I'm anti "charge what you're worth" and "just double your price". LOL. 

And if you follow anyone who is teaching how to run a business using bumper sticker mantras like these, I encourage you to find a professional who has experience running a business based on economics and data. 

You can't just increase your pricing or charge $XXX because every other designer you know charges $XXX. Sure, that can give you some confidence around your pricing to know you're aligned with industry standards, but here's what's really key when it comes to pricing:

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

I talk to a lot of designers who say, "UGH, I am terrible at marketing. I just HATE talking about myself."

let's all just pause for a minute.

pause....

....pause....

.....pause....

MARKETING IS NOT ABOUT YOU.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota, 

How do you deal with difficult clients and know when it's worth it to keep going or get rid of them when things feel really tough?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

This week, we asked interiors photographer Linda Pordon to share three things photographers wish designers knew, and what to consider when investing in interior photography for your design portfolio.

Linda is a recognized interiors photographer based out of the New York/New Jersey area. Her work has been published in outlets including Better Homes and Gardens, Domino, Elle Decor, and the NY Times. 

Welcome back to another edition of Dakota Design Company’s Guest Expert Interview series here on the blog. We’re so thrilled to share expertise from female business owners and leaders that run the gamut of the interior design industry – from interior photographers, to social media moguls, financial advisors, and branding experts.

Each of our expert guest bloggers were selected because they can share their unique insights and perspective on a range of topics that will help any interior designer take their trade and business to the next level. These experts are Dakota Design Company insiders, and many of them have worked directly with us and our 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 design toolbox!

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This week, we’re joined by Emanuela Schneider of Marketing Interiors by ES to discuss social media strategy for your business. You’ll learn about the best platforms to show up on to reach the right audience, content strategy, and mistakes to avoid that might cause you to attract the wrong audience on social media. 

I’m thrilled to introduce our first guest blog contributor, Darla Powell of Wingnut Social. 

Darla is more than just an award-winning interior designer, podcast host, social media speaker, and former police detective. She’s also an adept unraveler of marketing secrets. Her down-to-earth style delivers smart, actionable information that’s relevant to real business owners—because she is one. Darla shares her expertise on Wingnut Social, a digital marketing and social media agency, with topics ranging from social media mastery (what really engages followers?—it’s probably not what you think), to how to build your brand from the ground up (how did she go from retired cop to one of the top five interior designers in Miami in less than sixteen months?—secrets will be revealed). 

Darla shares her advice for making posting on social media less time-consuming, and for how to develop a social strategy when you have no time.

I recently had the honor and pleasure of joining Odile Smith of The Biophilic Hub for The Biophilic Hub Summit. Odile helps interior designers and architects transition to nature-centered profitable businesses, and she and I talked about building a successful marketing strategy to effectively target and reach new audiences in your interior design or architecture business: those who care deeply about the environment and its survival.