186: Working Backward from Your Goals with Linette Dai

Interior designer Linette Dai joins Shaun and Rebecca to share how she built Linette Dai Design by following opportunities, embracing discomfort, and working backward from the kind of business and life she wanted to create. Linette reflects on her unconventional path into interior design, from operating a boba shop and teaching English in Taiwan to helping renovate investment properties and eventually studying interior architecture at UCLA Extension.

The conversation explores what it takes to move into the luxury design market, invest in professional photography and public relations, build a collaborative team, and become more visible even when self-promotion feels uncomfortable. Linette also shares how ADHD, curiosity, meticulousness, and a willingness to ask questions have become creative superpowers that help her develop thoughtful, highly customized interiors.

In this episode they discuss:

• How Linette transitioned through several careers before discovering interior design
• Building an interior design business organically through referrals, freelancing, and hands-on experience
• Why business partnerships require clearly defined roles, expectations, and complementary skill sets
• Working backward from long-term goals to identify the uncomfortable steps required to achieve them
• Why affordable luxury can be difficult to sustain and how Linette shifted toward luxury interior design
• Investing time in networking, industry events, professional photography, PR, and relationship building
• Turning ADHD traits, curiosity, overthinking, and meticulous attention to detail into design superpowers
• Hiring freelance and hourly support, delegating tasks, and building a lean interior design team

Mentioned:

• Linette Dai Design
• Linette Dai Design on Instagram

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