Dear Dakota, 

We charge a flat fee for Phase I and Phase II of our interior design services, and don't charge a service fee for the purchasing phase. Our flat fee pricing is contingent upon the client agreeing to purchase furniture through our vendors. We offer this arrangement to secure the entire project and ensure that clients buy all the required items from us.

Recently, we encountered a new challenge with a client. Although she loves the design and we are within budget, she expressed intentions to sell the custom home and not purchase furnishings at all. 

It’s been two months since we presented the design, and she hasn't signed the contract yet. I've contacted her multiple times, but she has only responded regarding ongoing contract work, not the furniture purchase. 

In my current contract, I have a provision that allows me to charge the client a fee of a specific % if the client removes items from the scope that were originally presented with a cost and within budget. I'm curious to know if your contract includes anything similar or if it has provisions to make it ironclad in such cases.

While this particular project is already underway, I'm concerned about handling similar situations in the future. Do you have any advice?

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Starting an interior design business can be overwhelming, with so many factors to consider and so much to do. Sure, you have the passion, you’ve learned your craft, and you’ve done your research, but how do you bring in new interior design clients when you don’t yet have a portfolio and are just getting started?

We asked interior designers who subscribe to The Weekly Install® to share what worked (and what didn’t) when it came to booking those first few clients. We compiled their insights, added a few of our own, and have some helpful tips for interior designers who are just launching or looking to grow their businesses.

Special thank you to all the interior designers who responded to the survey and gave us permission to share their insights.

The Best Place For New Interior Designers to Get Clients

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If you’re spending hours writing custom proposals, struggling to price your services, or getting ghosted after you send them—something isn’t working. A streamlined scope of work and proposal process can save you TONS of time, increase your close rate, and eliminate frustrating back-and-forth with clients.

In this article, I’m sharing the nine biggest mistakes interior designers make when preparing their proposals—and how to fix them. You’ll learn:

• The one thing you should never include in your proposal (hint: it’s costing you time and credibility).

• Why sending a contract too late in the process is hurting your close rate—and what to do instead.

• How to structure your proposal so clients are excited to sign (without asking for endless revisions).

• A simple tweak to your process that helps you send proposals in a day or less—without stress.

If you want to stop over-customizing, over-explaining, and overthinking your proposals—and instead create a seamless, professional process that leads to faster client sign-ons, join The DTS Files today to unlock my advice and read the full post.

Dear Dakota,

What should I do when a client doesn’t provide timely feedback on their interior design presentation?

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The thing I love most about my work is helping interior designers run better businesses. The conversations I have with design business owners who are out there making their clients’ homes look and function better FEED MY SOUL. It’s a privilege to be able to ask my community to share their experiences and tips with other designers - these insights are what make each business owner smarter and stronger.

One challenge many interior designers face is managing styling with accessories on install day. To some, styling is a dream; to others, it’s a not-so-profitable soul-sucking part of their job. Of course, there is no one right answer, but since I know most consumers hire an interior designer to help them make their rooms look “cohesive,” it’s a critical topic to discuss.

So, we surveyed The Weekly Install® designers to find out how they handle styling and accessorizing on installation day and received 31 responses (not a huge data pool, BUT, I’m also adding my comments and insights based on 100+ 1:1 clients and the 200+ designers we’ve helped in the Designed to Scale® Method.)

Let’s dive into the different ways interior designers manage their styling and accessories process.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.