Welcome to another edition of Dakota Design Company’s Guest Expert Interview series on the blog. We’re thrilled to share expertise from female business owners and leaders in the interior design industry, from interior photographers to marketers, financial advisors, branding experts, and beyond.

Each of our expert guests was selected because of their unique insights and perspectives on various topics that will help any interior design business owner take their business to the next level. These experts are Dakota Design Company insiders, and many have worked with us and our designer 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 designer toolbox. 

We asked Emanuela Schneider, founder of Marketing Interiors by ES, a boutique marketing studio for interior designers & the home industry, to share the first steps interior designers should take on Pinterest to boost visibility and if she sees Pinterest driving more leads and new clients for interior designers. Here's what she said:

I was recently invited to join a group of interior designers who meet once a month to discuss their businesses. We did an “ask-me-anything” style call and it was tons of fun. One designer asked me this:

How do I know when it’s time to scale my business?

I loved this question because it’s important to think about this from the very first day you start your business. But the truth most people won’t tell you? 

Scaling too soon (or scaling the wrong thing) can actually hurt your business more than help it.

Let’s talk about what scaling your interior design business really means and how to know if you’re ready.

If you've ever felt like you're the only one keeping all the balls in the air—checking, following up, and still finding dropped details—you’re not alone.

One interior designer recently asked how to create a smoother team workflow that doesn’t require constant oversight.

Inside the post, I’m sharing five things to do to give your team clarity, keep projects moving, and give you peace of mind.

💡 It’s control-freak approved and micromanagement-free.

Want the full strategy? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.

We received this question from an interior designer:

Dear Dakota, I'm going to be hiring my first full time employee. What do I need to know and do? 

Hiring your first full time employee is a big step (ps: it’s NOT the same as bringing on a 1099 subcontractor). It usually means your business is expanding, your workload is steady, and you’re ready to bring in support so YOU can focus on the parts of the business only you can do.  

As exciting as it is, it can also feel scary and overwhelming. You want your new team member to feel welcomed and supported, but you also want to make sure you hire the right person (because hiring mistakes are expensive and time consuming!).

Note: this is not legal advice and I am not an employment attorney. Please check with an attorney in your state for any state-specific requirements.

Here’s what I recommend to help you start your new employee off on the right foot:

Wondering how much of your team's time should actually be billable?

If you're trying to run a profitable design firm (without burning out your team or yourself), knowing the right billable hour targets for each role is essential. In this member-only article, we’re breaking down ideal billable percentages for junior designers, project managers, renderers, and even you as the business owner, plus what non-billable time is actually worth keeping on the calendar.

Subscribe to The DTS Files or log in to access the content.

When onboarding is done right, your client will feel validated, confident they’ve made the right choice, and taken care of.

And you, the business owner? You’ll feel organized, professional, and in control. You’ve just put yourself in a good spot until it’s time to officially begin the client’s project.

Not to mention, the whole project starts off on the right foot and the client is more likely to trust your process even before you’ve done an OUNCE of design work. 

WOOP WOOP.

But when onboarding is messy (which, based on my experience working with designers since 2017, it probably is!), everything feels harder than necessary, you haven’t built immediate confidence with the client, AND the entire process is impacted.

That’s why I love HoneyBook for creating a seamless, elevated onboarding process that keeps things moving and saves you hours of admin time while providing a luxe experience. HoneyBook is a CRM, Client Relationship Management software, that allows you to streamline all components of client communication in one place and leverage automations and workflows to save time and elevate your client experience. There are other programs that do this as well, but—after working with hundreds of interior design business owners—HoneyBook is my preferred CRM software (and the one we use for our company as well). 

Here’s how you we recommend interior designers use HoneyBook during the onboarding phase of their projects:

If every project feels like a custom job and your workflow is all over the place, you’re making business way harder than it needs to be and I have a GUESS as to what’s happening.

The secret to scaling isn’t doing more—it’s doing less, but in a smarter, more strategic way.

Ready to stop reinventing the wheel with every new project? This is EXACTLY where I would start if we worked together 1:1.