When you’re hit with the unexpected, it’s natural to spiral downward and feel out of control and hopeless. 

As a former wedding planner, I had to plan for the unexpected and also have a plan FOR handling the unexpected. Often the unexpected things I planned for (wine spilling on the bride’s dress, someone not rsvp’ing and then showing up anyway, fake eyelashes falling off, etc.) were never the things that actually happened (like how could I have planned for the wild goose that knocked over the chuppah, or the kitchen fire, or the cake table being invaded by ants, or the bridesmaid’s chiffon dress getting TAPED together and shredded before the ceremony ← PS: my brides never knew any of these things happened).

If I’ve learned one thing in life and business, mindset is everything.

I'm so excited and honored to be featured on Design Biz Survival Guide where I talked about strategies for your design business during a recession.

In this episode, I share my top three tips to protect your creative business from times of economic uncertainty. My conversation with Rick Campos dives deep into ways to control your expenses, diversify your streams of revenue, and market smarter at a time when messaging is everything.⁣
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I’d love for you to take a listen to the episode below to hear my recession strategies for your design business.⁣

In 2022, my team and I wrote 43 blog posts for interior designers (this one makes it 44). Today, I’m sharing the top ten blog posts for interior designers based on analytics (not thoughts and feelings), plus the two blog posts I enjoyed writing the most. 

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

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Growing up in the catering industry and later running my own wedding and event planning company, I learned that hosting is an art—one that’s just as much about experience as it is about execution. Every detail, from the way guests are greeted to how smoothly an event flows, influences how people feel.

And the same is true for your interior design client experience.

Just like a perfectly executed event, a well-run design process makes clients feel taken care of, guided, and confident in their decision to hire you. It’s not just about the finished space—it’s about the journey.

In this post, I’m sharing my unexpected hosting insights that translate seamlessly into your design business—how small shifts in communication, preparation, and presentation can elevate your process, set you apart from competitors, and ensure clients walk away raving about their experience.

Because whether you’re welcoming guests into your home or onboarding a new client, luxury isn’t about extravagance—it’s about how you make people feel.

Join The DTS Files to read the full post.

Most interior designers worry that following up too much will make them seem desperate. But what if I told you that not following up is the reason you’re losing potential clients?

Your prospects are busy, and in a sea of designers, the one who follows up professionally and strategically is the one who gets hired. So, how many times should you follow up? What should you say? And what’s the one email that turns indecisive prospects into paying clients?

I’m breaking it all down inside this article.

Join The DTS Files to unlock my insights and advice.

This post was so popular, some other online folks shared it almost word for word, w/o permission. Get the original article here.

If you’ve been posting on Instagram with little success generating new business, OR you’re finding that being on Instagram is taking a toll on your mental health, it might be time to consider some new ways to market and grow your interior design business. 

Don’t get me wrong. I have clients with a solid marketing strategy for Instagram who book clients from the platform, generate revenue, and expand their reach. 

But, I often find that when our interior design clients rely SOLELY on Instagram as their key “marketing strategy” (and you know I adore you, but Instagram is a social platform, not a marketing strategy), they often experience a great deal of frustration. Not to mention, many don’t stop to consider whether their ideal clients are even on Instagram at all (many aren’t!).

So, if you’re an interior designer and your clients aren’t on Instagram, OR you’re tired of the algorithm, don’t want to do reels (which is what the platform has been prioritizing for almost four years), or go into a dark headspace anytime you’re on the app, then this article is for you.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Starting your own business—especially as a first-time entrepreneur—can feel like navigating in the dark. No roadmap, no guarantees, just you, your ideas, and a whole lot of trial and error.

As a two-time business owner, I’ve been through it all: the unnecessary investments, the decisions I made wayyyy too early that cost me time and money, the fear of charging too much, and the small, simple decisions that led to real success.

In this post, I’m sharing the most important lessons I’ve learned—the ones that will save you time, money, and stress as you build your business. You’ll learn:

• What your number #1 focus should be from day one

• The investment most new designers are excited to make, but SHOULDN’T (yet)

• The single most important hire I made early on that changed everything

• How to trust yourself and take fast action—even when you’re scared

• The one thing you must define before making any big decisions in your business

If you’re launching or growing your design business and want to build it the right way from the start, this is for you. Read the full post based on my experience working in the luxury services industry since 2007. Join The DTS Files today.