Happy Independence Day! I’m getting ready for a big reunion party at my house this evening, but I wanted to write to you today about “freedom.”As we celebrate the birthday of our country, many people are feeling extremely grateful for the freedoms we have.  And as designers and business owners in this country, we have the incredible opportunity to create anything we want.As your own boss, you can choose to design your business to support whatever lifestyle you desire.  You are completely free... Read Full Story

Thoughts from my experience at David Neagle's Experience the Reality of SuccessBecause this was my second time at David Neagle’s Experience the Reality of Success, I decide to have a different experience. Instead of participating fully in the powerful experiential exercises that David presented, I wanted to simply observe.Or did I?No, I really didn’t WANT to sit back and observe. What is the point of investing in a workshop and flying across the country for a week if I’m not going to pa... Read Full Story

(regarding "Ezines Done For You!")I'm just getting back to work after an incredible week in Las Vegas. I'll be sharing a lot about my experience and inspiration from that powerful workshop in future posts, but for now...Many questions are still coming in about my new Email Newsletters "Done For You" program, so I wanted to answer them for you in this post.I know how valuable newsletters are for the success of a design business. Email newsletters have done SO much ... Read Full Story

Several years ago, when I launched my email newsletter, I was among a small handful of designers to be using this amazing tool. I had the opportunity, early on, to learn from the experts and experiment to find out exactly what works (and what absolutely doesn't). Over the years, I have seen the email newsletter craze really take off in our industry, as designers caught on to the incredible value they provide. It has gotten to a point where it is no longer a novelty or an advantage to h... Read Full Story

Inspiration from Maggie Keenan's class, "5 Ways Giving Makes A Difference for Your Design Business"Having a Giving Program is a great business strategy. It creates Win-Win. You get involved in social issues AND boost your image.How does "giving" helps businesses?enhance your business imageincrease salesbuild client loyaltyimprove employee retentioncreate / boost / enhance your brandCOOL TIP: Giving Program does not have to be about YOU giving money. Get creative. Hold ... Read Full Story

Here are some notes and ideas from Craig Schiller's class, "Everything Designers Need to Know about Staging"When staging, designers need to know that the HOUSE is the star. Not the design. Not the designer. The HOUSE.What designers need to give up is the need to add flair, drama, personality, ego.What designers need to ADD is speed.Staging design is disposable, it's quick, it's all about marketing.Craig Schiller is the founder of Real Estaging, Chicago’s premier home sta... Read Full Story

This post includes notes and inspiration from Heather Dominick's class, "Greater Client Attraction by Allowing Your Prospects to KNOW You"Thoughts on the big debate: Should a designer ever do a free consultation? Heather says there is a middle ground between FREE consultations and PAID consultations. It's not black or white. There is a way to have a "Get to Know You" session where you and the prospect can see if you are a good fit for each other.It's all abou... Read Full Story

Here are some important tips from Will Franco's class, "How Designers Can Increase Profits & Save Time with Technology"75% of interior designers do NOT have a website!  Yikes!   If nothing else, you must get a blog! No web presence = no business.A website is a social validation tool. Add testimonials and before & after photos, and you will see results.You need to connect and stay on top of prospects minds.  How can you do this? With an Ezine.Designers should be on Twitte... Read Full Story

Today's post gives you a summary of notes from Debbie Green's class, "It's All About Attitude""A good attitude is the foundation for a successful design business."The more you ACT happy, the more you FEEL happy.Attitude Improvers: create and stick to a budget for your businessclean your desksmileYou must earn a prospect's trust before you can ever expect to get a sale.  Even after you earn someone's trust, they may not buy from you. But if you don't... Read Full Story

For the next few weeks, I am going to post inspiration from the Interior Design Summit. Using just ONE of these ideas will boost your design business. If you implement a whole bunch, you will be so far ahead of the pack! We had 12 amazing experts sharing powerful, valuable ideas for skyrocketing your design business in this market. What I loved is that there were many commonalities. When you hear the same thing from so many experts, you know it's gold!The Most Important Success Strate... Read Full Story