Let’s talk Integrity and Ethics in Business.

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Transcript

Speaker 3: 0:11

Welcome to Designing Success from Study to Studio. I'm your host, Rhiannon Lee, founder of the Oleandra Finch Design Studio. I've lived the transformation from study to studio and then stripped it bare and wrote down the framework so you don't have to overthink it. In this podcast, you can expect real talk with industry friends, community, connection, and actionable tips to help you conquer whatever's holding you back. Now let's get designing your own success.

Speaker: 0:36

Today's episode of Designing Success is probably not one that I would have that brings me any joy to bring to you today but I thought it was important and I actually am denied about whether or not I was going to talk about it because I've been swinging wildly today from just like feeling a bit shocked and disappointed and upset. And, when you feel that kind of emotion, where you feel actually shaky, you find it really hard to articulate the things that you want to say without attaching too much emotion for it. This is where I would use Clancy, my client's comms AI support assistant to take the emotion out of what I want to say and just present the facts. But the facts are allegedly overnight, there has been a post that went out on Instagram. Accusing an Australian podcaster of reading out a blog that belongs to an American designer, and it's not the first instance of this sort of thing that I have been aware of, but also it just gives the industry and business mentoring. And everything about it, such a terrible name. And I think the thing that upsets people the most and certainly upsets me is that it's so hard to get people's trust and to earn that trust and then to provide them that result so that they're the investment that they make in your group coaching or private coaching. Ecosystem is one that actually drives a result for them and the idea that there are people out there that are Using other people's marketing and selling this very smoke and mirrors charlatan type Idea and then not delivering is really disappointing and I had hundreds of examples like my dm says Today have been wild. The things that people have reached out to say, I've lost thousands, I've spent all this money and I've seen nothing. Or, nothing happens after you, after day one or whatnot. I'm not gonna go too much into it'cause I am sure some of you're aware of that person's identity and out of and respectfully. I don't want to be part of any. Online, jumping on or bullying or anything like that. I do, however, want to talk about integrity and ethics in business, because if you are profit led, it will always show if you plagiarize, if you steal, if you're not an innovator, but you're an imitator instead, you will come unstuck. There will come a time when someone says, Hey, babes. That's not yours, that's mine. And nothing good can ever come of it. It's like when you were a kid and you were taught, you know, if you cheat, you cheat yourself as well. Like you didn't earn whatever it is that you cheated to get. And this type of behavior is exactly that on a large scale. And the thing that upsets me the most is that it's not. It's behavior that costs other people money and they backed the wrong horse. They didn't get the result. They are not working through a systemized approach to build an interior design business that is profitable. And that is the promise on the label. I think if you stick to your core values and ethically you're driven to want to make a change, to want to help, to want to be supportive and help people past imposter syndrome and past all of their fears and. teach them a way to run a business that's sustainable and holistically looks at business as it's a long game. It's not something I'm quickly helping you build and you're going to pop in for two years and run it and then close it down. So given that it's a long game, we want to set it up right. And we want to make sure that it is sustainable and that it balances with your lifestyle and that you can enjoy every minute of it. I just, I feel really rocked by this. News because I've had a lot of students come from that course and into mine, and they've given me very honest feedback about the glaring differences in value and what they've seen and what their experience has been and how hands on it's been and I think I feel really protective because I know what that investment is like. I was a startup first year of business person with a six week old baby and a two year old and no money. Like I, I worked 10 hours a week. There was nowhere I couldn't invest in my business in the first year. And the people that invest in the framework course specifically with me in that first year, I know that it's all outgoings before they're getting clients and regular incomings. So I really I'm fiercely protective of that. I live in the knowledge that they're putting their hope and trust and money into me to help deliver them. A result that drives their business forward. And every single one of my framework has started at zero and left working with clients, nobody's ever left the program without being like regularly having clients. And I'm super proud of that statistic. I think today I just feel like there's so much shadiness going on behind the scenes the idea that someone has taken somebody's work. And he answered and released it vocally Taking their written work and just not changed a word. We live in a world of AI, it is audacious and someone, And if I can go as far as to say, it's just even LAZY cheating If you can't even throw that back through chat GPT and ask it to be, To present that particular content. To write you a podcast episode on the same topic that's relevant for interior designers, but that is completely unrecognizable to the one that you just uploaded. It would have taken two minutes. I really wanted to talk to you about ethics and integrity on this podcast today, and I'm feeling myself get really emotional and worked up. As I said I would just like you, if you're out there to ask yourself, and it's very simple. I do this in parenting. If you would be heartbroken or shattered, if somebody did this to you, that is the gut check that you need to know that it is wrong to do it to somebody else. So if you would be really upset that somebody was reading out your blog on a podcast, or somebody has just taken your blog and posted it on their website, word for word, or is using your marketing or is stealing your IP, it's so much. Like just even on social media platforms, the strategy of some people is identical to others. So one person will post and two days later, another person will copy that. And you can see it and everyone's aware of it. Everybody knows it. If my DMs are anything to go by, literally nobody, I think there's a lot of people who were shocked which I think just speaks volumes. And I'm sorry if you're listening and you are somebody who did back the wrong horse or has invested a lot of money and has just received copied and pasted glued together scraps of other people's ideas instead of a robust framework for how to run a business. Honestly, I actually just feel really upset for you because. I, I just know there's a better way out there. And I just know there are not just the framework. There are a lot of courses that are really legit. There are other girls in this industry who absolutely live, breathe, like all we want to do is support the next ones coming up and see how we can celebrate their successes and get them through. You really have to have a really tough, like that tough first year and get them out there. And there is enough houses. There is enough work for designers, stylists. There's enough for everybody and so there should never, ever be a place where we feel that we need to copy or take from someone else. Because if you have your own voice, you will attract the pocket of the market. That's right for you, because there is enough for us. I don't know what's next for this designer. I hope that it causes at minimal, some serious self reflection. I hope that person is okay. Firstly, I do hope that she's okay. I think that when things like this happen, it can be shocking and it can feel a bit like a pile up. Just because you do the wrong thing doesn't mean you deserve to be bullied or you deserve to have it all caved down around you. In a, I just hope she is looking after her mental health and that she does have good support around her at this time. However, what has happened if the allegations are founded is shocking and I think that a business that's run with unethical practices and one that It doesn't align with integrity will come unstuck. I do, I think that we will see a different landscape in the next six months or so as we weed out people who are doing the wrong thing, earning the trust of young designers, emerging designers, and promising them the world and delivering very little. Anyway, that's all I have to say about that. It's quick and short for me today, actually, because I just don't think I could talk about it anymore. Without crying on my own podcast of I've opened myself. I swore I wouldn't cry. But I'm actually mad. I'm mad and I'm sad and I'm upset. And I think that you should all feel like that. I think that nobody wins in this situation and it does the industry no good. And I urge you to take today's chat as a reminder to think about the role that you play in building a trustworthy industry. If you've experienced or witnessed questionable business practices, have you been a bystander or an upstander? We say that to the kids, did you put your voice forward and say, Hey, that's not okay. I'm truly shocked that there are so many positive testimonials when there is equally so many negative testimonials that nobody said, if I had my chance again, I probably wouldn't invest in this particular course. I think together we can champion integrity and ensure that the industry is respected, that we're using ethical practices. I know there's some teachings in that other course about, Using Pinterest to build your own portfolio and other things that are. another copyright breach. You don't own the imagery. You can't use it on your Instagram. Anyway, it's all about maintaining high standards, not just avoiding like that's the wrong thing to do, but holding yourself accountable, holding those around you accountable and actually saying, Hey, this doesn't serve anyone. This podcast is probably an example. It's not necessarily, I am trying really hard to make sure that it's in a way that's respectful, but It is a tough pill to swallow what's happened. I cannot only imagine what this designer and mentor and coach felt like when she heard a podcast and it was legitimately a blog and it used data and testimonials from her own clients claiming to be clients of this person. I think I would be really protective of my clients information as well. And I would just feel really upset that somebody's just cut corners, And exploited someone else's work. It's just lowering the bar for all of us. There's obviously a lot of legal stuff in the background and I hope I haven't crossed any lines on this podcast. I've been very careful to remind people that these are allegations. Nothing has been through a court system. This is just The word on the street, if you will, but it did remind me that it's worth having a conversation around integrity and ethics in business. And how obviously given recent events, that's super relevant at the moment. And it has sparked a lot of conversations in my DMS and I was truly shocked at how wild some things that I heard. I was like, oh wow, I did not know that was going on in the background. I don't follow other people who do the same thing that I do. I don't find that healthy for my mental health. I don't find it interesting. I don't want to be swayed by seeing something they do and then, inadvertently copying them. So I'm very unaware of who's who in the zoo in that context. I think we do market research in the business. We do it at the beginning of January, beginning of July, we do market research and that is like literally an hour and a half of research. researching, going on websites, seeing what's out there in the course creator space, seeing what's out there. And that's it. Once I've done that, I'm back in my bubble because I don't really want to know what's happening around me. But yeah, student feedback is really important to me and having so many students come to me from all over the world. other groups. You hear on the street, which are the ones that they've come over and they're really happy with what they've had. And which are not. So as I said, use it as a quality check for yourself today. Think through the filter of, am I ethical in my business? Is everything I do above board? Have I ever taken shortcuts? Am I a bit shady sometimes? Do I borrow too heavily from people in the online space? And if so, how can I do better? And how can we do better, all of us, to make sure that nobody's sitting and if I were to describe the way that this designer must be sitting in America feeling right now, I would just be it has been me. So I'm not going to say if it were me, I would feel like this. It has been me, and it was poisonous and it definitely had times where it's made me want to walk away from my entire course because I'm just epically tired of putting something out into the world and then seeing it regurgitated two days later. And it's going to happen. We all know that. But the important thing when it does happen is that you take a higher road and you find a way to do your thing, to be loudly and unapologetically you and as helpful. My word of the year this year was impact. And I was like, I don't care what's happening all around me. I want to impact the lives of the designers that I am. And I'm grateful enough to be able to work with the ones that said yes to me, I say yes to you a thousand percent and thank you to every single one of you who has taken a chance on the framework and has done that course and raves about it still to this day and I get lots of referrals from past designers which again, I'm so grateful for. So I will leave you there. If you want to chat about this or business or ethics or integrity, or you want any further information about this episode, you can find me on Instagram at oleander underscore and underscore Finch. You can do that. Send me a direct message just by clicking the link at the top of the show notes that says text me and tell me What you think about this episode? But I hope yeah, let's spark some conversations. Let's all do better. Let's raise rise above No, but you know do not raise to the bottom do not copy that a plan of action, let's make sure that we can honestly hand on heart, say everything I put out into the world is mine. It made me laugh. Somebody messaged me and was like, have you seen this post? And obviously they only identified the person as an Australian podcaster, who's a business mentor to interior designers. because that basically is it. Less than 10 of us, I would guess around Australia. And yeah, for a little while I was like, Oh no, I hope no one thinks that's me. And then I laughed and I laughed because I was like, Oh gosh, if I was going to copy a podcast, I'd make it a lot better than this. But sorry, I know I'd love that you guys. you enjoy them and whatnot, I don't obviously listen back to my own voice. I find that really cringe worthy, but it is nice to hear that the podcast episodes have been hitting for people and that you can tell that they're mine because there's often very random references in there that I don't think could be anybody else's. Anyway, that's it for me today. Thank you for listening. I will chat to you on Thursday. Bye for now.

Speaker 2: 15:13

That wraps up another episode of Designing Success from Study to Studio. Thanks for lending me your ears. Remember, progress over perfection is the key. If you found value in today's episode, go ahead and hit subscribe or share it with a friend. Your feedback means so much to me and it helps me improve, but it also helps this podcast reach more emerging and evolving designers. For your daily dose of design business tips and to get a closer look at what goes on behind the scenes, follow at oleander underscore and underscore finch on Instagram. You'll find tons of resources available at www. oleanderandfinch. com to support you on your journey. Remember, this is your path, your vision, your future, and your business. Now let's get out there and start designing your success.