I think every service provider and business owner can relate to the struggle of getting client work done while also doing work that grows the company. When your focus is on delivering an elevated client experience and a flawless design to your clients, it can be extremely difficult to find time to put on your Marketing, Accounting, Leadership, or Business Development hat. And often, the client deadlines are imminent, while the business growth deadlines are self imposed. It’s easy to say, “Oh, I’ll focus on those big picture things later; I’m too busy right now getting everything done for the Smith project”. 

But if you fail to work on business development and growth tasks, you’ll likely find yourself in one of two situations (or both…eek!). 

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,

I am ordering decor right now for a client's interior design project, and it's all being delivered to me so I can check through it all and make sure i) I like items sourced online and ii) everything is in perfect condition. But my house is starting to fill up with boxes!!

What is the best process for ordering and holding decor, furnishings, etc. for a client? Larger items, I would have delivered directly to the client, and I would check on-site for the condition. But I'm specifically talking about the smaller items like mirrors, hardware, fixtures, etc. 

I am not large enough to pay for a storage facility yet. Is that what I should aspire to retain at some point?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Landing a large interior design project comes with many benefits, the most obvious of which is a corresponding large fee! A large project may also provide marketing opportunities (new, fabulous project photos for your website, getting published, referral opportunities from higher-end clients, working with reputable builders or seasoned architects, etc.). Many designers feel a large project is also the best opportunity to really flex their creative muscle by having the chance to execute innovative ideas at a grand scale and generally from start to finish.

But large projects can also feel risky. You’ll likely need to turn away other work, you may have an extended timeline that’s difficult to pinpoint, there may be significant unknowns, you may need to rely more heavily on your team, and you may need to pivot many times as you work through all the phases. And then there is that anxiety that comes along with biting off something that feels daunting: Yikes, how will I EVER get this done!?!?!?!?

I know a large project for some may not be a large project for others, so here are a few definitions:

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

If you’re like every other interior design business owner out there, you have likely established an income goal for the year. Maybe it’s BIG. Maybe it’s a stretch. Or maybe it’s safe, achievable, something you know you’ll be able to hit because prior year data indicates you will. 

Whatever that number is doesn't really matter. What matters is whether you have the right projects and activities mapped out to achieve those numbers.

If you’re an interior designer trying to break down your financial goals into actionable steps, I’m going to show you how you can reverse engineer those goal numbers to come up with a solid marketing plan for your year. 

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

In 2023, my team and I wrote 89 blog posts for interior designers (this one makes it 90), doubling our total from last year! There is nothing we enjoy more than sharing our insights and helping designers improve their business operations and client experience. Today, I’m sharing the top ten blog posts for interior designers from this year, plus the blog posts I enjoyed writing the most.

Thank YOU for being here and for reading my blog, The Weekly Install, and my Instagram posts. 

So, without further ado, here are the TOP 10 BLOG POSTS FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS from 2023.

Many designers we talk to say the interior design process can feel very “up in the air” or “loose,” and that’s why they never know when they can actually start new projects - so they just say yes and start them all right away. 

Not a good plan!

While interior designers clearly know the design part of the process, the timing of onboarding a new client and actually starting the work can be confusing. Those decisions often get made on the fly, with a client in front of you and no clear framework to reference.

Today, we’re sharing a few high-level tips for figuring out when you can begin new interior design projects and how to think about scheduling them so you’re not burning the candle at both ends.

If you want help applying this to your real services, pricing, team, and workload, we help designers do that inside our signature group program, The Designed to Scale® Method. But first, let’s walk through the foundational pieces every designer needs to understand.

Taking on new projects always feels right (if it’s a good-fit client, of course!). But overscheduling yourself or juggling too many projects at once is one of the fastest ways to create burnout, mistakes, and constant overwhelm in this business.

Been there? Yeah. It’s miserable.

This is why your workload (and the work allocated to your team) has to be manageable day in and day out.

In order to build a true word-of-mouth referral business and collect sincere testimonials, you need to create an elevated, low-stress experience for your clients. And that starts with scheduling projects in a way that allows you to properly allocate your time, attention, and resources.

Expectations are everything in this industry. Clients are investing in something that doesn’t exist yet, and often waiting months to see the final result. When timelines feel unclear, anxiety creeps in. When you put structure around the experience, clients feel informed, confident, and taken care of.

So let’s talk about how to better manage your capacity and project timing — without running yourself into the ground.

01 | Know how long each phase of your interior design process takes.

This means you have to know how long it takes between each key milestone phase - the first new client meeting to design presentation to revisions to orders to management to installation. 

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Dear Dakota,

I’d love to know more about setting up a design library for my boss. As a former librarian of books, I know my way around a library. However, I am not familiar with design libraries and best practices for them. I would love practical information on doing this.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Are you thinking about opening a retail furniture showroom to expand your interior design business?

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Heather Draper of The Heather Co. to talk about her experience adding a retail showroom to her interior design business.

In case you missed our conversation, you can grab the replay here.

We covered a lot, but here’s an overview: