The Power Of The Right Connections
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How Olá + Co. Helps Interior Designers Grow
Running an interior design business takes a lot more than great design.
Behind every beautiful project are dozens of moving pieces: finding the right people, building vendor relationships, growing your network, managing clients, keeping projects organized, developing your business, and somehow finding enough time to actually design.
And while designers are incredibly good at wearing multiple hats, that doesn't mean they should have to wear all of them.
That's why we're always excited to introduce the EDA community to resources that make running a design business a little easier. One worth knowing about is Olá + Co. — a design-industry concierge company built around one simple idea: the right relationships can move your business forward.
So, What Is Olá + Co.?
Olá + Co. works specifically within the design industry, helping designers, architects, vendors, and service providers make the connections they need to grow their businesses.
Founder Erin created the company after spending more than 14 years working with designers, manufacturers, and other creative professionals. During that time, she noticed a recurring gap: designers and architects often needed trusted resources and support but didn't always know where to find them, while vendors needed better ways to build meaningful relationships within the design community.
Olá + Co. was created to bridge that gap.
Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all service, the company starts by identifying where a business needs support and then helps connect the dots — whether that's finding the right hire, making an introduction, developing a growth strategy, or strengthening relationships within the industry.
Recruiting + Hiring Without Starting From Scratch
Growing your design firm often means eventually growing your team.
But finding someone who understands the design industry — and fits the culture of your firm — can be challenging.
Olá + Co. offers recruiting and hiring support specifically tailored to design and architecture firms. Their process can include defining the role and curating candidates, with an emphasis on finding the right combination of talent, culture, and fit.
For designers who know they need to grow but don't necessarily know who they need next, having an industry-specific resource can make that process much less overwhelming.
Strategic Support for the Gaps in Your Business
Sometimes the problem isn't simply needing another employee.
You may know something in your business isn't working efficiently, but figuring out exactly where the gap is — or how to solve it — is another story.
Olá + Co.'s strategic consulting starts with identifying what the firm actually needs. If it's something their team can help with, they'll create support around it. If it isn't, they can tap into their network to help connect the designer with someone who can.
That customized approach is especially valuable in the design industry because no two firms operate exactly the same way.
A Trusted Network — Without the Endless Searching
Need a photographer?
A contractor?
A social media professional?
Another trusted resource who actually understands the design world?
One of the standout resources Olá + Co. offers designers and architects is access to its network of industry partners. Their curated connections can help design professionals find contractors, photographers, social media professionals, and other partners who can support both their projects and their businesses.
Instead of starting with a Google search or asking around and hoping someone has a recommendation, you're tapping into relationships that have already been built within the industry.
And that's really where the Olá + Co. philosophy shines: business growth doesn't always come from doing more. Sometimes it comes from knowing the right people.
Support Behind the Scenes Matters, Too
This is also where Olá + Co. and Elite Design Assistants share an important philosophy.
Designers shouldn't have to do everything themselves.
While Olá + Co. can help designers make strategic connections, recruit talent, and identify resources for growth, Elite Design Assistants can help provide the ongoing support that keeps the day-to-day business moving.
A Virtual Design Assistant can step into the areas consuming your time behind the scenes — whether that's administrative support, project management assistance, sourcing, procurement support, drafting, renderings, social media, marketing, or other tasks that keep pulling you away from higher-level work.
The goal isn't simply to get more done.
It's to build a business where the right people are doing the right work.
Build Your Design Business Around the Right Support
There's a point in growing almost every design firm when doing everything yourself stops being a strength and starts becoming a bottleneck.
That's when building the right support system becomes incredibly important.
Maybe you need someone who can introduce you to a trusted industry resource.
Maybe you're ready to make a strategic hire.
Maybe you need guidance on what's missing from your business.
Or maybe your inbox, project tasks, sourcing lists, drawings, presentations, and marketing are piling up faster than you can manage them.
Whatever the gap looks like, you don't necessarily have to solve it alone.
Resources like Olá + Co. can help you build the relationships and connections that move your business forward — while Elite Design Assistants can help give you the hands-on support to keep it moving once you get there.
Because growing a successful design business isn't about becoming better at doing everything yourself.
It's about building the right team, finding the right resources, and creating enough space for you to focus on the work only you can do.
Ready to Get Some Tasks Off Your Plate?
If your design business is growing but your to-do list seems to be growing even faster, Elite Design Assistants can help.
Our Virtual Design Assistants work alongside interior designers to provide flexible, industry-specific support — giving you more time to focus on your clients, your creativity, and the bigger picture of your business.
Explore Elite Design Assistants and discover what you could delegate next.
Now Offering Tutoring!
Need a little extra support with 2020 Design Software?
EDA is expanding the ways our talented design professionals can support you beyond day-to-day project assistance. Jamie, aka “The Cabinet Nerd,” offers one-on-one tutoring and training in 2020 Design Software, helping designers work through tricky cabinet layouts, strengthen their software skills, and feel more confident navigating their projects.
Whether you’re learning 2020, brushing up on your skills, or have a specific project that’s giving you trouble, personalized tutoring can help you get to that next level and keep you moving forward.
A Mastery Lesson From Pearl Collective
Selling to the Luxury Client | Tuesday, August 25 | 4 PM ET
How Interior Designers Break Into — and Stay In — the Luxury Market
Beautiful work may get a designer noticed. But building a business that consistently attracts luxury clients requires something more: understanding how affluent clients think, what they value, how they make decisions, and what they expect from the firms they trust with their homes.
In this Mastery Lesson, the Pearl Collective leaders will explore what separates firms that occasionally land a luxury project from those that become sought-after names in the luxury market — including:
The three false beliefs that keep talented designers from breaking into luxury
The four non-negotiables affluent clients expect before they hire
The three gaps that can quietly keep an established firm just outside the luxury market
How HNW and UHNW clients think about value, trust, service, and the overall experience
What it takes to position, sell, and price your firm with greater authority
