Welcome to another edition of Dakota Design Company’s Guest Expert Interview series on the blog. We’re thrilled to share expertise from female business owners and leaders in the interior design industry, from interior photographers to marketers, financial advisors, branding experts, and beyond.

Each of our expert guests was selected because of their unique insights and perspectives on various topics that will help any interior design business owner take their business to the next level. These experts are Dakota Design Company insiders, and many have worked with us and our designer 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 designer toolbox. 

We asked Emanuela Schneider, founder of Marketing Interiors by ES, a boutique marketing studio for interior designers & the home industry, to share the first steps interior designers should take on Pinterest to boost visibility and if she sees Pinterest driving more leads and new clients for interior designers. Here's what she said:

What do you do when the worst contractor you’ve ever worked with sends you a dream client? Take the job? Run for the hills? Here's how to protect your business, your boundaries, and your bottom line.

Join The DTS Files to read my advice. 

Ever feel like you’re leaving money on the table with window treatments?

If you’ve wondered how to turn them into a profitable (and seamless) part of your design business, this one’s for you. I’m breaking down five ways to sell them, the risks you need to watch for, and where the real revenue is hiding.

Join The DTS Files for my advice.

A designer wrote in with a tough situation: a junior team member is using her portfolio to land side work. If you’ve ever had that pit-in-your-stomach moment when you find out someone on your team has crossed the line, this one’s for you. In this article, I talk about how to protect your business and what to do if it’s already happened.

Want my advice? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.

Here we are completing our series on the Design Elements. The elements of design are like the ingredients that a designer adds in just the right amounts to arrive at a delicious finished product. 

 Although the list of the design elements varies by author or theorist, I consider these to be the definitive design elements:

• LINE

• SHAPE

• PATTERN

• TEXTURE

• COLOR

• LIGHT                                                                                                      

We have covered several of these in previous editions of The Design Brief™:

• Using LINE Effectively in Interiors

• SHAPE and FORM

• Color Theory 1

• Color Theory 2

• Using Color to Alter Spatial Perceptions

• Effective Interior Design Lighting Strategies

In today’s edition of The Design Brief™, we’ll delve into using PATTERN & TEXTURE to manipulate a final design aesthetic. 

25 years in business. Confident in their client relations, design skills, and financials. Paying the team? That’s another story.

This designer asked us:

How do I know what to pay a new hire, especially if I’m weighing experience vs. education?

If hiring feels like a mystery or you’ve ever second-guessed what you’re offering, this post will walk you through, step-by-step, exactly how to set the right salary and avoid overpaying, underpaying, or boxing yourself in.

Want my advice? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.

13 projects. One burned-out designer. And a question we hear all the time: “I need to clone myself. Who should I hire first?”

If you’re feeling stretched thin and wondering how to grow your team without making a costly misstep, this one's for you. The answer might not be what you think.

Want my advice? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.