The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself as a Business Owner This Holiday Season

As an interior designer, come holiday season time, you’re probably deep in client gifting—but what about you? What if, instead of just focusing on giving to others, you gave yourself the gift of time, clarity, and efficiency?

High-performing business owners know that success isn’t just about working harder—it’s about working smarter. In this article, I’m sharing the strategic ways I (and my most successful clients) use this time of year to reset, refine, and invest in our businesses so that next year runs smoother, faster, and more profitably—without burnout.

• Discover the simple but powerful CEO ritual that keeps my business on track year-round.

• Learn how to structure your slow season so you come back refreshed instead of buried in catch-up work.

• Get an inside look at the exact systems and tools I rely on to save hours every week—so I can spend more time with my family (without things falling apart behind the scenes).

Ready to take control of your business before the new year? Join The DTS Files and access the full post.

Feeling Overwhelmed in Your Interior Design Business? Here’s Why—And How to Fix It

If you're constantly juggling projects, struggling to stay on top of client communication, or feeling like your business is running you instead of the other way around—you’re not alone.

The most successful interior designers have one thing in common: a clear, repeatable process for managing their business and client experience.

In this article, I’m breaking down:

• The top habits of million-dollar designers (that have nothing to do with talent)

• How your services may be contributing to overwhelm (and how to fix them)

• The exact steps to define your ideal client (without cheesy ICA exercises)

• Why your client experience process needs to come AFTER you refine your services

Ready to streamline your business and stop feeling buried in emails? Join The DTS Files to read the full article.

When I start working with interior design business owners to streamline their operations, most of them have a contract in place they’ve been using for years.

As we dive into their client experience and look for ways to strengthen their process, we often find opportunities to make their contract work even better for them—protecting their business and helping create a smoother experience for clients. While I’m not an attorney, I recommend reviewing your contract after every project to see if you need to tighten it up or make any changes to it (we all know every project presents its own set of challenges).

A solid residential interior design contract is one of the many steps to creating a seamless experience for you and your customers. If your contract terms aren’t aligned with your interior design process OR you’re unsure how to rely on your contract when issues pop up, you’ll eventually run into some bumps in the road.

The question is: how can you set things up ahead of time in a way that feels supportive to your clients AND aligns with your policies? It’s all about what’s in your contract and how you present it to your clients.

Note: I’m not an attorney and this is not legal advice. This is my experience based on working with hundreds of interior designers and many of their lawyers.

My NINE Favorite Contract Terms for Interior Designers (and how to use your contract to back you up.)

Join The DTS Files to make sure your contract has you covered!

This is a common struggle I hear from interior designers ALL THE TIME. They wonder how they can create a process when every project and every client is so unique.

I get it!

The work we do with our interior design clients is highly individualized based on their challenges and needs. What works for a solo interior design business owner might not apply to a designer with a team of fifteen. And a team of fifteen has very different needs and challenges than a team of one does. 

So, how do you streamline your interior design process when every project is different?

I break it all down in this article.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Hate Sales Calls? Here’s How to Make Them Easier (and More Effective)

If sales calls make you nervous, drain your energy, or end up being “pick your brain” sessions with tire kickers, you’re not alone. But what if I told you that sales calls don’t have to be hard—and you don’t need to spend hours prepping for them?

With over 14 years of experience doing sales calls in the luxury service industry, I’ve developed a simple, no-fuss approach that eliminates the stress, screens out bad leads before the call even happens, and turns every conversation into an easy, natural way to connect with potential clients.

In this post, I’m breaking down exactly how to simplify your sales process so you can:

• Cut sales calls down to 15-20 minutes (without missing a thing)

• Pre-screen prospects so you only talk to ideal clients

• Send pricing & process details ahead of time so clients come prepared

• Hand off inquiries to a team member so you’re never stuck in price negotiations

Stop over-preparing, stop dreading the process, and start closing more sales with confidence. Access the full article inside The DTS Files.

Thinking about taking time off from your interior design business but worried about leaving clients hanging—or worse, losing future business? Whether it’s a summer slowdown, a holiday break, or a long-overdue reset, stepping away without disrupting your business takes careful planning.

In this article, I’m sharing how to structure your schedule, set client expectations, and use strategic processes to create a seamless experience before, during, and after your time off. Learn how to manage inquiries, maintain client relationships, and actually enjoy your break—without the stress of coming back to a mess.

Want to make time off feel effortless and profitable? Read the full post inside when you join The DTS Files.

The Best Software for Interior Designers Who Want a Seamless, Luxury Client Experience

Your clients expect white-glove service, seamless communication, and an effortless experience from start to finish.But if your back-end systems are messy, your client experience will feel anything but luxury.

After working with top interior designers to streamline their businesses, I’ve compiled a list of must-have software that will help you automate, organize, and elevate every client touchpoint—so you can provide a polished, high-end experience (without working 24/7).

• 💻 The best project management tool to keep designs, timelines, and tasks in check

• 📝 The CRM that makes proposals, contracts, and payments effortless

• 📹 The simple tool that adds a high-touch, personalized feel to every client interaction (literally WOULD NOT, COULD NOT do business without it)

• 📅 The scheduling software that eliminates endless email back-and-forth

…and several hidden gems that will free up your time while making your clients feel pampered, informed, and well taken care of.

Join The DTS Files to read the full article.