Dear Dakota,

Should I give friends and family a discount? If so, how should I structure it so I don’t get burned?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

As summer approaches, you might be thinking of ways to slow down so you can enjoy the beautiful weather, more unstructured days, and time outdoors. Or if you're like me, you might realize you only have SEVEN summers left with your oldest, and you cannnnnnnnnnnnot even think of that, so you want to soak up every moment before they leave for college. This is why I schedule a summer slowdown every year (read about how I take summers off or what I learned from my last summer slowdown).

Either way, summers are a great time to bring on some additional help in your business to either take your own “summer slowdown” or to get caught up and organized while everyone is moving at a slower pace. 

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Does it feel like you're always working in your interior design business, and even when you stop, the to-do list in your head and the urge to do “this one last thing” are always there? 

As an entrepreneur, it's common to be consumed with your business, especially in the beginning when you have adrenaline and excitement running through your veins at the thought of what’s possible, giving you that boost to persevere and accomplish so much. But eventually, the excitement lapses a bit and you get into a groove with the day-to-day operations of working with clients and running your business (two separate things; don’t miss the second part). 

And then, the to-do list gets longer, the inbox fills up, project scopes increase, responsibilities quadruple, and the constant pressure makes it feel like you’ve created a monster. 

I get that.  

So what do you do when you have more work in a week than you have time for? 

While I can teach you everything I know about the business side of design: like structuring and pricing your services, developing and implementing effective software and systems, hiring and delegating to a team, marketing to attract dream clients (and repel the red flag ones), and setting boundaries to build a business you love, I am not a trained interior designer.

If you are looking to expand your knowledge within certain project types, or you want to validate the high level of expertise you already possess, pursuing a recognized interior design industry certification may be something to consider. 

Below is a listing of the most well-established and widely respected certifications for interior designers written by my in-house tenured interior design professor and certified interior designer, so you can decide whether pursuing any would be helpful to your professional development.

I see a lot of designers who put this question on their contact form…and I think it’s a bad idea. You miss out on SO MUCH GOOD INFO and the ability to instantly determine whether a client will be a good fit. Not to mention you’re just clogging up your contact form when the goal is to make it as easy as possible for someone to submit an inquiry.

The question to ask on the phone (not in your contact form):

As much as we want to stop it, we are getting busier and busier. Our attention spans are getting shorter. Our need for instant gratification is growing by the minute (thanks Amazon Prime, Reels and Tiktok videos, smartphones, etc.). 

People’s expectations are changing and they value convenience and ease. COVID forced a lot of this on businesses, and many companies grew because of offering online services, curbside pickup, and alternate delivery methods. ← so much so that they are now changing their business models entirely. 

So what does this mean for your interior design business? 

You may have heard issues related to interior designer licensing or certification (read more about interior design certifications here), and it can all be a bit confusing. Additionally, licensing legislation for various occupations (including interior design) happens at the state level so the picture is slightly different in every state (plus the Canadian provinces). And, things are changing all the time with new interior design legislation being proposed (and sometimes repealed) every year. And, in some respects, this issue of interior design regulation is much different for those who work on commercial building projects than it is for those who work on residential projects. 

In this post, we offer an overview of the current state of interior design legislation. To verify the legislative picture where you live and work, it is always best to check the professional licensing and registration website for interior design in your state. To do that …

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Dear Dakota,

I presented the final design to my client along with the invoices for their rooms and they balked that there was no discount. I don't offer discounts or market anything about discounts. What do I do, and how do I prevent this from ever happening again?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.