business systems — Interior Design Business Resources

Create Signature Processes in Your Design Business

One of the hardest things about running an interior design business is that there really are very few standards and practices in the industry. Interior design is a super-specialized business and extraordinarily personal. Many designers (and clients) find frustration in the lack of industry standards and business practices.

However, because there aren’t industry standards, each design business owner is able to create their own standards and practices based on their strengths, their special sauce, their specialty, and their ideal clients.

What's Your Business Priority Next Year?

I often get overwhelmed when my to-do list seems never-ending. At that point, I need to take a step back and ask myself if there is anything that can be eliminated or delayed. Usually overwhelm comes when there is a lack of focus and a lack of control.

When you run a business, your to-do list will always be too long. Sometimes we trick ourselves into thinking that once X happens, it’ll be different. For example, once you have more clients, you’ll be less stressed. But this isn’t the case. Once X happens, you’re likely going to be in a slightly different situation, but more or less the same mindset. That is the reality of running a business, there will always be problems to solve and new issues to address.

CEO MindCapella KincheloeNovember 26, 2019business planning, business of interior design, business plan, business systemsComment

Power Hours

Last 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.

Fundamentals, CEO MindCapella KincheloeSeptember 18, 2019business systems, interior design systems, interior design ceo, design processComment

Work Smarter, Not Harder

I whole-heartedly believe in working smarter and not harder. And based on the amount of inquiries I receive about this topic, it seems like you might too. I would rather work 20 focused hours in a week than filling 40 hours with who knows what just because that is the “standard”. When you own your own business this is within the realm of possibilities, you just need to work smarter and not harder.

CEO MindCapella KincheloeSeptember 11, 2019business systems, interior design systems, tracking timeComment

New Year Planner

I like to focus on my year ahead for the entire month of January. It doesn't seem like there is ever enough time at the end of the year to plan for the next one. In my business, January is a planning month. I like to spend some time reviewing last year and creating goals for the new year by asking the right questions and taking time to answer them.

In the January 2018 issue of O Magazine, Oprah writes, "What's the best way to live a full, honest, examined life? Where do we find deeper meaning? How can we bridge the gap between ourselves and others? The answer, in every case: Ask the right questions."

Business Clarity Challenge

First post of a new year! Love a fresh start. I've reworked my Business Clarity Challenge for 2018 and think it is the perfect companion to the beginning of a new year (or anytime you're feeling overwhelmed and directionless).

This free challenge was designed to touch on all those things that you can miss in the rush to get your business off the ground, the client work and the day-to-day running of an interior design business. If you give yourself a few hours over the next week to do the daily lessons and exercises, you will emerge next week with SO MUCH MORE CLARITY.

Essentialism for Interior Designers

I just finished the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown and was blown away by how much the ideas in the book paralleled my teachings and personal philosophies in both running a business and in life. If you ever feel like you have to do it all, that you have too much on your plate, that you are overwhelmed, that you don't know what to focus on or what is most important than this book is for you. And from what I hear from you in your comments, emails, and in coaching sessions this is pretty much everyone running an interior design business. I highly recommend you read it.

Here are how the principles can help you do less and achieve more:

Organizing Client Projects

When I start a new project there are a few things that I do to organize that new project, this is one of the systems I have created to make my business more efficient. In this post, I've attempted to describe my system for you. It feels a lot more complicated to explain the system in words than it is in actual execution.

I start with a 3" white 3-ring binder and a stack of b inder tabs. Much of my organization is based on using Studio Designer, but if you don't use Studio Designer or a project management software you can still organize your projects this way.

Tracking Your Business: Monthly Reviews

It took me a couple years to finally be able to take my attention away from the day-to-day of starting and running my business. I realized I needed to be working on the business and not just in it. I was years-in before I started doing monthly reviews, but there isn't a single better tool for tracking your business progress.

And it can be quick!

My to-do list was always a mile long and always included urgent tasks, things that needed to get done right then rather than the important tasks that would help my business grow. It's like spending all your time picking up your house without ever cleaning it.

When I started doing monthly reviews, I created a repeating appointment in my calendar. The last business day of every month I spend an hour reviewing my business in the following areas.