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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
Welcome to The DTS Files for Interior Designers
Business analysis, advice, CLIENT INSIGHTS and field notes for interior designers
The DTS Files is a library of expert insights for interior designers who want to work in a more streamlined, efficient way. Articles are 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.
Guest Interview Series: The First Steps Interior Designers Should Take to Boost Visibility on Pinterest
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:
Dear Dakota: What To Do When a Tough General Contractor Refers a Good Interior Design Client?
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.
Dear Dakota: How Interior Designers Can Make Money Selling Window Treatments
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.
Dear Dakota: What to Do When a Junior Designer Uses My Portfolio to Promote Their Side Hustle
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.
The Design Brief® | Design Elements: Pattern and Texture
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™:
In today’s edition of The Design Brief™, we’ll delve into using PATTERN & TEXTURE to manipulate a final design aesthetic.
Dear Dakota: How Much Should I Pay an Interior Design Employee? Start here.
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.
Dear Dakota: I’m Feeling Maxed Out! (This is the Advice We Give Most Interior Designers)
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.
HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR READERS:
Looking for help with pricing?
PRICING PLAYBOOK for INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Start with The Complete Guide to Pricing Your Design Services
Learn the most common pricing models used by interior designers, where each works best, and how to spot the signs that your current pricing structure needs to change.
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SHOP TEMPLATES
Need the documents behind a streamlined process?
The Design Library includes the client-facing investment guides, proposal templates, welcome guides, SOPs, questionnaires, contracts, and business tools we use and recommend for interior design firms.
SHOP WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS
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. The Workroom houses our focused trainings for interior designers on pricing, construction, service structure, business operations, and other areas we teach inside design firms
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