What success means is SOOO subjective! It can be financial benchmarks for some people, having a full roster of clients for others, or even just hitting certain personal goals. What success is NOT is some sort of set path that everyone has to follow. In our industry, we seem to forget that! The smart...

It should be part of our business goals to have the very best standards and to stick to them! We want that to be ingrained in our brand, no matter what your company's brand is. So what are brand standards?? It's how you present yourself to the world, but it's also about how your business ACTS! It's ...

It can be SOOOO stressful running your own business. And lately the interior design business has had more than its fair share of stress. But we all know that stress is a killer - literally! And it definitely doesn't help us do a better job or be more creative when we're feeling that pressure and dre...

Why is it SO hard to talk about money?? It is actually more difficult for people than talking about death or politics. UGH. Interior designers are creatives - we love to talk about the pretty things and the stunning interiors we're going to create. But then we break out in a sweat when we have to ta...

There are always challenges when we're working with clients. Things can go sideways SO easily! We're dealing with different personalities, people's money, and their most personal spaces, so emotions are already high. But there are ways that YOU can bypass unnecessary drama. Because let's be honest, ...

One of the hardest things to do as a business owner is to set accountability goals and actually follow through on them! That isn't a judgment at all - we're busy, and we have a LOT on our plates just trying to keep our business running. But everyone needs to be held accountable for the goals they se...

I love interior design - and I know you do, too! We are thrilled when we're being creative, we love making our clients happy, and we are so excited to finish a lovely project. But... There are those moments that make us wonder why we're in this business at all! Things go wrong, clients get angry, we...

When you have a to-do list that is pages long, business goals that you really want to hit, and about 75 distractions and issues that come up every day, it can be completely overwhelming to decide what takes priority. Often, the client who yells loudest is the one who gets attention first, right?! Bu...

"Where did the day go?!" I can't count the number of times I've said that at the end of a long work day! Sometimes it seems like I just started and the clock fast-forwarded to 5pm. If you know that feeling, you also know it can really create a real sense of overwhelm - like you are NEVER going to fi...

You may think you have a professional business, but sometimes entrepreneurs will treat their business more like a hobby. That's usually due to FEAR! You just don't want to look too closely at what's happening in your company because deep down you really know you're not doing all that you should be. ...

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

How has your business performed so far this year? Are you ready to finish the year strong?? These are questions I always ask myself every single July. WHY? Because this is the perfect time to course correct if you need to. You still have time to put new plans in place and to find new clients. It's a...