Trade Tales: Ask Us Anything — Georgia Zikas on Staying Nimble Amid a Business Slowdown

Podcast: Trade Tales
Host: Kaitlin Petersen (Business of Home)
Guest: Georgia Zikas (Interior Designer, Principal of Georgia Zikas Design)
Date: October 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode addresses the growing anxiety among interior designers grappling with a slowdown in business amid economic uncertainty. Kaitlin Petersen is joined by Georgia Zikas, a seasoned designer known for her resilient, energetic approach and proven ability to pivot. Together, they explore how firms can weather lean periods, stay creative, and use slower times for thoughtful business growth. The conversation provides actionable strategies, inspiration, and practical wisdom for designers facing similar slowdowns.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Facing a Business Slowdown: The Universal Experience

• Economic Headwinds: Designers everywhere, not just the episode’s anonymous question asker, are seeing fewer client inquiries due to tariffs, election-year jitters, and economic uncertainty.
  • “I started to see a sort of shift in client mindsets in the last couple months, just given all of the tariff conversations and the economy and just a lot of unknowns.” — Designer Question Asker [00:51]
• Emotional Toll: While designers strive to keep the process joyous for clients, delays can sap enthusiasm and create underlying stress for firm leaders.
  • “I want to use this time to regroup and think about the relationships that we have and how we want to position our business in the future and think about growth at the same time.” — Designer Question Asker [02:33]

2. Georgia Zikas: Navigating Growth and Change

• Firm Evolution: Georgia recaps her firm’s expansion, noting that her Boston office became the new headquarters after a testing period, emphasizing flexibility in leadership and operations.
  • “It was like a beta test office that I’m proud to report was really wildly received… it's really been a terrific expansion effort.” — Georgia Zikas [05:52]
• Team Structure: Regardless of location, her single, cohesive team manages all projects—an intentional strategy to foster consistency and adaptability. [06:44]
• In-Office Culture: Georgia values in-person collaboration, maintaining a full-time, in-office team post-pandemic. [07:46]

3. The Reality: Business Ebbs and Flows Are Normal

• Not a Crisis, But a Cycle: Georgia normalizes industry slowdowns, considering them a routine, even healthy part of long-term business life.
  • “I have experienced expansion and contraction years the whole time I’ve been in business… I don’t feel like things are wildly different from other points in recent history.” — Georgia Zikas [09:34]
• Quality Over Quantity: Fewer but more qualified client inquiries represent progress, not loss.
  • “Some projects that weren’t meant for us… maybe our phone is ringing a little less in that arena, but I feel like the quality of inquiries is really good and desirable.” — Georgia Zikas [09:40]

4. Concrete Strategies to Stay Proactive (and Positive)

A. Always Be Marketing—Especially When Busy

• Consistent Outreach: Georgia has built a habit of outreach—inviting realtors, architects, organizers, and even chefs to her studio, forging long-term relationships.
  • “One of my business coaches early on always said, you should be marketing when you’re the busiest. And so I’ve just done that for the last 10 years.” — Georgia Zikas [12:02]
• Organic and Strategic Engagement: A mix of casual and intentional networking at events and community organizations pays long-term dividends. [12:44–13:55]

B. Everyone Is an Ambassador

• Team as Marketers: Every team member, even on personal travel, represents the brand.
  • “Everybody that works for me is also an extension and a potential marketing opportunity.” — Georgia Zikas [13:58]

C. Focus on Financial Health, Not Just New Leads

• Don’t Cut the Marketing Budget: Georgia prioritizes marketing spend even in lean times—yet remains open to trimming elsewhere.
  • “One thing that I don’t really waver on is our marketing budget… we might trim some things… but there’s other marketing efforts that I feel like we’ll always keep in our top tier.” — Georgia Zikas [14:59]
• Cash Flow Vigilance: Weekly, monthly, and quarterly meetings with her CFO and accountant ensure the business stays resilient.
  • “Having a finger on the pulse kind of all the time.” — Georgia Zikas [16:52]

D. Responding to Shifts in Client Mindset

• Phased Projects and Flexibility: Georgia often suggests phased approaches, normalizing clients’ desire to pause or reduce scope.
  • "Maybe we start a little smaller. And then it's always grow, like the scope always grows. So I don't ever mind that.” — Georgia Zikas [18:00]
• Being Open About Concerns: She values honestly addressing client hesitation, even if it means projects don’t always proceed immediately. [18:00]

E. Use Slowdowns for Internal Growth

• “Rainy Day” Lists: Georgia encourages using downtime to tackle internal projects, refine marketing intent, and train staff.

  • “We always called it on the team like a rainy day list… things that we could get better at.” — Georgia Zikas [21:30]

• Intentional Marketing Investments: She recently hired a full-time marketing professional to increase the firm’s presence and content output.

  • “We hired a full-time marketing person… now this is in house. So what you’ll see from us a lot more is video content… on all different platforms, so not just Instagram.” — Georgia Zikas [22:51]

F. Mindset as a Competitive Advantage

• Self-Knowledge and Positivity: Knowing her ideal client and working only with those who align with her values is a principle—especially during slower periods.
  • “I could keep myself busy all the time, but I don’t want to be busy and tired. I’d like to be busy and energized.” — Georgia Zikas [26:23]
• Turning Down Work: Georgia discusses the importance of saying “no” to ill-fitting projects, even when business is slow, to protect energy and alignment.
  • “I declined a project last week… The clearer I get about who’s coming in the door, the more okay I am with fewer calls but more qualified value of project work.” — Georgia Zikas [27:48]
• Visualizing Success: She recommends intention-setting and positive visualization—practices she shares with her family and applies before meetings and events.
  • “I tell my kids this too: When you get up in the morning, let’s visualize the day… I do that to this day, even with a project and a client meeting.” — Georgia Zikas [31:29]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Weathering Slow Periods:
  “The universe has prepared me… to be a mainstay and really put that effort in, to be a little scrappy and get out there.”
  — Georgia Zikas [10:57]

• On Authentic Marketing:
  “I’m not going to get something out of [a meeting] tomorrow, but I maintain that new friendship or that new relationship in a very meaningful way… because that’s who I am.”
  — Georgia Zikas [13:23]

• On Financial Discipline:
  “If you have a healthy operating budget and you have a healthy grasp on cash flow… you have to have that finger on the pulse all the time.”
  — Georgia Zikas [16:31]

• On Client Fit:
  “I love people, but I can’t serve everybody and have everything align in terms of time, scope, and investment range… I could keep myself busy all the time, but I don’t want to be busy and tired. I’d like to be busy and energized.”
  — Georgia Zikas [26:22]

• On Mindset and Focus:
  “I just sort of refuse to go negative, because I love it. I think there’s not enough of the positivity that everybody needs, that hope and faith and the knowing, and knowing your own ability… you gotta put the blinders on.”
  — Georgia Zikas [29:24]

• On Internal Growth During Downtime:
  “If you have a good process, and if you don’t, now's the time to make it better. And listening, attending… I’m really there to take in what people are serving out.”
  — Georgia Zikas [24:09], [24:33]

• On Life Advice:
  “I think the best or the most important decision you can make in your life is who you choose to spend it with. So I think your partner is the biggest decision you’ll ever make.”
  — Georgia Zikas [33:10]

Important Timestamps

• [00:51] — Designer describes the slowdown and changing client mindsets.
• [05:52] — Georgia Zikas discusses shifting headquarters to Boston and adapting her team.
• [09:34] — Georgia normalizes ebb and flow in business; focuses on quality over quantity.
• [12:02] — Georgia’s proactive, ongoing marketing strategies.
• [13:58] — Every team member as a brand ambassador; organic vs. strategic outreach.
• [14:59] — The importance of maintaining marketing spend and financial vigilance during slowdowns.
• [18:00] — Handling client hesitancy and shifting project scopes; reframing phased projects as a norm.
• [21:30] — Using downtime for reflection, internal projects, and marketing.
• [22:51] — Investing in marketing and hiring a dedicated professional.
• [24:09] — The value of attending industry events for learning and growth.
• [26:22] — Defining and attracting ideal clients rather than saying “yes” to everyone.
• [27:48] — The power of saying “no” to projects that don’t fit.
• [31:29] — Georgia’s visualization routine for developing a positive mindset.
• [33:10] — Georgia’s best life advice: Choose your partner wisely.

Takeaways for Designers and Creative Business Owners

• Slowdowns are normal, not a failure. Use them as a chance for internal reflection and to refine your operations, marketing, and mindset.
• Continue building relationships: Consistent, authentic marketing—especially networking and in-person engagement—compounds over time.
• Don’t abandon marketing investment: Even in lean times, preserving your presence and visibility is crucial.
• Mind your financial health: Stay close to your numbers, but trim the right places.
• Know and trust yourself: Be clear on your values, ideal clients, and be empowered to decline the wrong projects.
• Prioritize mindset: Visualize success, intentionally foster positivity, and use hardship as growth fuel.
• Life and partnership matter: Who supports you outside of work is foundational to endurance and thriving as an entrepreneur.

In Summary

This episode is a practical and uplifting guide for any designer facing quieter months, full of actionable principles for riding out uncertainty, deepening client fit, and investing in authentic, sustained growth—all powered by optimism and intention.

Georgia Zikas’s parting wisdom:
“What else do we have if not optimism and hope and positivity?” [23:55]