What's New With EDA?

Happy Wednesday, everybody! My team and I have been working working working like busy little bees the last few months pulling together a bunch of new fun stuff for you guys. 

This email will be a little different than the others, because we just want to let you in on all the new things we have to offer and how you can benefit from them. 

Shop The Look

You know those shop the look boards and fashion blogs we’ve been sending out to you. Well, we thought it would be a good idea to get all of those in one place so that you can shop them whenever you want. We’ll be adding to it monthly so make sure you check it out. But, don’t worry, we’ll still be sending new shop the look boards to you via email on a semi-regular basis. You can find these by clicking here. 

Templates

These have been up on the website for a few months but I don’t think we’ve addressed it yet in an email or blog. We have a wonderful template shop where you can find not only email templates but also all sorts of great templates that can help you run your business as smoothly and efficiently as possible. An example of a few of the options are: 

• Client Design Questionnaire

• Interior Finish Schedule

• Client Project Brief

• Client invoice

These are just a few but you can find the rest here.

Resources  

Remember that fun survey we had you fill out a couple months ago? We had lots of requests for help with travel, legal resources, affiliate income, and more...so we put together a place on our website where you can find it all in one spot. We’re even partnered with a company called Travelgistix that provides travel expertise for pretty much any trip you might want to take. 

If you’re interested in any of this, make sure to go and check out the details here.

Passive Income E-book

This has been many months in the works and we are very proud of it! This is a 37 page EBook I wrote that has basically anything you could ever want to know about creating and marketing passive income as interior designer. It even has a fun bonus chapter called “24 Ways To Market Your Business”. For more details, click here.

That’s all for now, but stay tuned for even more great stuff coming later this year!

Looking to hire one of our design assistants? 

Just send us an email!

XX, Danae

Canva for Interior Designers

According to many designers I have talked to, Canva is a DREAM. Canva is a software created originally for graphic designers. It’s a tool that can be used for so many wonderful things and designers are loving it!

For some, it has almost completely replaced photoshop, allowing them to put together beautiful graphics in about a quarter of the time. It does not have all of the capabilities of photoshop, so if you’re looking to do photo editing beyond adding a filter or removing a background, you’ll still want to keep photoshop on your computer. 

Canva does however have many photo editing features, it’s just a very watered down version. 

Things Canva does and things to consider:

1. Graphics quickly. Canva is brilliantly designed to make your life easier. And who doesn’t love that? There are lots of templates that allow you to simply replace the template info with your own and...voila! You have a beautiful graphic that looks like it was made for a professional

2. Moodboards. Canva is great for moodboards. You can easily remove the background of items with the click of a button, and layer things as necessary. Freely move items around the board until they are exactly where you want them to be. I found several articles and videos online that can teach you how to use Canva for moodboards. Check those out if you need a little direction on how to get started.  

3. Enhance. There are a variety of ways to enhance your graphics. You can add fun little sparkles or letters or symbols, all of which can either be found in their graphics library or uploaded by you. 

4. It’s free! Canva is free, unless you want to use the pro plan which I believe is $119.99 when paid annually or $12.95 paid monthly, for up to 5 people. Very reasonable for how often you will use this program. 

5. You can make videos. Want to make a quick video of your portfolio work or share an upcoming event? Choose the mp4 setting when saving your work and you’re good to go! There are also lots of tutorials online, so feel free to research.

6. User-friendly. Canva is very easy to navigate, and if you have used any other kind of design software it shouldn’t take you long to learn. 

Interested in having a design assistant create graphics for you in Canva? 

Just reply to this email. 

XX, Danae

How To Deal With Constantly Having to Give Your Clients Bad News

Where do I even start? I actually don’t think I have to go into detail about how being an interior designer in these uncertain times can cause immense anxiety. Delays are making most interior designer’s lives a little tougher than they need to be…

Are you struggling with this? Do you feel like you just can’t even give your clients good news because things are so chaotic?

While I don’t have all these answers to something so stressful, here are a few things to focus on moving forward that will hopefully make your life at least a little bit easier.

Set the correct expectations. Make sure your clients know exactly what they are getting themselves into. Present this with the most positive attitude you possibly can, and let them know this is a universal issue. Let them know how you are currently handling delays when they happen. Under-promise and over-deliver. Be as realistic with them as you possibly can. They will appreciate your transparency!

1. Contract. Be prepared and have something about delays in your contract. How they are likely to occur and anything else they can expect. 

2. Pad your hours. If you are working hourly (or flat rate) make sure to add a little padding to account for all of the extra time you will be spending handling delays. Let them know that you are doing this, or at the very least, add it to your contract so there are no surprises. 

3. Frequent updates. Update your clients at least once a week, even if there are no changes. This will keep them from feeling left-out and like their project is at a standstill. Make sure they know that they are still a priority, even when a project is put on hold due to delays. 

4. Be open and have a positive attitude. Don’t let your clients see you sweat. You are a professional and you are good at what you do. No little delays can get you down...right? This is not forever. Eventually things will return to normal, or the new normal at least. 

5. Don’t fret. Most clients are going to completely understand, especially if you set the correct expectations. If you have one or two that get impatient, sit them down and have a heart to heart. They will understand that you are doing your very best, and you will go to bat for them if necessary. 

6. Pay attention. If your client is showing you red flag after red flag, or are not responding well to your warning of delays…..bye! They gotta go….

I hope this was helpful for you. Moral of the story, breathe. Breathe, breathe….and breathe some more. 

We are all gonna get through this. 

If there is anything we can do to make this time easier for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

XX, Danae

10 Tips to Attracting More Clients

I get this question A LOT. So I took some time to put together this list of ways that you can attract more clients right now.

Below are some ways I’ve seen other interior designers continue to stay in front of clients and continue to offer services that will keep their businesses thriving, even in uncertain times.

1. Nurture that email list! Spend some quality time creating some really heartfelt and genuine emails to send to your contact list. Create emails that let your subscribers know that you understand what they are going through, you are here for them if they need anything and outline the ways you can still help them. Start an email series right now that will help them.

2. Offer virtual consultations. Let clients know how they can work with you. You may be surprised how many people just need a consultation right now, with things opening back up and slowly returning to normal. People are wanting to refresh their homes!

3. Create shoppable concept boards and renders. Share your favorite products and make money using affiliate links. People who shop your style may be more inclined to work with you.

4. Share your portfolio. Start inspiring people with your work and share what makes you happy about what you share.

5. Update and share. It’s time to get caught up on housekeeping issues like updating your portfolio, creating content, organizing your processes and share what you’ve learned. People connect to you and your story … share your story and how you are growing and changing.

6. Share your e-design services. Share how people can work with you, outline this process and make sure your target market is aware that you are open for business. Share your in-person and remote services. However you are working with clients at this time, share it!

7. Create interest. Write a blog post about why now is a great time to update your home, or how interior design can affect your mood or about the psychology of color. Write intriguing posts relevant to the times to get people interested in your brand.

8. Continue to educate yourself. It’s always a great time to start listening to an interior design podcast or to get continuing education through interior design platforms. Many of them are offering free video conferences and webinars at this time. Use what you learn to attract more clients.

9. Create videos. People LOVE video….so try to create some fun videos about refreshing a space, your process, choosing the right rug or something else that you know your target market will love.

10. Be real. You will attract the clients you are looking for just by being yourself. Stick with a positive message, share a sneak peek into your life and use humor (if that’s your thing). Sometimes we are afraid to be ourselves but it’s only when we are ourselves do we find growth.

Our world will forever be changed so we have to adapt and grow. We will be stronger and our industry will thrive.

Stay safe & well!

XX, Danae

Best Bags (and more) For Interior Designers

Let’s talk BAGS…and some other fun organizational tools! I know for those of you that do in-person consultations and project installs, it’s important to have a bag that really works well for you.

Having everything you need when you need it, may be one of the most important things when you’re an interior designer.

Here are some common items you may want to have on you during a consult or installation day.

-Tape measure

-pencil, pen, sharpie, furniture staining pens

-paint deck (Benjamin moore, sherwin, Behr, whatever paint you love to use!)

-Design samples (flooring, tile, etc)

-“emergency” supplies like cleaning supplies, bleach pens, etc.

-Ipad/tablet/laptop

-painters tape

-Business cards

-Tools (Hammer, drill, nails, hanging utensils, safety pins, etc)

-Steamer

-Furniture moving pads

-notebook

Can you say prepared? You’ll have everything you need! 

Here are 8 of my favorite bags (and more) that I think may work well for you as an interior designer…

The Bellroy- I love this bag! Not only does it look nice but it’s so functional. You probably won’t be able to fit most of your tools unless they are miniature, but this is still a great bag.

Tumi Bag- This one is a splurge, so keep that in mind. But, it has every pocket you could ever need. Perfect for tools

Toyo Steel Toolbox- This one is pretty self-explanatory. Just a cute little toolbox for all the things! 

Better together pouch- This pouch will not hold your tools, but it can get you organized enough for a client meeting! This bag is perfectly designed for something like that. 

The Canvas Tote-A simple canvas tote with great little storage pockets.

Weekender Bag- A great weekender bag that comes in so many colors and patterns! (The way to my heart)

The Kaya- If you’re more into backpacks

The Rachhel- If you want something that looks a little nicer

View these below!

6 Ways To Keep your Cool as an Interior Designer

Life can get really overwhelming when you’re trying to thrive in your interior design business AND manage your personal life. It feels like there’s just so much going on and it never gets any easier. 

Well, enough is enough! It’s time to feel better. Less anxiety, better health and improved productivity. 

Doesn’t everyone want this? 

I put together just a few tips here to make your life easier and find a little more balance in your life. 

1. Plan Plan Plan -remember this point from my email last week? The more you plan, the better off you’ll be. I suggest google calendar to add both personal and business engagements. You are welcome to put this on separate calendars, but I find it better to keep everything on one, so that I have a full picture of what’s going on in my life. You can also do things like prep meals in advance, get your bag ready for your next client consultation, 

2. Multi-task-sometimes this is just what I have to do to get everything done! I’ll give you an example. Every morning I walk on the treadmill and answer emails. It’s important for me to get my exercise in and of course it’s also important for me to check my emails. So this is a way that I can get both done. And to be honest, it makes walking on the treadmill significantly less boring. 

3. Exercise and meditate-I’m sure both of these things have been suggested to you before. These are probably two of the best things you can do for your health. Exercising is magnificent for both mental and physical health. Adding in even just 15 min of exercise per day and you’ll start seeing the benefits. If meditating overwhelms you because it’s something you haven’t tried before, don’t stress. There are several meditation apps where you can start with something as simple as a 3-minute meditation. Fyi, this will feel like a long time when just starting out. But the more you practice, the easier it gets. Also wanted to mention that meditation is just breathing. That’s the most simplified way I can explain it. You can’t do it wrong, and having thoughts is very normal. It’s a common misconception that the goal of meditation is not to think, but we are humans and being completely devoid of thought is unlikely. The goal is to let those thoughts move through you. And the more you practice, the quieter those thoughts will get. 

4. Stop working at a specific time-I suggest picking a time each night to stop working. I know that can be hard, but it’s absolutely necessary. Every once in a while is fine of course, but you should really try and create some more work-life balance by shutting your computer and walking away early enough to actually have a life, or at the very least, get a bit more rest. I am really good about this, and even stop working at 3pm on Fridays when I can manage it. I do not check emails or work on the weekends. This is a boundary I always stick to and am so glad that I do. I have a family and it’s important for me to spend time with them. I’m a mom! But whether or not you are a mom, you are a  human. And humans need breaks. 

5. Hire a design assistant-were you waiting for this one? A design assistant takes things off your plate. And how could this not be a blessing? A design assistant is also great for those whose businesses’ have grown tremendously but are not quite ready for a full-time employee or long-term commitment. Choose how many hours you want your assistant to work for you and what tasks they can take off your plate. This is a great way to add more balance as an interior designer. 

6. Eat a balanced diet. Research has shown that gut health directly correlates with mental health (including stress). What you put in your body is important. Take some time to pin some healthy recipes on pinterest, plan your meals and build a shopping list each week. This is a game-changer. I suggest putting up some sort of meal-planning board on your refrigerator or on the wall in your kitchen so everyone knows what’s for dinner. Note on meal prep: even just cooking only the protein or only the veggies can save you a lot of time and stress. You can also prep things like rice, quinoa, and oatmeal in advance. Take a look at your meals each week and ask yourself which of those things would be helpful to prep. Also wanted to say, always make time to eat. I know life can get stressful and you forget or you prioritize other things, but seriously, eat! Your body needs it so that you can feel amazing and full of energy. 

Note:    Remember to START SLOW. Just like a crash diet, going too hard all at once is not a sustainable life-change. I like to implement a new habit for a week or two and then add new ones as I feel comfortable. A walk can change your mental health and gets you some exercise. Maybe start with a walk 5 days a week and do 15-30 minutes. Then the next week start planning 3 meals for the week, and make sure you are getting 3 meals a day. Then the next week you could add in something else you’ve been wanting to add, or maybe make your walk or other exercise routine a little longer. What can you commit to this week? 

Would you be interested in more health-related posts? Respond to this email and let us know! Another way to offer your feedback is to take our 2-question survey here. 

XX, Danae

So you’re busy? How to avoid turning clients away by adding them to your pipeline

From what I’ve heard lately, designers are incredibly busy and feel like they need to turn away work. This can be hard, especially if you are sometimes feeling starved for business. And, we’ve all been there. 

So, let’s talk about a few things you can do when a client wants to work with you and you just do not have the hours available to squeeze them in.

1. Walk them through your processes. Go ahead and walk them through the process of working with you, even if you can’t get started right away. If they really love you and want to work with you then they will wait. Let them know how long each typically takes place once you get started. They’ll want to know how much time their project is going to take. And as you know, it’s almost always longer than they think. 

2. Be specific. When you let them know about the delay, don’t say 12 weeks or 6 months…let them know a specific date. For example, “we can start this project on October 1st”. 

3. Do something for them. Get part of the project started, if possible. For example, have them send their inspiration photos to you or have them go ahead and fill out any questionnaire or other necessary paperwork. Just to get things started. Do something for them so that they can start to get excited about working with you. 

4. Send them something. A lot of designers wait until the end of the project to send the client a bottle of wine or some sort of small thank you gift. But if your client is waiting on you, it might be cute to send them something that lets them know that they are on your mind, and that you can’t wait to work with them! A few ideas could be a little card or note with a bottle of wine or some fun swag with your business name on it. Maybe even a cute little goodie bag that has a note saying “I can’t wait to get started on your project on October 1st!” Maybe even add something about what they can do to prepare in the meantime. 

5. Hire a design assistant (Not so shameless plug). Design assistants can help you with whatever you need help with. Think of them as your personal assistant. If it can be done virtually, your design assistant can help you with it. Some of our clients choose to just have social media taken off of their hands. Some need help with a variety of tasks from sourcing to project management to admin work. A design assistant is a tool and you can use them in a way that works best for you. Think of all the time you could save and how many more projects you could add to your plate if you didn’t have to worry about weekly subscriber emails, social media posts, order tracking, and client style boards! I mean….wow! You are paying them and whatever you can take off your plate - travel plans, online shopping, scheduling hair appts, ordering flowers, holiday cards, etc. 

6. Work on your processes and tighten them up. If you’re wasting time printing out materials for your client meeting when it’s the same for each client, take a Sunday or another day off and PREPARE yourself for your week. Just as people that are in-shape meal prep and set out their workout clothes, you can do this for your business. If you do client binders, prep those binders as much as you can so all you have to do is grab a new one on your way to see a new client. What can you do right now to prepare yourself for next week? Or next month? You NEED to have a system to set yourself up for success. If you want to have time for more clients and also experience less anxiety, plan plan plan plan plan plan plan plan. Are you getting what I’m throwin’ down?

7. Add them to your email list so they continue to hear from you while they wait! This is another great way to keep them excited and engaged.

8. Breathe. From a manifestation perspective, you can actually energetically propel clients when you feel like you may not have time for them. Why not create a pipeline that will be there when you’re ready? That way you feel prepared and available for more clients. Do yourself a favor and GET ORGANIZED and prepared for all your future clients. You got this. 

Next week we have a follow up to this post coming called “5 Ways To Keep your Cool as an Interior Designer”, so stay tuned for that!

Need to contact me about a design assistant? You can sign up for a time to chat by visiting the contact page of our website. I can’t wait to hear from you!

XX, Danae

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Have you taken our 2-question survey yet? I would love if you could share any wants or needs you have for this blog! You can take it below.

How To Use Instagram Ads To Get Business

Have you ever considered using Instagram ads for your business?

I’ve heard from several designers that they’ve been interested in trying Instagram ads to bring in some more business, but that they are overwhelmed by the task. I had one of our assistants write this up for you guys!

Instagram:

>Gets your name out there and helps you to build a following

>Gets your offers in front of more people

>Attracts your ideal client

>More

Check out how to build your ads below!

UPLOAD

When starting your Instagram promotion, you want to select an image or short clip that sends clear message, don’t leave anything open for interpretation.  Make sure to leave your caption short and sweet.  When creating your ad strategy, the goal is to capture the attention of your audience, keep in mind social media has become an outlet for mindless scrolling (aka, unconsciously scrolling through your Instagram feed out of habit, not out of interest).  With that in mind, there is that fine line of attracting attention but you don’t want to overdo yourself!  It’s important to stay true to you.  Social media trends come and go, it’s fun to partake in the current hypes and trends through posts and stories.  But when it comes to running ads, remember to stay authentic to your brand and your brands messaging.

GOAL

So now that you have selected your ad media, it’s time to launch your promotion!  The first thing Instagram is going to ask is to Select a Goal, giving you three options.  While they may seem limited, these three options do have their benefits.  What you select depends on you, your brand, and you messaging. 

Goal Option 1: More Profile Visits.  This option is great if you are looking to get more views, more likes, more follows, and to bring people to see your insta-stuff! 

Goal Option 2: More Website Visits.  This is a great option to bring people directly to your business.  You want to view your website is your online “home base” for your business.  This option virtually brings your audience directly to your business. 

Goal Option 3: More Messages.  If your ad is sparking conversation or seeking feedback, this is the option for you!

AUDIENCE-

Instagram will give you two options to help Define Your Audience. If you select Automatic it will target your followers, plus similar users who follow them, etc.  For a more successful Ad Campaign it is sometime more beneficial to select Audience Option 2: Create Your Own. This allows you to pick a target location, pick the age group of your audience, and pick the interests of your audience (This is key!) You can pick as many interests as you want.

For Example: Interior Design • Interior Design Pro • American Society of Interior Design • International Interior Design Association • VDA, Designer • Home Design • Home Décor • Design & Interior • DIY Home • Etc. –There is no such thing as too many interests.

BUDGET & DURATION

The next step is to select your budget and the duration of the ad campaign. 

Side Note: If it’s your first time running a promotion on social media, don’t be afraid to run a “Test Week.” Give your ad campaign one week to run with your selected ad graphic, goal, and target audience.  Once the test week is up you will have analytics and feedback to either continue with what you have, or to change things up!

LAUNCH

Instagram will ask you to review everything before launching your promotion.  Make sure to double check everything! From spelling and grammar to the resolution of your ad graphic. 

Then press Create Promotion!

WATCH

Watch analytics and feedback.  Breathe! Don’t forget to enjoy the process!  

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Need help creating ads for Instagram? Reach out today.

XO, Danae

Have you taken our 2-question survey yet? We would appreciate your answers so that we can better serve you!

Sourcing Made Easy

As you are aware, being an Interior Designer means juggling a multitude of things from client meetings, to sourcing, invoicing, proposals, dealing with contractors and the list goes on and on. Streamlining processes are crucial to building and maintaining a successful interior design business and so today I’m going to write about sourcing.

Sourcing can be as simple or as complicated as you like, but to simplify things I’ve got a few great tips and tricks for you below.

1.       Narrow down a list of key vendors. I know many interior designers that only work with their favorite vendors … you know the ones. They are easy to work with, offer great commissions and their shipments come on time and intact. Keep this list in your computer or better yet go to each of their websites and save them to your favorites. This way you can have tabs across the top of your website browser that you can get to easily and quickly. If you need help with a list of key vendors … let me know as this could be a blog post entirely on its own.

2.       Keep an ongoing list of your favorite products. I realize you don’t want all your clients’ homes to look the same but there are a handful of items that even the most successful interior designers’ source for multiple clients. For example, I follow a popular interior designer on the east coast who has a very popular blog and from her portfolio I can tell that she loves tulip tables, X benches, anything leopard print, trays and popular design books.

3.       Organize your favorite products in libraries on Pinterest, Excel or another area of your computer. This way when you have a client looking for a kitchen table you can go to your kitchen table cheat sheet to see if there is a great kitchen table there. I realize these lists will always be changing but it’s a great time saver if you spend a few minutes updating it as needed.

4.       Outsource your sourcing. I realize this is hard for some people but when you find someone great who understands your clients’ style and what you are looking for it can be such a huge benefit to your business. Working with a trusted virtual design assistant can be a huge asset to your business.

Hopefully you’ll find these tips helpful in creating a system for sourcing that will save you time and headaches!

Fashion For Interior Designers and how to feel more confident in client meetings

Hello and Happy Saturday from Elite Design Assistants! 

I’m sure you’re thinking “but we usually don’t hear from you on Saturday’s?!” 

Well...remember a few emails ago when we announced we are transitioning into a lifestyle brand? This is our first step. 1 to 2 times a month, you’ll be receiving tips, tricks, advice around more lifestyle related subjects like fashion, health, finances, travel, our favorite products and brands….and MORE, all coming at you via email and all specifically for interior designers. 

For those of you who filled out our 2-question survey, we appreciate it so much. It’s because of you we are able to make this transition and share even more exciting stuff with you. If you have not had a chance to fill it out, don’t worry! You can do it at any time. Just click here. 

Now, let’s get into the fun stuff, shall we? 

I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but how you dress and present yourself is important. This has nothing to do with your clients, although, of course, they are important too. But this is really about YOU feeling confident in the way you look. 

Have you ever put on an outfit, looked in the mirror...and thought WOW I look good. Then you go to your client meeting and you just carry yourself in a different way? And of course, the client starts the project. 

That is no coincidence. Your confidence is everything! And if you dress well, you will appear more competent and powerful. 

Because of this, I decided to put together this board of some mix and match outfits that I think interior designer’s will not only love, but will feel amazing in. This board is designed so that you can mix these pieces however you want. 

Beyond fashion choices, here are a few extra tips for feeling confident when headed into a design meeting. 

1. You are the expert: Never forget this! This person decided to book a consultation because they know that you know much more than they do about this subject (or let’s hope they do….we’ve all had “those clients.”)

2. You are worth the price you charge: If you’re struggling with this one, just remember those projects where you charged too little for your services and it felt like your soul was aching. We’ve all been there. Maybe we’ll do another email on how to figure out what to charge for your services. hmmmm….

3. Plan: If you are just starting out OR if you are a seasoned designer, plan out some talking points. How will you bring up your processes? In what order will things be discussed? Is there a way you can make the verbiage easier for your client to understand? Is there anything you would like to change from your last project? Can you provide visuals for them so that the process is more exciting? 

Did you love this post? We appreciate any feedback! And if you haven’t taken the 2-question survey yet, I would love it if you would do that for me. 

Survey

XO, Danae

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