169: Fix the Drawer, Fix the Marriage

Are you taking on more liability in your interior design business than you realize? This week, Rebecca and Shaun are diving into the sometimes confusing world of project management, construction coordination, and business compliance. After hearing about an interior designer facing a workers' compensation audit for potentially operating like a general contractor, they're asking some important questions about where an interior designer's responsibilities should end and how to protect your business from costly mistakes. But it's not all insurance audits and legal headaches! They're also talking about hiring employees versus independent contractors, outsourcing the parts of your business you don't love, and building a design team that actually understands your creative vision. Plus, they're sharing practical insights on business lines of credit, cash flow management, and why growing your interior design firm doesn't have to mean giving up the creative work that brings you joy. Whether you're a solo designer or growing your studio, this episode is a reminder that running a profitable interior design business means making intentional decisions about your time, your team, and your risks. In this episode they discuss: The difference between interior design project management, design intent management, and construction management—and why defining your scope of work matters. How acting like a general contractor could expose interior designers to workers' compensation audits, insurance requirements, and unexpected financial penalties. The risks of misclassifying independent contractors as employees, plus why hiring an HR consultant can help keep your design business compliant. How Programa simplifies construction documentation, FF&E schedules, and communication with contractors to keep interior design projects organized. Deciding which responsibilities to outsource and which creative tasks to keep as your interior design business grows. Building an interior design team that understands your studio's values, design philosophy, and approach to client experience. Navigating the hiring process, delegating responsibilities, and learning to trust other designers to make decisions without giving up creative control. How business lines of credit, credit cards, and strategic cash flow management can support growth and hiring in your interior design firm.

Vintage furniture brings character, personality, and soul to a space, but incorporating it into your interior design business comes with its own set of challenges. From sourcing one-of-a-kind pieces to navigating shipping disasters, pricing antiques, and managing client expectations, there's a lot more to selling vintage than finding a beautiful treasure. In this episode, Shaun and Rebecca welcome Heather Peterson, founder and principal designer of Minneapolis-based Heather Peterson Design, to discuss her approach to vintage sourcing, transparent pricing, and creating a client experience built on trust. Heather shares how her background in advertising and art curation influences her eclectic, color-filled interiors and how years of hard-earned lessons have shaped her interior design business processes. From creating client education guides and navigating furniture receiving to styling photo shoots, investing in PR, and building a strong design team, this conversation is packed with practical advice for interior designers looking to streamline their operations and grow a more profitable, sustainable business. Plus, Heather shares why developing a recognizable design point of view can attract better-aligned clients and why building a successful design business doesn't always mean building a bigger one. In this episode they discuss: How to source, price, and sell vintage furniture and antiques while educating clients on the true value of secondhand pieces beyond potential cost savings Heather's transparent pricing strategy, including her 35% markup on furnishings and materials and 20% markup on labor, reupholstery, and workroom services Creating "What to Expect" client guides for vintage purchases, receiving and shipping, installations, and photo shoots to prevent surprises and build client trust Managing vintage furniture restoration, freight complications, unexpected damages, and the realities of furniture receiving and procurement How professional interior design photography, intentional styling, and developing a recognizable aesthetic can help attract ideal clients and increase opportunities for publication Heather's strategy for sourcing and selling styling accessories during installations without pressuring clients to purchase everything Building better interior design business systems, delegating responsibilities, working with a business coach, and investing in public relations to grow your studio Why designers should define success on their own terms, embrace different seasons of business ownership, and prioritize sustainable growth over simply getting bigger

What does it look like to build an interior design business where creativity—not just revenue—is the driving force? Shaun and Rebecca sit down with Julia Miller, founder and creative director of Yond Interiors, to talk about protecting the creative vision of a project from the first client inquiry all the way through installation, styling, and photography. Julia shares how Yond has built a process that allows the team to execute large-scale interior design projects across the country while delivering a high-touch client experience. They get into choosing aligned clients, setting expectations with contractors, preserving design intent, taking on private and NDA projects, and why Julia would rather turn down a lucrative project than sacrifice creative freedom. Plus, Julia explains how she has shaped her role as creative director, why she took styling back in-house, and how The Studio Table is helping other interior designers learn the systems behind Yond’s work. In this episode they discuss: How Julia built Yond Interiors around creativity, strong processes, and doing their best work on every project Why Julia sees Yond as the “guardian of the design” and how the team protects design intent through construction and installation Creating a high-touch luxury interior design experience by solving problems behind the scenes instead of handing them back to the client How Yond evaluates potential clients, projects, contractors, timelines, and creative opportunities before saying yes The complicated business and marketing decisions behind NDA projects, private clients, and projects that can’t be photographed or published Why creative freedom is a bigger motivator for Julia than money—and why not every well-paying project is the right project How Julia defines her role as creative director, collaborates with her design team, and stays involved without needing to control every decision Why Julia brought interior styling in-house and how styling and photography have become an essential part of Yond’s creative process and brand

What if your interior design project tracker could tell you when you actually have capacity for your next client—and forecast the revenue coming with it? This week, Shaun and Rebecca are talking about owning your accomplishments, getting more intentional about the projects you want to attract, and using technology to make running an interior design business a whole lot easier. Then Shaun shares an interactive project management and capacity dashboard he built with ChatGPT, starting with the idea of a simple spreadsheet and turning it into a custom tool for tracking project phases, scheduling, payments, cash flow, and future studio capacity. They walk through what it can already do, what they’d add next, and why tools like this could completely change how interior designers plan proposals, manage their pipeline, and make business decisions. In this episode they discuss: Why interior designers need to stop downplaying their accomplishments when talking about their businesses How confidently explaining the type of design work you want can help attract better-fit interior design clients Reframing lead qualification around the projects your studio actually has capacity for instead of simply telling prospects they don’t meet your minimums Creating a referral network of other interior designers for leads that aren’t the right fit for your firm Why understanding your project pipeline and studio capacity makes it easier to know when you can take on new interior design projects How Shaun used ChatGPT to turn a basic spreadsheet concept into an interactive project management and capacity dashboard Tracking project phases, payment milestones, design fees, procurement revenue, project coordination, installation fees, and cash flow projections in one place How AI-powered tools could help interior designers build custom business systems without knowing how to code

Shaun and Rebecca are getting real about the messy overlap between interior design, construction project management, and everything clients assume is included in “project management.” After catching up on home renovations, home office frustrations, and the never-ending search for furniture that actually functions, they dig into how Rebecca is refining her discovery calls to better qualify potential interior design clients and uncover what they really want from their homes. Then, they tackle a bigger question for interior designers working on construction projects: Are we actually managing the construction, or are we managing the design intent? They talk through contractor responsibilities, client expectations, liability, job site walkthroughs, and why designers need much clearer language around what project management does—and does not—include. They also explore whether construction milestone meetings could become a defined, systematized, and profitable part of an interior designer’s scope of work. In this episode they discuss: Why today’s home office furniture still isn’t meeting the way people actually work from home How thoughtful discovery call questions can uncover a client’s priorities, design style, budget expectations, and readiness to hire an interior designer Why asking potential clients what they want their new home to give them can reveal the real problem they’re trying to solve The difference between construction project management and managing the designer’s design intent Why interior designers need to clearly define what “project management” means in their proposals and contracts How contractor communication, scheduling, and client expectations can create gaps that designers often end up filling Why defining milestone walkthroughs for framing, plumbing, electrical, tile, and other construction phases could protect the design and clarify the designer’s role How systematizing and pricing construction site visits could turn an often-unpaid responsibility into a more intentional revenue stream