Dear Dakota,

Although I have completed several kitchen and bath projects, I don't market myself as a K&B designer because I haven’t found the service to be profitable. Is that an area I should expand my business into? And what advice do you have for how to make these projects more profitable?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

If you charge hourly for the interior design services you provide, you’ll need to track your time and create invoices that outline the services performed and how many hours those services took. Sounds simple, but determining how to list design services provided on an hourly invoice can be a bit perplexing.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,

When exactly should I send my Investment Guide? Does it come after an Initial Inquiry but before a Discovery Call? 

I love the idea of client "pre-qualification" because I've spoken to SO MANY people who do not fit my ideal client avatar; mainly, they have champagne ideas on beer budgets.

Does this mean I should have certain things in my Investment Guide that sort of weed out tire kickers? What would that verbiage look like? Would it be as simple as providing a page outlining sample budget ranges (small, med, lg) I'd work within, or should it be a straightforward statement such as, "Currently accepting clients with starting investments of $10,000," or some such?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,

One thing I am struggling with is knowing when the right time is to no longer work from home.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Welcome back to another edition of Dakota Design Company’s Guest Expert Interview series here on the blog. We’re so thrilled to share expertise from female business owners and leaders that run the gamut of the interior design industry – from interior photographers, to social media moguls, financial advisors, and branding experts.

Each of our expert guest bloggers were selected because they can share their unique insights and perspective on a range of topics that will help any interior designer take their trade and business to the next level. These experts are Dakota Design Company insiders, and many of them have worked directly with us and our 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 design toolbox!

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This week, we’re joined by Emanuela Schneider of Marketing Interiors by ES to discuss social media strategy for your business. You’ll learn about the best platforms to show up on to reach the right audience, content strategy, and mistakes to avoid that might cause you to attract the wrong audience on social media. 

A designer submitted a question that represents the frustration a lot of business owners contend with — how to free yourself from time-consuming and distracting (and sometimes incessant) phone calls during your workday, yet still be responsive and supportive to clients throughout the design process. Please note: this is NOT about getting potential clients to stop calling you (although, I have personal opinions on not giving anyone access to you until they’ve been screened…different post for a different day; this post is how to get paid clients to stop calling you all the time if that’s now how you prefer to communicate.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.