Even the most experienced business owners can get confused about two of the most important financial terms - markups and margins. It requires a much deeper dive into your company to get to the heart of each one, and why they are SO important. But having a strong understanding about how markups and m...

For most creatives, any topic that has to do with finances is NOT one they really want to talk about. But the accounting side of your business is where the money gets made. It's as critical to your company's success as your creativity is!! So, make THIS the day that you really buckle down and get yo...

The key to running a smooth - and less stressful!! - business is by having a full client pipeline! You want to be able to look ahead for the next 12-18 months and know that your income will be solid and you'll be busy. But this isn't a task that can just be reviewed and then checked off of a list. R...

Marketing should be one process in your business that NEVER stops. In fact, just about everything you do is marketing, from how your phone is answered to how you present yourself to a client. Of course the most important tools in your marketing kit are a fabulous website that represents your brand, ...

In a recent blog post, I talked about how you can get back in the driver's seat for your company. Too often in this business we feel out of control, and that keeps us from moving toward our goals with CONFIDENCE. If you're in that place now, where you need to reset everything and move forward, I've ...

Did you know that 43% of people stop working on their resolutions by the end of January?! It's true!! So have you already stopped working toward the goals you set for your business? If you have, you are definitely not alone. We tend to let other things get in the way, including just the day-to-day t...

There is nothing that makes a client crazier than finding out their project is going to be delayed...again. We've all had to deliver that bad news, and it is NOT fun. Not only can it create a domino effect with your OTHER projects, but having major delays can also mean a very unhappy customer. And s...

In business, there is only ONE way to "work smarter, not harder," and that is to systemize what you do most often. In other words, you want to create a streamlined process or plan that you follow every single time for your repeatable tasks. That helps you use YOUR time more efficiently, it helps you...

So many small businesses are started as a passion project - which is AWESOME! Of course you want to be fully committed and excited about what your company has to offer. But then, a few months into your new business, you realize that it IS a business! And it can start to seem very overwhelming becaus...

The first month of the year is a traditional time to organize your home. So why not make it the traditional time to organize your business? We spend a lot of time as CEOs thinking about projects, creativity, products, and marketing, and we often FORGET about the day-to-day office tasks that can real...

The New Year really does give us the opportunity to look back at where we've been, and look ahead to where we want to go. It's the BEST time to set your goals and intentions for 2024, especially for your business! But there's always a catch - too often we set goals on Jan. 1, and then forget ALLLL a...

Last week, we looked back at 2023 and how it went for the interior design business. It was another crazy year, right?! So what does 2024 look like? I don't have a crystal ball, of course, but if we pay attention to economic and consumer trends out there, we can take a pretty good guess at some thing...