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ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES
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MEMBERS-ONLY ARTICLES PUBLISHED WEEKLY
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PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
| ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES I MEMBERS-ONLY ARTICLES PUBLISHED WEEKLY | PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Seven Traits of Confident Interior Designers (That Have Nothing to Do with Being Extroverted or Perfect)
They’re not louder. Not flashier. But they’ve built businesses that back them up—and it shows.
In this new article, I’m breaking down the seven specific traits I see time and time again in the most confident interior designers (and how you can work your way toward having them).
Quiet confidence? Sign.me.up!
Join me inside The DTS Files for insights based on my work with hundreds of interior design businesses.
Guest Interview Series: The First Steps Interior Designers Should Take to Boost Visibility on Pinterest
Welcome to another edition of Dakota Design Company’s Guest Expert Interview series on the blog. We’re thrilled to share expertise from female business owners and leaders in the interior design industry, from interior photographers to marketers, financial advisors, branding experts, and beyond.
Each of our expert guests was selected because of their unique insights and perspectives on various topics that will help any interior design business owner take their business to the next level. These experts are Dakota Design Company insiders, and many have worked with us and our designer clients in the past. We hope you enjoy this series, and that it brings you new insights, tips, and tricks to add to your interior designer toolbox.
We asked Emanuela Schneider, founder of Marketing Interiors by ES, a boutique marketing studio for interior designers & the home industry, to share the first steps interior designers should take on Pinterest to boost visibility and if she sees Pinterest driving more leads and new clients for interior designers. Here's what she said:
Dear Dakota, What To Do When a Tough General Contractor Refers a Good Interior Design Client?
What do you do when the worst contractor you’ve ever worked with sends you a dream client? Take the job? Run for the hills? Here's how to protect your business, your boundaries, and your bottom line.
Join The DTS Files to read my advice.
Ways Interior Designers Can Generate Revenue from Window Treatments
Ever feel like you’re leaving money on the table with window treatments?
If you’ve wondered how to turn them into a profitable (and seamless) part of your design business, this one’s for you. I’m breaking down five ways to sell them, the risks you need to watch for, and where the real revenue is hiding.
Join The DTS Files for my advice.
What to Do When a Junior Designer Uses Your Portfolio to Promote Their Side Hustle
A designer wrote in with a tough situation: a junior team member is using her portfolio to land side work. If you’ve ever had that pit-in-your-stomach moment when you find out someone on your team has crossed the line, this one’s for you. In this article, I talk about how to protect your business and what to do if it’s already happened.
Want my advice? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.
The Design Brief® | Volume XVII | Design Elements: Pattern and Texture
Here we are completing our series on the Design Elements. The elements of design are like the ingredients that a designer adds in just the right amounts to arrive at a delicious finished product.
Although the list of the design elements varies by author or theorist, I consider these to be the definitive design elements:
LINE
SHAPE
PATTERN
TEXTURE
COLOR
LIGHT
We have covered several of these in previous editions of The Design Brief™:
In today’s edition of The Design Brief™, we’ll delve into using PATTERN & TEXTURE to manipulate a final design aesthetic.
ACCESS A PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT ADVICE for INTERIOR DESIGNERS
My strategies have shaped the way thousands of interior designers and luxury service providers do business.
Inside The DTS Files, you’re getting the original insights straight from the source—tested, refined, and backed by my experience working with 100+ design firms.
And because this is a members-only space, I can go deeper than ever before—sharing the real strategies that help designers build profitable, sustainable businesses with confidence.
HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR MEMBERS:
Not Ready to Subscribe? Start here.
PRICING PLAYBOOK for INTERIOR DESIGNERS
The Complete Guide to Pricing Your Design Services
Grab my pricing playbook, The Complete Guide to Pricing your Interior Design Services, to learn:
the six most common pricing models for designers
who each one is best for, and
how to know if your pricing model is broken
NEED BUSINESS SUPPORT ASAP?
SHOP TEMPLATES
Plug-and-play templates, questionnaires, processes, and guides for interior designers who want to stop reinventing the wheel with every new project.
The Design Library helps you streamline client communication, set clear expectations, and protect your time—so you can spend less time in your inbox and more time designing. Inside, you’ll find:
✔ Professionally written client emails and marketing guides for every step of the process.
✔ SOPs to standardize service delivery and create a seamless, high-end experience.
✔ Contract templates with sample scopes to protect you, your team, and your clients.
What took me years to refine can be in your inbox in minutes.
*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, strategists.
SHOP WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS
Learn from my team (comprised of industry experts and educators) and me all the things they don’t teach in design school. And we know because two of the women on my team went to interior design school!
After consulting with and doing hands-on implementation for over 100 interior design business owners, I’ve seen what works (and doesn’t) across every business model imaginable. We are familiar with various software types, team structures of 1 to 20, and the challenges that are coming, whether you’re on your way to your first $100,000 or already making multiple millions.
On-demand trainings for your busy schedule.
*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, or strategists.
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Proven strategies and tools to streamline and elevate your interior design business.
COMPLIMENTARY QUIZ FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Feeling stretched thin in your design business?
You’re busy—but is your business actually working for you? If you’re constantly putting out fires and second-guessing what to focus on next, this 2-minute quiz will show you exactly where to start.