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The DTS Files is a premium content hub for interior designers who want to grow their businesses with expert-backed strategies, real-world consulting insights, and proven frameworks.

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ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES

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PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

| ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES I MEMBERS-ONLY ARTICLES PUBLISHED WEEKLY | PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE, MARKETING Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE, MARKETING Katie McFarlan

How to Determine Your Client Gifting Strategy for Your Interior Design Clients

Are You Sending the Right Gifts to Your Interior Design Clients?

If client gifting feels like an afterthought—or worse, a last-minute scramble—it’s time to rethink your strategy. The right gift can elevate your client experience, strengthen relationships, and even increase referrals. But when should you send gifts? How much should you spend? And what should you absolutely avoid?

In this article, I’ll walk you through how to create a seamless, on-brand gifting strategy for your interior design business, including how to determine the perfect gifts, budget for them, and time them strategically. 

Plus, I’ll share expert insights on why sending gifts at unexpected times (hint: NOT the holidays) can have a bigger impact.

Access the full article inside The DTS Files and ensure your client gifting strategy is aligned with your ideal clients and making an impact.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

How to Package Your Interior Design Services

There are so many ways to structure a design intensive or design day style service and I’ve helped hundreds of interior designers structure this service in a profitable and streamlined way.

Find out:

  1. How to structure a design day/design intensive service

  2. Why design intensives or design day services are better than design consultations

  3. Who this service is great for

  4. Who this service is NOT great for

Join The DTS Files to read the full post.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

How Interior Designers Can Solve the Most Common Client Experience Issues

One of the most pressing issues my clients often come to me with is the overwhelm they’re experiencing from having an influx of business but no systems or processes to sustain it. I’ve had clients say they don’t even want to get out of bed because they’re so intimidated by their to-do list, and they don’t know where to start to make a dent in the ever-increasing list of tasks competing for space in their brains. I’ve had clients tell me they are simply turning clients away and saying no to business, even though they’re terrified of what business might look like next year if they don’t say yes to everything right now. 

On one hand, this is what they’ve dreamed of: a booming business, clients knocking down the door, and a variety of projects. But on the other hand, this insane demand is exposing the weaknesses in their business (and their boundaries) and has them working like crazy even though they’re not seeing much change to their bottom line. 

We’re running into the same issues time and time again with my interior design clients all over the world, and they most often can be traced back to (drumroll please)...

....the client experience process. 

Critical things like:

  1. Pricing

  2. Wasting time on less-than-ideal leads

  3. Boundaries

This article focuses on pricing only as it relates to the client experience. It’s a big topic to cover, so here we go! 

Join The DTS Files to unlock my advice and insights.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan

How to Reduce Overwhelm in Your Interior Design Business

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.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan

Terms You Need In Your Residential Interior Design Service Agreement

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!

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan

Myth: You Can’t Streamline Your Interior Design Business When Every Project is Different

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.

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MARKETING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan MARKETING, CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

How to Get Press as an Interior Designer

Want Press for Your Interior Design Business? Here’s How to Get Noticed by Editors

Getting published as an interior designer can feel impossible—but with the right approach, you can land features in top publications without hiring a publicist.

In this post, I’m breaking down insider pitching strategies straight from my own PR pro, Madison, who used to help me get PR. She works with brands like Kendra Scott and Betsey Johnson. 

In this article, you’ll learn:

  • The exact timeline for pitching your work (hint: it’s months ahead!)

  • How to craft a catchy subject line that gets editors to open your email

  • The biggest mistakes that drive editors crazy (and how to avoid them)

  • Simple ways to maximize your press features and get more visibility

Join The DTS Files today for full access.

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ACCESS A PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT ADVICE for INTERIOR DESIGNERS

My strategies have shaped the way thousands of interior designers and luxury service providers do business.

Inside The DTS Files, you’re getting the original insights straight from the source—tested, refined, and backed by my experience working with 100+ design firms.

And because this is a members-only space, I can go deeper than ever before—sharing the real strategies that help designers build profitable, sustainable businesses with confidence.

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PRICING PLAYBOOK for INTERIOR DESIGNERS

The Complete Guide to Pricing Your Design Services

Grab my pricing playbook, The Complete Guide to Pricing your Interior Design Services, to learn:

  • the six most common pricing models for designers

  • who each one is best for, and

  • how to know if your pricing model is broken

NEED BUSINESS SUPPORT ASAP?

SHOP TEMPLATES

Plug-and-play templates, questionnaires, processes, and guides for interior designers who want to stop reinventing the wheel with every new project.

The Design Library helps you streamline client communication, set clear expectations, and protect your time—so you can spend less time in your inbox and more time designing. Inside, you’ll find:

✔ Professionally written client emails and marketing guides for every step of the process.
✔ SOPs to standardize service delivery and create a seamless, high-end experience.
✔ Contract templates with sample scopes to protect you, your team, and your clients.

What took me years to refine can be in your inbox in minutes.

Katie McFarlan Dakota Design Company Premium Client Process templates for Interior Designers

*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, strategists.

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SHOP WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS

Learn from my team (comprised of industry experts and educators) and me all the things they don’t teach in design school. And we know because two of the women on my team went to interior design school!

After consulting with and doing hands-on implementation for over 100 interior design business owners, I’ve seen what works (and doesn’t) across every business model imaginable. We are familiar with various software types, team structures of 1 to 20, and the challenges that are coming, whether you’re on your way to your first $100,000 or already making multiple millions.

On-demand trainings for your busy schedule.

Katie McFarlan Dakota Design Company Premium Client Process templates for Interior Designers

*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, or strategists.

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JOIN 16,000 DESIGNERS EVERY FRIDAY

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Proven strategies and tools to streamline and elevate your interior design business.

COMPLIMENTARY QUIZ FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

Feeling stretched thin in your design business?

You’re busy—but is your business actually working for you? If you’re constantly putting out fires and second-guessing what to focus on next, this 2-minute quiz will show you exactly where to start.