Interior Design Business
Tips & Tricks

 
Why You Should Never Put Off Professional Photography business color decor decorating design entrepreneur home house ideas interior design interior design portfolio interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern photographing your projects photography portfolio professional photography return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space tips trends visual marketing

As designers, we know how important professional photography is to our businesses. It's the one component that can make (or break) our visual marketing. Those photos are what sell our creativity and services to future clients, so they are CRITICAL to our success. But too often we put off booking...

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Why Staying on Budget Is More Important (and Harder) than Ever budget budgeting business color decor decorating design entrepreneur home house how to budget for a project how to budget for home renovations how to budget for interior design ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern project budgeting return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space tips trends

Budgeting for your projects is a talent, and one that you have to constantly develop. You want to give your client an accurate number and you want to still be profitable. It's an emotional process for you AND for your client! After all, this is a big investment for them and it brings up a lot of...

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5 Ways to Talk About Supply Delays with Your Clients business client client communication color customer service decor decorating design entrepreneur furniture delays furniture deliveries home house ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space supply chain supply delays tips trends

It's the elephant in the room when it comes to interior design today - when will the furnishings arrive?? It's especially frustrating when you're stuck between the manufacturers who can't deliver and the client who is wondering why the delivery date keeps getting pushed back further and further....

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Starting a Design Project the Right Way business color customer service decor decorating design design build project entrepreneur home house ideas interior design interior design project interior designer kathleen dipaolo living meeting with your clients pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space starting a project the right way tips trends

Have you ever heard that saying that you should always "start the way you want to finish"? That REALLY applies to interior design projects, too! If you want the project to finish with the client singing your praises, everything neatly tied up, and those wow-worthy interiors, then you have to...

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Navigating the Politics Between Your Client and the Builder architect build team builder business clients color contractor creating a great build team customer service decor decorating design entrepreneur home house ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living meetings pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space tips trends

It can be tough working on a "team" that's been put together by a client, especially if you've never even met the architect or builder who is part of the project. We've all heard (or experienced) the horror stories of teams that weren't very good at collaborating. Or who were pitted against each...

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Why You Need a Social Media Policy for Your Employees business color decor decorating design employee policies employee relations entrepreneur home house ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart social media social media policy space tips trends

We live in a connected world, more than ever before. The lines between work and play, employees and companies, and who represents your business are blurred now. It's especially tough to separate things when something goes wrong. And on social media, things can get really ugly really...

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Why You Have to Be Upfront with Your Clients! be honest with your clients business client management clients color customer service decor decorating design entrepreneur home house ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space supply chain tips trends

This is one of the strangest times I can remember in the interior design business. We have clients clamoring for our services, but at the same time the supply chain is completely broken. Which of course makes it hard for us to deliver on those services. And if there was ever a time to have your...

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Vaccine Liability and Your Business business business liability color covid customer liability decor decorating design employee relations entrepreneur home house ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space tips trends vaccine liability

With vaccinations well underway and people ready to get back to "normal" life, there's a hot topic being debated among business owners and CEOs. What is your liability when it comes to vaccines? Can you require your employees to get the vaccine? And if you don't, how could that impact what...

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Time to Review Your 2021 Goals! 2nd half of business year business business goals color decor decorating design entrepreneur goal review goals home house ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living midterm goals midyear goals pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space staying on track tips trends

This has been the year that is flying by AND is dragging its feet! Time has no meaning anymore, right?! But here we are at the midway mark, and it's time to assess, review, and adjust. Not an easy task when the world is still feeling tentative about when and how to reopen. Here's how you can...

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The Good/Better/Best Way to Work a Budget a good/better/best budget budget budgeting business color decor decorating design entrepreneur home house how to set a project budget ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern presenting a budget to your client project budgeting return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space tips trends

One of the toughest things in the interior design business is to get a client to tell you what their design budget is. In their minds, they don't want to give you the REAL amount because they're afraid you'll spend every bit of that and maybe more! But all you want to do is get a true sense of...

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How to Set Up and Fill a Client Pipeline attracting new clients business client pipeline clients color creating a client pipeline decor decorating design entrepreneur home house ideas interior design interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space tips trends

Keeping your head down and completely focusing on a project can keep the work rolling smoothly. But one day you'll raise your head and realize you don't have any other projects coming your way. YIKES! That is definitely not a good scenario - so how do you keep that from happening to you and your...

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The Best Client Questionnaire Has These 3 Things business business ideas that work client questionnaire clients color decor decorating design entrepreneur home house how to deliver a great design how to understand your clients ideas interior design interior design business interior designer kathleen dipaolo living pattern return on interiors roi system rooms small business smart space tips trends

The information you get from your clients during those initial meetings is critical to a successful project! If you don't get it right in the beginning, you just aren't going to deliver what your clients want. It could be the most beautiful home, with stunning art and selections, but your clients...

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