The Key to Managing Client Expectations in Your Interior Design Business

Running an interior design business is as much about managing client expectations as it is about creating beautiful spaces. Clients come with different levels of experience, varying budgets, and preconceived ideas about how the design process works. Without clear communication and structured processes, misunderstandings can arise, leading to frustration on both sides.

Here’s how you can set clear expectations from the outset and create a smooth, professional experience for your clients.

1. Communicate Your Design Process Clearly

Many clients don’t fully understand what goes into a design project. If they don’t know what to expect at each stage, they may grow impatient or make last-minute changes that disrupt the timeline.

How to Fix It:

• Create a visual project roadmap that outlines key milestones, from the initial consultation to final installation.

• Explain your workflow during your first client meeting and reinforce it in writing.

• Send a welcome packet that details your process, estimated timelines, and communication guidelines.

By setting expectations upfront, you build trust and prevent misunderstandings before they start.

2. Be Transparent About Timelines

Clients may not realize that sourcing materials, coordinating trades, and finalizing designs take time. If they expect an unrealistic turnaround, disappointment is inevitable.

How to Fix It:

• Provide a detailed timeline with clear milestones and potential delays (e.g., lead times on furniture orders).

• Keep clients informed with weekly updates to manage their expectations proactively.

• If a delay arises, address it immediately with a professional solution-oriented approach.

Being upfront about potential roadblocks reassures clients that you are in control, even when challenges arise.

3. Define Scope and Revisions Clearly

Scope creep is one of the biggest frustrations in an interior design business. If a client starts requesting additional work outside the agreed scope without extra compensation, it can impact your time and profitability.

How to Fix It:

• Outline what’s included and what’s not in your contract and proposal.

• Specify the number of revisions allowed and the cost of additional changes.

• Use change order forms for any modifications to the original scope.

By having a structured approach to changes, you ensure that your project stays profitable and on track.

4. Set Boundaries Around Communication

Unclear communication can lead to client frustration, whether it's delayed responses or after-hours messages. Managing when and how clients can reach you is crucial to maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

How to Fix It:

• Establish office hours and preferred communication channels (e.g., email over text messages).

• Use project management tools like Asana or Trello to track conversations and updates.

• Set up automated email responses to acknowledge receipt of inquiries and let clients know when to expect a response.

Boundaries not only make communication smoother but also help maintain professionalism.

Managing client expectations doesn’t just make projects run more smoothly.

It enhances your reputation and ensures clients enjoy the experience. By communicating clearly, outlining processes, and reinforcing boundaries, you can create a stress-free and professional working relationship.

Want to start each project well with a well informed client? Sign up to our course, The Process - Step One, which will take you step-by-step from initial enquiry to signed contract. 

Here is how MTTD can help with your systems and processes.

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

5 Key Metrics Every Interior Designer Should Track for Financial Success

Financial success doesn’t happen by chance. For interior designers, understanding and tracking key financial metrics can provide valuable insights into your studio’s performance and help you make informed decisions. Here are the five metrics you need to monitor for financial success.

1. Revenue Per Project

Revenue per project shows how much income each project generates and helps you identify your most profitable services.

Why It Matters: Understanding which projects bring in the most revenue allows you to focus on high-value clients and services.

How to Track It: Divide the total revenue of a project by the number of hours worked or the scope of services provided.

2. Profit Margin

Profit margin is the percentage of revenue that remains after covering all expenses. It’s a critical indicator of your studio’s overall profitability.

Why It Matters: A healthy profit margin ensures your business is not only surviving but thriving.

How to Track It: Use the formula: [(Revenue - Expenses) / Revenue] x 100. Aim for a profit margin of at least 20-30%.

3. Client Acquisition Cost (CAC)

CAC measures how much you spend on marketing and sales to acquire a new client.

Why It Matters: Knowing your CAC helps you evaluate the efficiency of your marketing efforts and ensures you’re not overspending to gain new clients.

How to Track It: Divide your total marketing and sales expenses by the number of new clients acquired in a specific period.

4. Average Project Duration

Understanding how long your projects take helps with scheduling, forecasting, and cash flow management.

Why It Matters: Shorter project durations can improve cash flow and allow you to take on more clients.

How to Track It: Track the start and end dates of each project and calculate the average time taken.

5. Cash Flow

Cash flow tracks the money coming in and going out of your studio over a specific period. Positive cash flow ensures you can cover your expenses and invest in growth.

Why It Matters: Even profitable businesses can fail if cash flow isn’t managed effectively.

How to Track It: Use cash flow statements to monitor inflows (client payments) and outflows (expenses).

Tracking these five key financial metrics gives you a clear picture of your studio’s performance and helps you make strategic decisions for growth. By regularly monitoring these metrics and adjusting your strategies accordingly, you can build a financially secure and thriving interior design business. Take the time to set up systems that make tracking these numbers easy, and watch your studio’s success soar.

Here is how MTTD can help with your systems and processes.

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

7 Smart Financial Habits for Interior Designers to Build a Profitable Studio

Running an interior design studio isn’t just about creativity; it’s also about managing your finances effectively to ensure long-term success. Without smart financial habits, even the most talented designers can struggle to sustain their business. Here are seven essential financial habits that can help you build a profitable and secure interior design studio.

1. Set Clear Financial Goals

Your financial goals act as a roadmap for your studio’s growth. Whether it’s hitting a specific revenue target, saving for a studio expansion, or building an emergency fund, clear goals provide direction and motivation.

Action Tip: Break down large goals into smaller, actionable steps. For example, if you aim to save $10,000 for software upgrades, determine how much you need to save monthly.

2. Track Income and Expenses Religiously

Without a clear understanding of your studio’s cash flow, it’s easy to overspend or undercharge. Tracking your income and expenses ensures you’re always aware of your financial health.

Action Tip: Use tools like QuickBooks or Xero to automate tracking and generate reports. Categorize expenses to see where your money is going.

3. Price Your Services Strategically

Many designers undercharge for their services, leading to slim profit margins. Pricing should reflect not only your time and expertise but also the value you deliver to your clients.

Action Tip: Research industry standards and calculate your costs, including overhead and taxes, to determine a profitable pricing structure.

4. Build an Emergency Fund

Unexpected expenses or slower months can put financial strain on your business. An emergency fund acts as a safety net during tough times.

Action Tip: Set aside a percentage of your monthly income until you’ve built up three to six months’ worth of expenses.

5. Monitor Your Profit Margins

Your profit margin is a key indicator of your studio’s financial health. A low profit margin can signal the need to adjust pricing, reduce costs, or streamline operations.

Action Tip: Calculate your profit margin regularly by subtracting total expenses from total revenue and dividing the result by total revenue.

6. Automate Where Possible

Repetitive tasks like invoicing, payment reminders, and financial reporting can eat up valuable time. Automating these processes reduces errors and frees you up to focus on creative work.

Action Tip: Use automation tools like Dubsado or HoneyBook for client management and invoicing.

7. Regularly Review Your Financial Dashboard

A financial dashboard consolidates your key metrics, such as income, expenses, and cash flow, into one place. Reviewing it regularly keeps you informed and prepared to make strategic decisions.

Action Tip: Update your financial dashboard weekly or monthly and use it to identify trends or areas for improvement.

Building a profitable interior design studio takes more than creative talent; it requires disciplined financial management. By adopting these smart habits, you’ll set your studio up for sustainable growth and long-term success. Start small, stay consistent, and watch your studio thrive.

Here is how MTTD can help with your systems and processes.

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

How to Organize Your Digital Files for Maximum Efficiency

As an interior designer, you juggle countless files—from mood boards and contracts to drawings and supplier invoices. Without a proper digital organization system, finding the right file when you need it can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. Here’s how to set up a foolproof system to keep your digital files organized and accessible.

Step 1: Create a Consistent Folder Structure

A logical and consistent folder structure is the backbone of any organized digital system.

How to Set It Up:

1. Use a top-level folder for each client or project. Example: "[Client Name] - [Project Name]."

2. Within each project folder, create subfolders for key categories, such as:

• Contracts

• Design Plans

• Inspiration

• Supplier Orders

• Final Deliverables

3. Stick to this structure across all projects to avoid confusion.

Step 2: Name Files Strategically

Descriptive file names make it easy to find what you need at a glance.

Best Practices:

• Use a consistent naming convention, such as: "[Client Name][Project Name][Document Type]_[Date]."

• Avoid vague names like "Final_version2" or "Miscellaneous."

• Include dates or version numbers if you’re working on drafts or updates.

Step 3: Use Cloud Storage

Storing files in the cloud ensures they’re accessible from anywhere and backed up in case of hardware failure.

Recommended Tools:

• Google Drive: User-friendly and integrates with many tools.

• Dropbox: Great for sharing large files with clients or suppliers.

• OneDrive: Ideal if you use Microsoft Office for your workflows.

Pro Tip: Set up shared folders for clients or team members to streamline collaboration.

Step 4: Regularly Archive and Clean Up

Keeping active files separate from archived ones prevents your workspace from becoming cluttered.

How to Maintain Your System:

• At the end of each project, move all files to an "Archived Projects" folder.

• Delete duplicates or outdated versions to free up storage space.

• Schedule a monthly file cleanup to stay on top of things.

Step 5: Use File Search and Tagging Features

Even with the best organization system, searching for files directly can save time.

Tips:

• Use search functions in your cloud storage tool to quickly locate files.

• Some tools, like Evernote or Dropbox, allow tagging files with keywords for easy sorting.

An organized digital file system isn’t just about saving time—it’s about reducing stress and ensuring your studio runs smoothly. By creating a consistent folder structure, naming files strategically, and using cloud storage, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success. Start small, stay consistent, and enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free digital workspace.

Here is how MTTD can help with your systems and processes.

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

5 Common Studio Bottlenecks and How to Fix Them

Running an interior design studio can be very rewarding, but operational inefficiencies can quickly eat away at your time and productivity. Whether you’re a solo designer or managing a small team, identifying and addressing bottlenecks is essential to running a smooth operation.

Here are the five most common studio bottlenecks and actionable tips to fix them.

1. Disorganized Client Communication

When emails, texts, and phone calls come in from multiple channels, keeping track of client updates can feel chaotic. This often leads to missed details, delays, or duplicating efforts.

How to Fix It:

• Use a centralized communication platform like Slack or Trello to keep all project-related discussions in one place.

• Set expectations with clients about where and how they should communicate with you (e.g., only via email or a project management tool).

• Create email templates for common updates or requests to save time.

2. Inefficient File Organization

Scrambling to find the right files can waste valuable time. Poor organization of client contracts, design plans, and supplier invoices creates stress and delays.

How to Fix It:

• Implement a consistent folder structure, such as "[Client Name] > [Project Name] > [Documents/Drawings/Inspiration]."

• Use cloud storage solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox to access files anywhere.

• Regularly archive completed projects to keep your active folders clean and manageable.

3. Manual and Repetitive Tasks

Tasks like invoicing, scheduling meetings, or collecting feedback can eat up hours of your week if done manually.

How to Fix It:

• Automate repetitive tasks

• Batch similar tasks, such as replying to all emails or processing invoices in a single time block.

4. Lack of a Clear Workflow

Without a defined process for managing projects, it’s easy to lose track of deadlines, milestones, and deliverables.

How to Fix It:

• Map out your project workflow from onboarding to project completion. Include all major steps and decision points.

• Share your workflow with your team or clients so everyone is aligned.

5. Unclear Roles and Responsibilities

When team members are unsure of their roles, tasks can slip through the cracks or be duplicated.

How to Fix It:

• Clearly define who is responsible for each stage of a project.

• Use a responsibility chart like the RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed).

• Regularly review team processes and adjust responsibilities as needed.

By identifying and addressing these common bottlenecks, you can create a more efficient, productive, and stress-free studio environment. Start with small, manageable changes and build from there. Remember, streamlined operations don’t just save time—they also give you more space to focus on the creative work you love.

Here is how MTTD can help with your systems and processes.

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

The Challenges of Implementing a New System in Your Business

It’s important to ensure the platform you use to capture your systems and processes is fit for purpose.

Let's talk about the things you might encounter when implementing a new system in your business. This time of year is often a period of reflection—thinking about what hasn’t been working well in your business and considering changes you might want to make. This process can sometimes lead to moments of frustration or doubt, wondering if it’s worth changing. Or perhaps you’re busy and want to get on with the work. It’s often challenging to find time to work on your business rather than in it.

Let me share a story about my journey over the past 12 months in finding a system for my social media. Like many of you, I have a love-hate relationship with social media. By the end of last year, I had dropped the ball on it. I’d done fantastic training with The Digital Picnic and was eager in October to get organised with my social media posts. I’d have a good week where I scheduled all my posts, but something would come up, and I’d fall behind. The result was a few weeks of scrambling to post, and the quality wasn’t great.

I’ve been using Later to schedule my social media posts, but my biggest issue was lacking strong systems and processes for generating and creating content. I tried various tools—Notion, Google Spreadsheets, Google Docs, even old-fashioned pen and paper—but none of them were sustainable, and I wasn’t getting the results I wanted. My content was suboptimal, and I was often scrambling.

Then, over the Christmas break, my family got COVID, I completely let go of social media for the rest of 2023. I decided to deal with it in 2024. I realised that I was feeling like a slave to social media because I didn’t have good systems in place. I took the break to reflect on what I needed to change. After a few weeks of thought, I set up folders and lists on Trello and Canva, and so far, it’s working well.

What became clear to me is that having systems and processes in place is crucial for success—whether it’s consistently posting on social media or efficiently managing your interior design studio. 

However, it’s equally important that the platform you use to capture these systems is fit for purpose. It took a lot of trial and error to find the right system for me, especially with social media. I realised that the system needed to be easy to use, functional, consistent, and flexible.

Sometimes, learning a new system isn’t straightforward. But if you’re clear on your purpose and goals, it becomes easier to choose the right platform and stick with it. For social media, I was clear on what I needed the platform to achieve, and that clarity helped me make better decisions.

One of my goals was to set up a system that didn’t require constant tweaking. I learned this lesson the hard way when I used to build client schedules in Excel. I’d tweak every project’s schedule, thinking I was making improvements, but in reality, I was wasting valuable time. Time is money, and I was losing both by constantly redesigning.

Now, with More Time to Design, building client schedules is almost plug-and-play, which has made my workflow so much more efficient. The key is that the platform aligns with my studio’s goals. As I’m implementing my new social media system, I’m a bit slower than I’d like to be since I’m still learning, but I’m already seeing the benefits, which makes it easier to stay committed.

To recap, here are some things to consider when implementing a new system in your business:

1. Make sure the platform aligns with your purpose and goals.

2. Before choosing a platform, clearly define what you want from it.

3. Be kind to yourself and allocate time to learn the new system—it’s just like learning any new skill.

Here is how MTTD can help with your systems and processes.

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

Why You Need to Know How You are Spending Your Time

Time tracking is so important for building a successful business. It is the foundation on which all strong design businesses are based.

If you do not know where you are spending your time, you do not know where you are making or losing money.

Having accurate data in your business about how long it takes you to do something is also going to help when it comes to scheduling you and your team's week. 

Let's look at this example. 

You're writing down the tasks that you've got to get done this week and that's a mix of client work and business building work. You have to work on a concept design package and you've allocated yourself three hours for this work. You have a client meeting coming up that you need to have this work done for, and there's a deadline for some of the other work that you have scheduled into your calendar. So you've allocated three hours and that three hours is kind of based on a feeling that it'll take about that long to do that amount of work.

So you get into it - you start going and then the reality is that work takes you four and a half hours to finish.

Now to complete that work, you've had to miss out on doing something else - something that doesn't have a client-related deadline attached to it.

Maybe something like your social media planning, your business strategy, some accounting and bookkeeping stuff.

By not knowing how long something is gonna take you to do, you haven't allocated your time correctly.

The other thing that this leads to is you are now stressed because you actually don't have that extra hour and a half in your day to work on that item. It may mean that you have to work at night or you just need to move things around more. 

Now, let's go back a step and see what happens if we are basing our decisions around time tracking and how we are allocating our time based on data.

We're now at the beginning of the week and we know that we've got this concept

package that we need to work on. We've tracked our time across the last couple of projects we've been working on, we can go into our time tracking system (More Time to Design does this well), and pull up reports on the last three projects of a similar size and scope that you have worked on. I can see based on that data that it took me 4 hours for one, four and a half for another and 4 hours on the other project. Now I can accurately schedule out my time and allocate four hours for that concept package work.

Now what happens is you've allocated yourself adequate time to do that task and you can adequately schedule out time to do your business planning, your social media or whatever other task that you've got to do that week.

You’re not having to cancel that work. You’re not having to move that work. Your week is running smoothly.

It also means that you are going to be charging your client, whether that is a value-based fee or an hourly fee, you are charging them accurately. Because you’re not basing your fee proposal on a feeling or a rough kind of back of the envelope calculation. 

This is why I feel so strongly about time tracking. It is not the only thing you need to be doing in your business but it is one of the foundational things you need to be doing to ensure that you are building a strong business.

Now, there are multiple ways of tracking your time but it is important that you track it in a way that you can easily pull data from it and pull reports. For example, in More Time to Design, you are able to pull reports across projects, clients, staff members, tasks and project stages.

So you could easily say, “I want to look at the last 10 projects that I've worked on in this time period and I wanna see how long I've worked on Project Stage 1 across all of those.”

It also allows you to see how you are spending the majority of your time. It allows you to see what parts of your business are profitable and what parts are not.

The other reason why it's so important to be tracking your time is that when you come to scale up your business - and grow your staff numbers, you are going to accurately know how much work you're going to need to take on to support that staff member. You're going to know how much to accurately allocate to that staff member. It all comes back to being able to make data-driven decisions.

The other reason why I think time tracking is so important is because it allows you to work out how much work you need to take on to achieve your income goals.

For example, say you go, “I want to make in the next six months. I wanna bring in $60,000 in revenue.” Obviously, there are different ways you can segment that pie but you can also go, “Okay, I know I have 35 hours in my week and if I allocate out those weeks I will know that I can accommodate this many hours of work across this many projects. Does that allow me to get to my revenue goal or do I just simply not have enough hours at the rate that I'm charging

to meet that revenue goal? 

It's really important that you are time-tracking. It influences so many parts of your business and it is a key to making sure you are running a profitable design business.

I hope you understand a little bit more about why I think time-tracking and making database decisions are so crucial and such a fundamental foundation for your business. Whether you are just starting out or you've been in the industry and you've had your studio for a while, it is never too soon to start tracking your time.

Here is how MTTD can help with your general manager mindset making sure that your systems and processes are in place. 

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

Why you need to think like a General Manager

So, you might be asking what a general manager actually does in an interior design studio and why you need to think like one in your business.

What exactly does a general manager do in an interior design studio?

The best way to think of this is a bit like a traffic cop directing traffic in the studio and making sure that everything is running smoothly. Having the mindset of a general manager, even if it is just you on your own, constantly thinking about the larger picture of your studio and thinking about the flow of work. 

A great example is staying on top of your meeting schedule. Having too many client meetings in one week is a great way to make you feel overwhelmed and stressed. You don't have time to do the work that is generated by each meeting. Everything else becomes impossible. 

But you also need to make sure that you have the right client meetings booked in so that you can invoice as you need to and you are sticking to your invoicing timelines. This ultimately makes sure your cash flow is on track.

So having that kind of bird's eye overview of the studio means that it's not whoever calls at first gets booked in. There's a strategy and a strategic general manager mindset means that you are looking at your systems and processes and running your business in a way that is logical, organized, calm and coherent. Not scattergun and whatever is the most urgent issue is the one that gets done.

Having this approach and mindset in your business, even if it is just you, is crucial to running a successful business.

So having a general manager mindset is one thing but you need to have the systems and processes in place to support that mindset. 

Why is it so important that you have your systems and processes in place?

If you don't have your business systems running smoothly then you are going to be wasting so much time in your business. Think about the admin tasks that you do for every project:

• Can you do them quickly and efficiently?

• Do you do them the same way for every project?

• If someone had to find the information for you, could they do that easily?

Often I talk to designers and they feel their business is running them and they don't enjoy the business. Most of the time, it is because the back end of the business - all these systems and processes - is a mess.

Making sure that your systems and processes are in place and working well means that you're going to be able to work efficiently which ultimately means you are going to have a more successful business. 

Here is how MTTD can help with your general manager mindset making sure that your systems and processes are in place. 

1. Listen to our podcast The Design Dialogues Podcast where we talk each week about how to run a successful interior design business

2. Learn with our The Process courses which take you set by step through what to do to run a successful interior design project. 

3. Book a Health Check to have Beth personally look over your business systems and processes. 

4. Use MTTD, the tool designed by Beth Bieske (interior designer + general manager) to run your interior design studio

How Much Do You Love Digital Marketing?

We all know marketing is a big part of a successful business. However it is not always a skill that comes easily - we don’t get taught it at design school along with all the business skills we need to run our businesses (hint - this is where More Time To Design can help you 🙂

I don’t really love the marketing side of business. Being super honest, it is something I struggle with and will ALWAYS go to the bottom of my todo list. As I said to Penny Wilson in this week’s podcast episode, if I loved marketing I would have become a marketer :). 

I am fortunate that my husband is in marketing - he loves it and is very good at it (proud wife boast) and he is great for bouncing ideas off and also correcting my course sometimes when I start to lose the plot a bit and go around in circles (anyone else feel like that with social media posts, blog, email marketing, paid advertising….ahhhh). 

Having someone in your corner, for things in our business which we are not as skilled in, is so crucial. It might be a business coach who helps guides you through things, a mentor or industry group who helps show your the ropes of parts of your business that you not comfortable with or it might be that you might outsource some areas of work to people who are more skilled in that area (think bookkeeper or digital marketing expert). Someone recently said to me that knowing the right time to ask for help is key to being successful in business. 

In this week’s episode of The Design Dialogues Podcast I talk to Penny Wilson who is an expert in all things digital marketing (yes that means more than just the social’s). 

Make sure to listen to the episode as Penny shares why it is important to have a strategy before you even start posting or sending out emails. 

Do you educate your clients

Ever been in a situation where a potential client reaches out to you, only for you to wonder afterward if they truly grasp what you do? It's a common scenario many of us in the design industry face.

Over the past year, I've engaged in numerous conversations with fellow designers, all echoing the same sentiment: we need to step up our efforts in educating the public about the role of interior designers and the immense value we bring to their projects. After all, the most successful project outcomes often stem from our involvement right from the outset.

But how exactly do we go about this? How do we enlighten our prospective clients?

In this week's installment of The Design Dialogues Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jane Ledger from Jane Ledge Interiors. Jane has taken the initiative to address this issue head-on by launching her own podcast, aimed at educating future clients on the potential benefits of working with an interior designer. I truly believe Jane's podcast serves as a valuable tool for everyone in the industry.

What strategies have you employed to showcase your value to clients?

Be sure to tune in to the episode and join the conversation.

Listen Here

Are you in a rut?

Do you find yourself turning to the same suppliers all the time, always gravitating towards the same finishes. It can be hard to keep things looking fresh. If you are busy and just trying to get through the to-do list it can be hard to prioritize learning about and understanding new materials and what is the latest things out there. 

However it is one of the most important parts of our jobs as interior designers. With the engineered stone ban coming into effect, benchtops is one area where I know a lot of designers are needing to upskill on what are the best alternatives for their clients. For me I know going to supplier events to see the product and hear about what it can do is a great way to expose myself to the latest products - it's also great to get out and see my fellow designers. What are some of the ways that you like to learn about new products? 

In this week’s episode of The Design Dialogues Podcast I am talking with Gavin Hepper from Concepts by Gavin Hepper and we talk about all sorts of things but really understanding the materials we are specifying for our clients is a key part of the dialogue. 

Sometimes costs should be the last deciding factor when our clients make decisions on what to use in their project and our job as designers is to help them navigate the seven other factors they need to consider. 

Make sure to check out the episode here.

How good are your working relationships?

How many times have you been on site and regardless of how much prep work you put in and how organized you are something goes wrong. Especially if your project is a renovation and there are always a few little unknowns that pop up during demolition. 

How these situations turn out pretty much always comes down to the relationships you have and the people you can call on to help. Whether it be a builder on site who you have worked with several times and who you know will work through the issue with you to come up with the best solution or a supplier who will do everything they can to get something delivered for you quickly. 

These relationships we have can really make or break how these problem situations unfold. 

In this week’s episode of The Design Dialogues Podcast I am talking with Vito Marzullo from Anterior XL and the importance of having a strong working relationship with stone supplier and stone mason is really highlighted throughout our conversation. 

I know in my own design studio being able to call on these relationships has gotten me out of a couple of sticky situations over the years. 

The Challenges of Implementing a New System in Your Business

Have you tried to start a new exercise routine and started out really positive and enthusiastic and then your muscles started aching, you weren't as good as you wanted to be and was getting quite frustrated with the whole process and then after a few sessions or weeks you end up giving up because it's all too hard. You are not seeing any of the positives of the exercise routine yet but it is just too hard to keep going. 

This can be the same when you are trying to implement new systems and processes in your business. You know things aren't working and you want to improve them but you lose patience in the process of learning and implementing the system and you give up and go back to your old ways before you have seen any of the great results of having these new systems and processes in place in your business. 

In this week’s episode of The Design Dialogues Podcast I look at some of the challenges that you can come across when you are implementing new systems and processes in your business. I talk about some of the things I have learnt from my year of trial and error of trying to work out my social media processes. 

Just like anything you need to get better at, you need to put in time and effort to learn and implement the new systems and processes - it is definitely worth the effort (and sometimes frustration 🙂)

Make sure to check out the episode.

Are you trying to put a square peg in a round hole?

Have you ever felt like you are just not working with the right clients? Understanding what your clients really want can sometimes feel like the elusive secret sauce to a successful interior design studio.

Obviosuly doing lots of work on your marketing so that you can communicate to your ideal clients what you offer is really important however sometimes there are other factors that you should be considering.

In this week’s episode of The Design Dialogues I chat with Kylie Wilks from Felt and Stone. Kylie is based in Inverell (about 6 hours north of Sydney) and we talk about about how working out what her clients were really needing help with has been integral in forming her business.

It may be location, or the kind of work you want to do or the demographic of the area that you are based in that might be what you need to consider when you are thinking about what services you are offering - but making sure you are a square peg in a square hole is going to make all the difference.

Make sure to check out the episode here.

Do you understand your numbers?

I have heard so many times from studio owners that ‘I’m not good with numbers’ and that always worries me. Understanding your numbers is really the difference between running your studio as a hobby and running it as a successful business.

Just like good business processes and systems, like we have in More Time To Design, are so important, good financial processes and systems are crucial to running a successful and sustainable interior design studio.

In this week’s episode of The Design Dialogues I chat with Justin McLean from the Flossi Files about all things financial and the important foundations that we all need to have as small business owners.

It can be daunting - I know. I have been guilty at times of putting my head in the sand when it has come to understanding the figures of my business but once you get over that initial feeling of ‘oh my gosh am I ever going to understand these’ it is so emporwering knowing what is happening financially in your business.

Make sure to check out the episode here - you will learn so much.