soul tired, as they say. I want you to be soul filled, and this is going to be all about bringing your soul to your business and then showing that brand to the world powerfully. I want you to let your brilliance shine for everyone to see. Now let's get into our teaching moment because I want to make sure that you walk away from today's episode with real action that you can take right now.

That's what we like to do, right? We do that on every single episode. We're still going to have interviews with other designers, with professionals in our industry. It's just going to have that branding, marketing, sales focus on the outside. And once again, we're going to talk about the inner workings of your business that help you put that part onto the front stage that the world needs to see.

And here's the deal. Every successful design business has. Two parts. You have the front stage, which is what the world sees at your website, your brand, your portfolio, your Instagram, your voice, your energy, right? All the things that the world sees. So that is what's on the front stage. So think about this as a stage.

This is what the world sees on the front stage. Now, go back behind the stage and there's lots of things going on when you go to see a concert, right? You have the stage manager, you have the sound guy, you have the video guy, you have the audio guy, you have all the people who are working on making sure that the front stage looks fantastic.

Your business is the same. What you see on the backstage is much different than what you see on the front stage, but the backstage supports the front stage. Your pricing is there on the backstage, your processes, your agreements, your systems, all of those things are back there that keep your business running so that the front stage is beautiful and attracting the right audience that you want.

Now, here's the kicker. You cannot have a strong front stage if the backstage is a mess. Think about that. If the backstage is a mess and everything is disheveled, the senior doesn't have her microphone, there's no band on stage, the lights are down. If the backstage is a mess, the front stage is a mess, and you must have a clear and well-functioning backstage to make sure that the front stage of your business is beautiful and you cannot grow if no one sees what you do best.

So today. I wanna help you strengthen that front stage of your business with five super duper simple things that you can do right now. So these are five things you can do right now to fix and strengthen the front stage of your business. The part that is lights, camera, action, everything going first of all, number one, refresh your Instagram bio.

Make it clear. What you do, who you serve, and what makes you different. I don't want any fluff. Just keep it very clear and if writing that feels like pulling teeth, don't worry. I've got you. I created a Get Noticed bio template. It is free. It is a fill in the blank framework that will help you write a polished personality packed.

Bio PPP that boosts your visibility and most importantly, puts your brilliance front and center. You're going to hear a lot about your brilliance too because you guys are so brilliant. I've seen your projects, I know what goes into those. They're beautiful, and I want you to put that brilliance front and center for the world to see.

So you can go to the link in the show notes here or go to McClain method.com and there on the front page, you'll find my Get Noticed bio template. Download that. It's my gift to you. You can start rewriting your bio for your Instagram and for your website right now. You'll be amazed at what a difference it makes when you get an effective and articulate bio.

Number two, audit your homepage. Look at the homepage of your website through the eyes of your dream client, your ideal client. Does that front page reflect where you are now in your business? Does it reflect. The projects that you take on, does it still have the same verbiage that you put on your website when you first began?

It's time to change that. So look at the front page of your website. Ask yourself, what can I do? What is one thing that I can do on that website to make it better for today? So maybe you update just one photo or maybe you update just one headline or one section on your website that is progress. That is important.

I don't want you to get overwhelmed by all the changes that we're going to discuss in the McClain method. I just want you to make one change today that will move the needle toward making your brand more visible. So today, go to your homepage, look at one thing on your homepage that you can change one photo, one headline, or one area that is outdated.

Update that today and you're going to feel better about it, and the people going to your website are going to feel better and love it as well. Number three, pick one brand, color, or font to stick with. This week, I look at your websites and your blogs, and I'm like, oh my goodness. There are many, many, many fonts and many, many, many colors everywhere.

It is too jumbled up. You need to choose a font and choose a color and stick with that. And if you don't know what that is, we're going to talk about how to choose that as we go through the weeks. On the McClain method, but today, I don't want you to overthink that. I want you to just choose one color that you feel is representative of your brand or one font that you feel is representative of your brand, and stick with it for this week.

Don't overthink it. Just start using that color. Just start using that font and show up consistently with that on your website, on your blog. Any documents that you send out to clients, look at that font and look at that color and put it across all of those cohesion. Builds credibility. People are going to start to see that color and that font and recognize it as part of your brand.

So don't go hard, wild trying to change everything. Just choose a color or a font and stick with it for this week and see how that feels in your business. Number four, say something with a point of view. Remember that soul. Conversation we had earlier, right? I want you to show up on your stories or on your grid to speak as an interior design expert.

Even if you feel that you don't have that, if that imposter syndrome is creeping its way in, you should still speak with the voice that you want to have, even if you don't have that voice fully. Now, I want you to show it, as I say, before you know it, so show that voice to the world. Speak as the leader on Instagram.

Share an insight. Share a belief. If you're writing a newsletter, share a, this is how I do it moment. Anything that will open up to show the thoughts that are going on in your head that allow you to lead your company, that allow you to make a decision for a client's project that allow you to balance your schedule.

Any of those insights will allow you to show the world that you are a leader. Your clients are going to see that. Media outlets are going to see that your colleagues are going to see that. If you want to stand out, you have to stand for something. And the last one, number five, post a testimonial anywhere.

I don't care where. Right? So you know you have testimonials from your client. I know you do. You have projects that they love. You've had someone that you've worked with who really likes what you've done, post that testimonial. Somewhere, anywhere. Don't wait until you overhaul your entire website. We're not asking for that.

It is so easy. Just simply screenshot a client message, turn it into a quote post, or just write it out. If you don't have it on the screen, just write out what they've said. You don't even have to put their name, just the message that they have because social proof sells, period. End of story. When people see that you are having success with other clients and the clients are happy with working with you, the world will take notice.

And that is going to bring other clients to you because you have that review. Think about when you're buying something on Amazon, what do you do? You go to the review section. Of course you do. Your business is the exact same way. So go through right now, go through text messages, go through emails, look for something wonderful that a client has said about you and your business, and take that and put it out into the world.

Again, we're not trying to change everything today as far as a website overhaul. We're just trying to get the message out. Go to Canva. Create a beautiful post for a quote and put that on your page. I think that should actually live on your page permanently, so you can start to collect those quotes and post more and more and more.

But for now, just find one quote, create a beautiful post about it, put it on your Instagram page, and watch what happens. Now these five things are very small actions, and they're things that you can do today, but they build momentum and momentum. Builds visibility. And what does visibility build? It builds profitability.

I not only want your brand to be visible to the world, I want your brand to be profitable as it's being visible. That is key, key, key. And just to review that, again, these are the five things to strengthen the front stage of your business. Number one, refresh your Instagram bio number two. The homepage of your website.

Number three, pick one brand color or one brand font that you liked and stick with it for this week. Number four, say something with a point of view on your social media. And number five, post that beautiful client testimonial anywhere. And also two, if it's a testimonial from a trades person that you work with or a vendor that will work too.

So there is your list now as we wrap up this first episode of the McClain Method. I want to talk to you about something that I touched on before, which is running a business with soul. If your business has been feeling heavy lately, if you're soul tired, not so tired, SOUL, tired, there's a big difference there from trying to do it all, trying to figure it all out on your own.

My learning platform is for you because your business should have soul. It should feel aligned with your life. It should feel purposeful, it should feel empowering. It should not just feel as if you're trying to go out and make a quick sale. Never, never, never leads anywhere. Your business must have soul period, and the McClain Method is not about hustle culture or crazy flashy tactics.

Y'all know me too well for that. It's about building this business that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. I can tell you when I tried to build my business based upon fulfilling the needs of other designers and of the general public, it did get some sales. Those sales were not sales.

That fueled the passion in my soul. Once I flipped the script and started working with clients and aligning myself with projects that filled my soul deeply, and I worked with vendors and trace people that filled that cup to overflowing, everything changed. And I want the same for you. I want you to have a business that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

Of course, I want you to have a beautiful, polished website. Of course, I want your social media to flow effortlessly, but I also want you to have a business that honors your creativity and respects your boundaries, and you guys, your wellbeing. You always should be protecting your wellbeing, and I cannot wait to go down this path of going further and further into how all of the aspects of your life are going to fuel your business.

Parts of the business that you have are going to fuel your personal lives. So yes, the name of my podcast has changed, but the heart behind it, I'm telling you, I feel it is stronger than ever. And I have wrestled with this for a while. I have thought about leaving things the same and that nagging feeling kept popping up into the pit of my stomach.

And so many of you have asked me to do this as well. So that is the reason behind the change. But the heart of it all, the soul of it all. Is still there and it's even stronger than it was before. And the best part of all of this is I'm walking this path with you. You're not out there alone. I'm not alone.

We are here together and we are going to hold hands and we're going to skip down that pathway of success. As cheesy as that sounds, it is true and I just. Want to be there with you, helping you run a soulful business. Thank you for listening on this first episode. If you're excited about what's coming, just do me a favor, screenshot this episode.

Tag me on Instagram at the McClain Method and let me know what you're working on or something that you're ready to let go of in your business. I would love to hear from you, and don't forget to grab your free Get Noticed bio template@McClainmethod.com or via the link in the show notes here. It is a quick and powerful way that will instantly upgrade the way that you show up online.

Of course, please follow the McClain Method on Instagram. You're going to see lots of things happening there. I'm going to be really amping up the McClain Method Instagram page for everyone to see, and there's going to be lots of things happening there. John McClain design on Instagram is not going away.

But I did want a special place where we could talk business, where we could talk strategy, where we could talk branding and marketing in a very safe environment. And that is what's going to happen over at the McClain Method on Insta. And I cannot wait to see you there because you have got the talent. I know you've got the soul, so now let's together build a business that matches all of that.

All right, thanks again for listening today to the very first inaugural episode of the McClain Method. Just remember the other episodes of the designer within are not going away. They're going to be there. It's just the name has changed on episodes going forward, so anytime you need a refresh for any of the things in the past episodes, they are still living in the platform where you listen to your podcast.

But thanks again for being here today. I'm very excited to join on this journey with you. And until next time, stay creative, stay confident, but most importantly, stay unapologetically. You. I'll see you next time, my friend. Thanks for tuning into this episode of the McClain Method Podcast. I'm so grateful you made it all the way to the end because that tells me that you're ready to do the work that truly transforms your brand, your business, and your life.

If you want more tools, trainings, and behind the scenes looks at what I'm building next. Head over to McClain method.com and don't forget to follow along on Instagram at the McClain Method for even more drops of brilliance. And remember my friend, your brilliance is your brand. Don't dim it, design it.

I'll see you next time.