Dear Dakota: I’m Feeling Maxed Out! (This is the Advice We Give Most Interior Designers)
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Recently, we’ve had SO many questions come in for our Dear Dakota series about hiring: questions running the gamut from who to hire, when to hire, and how to even begin.
One overwhelmed interior design business owner wrote in with this question:
Dear Dakota: I need to clone myself! I have 13 projects currently and need to understand how to bring someone into my firm and who is that person?
I feel her pain. But, I have to say, with all due respect, she’s thinking about this all wrong.
When most interior designers hit capacity, their first instinct is to hire someone just like them: a strong designer who can manage space planning, materials and furniture selections, client meetings, communication, vendors, the works.
But here’s the thing: a lot of that is probably exactly what this interior designer is already great at. Most of it is probably why she started her business in the first place.
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So my advice:
Instead of hiring where you’re strong, hire where you’re weak or where your energy tanks.
This might mean:
Admin tasks like completing spec sheets, placing and tracking orders, managing samples
Technical tasks like CAD drawings, digital renderings, and construction documents.
Specialized tasks that are outside the realm of design: marketing, bookkeeping, project management, etc.
TIP: Don’t hire out what YOU love to.
Hire out what you want OFF your plate.
Your first hire should lighten your load so you can stay focused on what you do best—designing. That’s where your value lies, especially in the early stages.
Your first hire should lighten your load so you CAN stay focused on what you do best: designing! That’s where your value lies, especially in the creative early stages.
Another Hiring Mistake to Avoid
Don’t hire someone to take on the most critical aspects of your business: the make-or-break responsibilities that really, only you, as the owner, should handle.
These usually fall into a few key buckets:
Revenue generation, like sales calls, proposals, collaborations
Client experience, especially the parts that turn clients into raving fans and build relationship
Marketing and lead gen, particularly if you’re still new and building your brand
Big-picture leadership like goal-setting, strategic planning, training and development, and team culture
It’s not that you’ll never hand these off. You can if you want to, but doing it too soon can stall your growth and impact your brand.
So, What Should Interior Designers Do Before Hiring?
Before hiring, it’s critical to understand exactly what you DO want your new hire to do, and what things should remain under your umbrella. So, identify both the things that you WANT to do, and the things that you (as the owner) NEED to do.
How would I do this? By auditing my week. I'd make a list of everything I do throughout the day over a two or three week span. Then I would categorize those tasks to see what I should delegate..
I would base this determination on these factors:
Which tasks do I love doing or need to keep doing as the CEO?
Which ones drain me, stall my momentum, or distract from the big picture?
Ultimately, which are the $10,000/hour tasks and which are the $10/hour tasks.
From there, NOW you can create a job description that’s focused and realistic. (Not a wish list for a unicorn like yourself.) And even just listing out the tasks you want to delegate will help you figure out a title for the role, pay range, and hours estimate.
Hiring another you will bring more ideas, more creativity, more design skills, but not the admin and support you truly need to get out of the weeds. Not to mention, hiring without clarity just creates more work (and is VERY expensive.).
And don’t forget the logistics: hiring docs, onboarding checklists, and an employee handbook go a long way in setting up your new hire—and your business—for success.
Once you are ready to hire, make sure you have all the needed parts and pieces in place in your business: a job description, hiring documents, onboarding checklists, an employee handbook.
Ready to Hire Without the Overwhelm? Here’s Your Next Step.
Growing your team is an investment in your company, and when done right, it's one of the most powerful ways to scale without burning out. But before you hire, you need to know what you're handing off. This means having your processes out of your head and into a system.
That's exactly what we help interior designers do inside The Designed to Scale® Method. Learn more here.
Free Hiring Masterclass Series
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