The market is shifting, and client budgets are tightening. What worked last year—rolling with unexpected costs, clients saying "yes" to everything—isn’t working now. If you’re seeing more hesitation, scope changes, or pricing pushback, it’s time to recession-proof your business before the slowdown hits hard.

In this members-only post, I’m sharing the seven essential strategies interior designers need to implement now to stay profitable, keep projects moving forward, and protect their bottom line—regardless of what the economy does next.

Inside, we’ll cover:

• Why relying on product markups alone is risky—and how to structure your fees for financial stability.

• The biggest mistake designers make when discussing budgets (and how to set clear financial expectations from day one).

• How to audit your expenses, assess your marketing, and refine your processes to build a lean, resilient business.

• What to do if a client suddenly changes their budget—and how to handle the conversation with confidence.

If you want to ensure your interior design business thrives no matter the economy, this post is a must-read.

Upgrade to The DTS Files membership now to access the full post.

If you’re thinking about hiring but don’t know where to start (or you’ve made a bad hire before and want to avoid repeating the mistake), this post is for you. Growing a team is one of the fastest ways to scale your business—when done right. But hiring the wrong person? That’s expensive, stressful, and a total drain on your time.

Inside The DTS Files, I’m breaking down:

• The #1 hiring mistake that slows down your business growth

• Why searching for “another you” is hurting your hiring process

• The biggest red flags to watch out for when interviewing candidates

• The simple method to determine exactly who you should hire first

If you want to grow your team without the overwhelm, upgrade to The DTS Files for full access!

If you’re an interior designer looking for a simple way to cut down on endless back-and-forth emails, impress your clients, and streamline your entire design process, you need to incorporate video messaging into your workflow.

I use this one tool to personalize my own inquiry process, present deliverables, and provide high-touch client communication—without adding more to my plate. Inside The DTS Files, I share exactly how you can use video messaging to:

• Deliver polished and professional proposals that help you book clients faster

• Reduce client confusion and eliminate extra revisions

• Train your team and document key processes for seamless operations

• Onboard clients

• Present your work

Want to see how top designers are using video to create a luxury experience (and how you can, too)? Upgrade to The DTS Files to unlock the full post.

In order to successfully run a streamlined interior design business, it’s essential to have your client-facing processes nailed down. The corporate world often refers to processes as SOPS (Standard Operating Procedures), but most of my interior designers don’t–so I'll call them processes to keep it simple. 

In this article, I share the top client facing processes you need to map out in your business, how to create standard operating procedures, and where I would start with your business if you hired me 1:1.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

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.

© Dakota Design Company 2017-2025 | All rights reserved. This content may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without permission.

Written July 2021 | Updated January 2025

When I start working with interior design business owners to streamline their operations, most of them have a contract they’ve been using for years. But as we review their client experience to figure out where things are broken, we almost always find ways to make that contract work harder. Not only to protect their business but also to make life easier for them and their 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 changes. (Because let’s be honest — every project presents its own set of challenges.)

A solid residential interior design contract is one of the very first ways to create a smoother, more professional, and more profitable business. If your contract terms don’t line up with your actual design process, or you’re unsure how to lean on your contract when something goes sideways, you’re setting yourself up for headaches later.

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.

My Favorite Interior Design Contract Terms

After working with 100+ interior designers and (jumping on calls with their attorneys to make sure their contracts were buttoned up), I’m sharing a few of my favorite terms that I often see missing from residential interior design contracts.

Interestingly enough, these are also the challenges my interior design business owner clients face that make running their business difficult.

Let’s dive in! 

01 | COMMUNICATION

This is one of the most important items you should specify in your residential interior design contract (this goes for ANY service provider, regardless of the industry)! Things get personal when you’re working closely with someone for an extended period of time, and boundaries can start to get fuzzy after a while.

Including a term about your communication policies allows you to proactively outline how and when clients should communicate with you to receive the most timely response.

• Want to stop getting text messages from clients around the clock? Put it in your contract.

• Don’t want to meet or have calls on evenings or weekends? Put it in your contract.

02 | THE CONTRACT TERM

If your clients think they have you forever, they won’t be in a rush to make decisions and that’s when your profitability takes a hit.

Spell out the length of your engagement and key milestones, even if you work hourly.

As the pro, you should know how long each phase of your interior design process will take, and to be of service to your clients, you should let them know how long their service will take (or at least provide estimates for key milestones).

📣 Tip: If every project and timeline is different, be sure to check out our Waitlist Workshop to learn the standard project timelines for various service offerings.

By including this term in your contract, if (and more often when) a project has delays because of something outside of your control, you have a way to ensure you are compensated for the additional time spent on the project.  

💡 Want the rest of my must-have clauses (and the exact language to use)?

Inside The DTS Files, I share my NINE must-have contract terms, WHY they are so important, and real-world examples of how to use them to prevent scope creep, handle late payments, and protect your time.

Get instant access here →