Featured on this episode:

• Find out more about Rebecca and Shaun by visiting their website or following them on Instagram @hotyoungdesignersclub
• Grab Your Free Script Guide here
• Access the full video interview with Elana Steele of Steele Appliance here

What you will learn from this episode:

• Why community beats competition

• How to have money and scope conversations early

• What it really takes to protect your energy

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Today’s episode feels like you’re sitting in on a conversation you want to be a part of.

Today, I’m joined by Rebecca Plumb and Shaun Crha, the voices behind the Hot Young Designers Club, an energetic global community of interior designers. Informed by their own design ventures, Studio Plumb and Wrensted Interiors, they believe that being a “Hottie” is a state of mind that’s valuable for all creative entrepreneurs. Through their real life friendship they explore the emotional, practical, and humorous sides of design, fostering openness among designers. They support interior designers through their Patreon, business tools, industry events, and their 5-star rated podcast.

Today, we talked about community and isolation. We talked about money, construction chaos, and client dynamics. We talked about scope of work clarity and the emotional weight of this business. Let’s get into it.

Building Community When You Feel Isolated

Rebecca describes herself as shy. And then she casually tells the story of how she hosted a lunch‑and‑learn at her own dining table to gather local designers because she felt isolated. That’s not shy. That’s brave.

Before Hot Young Designers Club became a global community, it was two designers craving connection. They met through the One Room Challenge in 2019, DM’d about Vegas Market, did a pre‑trip Zoom to make sure neither was a weirdo, and never stopped talking. That’s how community starts. Not with a master plan. With one honest question: How are you doing this?

Shaun was sliding into designers’ DMs asking how tile was installed. Rebecca was inviting reps over because she didn’t know how accounts worked. Neither pretended to know everything. And that vulnerability? It was constantly rewarded. When you’re sensitive about a challenge and bring it up, the response isn’t judgment. It’s recognition. I’m sorry you’re going through that. I had something similar. I don’t have advice, but I’m here. That’s the energy that builds real community.

The industry used to be guarded.

Process wasn’t shared.

Business wasn’t discussed.

It was glossy results and silence about how we got there.

Now, designers are realizing there’s room for everyone. There’s a lid for every pot. And vulnerability builds faster than competition ever could.

Rebecca now has a local group of seven designers who meet monthly. They’re technically her competitors, all within a 30-mile radius. But they’ve never stepped on each other’s toes. They share proposals. They review scope. They show each other their numbers. And they’ve realized: there’s enough.

The Reality Instagram Doesn’t Show

We talked about photography and the incomplete story it tells. Yes, the room looks beautiful. But the trim might not have come out the way you wanted. The paint might be Photoshopped. The cord is cropped out. The client changed something at the last minute. Instagram is a true statement. It’s just not a complete one. And when designers compare themselves to that incomplete statement, it can distort reality.

Someone could be holding a picture up on a sawhorse or editing out the paint color because the client didn’t use what was specified. Every photo is missing context. That’s part of what HYDC does well. They talk about the messy middle. The refund. The mistake. The awkward conversation. The therapy session after a client interaction. Because this job is intimate.

The Emotional Weight of Construction

We don’t talk enough about this part.

We are in people’s homes. We witness marriages. We know about CPAP machines. We know who sleeps on which side of the bed. We measure wingspans for sun salutations in showers.

This is not just picking pretty fabrics.

It’s ergonomics.

It’s psychology.

It’s trust.

It’s money.

And it can be heavy.

Rebecca said it perfectly: I’ve had to do EMDR based on client experiences. 

You are managing budget stress, contractor tension, relationship dynamics, scope creep, and your own nervous system. And you are expected to stay calm when the newel post gets dinged, and the bureau arrives damaged. Your reaction sets the tone. If you panic, they panic. If you’re steady, they steady. That’s leadership.

Shaun shared something his banking managers drilled into him early: do not take things personally. In banking, he was just the face of the company delivering information. In design, it feels more personal because it’s your creativity, your art, your taste. But not taking it personally creates clarity. When a client says we have to cut that, you can think like a triage nurse instead of someone whose work is being attacked. What’s the real priority here? What’s the goal? How do I advocate for the design vision without getting stuck in my own feelings? That objectivity, that emotional distance, makes impromptu job site decisions that much easier to make.

Money Conversations (And Why We Avoid Them)

We also talked about money, openly. Rebecca grew up in a house where money was conflict. I grew up in a house where money wasn’t discussed at all. Neither background makes pricing easier. But avoiding money conversations does not protect you. It prolongs discomfort.

Designers must talk about budget early, talk about it often, and repeat ranges confidently. Stop fearing transparency. Clients are often relieved when you normalize contingency. They’re relieved when you explain allowances. They’re relieved when you help them understand what construction really costs. And yes, you should be asking contractors for historical data. You should be building your own database. You should be involved in bids. Not to control. To steward.

Shaun made a great point about clients who resist sharing their budget. They often fear that once you know what they have, you’re going to ask to take it. But your job is to help them spend wisely, not drain them. If you know the pot of money available for contingencies, you can triage smartly. You can protect the furniture budget. You can prevent the “let’s just pull from finishes” spiral that happens mid-construction. The more transparent the budget conversation, the better you can serve.

And that starts early, in discovery calls, before you’ve even seen the site. I tell every potential client a broad range based on what they’ve described. If something changes when I see the space in person, I address it immediately. I’d rather rip the band-aid off than lead someone on. Money should be discussed often, early, and early again.

Scope of Work: Pretty vs. Clear

Shaun shared something that struck a chord. Contractors hand over clean, simple documents. Designers often over-design their proposals. Yes, our documents should reflect our brand. But clarity beats decoration.

A scope of work must be straightforward.

It should list rooms clearly, outline deliverables specifically, and define expectations.

No assumptions. No fluff.

I work through the scope with clients before I build the formal proposal. We get agreement. We adjust. Then I meld it into the document with aspirational language and outcome-driven framing. That way, I’m not revising a beautifully designed proposal five times. The client knows exactly what they’re signing. Decision-makers are aligned. When everyone sees the same scope, buy-in happens early. And scope expansion becomes strategic, not accidental.

Rebecca’s been refining her proposal process, too. As a former graphic designer, she knows that good design is about organizing information, not just making it pretty. She’s simplified. She’s removed the bio because it’s in the intro email. She’s stripped out unnecessary letters.

She’s focused on what clients actually need: objectives, deliverables, and pricing.

That’s the balance. Your proposal should feel like you, but it should function first.

Hidden Spaces & Construction Surprises

We took a brief detour into one of my favorite topics: dead space. Rebecca told a wild story about a documentary she watched where people secretly lived inside a Baltimore mall in the nineties. They found a cavity in the construction, a 5,000-square-foot dead zone, and built a full apartment inside it. Cinder blocks. Furniture. Electrical. For two years. Nobody knew.

It’s an extreme example, but the principle holds. If you don’t ask what’s behind a wall, you’ll never know what you’re missing. I always ask architects what’s behind the pilaster. If it’s nothing, can we hinge it? Can we make it functional? I once turned a series of pilasters in a kitchen into an 8-inch-deep bookshelf. The client filled it with cookbooks. The architect used it in their portfolio.

Clients don’t always expect creative solutions like that, but once you show them, they start looking for more opportunities. That’s one of the joys of being on-site during construction. You get to catch those moments. The impromptu wins. The surprise spaces. The chance to add value in real time.

Boundaries, Burnout & Just Stop

We ended with a rapid-fire Just Stop segment, one of HYDC’s signature podcast features. Rebecca said stop assuming you can match the paint color cheaper. It’s never the same. The undertone’s off. The finish is wrong. Just stop.

Shaun said stop assuming I want it the way you’ve done it for every other client. Read the drawings. Call me. Don’t lock me into Schluter trim because that’s how we always do it.

Mine? Stop showing up to job sites dressed fragile and then wondering why you’re treated that way. Wear closed-toed shoes. Wear jeans. Dress like your colleagues. You can’t demand to be treated as an equal if you show up looking like you can’t climb a ladder.

But underneath the humor was something serious. Protect your energy. This business will take from you if you let it. You do not have to work for clients who drain you, projects that feel wrong, or contractors who don’t respect you. Your sanity matters. Your nervous system matters. Your boundaries matter. And most of the time, you knew in advance. You saw the red flags. You just ignored them because you needed the money, or the project was cool, or you wanted to work with a new contractor. Start listening to your gut.

The Bigger Takeaway

High Point used to feel exhausting. Now it feels like connection. That’s the shift community creates. When you build relationships in this industry, you refill your creativity bucket, your connection bucket, and your confidence bucket. And you stop feeling like you’re the only one navigating this strange, intimate, emotionally layered profession. Because you’re not.

If this conversation resonated, I encourage you to explore what Rebecca and Shaun are building at Hot Young Designers Club. You can find them on Instagram at @hotyoungdesignersclub, listen to their podcast, or join their Patreon community for deeper support and business tools.

And if you’re ready to refine how you lead projects, manage construction, protect your profit, and show up with confidence, that’s the work we do inside The Designer’s Edge. You don’t have to build your business alone.

Like this Episode?

Be sure to check out Episode #120: Designer’s Questions Answered – How to Protect Boundaries, Designs & Other Critical Jobsite Questions

Be sure to check out Episode #84: How a Budget Ensures a Smooth and Successful Project

Be sure to check out Episode #87: Learn From Other Designers – Negative Experiences Designers Went Through and How to Avoid Them