Project Management Software for Interior Designers

Project Management Software can be a game changer for your business. There are so many effective options out there… So how do you decide which software is the best for you? We’re highlighting four project management programs that can help take your business to the next level. 

Monday.com

As an interior designer, Monday.com  is a project management software that can help you manage vendors, contractors, and clients, manage inventory, and collaborate with your team, track and bill your time or create purchase sheets. You can store contact information, collaborate, and keep everyone in the loop. This makes Monday.com a great resource for a team of designers or a solo designer who wants to manage workflows with other vendors and contractors. 

Pricing:

Individual - $0 forever 

Basic - $8 per team member / month 

Standard - $120 per team member / month

Pro - $16 per team member / month

Get started here.

ClickUp

ClickUp is another great project management tool that can boost productivity. ClickUp offers spaces, where different aspects of your business or design business are stored. It also provides templates for interior designers that can allow you to store your specs, images, and proposals all in one place. This software is helpful for improving delivery times and tracking project statuses to stay on track and meet client expectations. 

Pricing:

Free Forever - best for personal use

Unlimited - $5 per month and best for small teams

Business - $9 per month and best for mid-sized teams

Business Plus - $19 per month and best for multiple teams

Try it here.

Asana

Asana is a project management tool that allows you to track and manage your work, use commenting to ask questions and provide feedback on tasks, and to easily find files related to various projects. Asana is a great tool for teams to track their projects, allowing design requests, teamwork feedback, and collaboration to take place easily among team members. 

Pricing:

Basic - $0 for individuals or teams just getting started

Premium - $10.99 per user per month 

Business - $24.99 per user per month

Sign up here.

GatherIt

GatherIt is another great Project Management tool for interior design teams that employs a visual approach to organization. This program allows teams to collaborate and have easy access to important project information. This software specifically helps visually organize projects, source products faster, stay on top of status dates and produce resorts and design deliverables. 

Pricing:

Studio $199 per month

Firm $349 per month

Start a free trial here.

Each of these software programs have different benefits and features that uniquely make them the best fit for your business. Consider trying out a free trial or continuing to research how other designers are using these programs to help decide which software is the best option for you. 

Are you looking for more resources that can help your business? Check out our other resources here.

xx, Danae

Should You Join A Buyer's Group?

Are you tired of being shopped by all of your clients? Are you frustrated that your trade discount isn’t large enough to add your markup and still be less expensive than retail? Savvy consumers are shopping everything these days and one of the biggest frustrations I see are interior designers tired of their clients shopping them online.

Buyer’s groups are hoping to change that for the industry. So what is a buyers group? A buyer’s group is a group of similar independent businesses coming together to leverage their combined purchasing power to receive better net costs and terms on the products and services they buy/use.

In the interior design industry, many buyer’s groups are comprised of a small group of designers located in the same region that all know each other. Unless you know someone in the group, they can be hard to find. This is one of the reasons why Heather McManus and her partner Tracey Taylor created The Designs Collaborative. This group is open to interior designers across the U.S. and Canada.

Another major reason The Designs Collaborative was created was because Heather became frustrated with vendors threatening to remove her stocking dealer price when she didn’t meet their yearly minimum. She decided it was time to get creative and comprised a way to not only help herself but also her fellow designers.

The Designs Collaborative started with five people and has now grown to 150 members and over 200 vendors. Interior designers need to apply for membership on the website and if accepted pay a membership fee of $370 per year, which is about $30 per month. Benefits of being a part of the group include:

*Stocking dealer price plus 10%
* A Facebook group
*Monthly masterminds
*Emergency fund for extenuating circumstances
*Discounted price on coaching

Working with a buyer’s group can not only save you time and money, it can continue to make you competitive in the industry. You will be able to take advantage of new purchasing power due to the pricing and revenue, plus instead of hiring full-time staff to help with sourcing and deciding what to charge, many interior designers can now hire a virtual design assistant at a fraction of the cost to help with their sourcing needs.

According to Heather, The Designers Collaborative is comprised of a group of kind, honest and hard-working interior designers. The members really love the group and are grateful for its existence.

For more information about The Designers Collaborative, please check out www.thedesignerscollaborative.com or contact Heather McManus at admin@thedesignerscollaborative.com.

**When considering working with a buyer’s group please do your research, get references and make sure you understand what your membership entails. There are some excellent groups out there, such as The Designers Collaborative, but there are others who may not be structured properly or are not prepared for extenuating circumstances.

Fashion Favorites for Interior Designers

Are you going through your closet this weekend? Between client meetings, running around to different projects and working at an office or at home, you’re always on the go. It’s important that you feel your best and can show up confidently. 

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 put together this board of some mix and match outfits that I think interior designers 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. 

• 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.”)

• 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….

• 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? 

How do you show up for client meetings? We’d love to hear any confidence-boosting tips that you may have. 

Click here to shop this look:

Have a great weekend!

xx, Danae

Get Published - How to get your work featured in a magazine

Having your work featured in a magazine is an accomplishment to celebrate! You’ve worked hard to create a space worth sharing… so how do you go about seeing your work published in a magazine? We’re sharing a handful of tips that can help you get your work featured.

Keep it offline

This first piece of advice may seem counterintuitive. Wouldn’t a high profile project that draws lots of attention be a great project to feature? The answer is yes; however, magazines are looking for original content to feature. You can share bits and pieces of your project in Instagram stories, where they expire after 24 hours, but wait to add this project to your portfolio until after your article has been published. Once your work is out there, go crazy sharing it on social media and updating your portfolio. This is a great opportunity to mention the feature as well. 

Hire a professional photographer

While this piece of advice is important for all your projects and work featured in your portfolio, it is especially necessary to hire a professional photographer to capture photos of your projects that you’d like to send to magazines. High quality photos make all the difference.

Keep it exclusive

Focus on reaching out to one magazine at a time. It can be tempting to reach out to many different journals and magazines to increase your odds of getting published in at least one, but an exclusive feature is much more appealing. Be patient, it may take time to get your project featured in a magazine that is the right fit, but persistence will pay off.

Focus on the story

While beautiful photos are essential, an interesting story will captivate the audience. What made your project unique? Did you use different materials or experience any particular hardships during the design or construction process? What was your inspiration? Did the client have a good story you can share? Focus on the story behind the design when you pitch your project. 

Have you had your work published? Share your publication with us – we'd love to hear from you!

Marketing Ideas to Attract Clients

As an interior designer, you’re in the market of creating beautiful spaces, but you can also use your creativity to create effective marketing for your business. Here are a few ideas to try!

Build a beautiful portfolio

Capturing photos of your projects are essential. Consider hiring a professional photographer. Keep your website updated with your latest projects and share your photos on your social media accounts. Photographs of your finished work will help attract clients that resonate with your style.

Get featured

Reach a greater audience by getting your work featured in a magazine or journal. This is a great way to feature unique projects and share your work. You can also reach out to other design blogs or websites and offer to do a guest post. These guest posts can feature your work, design tips, and much more, while getting your name in front of a larger audience.

Offer tips to potential clients

Blog posts aren’t the only place to share tips and tricks that benefit your audience. Grow your newsletter or following by posting useful tips and tricks on your social media or in your newsletter. By sharing information that your audience can put into use, you’re gaining their trust and potentially opening the door to future projects.

Showcase testimonials

Have you received praise for your work? Showcase testimonials on your website or other marketing material. This is another way to gain trust and show that you’re the expert in what you do.

Market yourself with branded products

Take a fun and creative approach to marketing by offering branded T-shirts, coffee cups, client gifts, bags, and more. Physical products can be a great marketing tool and a fun giveaway during project kick-off, after the completion of a project, or during the holidays.  

Not only can T-shirts be a great option to market your business but you can also market your profession. Are you interested in winning our Created to Create T-shirt, visit our Instagram page here to enter our giveaway! The winner will be announced on Friday.

View more fun t-shirts for interior designers by visiting our online shop.

Three Go-To Breakfast Recipes to Try This Week

Your weeks are busy, but why not slow down this weekend and try something new? You don’t need to be an expert chief in the kitchen to master these recipes. We’re sharing three go-to breakfast recipes today that are sure to kick off your weekend right. Even if you’re a grab-and-go type of person, these recipes are simple but good!

Avocado Toast with Kale Pesto

Camille Styles shared her take on a trendy breakfast staple, avocado toast. This recipe combines kale pesto and with the bonus of saving some cash by making this dish at home instead of heading out to a restaurant and splurging. 

Bonus, avocados are good for you because they are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.This recipe even includes tips for adding additional protein or other swaps that can be made to this recipe. 

Be sure to give this recipe a try by finding all the details here.

Strawberry Yogurt Bowl

If a quick and refreshing breakfast is the option you’re looking for then this strawberry yogurt bowl is a great choice! Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen shares this dish that combines protein, fat, and carbohydrates with the fresh taste of fruit. 

You can find this strawberry yogurt bowl recipe at the Nourished Kitchen Blog here.

Protein Packed Pancakes

Our third recipe recommendation is another one brought to you by Camille Styles. These protein packed recipes are filling and delicious. Pancakes are always a fun breakfast choice that gives plenty of options to customize the flavor with different toppings. 

This recipe even includes a few recommendations, including blueberries, mashed bananas or chocolate chips for a fun twist on traditional pancakes. 

Check out this pancake recipe on Camille’s blog here.

Give these recipes a try and enjoy a slow morning with a hot cup of coffee. I hope you have a great and enjoyable weekend!

XX Danae

Collaborating with Builders

As a designer, you love being your client’s go-to for design and referrals, but have you considered being your local builder’s go-to designer as well? Building relationships with builders and general contractors can lead to new clients and more projects. We’re diving into ways that you can add value to your relationship with builders and grow your business. 

Bring value to the project

Ask yourself, what can I do to add value to this project? Not only can you create beautiful spaces, but you also possess knowledge and experience that a builder may not. Is a local builder simply sending their clients to a showroom to tackle selections on their own, or are they even taking time out of their busy schedule to attend these types of meetings? Let them know how you can help by sharing your knowledge with their clients and making the process run smoothly. Think about your strengths and how you can leverage them!

Have a great team or system

Fine-tune your systems so that your design processes not only create a great experience for the client but so that your builder can have an exceptional experience working with you as well. Processes and systems are always evolving and there are so many ways to improve and grow as a designer and team. Maybe you need to hire additional help to take on these new projects.  

Communicate

The first step to working with builders is to network and introduce yourself. This task of sending emails, attending local events, and reaching out to contacts can be a smooth process when you’ve thought through the topics above. Work on a pitch that clearly communicates your strength and the value that you will provide.

Once you’ve established a relationship with builders, be sure to communicate often and clearly during your projects. Discuss what options work best for communicating with the client and clearly define responsibilities related to project completion and client expectations. 

Be willing to learn

You may hear a lot of “no’s” before you find the right builder to work with. Don’t give up! Once you’ve established a good relationship, be open to change and be willing to learn. Builders may have a system that works well for them so it is important that you’re flexible and able to work with their processes. This can also be a great opportunity for you to learn and improve your client experience. 

No matter what, be confident. Designing beautiful spaces is your superpower and you may be the super hero that your local builder is looking for to improve their client experience.

Site Visit Essentials - Must Have Items for Interior Designers

As an interior designer, you will inevitably end up visiting a job site during various stages of your design projects. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or attending your first site visit, you’ve probably found yourself asking the following question… What should I bring on to a job visit?

You may find yourself taking photos and measurements during an initial consultation or maybe you’re visiting a job site during the busy construction process when the site is filled with people working on various trades. While visiting your projects may require different tools for different phases, there are a few essential items that you can keep on hand to be prepared. 

Tape measure and/or laser distance meter

Correct dimensions are so important. Not only are measurements useful for space planning and furniture layouts, but it is also important to have a grasp on the ceiling height when planning artwork and wall decor. A tape measure is sufficient for obtaining most measurements, however a laser distance meter is helpful for capturing those wall-to-wall dimensions and creating accurate plan drawings.

Paper and pencil

Grab a notebook or pad of graph paper and your favorite pencil or pen. Create a sketch of the space and write down dimensions as you take them. You can also explore digital note taking apps but be sure that whatever you’re using allows the freedom to draw and add dimensions if needed. 

Camera (aka fully charged phone)

Needless to say, almost all of us are glued to our phones so I’m sure you’ll have your phone on hand when you visit a project or job site. Capture plenty of photos of any areas of your client’s home or furniture that you may want to reference later. Take more pictures then you think you’ll need because you can always go back and delete some later. Make sure your phone is charged, because there is nothing worse than having your phone die before you’ve had a chance to capture all the information you need. Snap a few photos that also show your tape measure capturing a useful measurement in tricky locations because this helps create a useful frame of reference.

Paint deck or other samples 

Samples are required during different phases of the design process but it can never hurt to have a few options with you. A paint deck, fabric samples, or a few different samples for various surfaces can be useful during the early stage of a project to help visualize how a design will come together.

Bonus “I’m the Person to Talk To” T-Shirt

It can be intimidating to jump into the middle of a busy construction site. Command attention and make it clear that you're in charge with the "I'm the person to talk to" T-Shirt. No more confusion, we all know you're the boss! This t-shirt is one of many fun designs for interior designers that we’ve added to our online shop.

Organization Tips that Stick

Happy Saturday!

It’s no secret that being organized can make day-to-day tasks easier to manage and lead to happier moments. With the high energy that is focused on goal setting and changes in the new year, why not make this the perfect opportunity to fine-tune your systems and get organized. Let’s get started with a few suggestions.

Get a planner

It doesn’t matter whether you use a paper planner or a digital calendar but it’s essential that you are using some sort of planner for both your professional and personal life. Recording meetings, tasks, and priorities can help you feel prepared for the upcoming days, weeks, and months. It can be helpful to review your schedule in advance. Consider setting a specific time each week or each day, such as in the evening, to review upcoming activities and prepare accordingly.

Color coordinate

Not only is color coordination visually appealing, but it can also help you find items quickly. Organizing your books or pantry in rainbow order may be a popular trend right now, but this system is also functional. If color coordination isn’t your go-to organization method, consider keeping items in alphabetical order or using another system that makes sense to you. The key is that having a specific system will allow each item to have a spot it belongs, making items easier to find and use.   

Time block your organization time

Chances are that you’re already implementing time blocking strategies in your work schedule and personal life, but I’d challenge you to time block specific time to maintain your organizational systems. Try scheduling a short session each week to organize your email inbox or dedicate time to one of your other organizational goals. A small, intentional block of time can translate to a large impact with maintaining your systems.

Declutter, declutter, declutter

This one doesn’t need much explanation. Decluttering your mind and environment can go a long way to help you feel more relaxed and focused. However, you don’t need to declutter everything at once. Start my doing a “mind dump” at the end of the day by creating a list of tasks you didn’t get to. Empty your purse once per month or clean up one drawer per week. Start small to avoid overwhelm, but know that decluttering even the smallest of spaces can create major results.

How do you stay organized? Do you use any of these tactics? I hope these ideas are helpful!

Have a great weekend!

XX, Danae

Implementing Sources of Passive Income as an Interior Designer

With the new year comes new opportunities to grow your business, and the best part is that you don’t always have to trade time for money to generate income. It’s possible to sit back, relax and make money while you're sleeping, eating, or on vacation. With a little work upfront, you can implement sources of passive income in your interior design business!

There are many ways that other interior designers are making passive income from digital downloads, online shops, courses, design workbooks, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, membership sites, and even art. 

Here are a few tips to consider if you’re interested in implementing various sources of passive income in your interior design business:

• Figure out what you enjoy creating. Do you love teaching? Then maybe a course on a subject that you’re an expert on is a great opportunity for you.

• Listen to what your clients and others are asking you. Are people always asking you where you source your products and decor from? Maybe it’s time for you to create an online shop with your favorite products.

• Network with others. If you’re interested in creating a corporate partnership, sponsorship, or licensed products, it’s essential that you build relationships with these companies.   

• Focus on a consistent social media presence and marketing. If you’re interested in affiliate marketing or creating digital downloads, it’s important to get those products in front of your audience. Don’t get overwhelmed by the number of ways you could market your business. Instead, focus on consistently showing up on a platform that will have the biggest impact for you. 

Do you want to learn more about passive income for interior designers? Check out my ebook, Creating Passive & Multiple Income Streams for Interior Designers, to learn more. This ebook contains 37 pages of tactical advice and steps for creating a variety of different sources of passive income, including a bonus chapter on marketing. Learn more about digital downloads, online shops, courses, product licensing, affiliate marketing and more. Once you create your passive income stream you must market it. 

What source of passive income are you ready to implement in the New Year?

xx Danae