One of the questions interior designers ask us all the time is, “How should I help my client budget for their construction project?”

At Dakota Design Company, we're all about knowing your numbers and ensuring your clients have a full understanding of what their project will actually cost. 

Because let’s be real, there’s nothing worse than starting a project thinking it’ll be $40K, only to find out you’re actually looking at $150K by the time everything's done. 

No one wants to get hit with a surprise like that.

So, let’s dive into this: How do you help your clients budget for projects with construction?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,  

I am contemplating obtaining a 2-year interior design degree from a community college and would love your thoughts on whether the extra schooling would be worth my time. Although I am strong in many skills and have a Bachelor’s degree in another field, I do think I could benefit from the extra practice and knowledge that would be gained from school. How can I decide whether going back to school would be right for me?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

As an operations consultant who offers business consulting AND software implementation to interior designers, I can tell you, I’ve heard (and seen) a lot. 

Now, of course, my insight is a bit biased because the interior designers who come to me for help are those whose pricing, processes, software, and behind-the-scenes are simply not working for them. 

But, even before they come to me, I know there is a mindset shift that has to happen. There are SO many (let’s be honest) lies we tell ourselves as business owners and women and I’m here to shed some light (and truth) on what it really means to have effective business systems in place. 

So, if you’re out there doing your designs and feeling like your business is slowly taking the life out of you, it could be because you’ve fallen prey to one of these twenty common beliefs (that are wrong). 

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

In The Weekly Install®, I recently shared I had decided to do a time audit. Over the summer, I had worked fewer hours, but still got everything done. As I returned to my regular full-time schedule, I wondered what exactly it was that fills my time during the rest of the year. Why do I typically work SO many hours, when over the summer months I could work less and still avoid things falling through the cracks?

I mentioned my time audit (which I’m wrapping up now) but didn’t explain what a time audit is, SO thank you to all the designers who asked for more info!

What Is A Time Audit for Business Owners?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Job burnout among interior designers is a real thing. Burnout exists when you no longer feel engaged and interested in participating in your professional responsibilities, tasks, and obligations. Burnout can result in emotional exhaustion, cynicism about your work, and a reduced sense of personal fulfillment from that work. At the most extreme, it can cause a sense of hopelessness and despondency. That is pretty grim and should not be ignored. It can easily affect one’s mental health, but it can also affect the health and prosperity of a designer’s business. So it is a topic well worth exploring and understanding. 

We asked interior designers who subscribe to The Weekly Install® to weigh in on their own experiences of professional burnout. Taken together with what is already known about burnout among design professionals, the responses were very enlightening.

What Did Our Survey Uncover About Burnout Among Interior Designers?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota, 

I am rebranding and restarting my practice. I have 15 years commercial and 15 years residential experience. I am promoting a modern european aesthetic. not quite caught on in my area.

In the meantime, I am teaming up/offering "as needed" services to fellow colleagues. This often means ghost-designing a project for another designer. Design services for $85/hour or admin ie. proposals and concept boards for $35/hour. 

However, in some cases, the designer is not tight on their process and it has made proposing a flat fee for my participation difficult. I am seeing a lot of shifts in scope. This has made it difficult to establish a starting deposit and billing process to ensure I have a stream of income. 

Ugggghhhhh! How do I wrangle fellow designers and manage consistent billing to them?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,

What do you do when your client goes to your supplier and gets access to your trade pricing by pretending to work at your design company? I landed my dream job working on a penthouse with a fantastic client. I used all the Dakota Design Co. templates to set up the process, including contract terms and conditions. The client was great to work with, she always paid on time, and we got to know each other quite well. She's paid me in full for the initial contract but has been waiting on bespoke furniture orders that have been delayed in customs. I've been communicating with her about these pieces and was working with her on some additional work for wall paneling and custom desks. She emailed me yesterday to say she followed up on her two furniture pieces with the two different suppliers because she “didn't want to bother me” and got invoices from both. Now she's asking me why there is a difference between what she paid and what I paid to the supplier!

Needless to say, I am furious with the suppliers for providing this information to my client and for putting me in this awkward position. They are not my standard vendors, but the client requested I use them. To resolve this problem, I spoke with both suppliers who were extremely apologetic, one even sent an email to the client explaining the price discrepancy as an order fee. I've explained to my client that my design fees are set at a competitive rate and I do not offer my trade pricing to clients. As a gesture of goodwill, I offered her credit for the delivery fee on the other piece of furniture which is about to be delivered, but now she wants to cancel this order even though I do not accept refunds on bespoke orders, as stated in the contract that she signed. 

She then returned some of the ordered furniture that she slightly damaged along with some accessories purchased from my showroom. To maintain what was initially a great relationship, I accepted these returns and offered her credit minus admin fees and a reduced rate for the damaged pieces. I applied these credits to the bill for my additional work and communicated with my client kindly and respectfully throughout the whole project process as I would like to keep her happy because I wanted to photograph her home since the final products came out so beautifully. What should I do to prevent this from happening in the future?

Join The DTS Files to get my advice and insights.

Taking extended time off from your interior design business when you’re the CEO and principal designer can feel daunting. You've put your heart and soul into building your reputation, taking care of clients, solving issues, and marketing your services. You've likely been involved in every.single.thing that happens in your business daily, weekly, and monthly.

Most interior designers start their own business for more freedom, flexibility, and control over their schedules. Yet, as businesses grow, it can feel impossible to take time off because so much of what you do isn't documented. The feeling that, “If I take time off, everything will come to a screeching halt” is often true—if you don’t plan properly.

Whether you’re planning for maternity leave, a fully unplugged vacation, or a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with the right preparation, your business can run smoothly while you’re away. It may even thrive with the tips in this article, benefiting your company, your team, and your bottom line for years to come.

So, whether it's you, the CEO, preparing for time off, or one of your team members, follow these steps to ensure a smooth transition and that your business and clients are well cared for while you enjoy your time away.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.