Time to start treating your business with a little more respect, it’s more than a hobby. In this article, discover some simple boundaries to start building into your interior design business. Take back your life and add a little more balance.
Read MoreIt’s important to set your business off on the right foot. That begins with your very first interior design project. Read this article to learn how to not give too much of yourself and make sure that you are also benefiting from all the hard work you do on your projects. Too often independent interior designers sacrifice themselves for their clients’ projects. Here is how to make it a win-win.
Read MoreRunning a business and creativity are often at odds. The creative side wants to be creative -without restrictions and that could be finding the perfect sofa, exploring every option, scrolling through hundreds of pages of options. But that is not sustainable for business, Clients don’t want to pay you for hundreds of hours of sourcing. This is why lack of time-management is hurting your business.
Read MoreWhen you’re watching another designer’s business - you lose sight of your own.
Most of us get in our own way. We are what keeps us from getting to where we want to go. With my coaching clients, I see this pretty frequently, but I can also recognize when I do this to myself. This is a universal human struggle. But what if you don’t need to know, that trust comes first?
Read MoreA look back at all the great interior design articles of 2020. Have you read them all? Some old favorites and new classics are gracing the list this year. Which is your favorite?
Read MoreThe planner was designed to help you really examine your business - what’s working, what’s not, how to improve, the sticky areas, those that run smoothly, those that create hassles that you may not have even realized when you’re absorbed in the everyday business. Know your business like never before.
Read MoreYour website is your single best business tool - why do you still not have one? In this post, I share a few reasons why your hurting your business by not having a website for your business.
Read MoreThe beautiful thing about setting expectations is letting your clients know what to expect, which naturally puts them at ease. The unknown is a terrible thing for many people and for most when dealing with a personal space as well as a substantial amount of money.
Read MoreMany people think making money is dirty or bad (especially women). And even worse, sometimes we’re not even aware that we carry around this belief - it just shows up in how we conduct business and life. If you feel unsure about your pricing or keep spinning your wheels on how to price - there are ways to overcome it.
Read MoreHow to pay yourself in an interior design business? How much? How often? From what accounts?
When you’re hired as an employee, you don’t have to worry about getting paid, paying withholding taxes, or when you’ll get your paycheck. But as a self-employed business owner, these are all considerations.
Read MoreI love making things easier for myself. I also love processes and organization. I love working smarter and not harder.
One way that I do that is by utilizing an online scheduler. It’s simple, but can help you work smarter as well as add a bit of professionalism to your business.
So I wanted to share today how using an online scheduler in an interior design business can also make your life easier. I use Acuity Scheduling (and if you have a Squarespace website this is probably the best choice because of the existing integration) but there are many options to consider (just search “online scheduler”).
Read MoreDid you know that today is National Bosses Day? So I thought it would be appropriate to share how to be a good boss.
I know some of you may not have employees - but even if you’re just working for yourself, you’re still a boss and can apply these in your own business - for yourself!
It’s important that your employees know what is expected of them. That means that you have standards of conduct as well as standards for performance. It’s also up to you to find ways to motivate - this is usually done best by
Read MoreYou’ve probably heard that we apologize too much. We often apologize when we shouldn’t or when it’s not necessary or authentic.
Maybe you apologize to the chair when you bump into it. Maybe you apologize to your cat when you move it off your keyboard. Perhaps you apologize in your automated out-of-office replies. Maybe you’re saying “sorry” in most of your outbound emails.
Read MoreLast week I wrote about the ways you can work smarter and not harder and this week I want to share with you a super-simple system that I use that has changed my business. Because why create a system unless it makes your business run better? This one couldn’t be any easier, I call them Power Hours.
Power Hours are a time-blocking technique, which means that this is my hour a week to do very specific tasks. I found that there were things I kept putting off or never seemed to have the time to do. All those little random things that pop up that don’t fit into your normal business operations, but still need to get done.
Read MoreThere are several dozen psychological triggers that can help increase your sales and one of my favorites is scarcity. For interior designers we have a limited amount of time and creativity to service clients, without wearing ourselves out or bringing in help. We naturally have a limited bandwidth. This is where you can use scarcity and a wait list to your benefit.
I have to mention, because I know that many people are going to feel a little resistance on this topic, that many designers I know have a scarcity mindset. It’s a bit of a natural state when you own your own business.
Read MoreOne of the biggest hang-ups for clients when they work with interior designers is that we don’t take returns. So why don’t we take returns?
Interior designers shop at dozens - sometimes hundreds - of different places. Most to-the-trade places don’t take returns. So really, it’s not the interior designer’s policy - it’s the vendor’s policy. My contract says that if I can get a return I will - but most items are not returnable.
Read MoreI was asked recently, that as more retailers start introducing design services into their furniture offerings how can we as designers, start setting ourselves apart as well as stay relevant.
This question caused an internal scream of the soul.
If designers don’t know the value that they bring, don’t know how the services that we offer, and are confused about this - how can we expect clients who aren’t part of this industry to understand?
Read MoreDo interior designers have a responsibility to create environmentally-friendly designs? Fast-furniture and flat-pack furniture companies have become ever more popular as the home decor market flourishes. More people consider home goods disposable rather than a lifetime investment.
This means that almost 10 MILLION TONS of furniture go into landfills yearly.
Read MoreToday, I’m answering a reader question. Lenishka emailed and asked, “How do I explain gaps in employment and being in school for over a decade without sounding like I don't have my stuff together.” She explained that she has started a family and earned a couple degrees in the past 14 years, but is questioning how to explain gaps in employment.
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