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Welcome to The DTS Files for Interior Designers

The DTS Files is a premium content hub for interior designers who want to grow their businesses with expert-backed strategies, real-world consulting insights, and proven frameworks.

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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

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PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

How to Stay Confident When Your Interior Design Clients Are Wealthier Than You Are

I’ve been working with interior designers for 8+ years, and before that, I owned a successful wedding and event planning business. 

Over the years, I’ve had many conversations with designers who’ve told me things like, “I’d never be able to afford myself,” or “I could never spend that much on a custom sofa,” or “I wish I could spend $X on a renovation like my clients do.” 

This resonates with me. As a former wedding planner, I was most often hired by the parents of the bride or groom. My clients (the parents who were hiring me) were significantly older and had far greater financial means than I did. (I was in my 20s and 30s and when I had my first company).

That gap can trigger feelings of inadequacy, or even imposter syndrome, where you experience self-doubt and low self-esteem despite your achievements and expertise. It’s easy to feel you can’t live up to your clients' expectations. And it’s a trap that’s easy to fall into.

So what happens when YOU’RE the service provider (the expert), and your client is older, wealthier, more successful, or is more accustomed to high-end, luxury experiences?

I’ll tell you: YOUR MONEY STORY COMES OUT.

Join me inside The DTS Files to find out how to level the playing field when your clients have more wealth, success, or experience with luxury services than you do. Get my insights based on my work with hundreds of interior design businesses, from those on their way to their first $100,000/year to those scaling past $4,000,000+/year in revenue.

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DEAR DAKOTA, PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan DEAR DAKOTA, PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

Dear Dakota: Should I Share Pricing During the Design Presentation or After?

A designer asked, “If I present pricing during the presentation, it brings up more revisions. Should I wait and send pricing later instead?”

This is an important question designers often face and it’s one you don’t want to mess up. In this article, I share why the timing of your pricing reveal matters more than you think and how it affects approvals, objections, and even profitability.

Join The DTS Files to read my advice. 

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DEAR DAKOTA, PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan DEAR DAKOTA, PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

Dear Dakota: Do I Really Need An Investment Guide, Or Can I Just Send My Hourly Rates To Potential Clients?

There’s a fear in the interior design industry (and in many creative service industries) that sending an Investment Guide will scare off potential clients or make you look uppity. Because of that, many designers default to just sharing their hourly rates or a flat fee per room. In this article, I show you how to share pricing in a way that communicates value and positions you as the expert.

Join The DTS Files to read my advice. 

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PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE, PERSONAL, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan PRICING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE, PERSONAL, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan

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.

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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:

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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.

Katie McFarlan Dakota Design Company Premium Client Process templates for Interior Designers

*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, strategists.

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SHOP WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS

Learn from me and my team (comprised of industry experts and educators) 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 and are professors!

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 and live step-by-step trainings for your busy schedule.

Katie McFarlan Dakota Design Company Premium Client Process templates for Interior Designers

*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, or strategists.

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COMPLIMENTARY QUIZ FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

You don’t need to overhaul everything. You just need to fix the right thing.

This 2-minute quiz will help you identify what’s holding you back and how to fix it.

JOIN 16,000 DESIGNERS EVERY FRIDAY

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Proven strategies and tools to streamline and elevate your interior design business.