Business of Home and Four Hands welcomed designers to the furniture brand’s flagship showroom in South Austin for a live edition of Ask Us Anything, bringing the popular Trade Tales companion podcast to the stage for an engaging morning of honest conversation and actionable business advice.

Moderated by Business of Home editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen, the panel featured Evan Millárd, Melissa Oholendt and Audrey Scheck—all former guests on the podcast—who tackled anonymously submitted questions from fellow designers and fielded thoughtful queries from the audience. Together, they shared candid perspectives on the challenges of growing a design firm, drawing from their own experiences to offer practical strategies for navigating everything from capturing qualified leads and investing wisely in project photography to itemizing time on invoices and improving a firm’s profit margin. 

The conversation was refreshingly transparent, with panelists openly discussing both successes and setbacks, creating an environment where attendees could learn from real-world experiences and connect over the shared realities of running a design business. Audience participation added another layer to the discussion, sparking stimulating conversations and leaving guests with tangible takeaways they could apply to their own firms.

“Evan, Melissa and Audrey arrived in Austin ready to give advice,” said Petersen, host of the Trade Tales podcast. “In the true spirit of Ask Us Anything, they kept us all laughing while delivering thoughtful—and sometimes provocative—business insights. They didn’t shy away from talking about the challenges of entrepreneurship, but they also offered an inspiring road map to success.”

“It was such a pleasure to host Evan, Audrey and Melissa in our Austin showroom and hear their expertise on the real questions designers are navigating today,” said Josh Jarboe, senior vice president of sales at Four Hands. “So much of what we do here at Four Hands is about making life easier for our designer friends and partners, and we’re grateful to Business of Home and Kaitlin for bringing this podcast taping to our showroom once again and creating space for conversations that move the industry forward.”