Welcome to The DTS Files for Interior Designers
The DTS Files is a library of expert insights for interior designers who want to grow their businesses. Articles are human written and based on real-world consulting experience, strategies I've personally implemented in design businesses across the US and Canada, and a perspective most business educators can't offer: I've been on both sides of the table, as a business consultant and as a luxury design client. Read more below.
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ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES
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ARTICLES PUBLISHED WEEKLY
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EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
| ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES I ARTICLES PUBLISHED WEEKLY | EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Client Experience Tech Tip: How to Elevate Your Instagram Client Experience
The first impression says a lot about your company and whether a prospective client will inquire about working together.
This week’s tech tip is all about elevating your client experience from the first time a potential client sees your stunning portfolio on Instagram.
Say “byeeee” to sending traffic (and dollars) to LinkTree and “hello” to sending traffic to YOUR website.
Mistakes I’ve Made Running My Own Business
Owning a business can feel a bit like an experiment at times. Packaging things up, testing them, refining them, and testing them again. It’s only by going through this process that you can actually know what works and doesn’t for you and your clients.
With Dakota Design Company being my second business (my first was a wedding and event planning company that I ran from 2007 to 2014 in Arizona and Illinois), I’ve certainly experienced my share of failures, but I’ve always learned from them (even if I needed to grieve and beat myself up for a bit first).
There are always lessons to be learned in failure. Something that I think resonates with my clients is that I am a done-for-you service provider, just like they are.
Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.
Dear Dakota | How to Define Your Interior Design Process
Dear Dakota,
Can you help me design/define my process and place it against timelines?
Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.
Interior Design Business Trends for 2023 from My Point of View
Working with interior designers day in and day out offers me glimpses into the inner workings of interior design businesses across the world. I often see patterns and trends in the challenges my designers are experiencing.
Being able to share my insights to help designers all over, even ones I’m not currently working with, is one of the best parts of my job. In this post I’m sharing three trends I’m seeing for interior designers and their businesses in 2023, and giving my top three tips for taking your interior design company to the next level this year.
Here’s what I’ll cover in detail in this post:
Dear Dakota | How Do You Handle Storage Fees if There are Long Wait Times?
Dear Dakota,
How Do You Handle Storage and Receiving Fees when there are Long Wait Times?
Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.
Do This One Thing Before You Automate Your Interior Design Business
If your goal for the year is to automate as much as possible in your interior design business, you have to know this one thing before you invest in technology, consultants, strategists, or done-for-you services.
When You Should Expire Your Interior Design Proposals
If you've ever sent out an interior design proposal to a potential client (you might call it a contract, LOA, scope and service agreement, etc.) and then waited on pins and needles for their response…this tip is for you.
Expire your proposals.
Most of our designers expire proposals within two weeks MAX. Some expire them within seven days.
HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR READERS:
Really just here to figure out your pricing?
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.
*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, strategists.
SHOP WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS
Learn from me and my team (comprised of industry experts and educators) 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 and are professors!
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 and live step-by-step trainings for your busy schedule.
*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, or strategists.
COMPLIMENTARY QUIZ FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
You don’t need to overhaul everything. You just need to fix the right thing.
This 2-minute quiz will help you identify what’s holding you back and how to fix it.
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