Navigating Interior Design Business Development

Expansion

The final section and the pinnacle of the pyramid is growth. That can take many different forms, from better aligned and profitable clients, to expanded demographics or product lines and new revenue streams. As you hit this focus and make any adjustments, know that this is a cycle. That means that any changes you make at the growth strategy stage, will need to be carried down to the bottom so that your foundation, team and biz development layers can adjust to support the updated vision.

• Marketing and Outreach Plan
• Online Presence / Site / Social Media Outreach Plan
• Publication Outreach Plan
• Photography Plan
• Brand Extension Plan
• Passive Income Plan (if applicable)
• Exit Strategy Established

I know this seems like a lot to tackle, and it is, but you are doing all of this already in some form. Using this Hierarchy of Needs will help you to figure out where you are in your process and what you need to do next. Keep in mind that this is a continual process, meaning you may cover each of these sections on a cursory level, stabilize then go through them again and develop each section more fully. Then stabilize and do it again. It’s a bit like life, we go through one layer of development at a time.

This is a perfect time for all of us to look at our businesses in a new way. Let’s move forward unafraid to reinvent and reorganize. If there was ever a year to do that, it is now! So have fresh eyes, be honest with yourself and don’t be afraid to really stretch yourself to dream a more fulfilling dream. You got this and if you want help building your business please reach out. I’d love to talk with you.

 

Navigating Interior Design Business Development

Positioning

This is usually everyone’s favorite area of business development. Crafting and refining the experience you bring your clients through is paramount. It needs to be on brand and sync up with the promise of your firm and your brand anchors. The key is to answer the needs of your clients at each juncture and do it in a branded way.

• New Client Welcome Package
• New Client “What to Expect” Document
• Milestone Gifting Procedure
• Onsite Code of Conduct
• In Office Client Meeting Code of Conduct
• In Office Client Meeting Experience Protocol
• Signature Snack
• Client Referral Method
• Client Weekly Update Method
• Installation Protocol
• Post Project Protocol
• Post Project Survey
• Past Client Outreach Program
• VIP Binder with Preferences/Birthdays/Gifting Information/Etc.

You had a strategy at the beginning when you started, but by this phase in your growth, you will need to reassess and refine. You have more distinctions now, more knowledge and more resources to expand upon what you’ve built thus far. Regardless of how far along the growth curve you are, you will need a strategy check in every year to stay on track.

• 2-5 Advisors Selected for Annual Strategy Session
• Clarity on Business Objectives and Timeline with Action Items
• List of Assets
• List of Weaknesses
• Development Plan
• List of Opportunities
• Clear Growth Trajectory
• Actions Needed to Achieve Milestones

You of course, have been doing some form of marketing all along, even if its just been social media, but the outreach portion of your business takes on a new kind of focus as the engine of your business begins to coast and your strategy includes some version of a brand expansion. Your marketing approach will need to be adjusted and refined so they are more directly supporting your company mission and brand.

• Congruency at All Points of Contact with Potential Clients
• Social Media Outreach Plan
• Website Conversions Plan (Viewer into Client)
• SEO Plan
• Referral Network Established & Plan of Action
• Community Group & Client Attraction Plan
• Online and Print Marketing Plans (if applicable)

We’re almost to the top! Next post I’ll be talking about expansion and growing your business.

Navigating Interior Design Business Development

The Team

Let’s talk about your team and the roles each of you play. This section is commonly overlooked. You need to be clear about your role, especially if you have a partner. As the leader, you will also need to incorporate a self-mastery component, like self-care, recharge methods and personal development so that you can continue to lead effectively.

Roles

• Designer
• Junior Designer
• Expeditor
• Office Manager
• Principal Designer

Each role should have the following:

• Accountability Chart
• Job Description
• Mentor/Consultant/Group for Support, Learning & Guidance
• Self Objectives & Timelines
• Self-Care Program/Guideline
• Plan for Learning & Leadership Development
• Plan for Facilitating Company Development

Not every design firm needs all of these roles in their fullest sense, as in full-time hires. That being said, these roles are the intrinsic parts of the engine. There are many ways these roles can be satisfied, either 1099, part time, combined with another role or outsourced. Most firms grow through a few of these methods as they slowly expand. Regardless of the way you construct your team short or long term, you will need to consciously devise a structure that demands less of your time as the CEO, doing the technician duties and more time on high level client, design vision, billable and business development work; your zone of genius essentially. Same with the support roles, keep each role in their lane, without too much crossover. This keeps everyone in their zone of genius and keeps the design team billable as much as possible.

• Job Description / Accountability Chart/ Job Posting
• Offer Letter and onboarding documents
• Training Documents, Videos, Resources & Training Checklist
• Support Methods
• Weekly/Monthly Check-In Meetings
• 90 day / 6 month and annual review self-assessment and review with Principal guidance
• Growth Track for each role

I’d love to know what works for your team, share it with me in the comments!

Next we’ll talk about positioning and how to get your ideal clients.

Navigating Interior Design Business Development

The Foundation

The FOUNDATION level of the hierarchy of needs is all about setting up the infrastructure and systems that will enable you to incorporate a team, outsourced support and utilize well all manner of resources, into your firm. Without this foundational work, getting your processes and payroll dollar to translate into efficiency and profit will be very difficult. Things will feel disjointed and disorganized. Too much will be in your brain and getting team members to click in, be proactive and experience long periods of high levels of concentration will be unattainable. Setting up a well-conceived foundation enables all the transactions of business to actually be absorbed well and processed effectively.

Company Assessment

All growth begins with understanding your starting point and your target. You will want to gauge where you are and what kind of lifestyle and business you are building.

 Determine lifestyle goal and how that translates into the type of business you want

 Clarify business goals

 Determine strengths and deficits in your business as it stands

 Determine strengths and deficits in your personal development as a leader

 Make sure your business goals facilitate the lifestyle you are building

 Make sure the business you envision are authentic and incorporate your values

Company Identity

This section of your foundation is all about establishing the culture of your firm. Know what your brand stands for, what your brand anchors are and be clear about what you do and who you do it for.

 Key Characteristics Defined

 Company Manifesto & Promise Defined

 Ideal Client Defined

 Ideal Client’s Intangible Needs Defined

 Team Code of Ethics and Guiding Principles Defined

Business Documents

This section is about getting your ducks in a row. Basic documents and standard operating procedures.

 Client Contracts, Proposals, PO’s and Transactional Documents

 Vendor/Contractor Code of Conduct & Operating Procedures

 1099 Contracts

 1099 & Employee Nondisclosure/Confidentiality/Non-Compete Agreements

 Operations Manual / Standard Operating Procedures for team – even 1099’s

Office Logistics

Think of section 4 as all of the small connections that happen between the big moving parts of the company structure. How do they connect? What are the pass offs? Where are things kept? What are the rules around how things are done? How are they tracked or monitored etc.?

 Technology platforms

 Time Billing Protocol

 Mileage & Reimbursables Protocol

 Office Equipment Maintenance

 Contact List & Maintenance Protocol

 Digital File Directory Organization Protocol

 Online Properties Information & Maintenance Protocol

Accounting

You’ve got to be prepared to make and spend a lot of money and do it in a way that is easily administered, tracked and monitored. The system is best if it is integrated with the design process. Make sure to have routine reports and protocols in place that happen automatically, meaning you do not have to ask for them. They should be part of the normal office routine.

As the CEO you should not be searching, and constantly pulling information. This information should be organized in a way that helps you navigate your firm, not just raw numbers. It should be pushed to you automatically at regular intervals, weekly or monthly. If you’re having to continually ask for it, something is wrong.

 Financial Plan/Milestones

 Time Billing Tracking & Invoicing

 Billing Protocol

 Purchase Order Procedures

 Monthly/Bi-Monthly Financial Reporting Protocol

 Deposits and Banking Protocol

 Job Cost Tracking & Reporting Protocol

 Monthly CEO Financial Review Protocol

 Navigating Time Scheduled into Calendar

 CEO Quarterly Meeting with Accountant

Project Management

Project Management is where the foundational structures begin to engage and click into motion. Moving parts that interact with clients, vendors and the design team have to sync up and engage with each other in anticipated and a predetermined manner. It is your job as the CEO to facilitate smooth operational processes and optimized tools.

 Client Presentation Protocol

 New Project Workload Scheduling Protocol

 New Client Protocol

 New Client Set Up Procedure

 Design Process Flow Chart

 Weekly Team Sync Method

 Design Development Method

 Office Rhythm Method

 Inter-Office Communication Flow Protocol

 Installation Checklist & Protocol

 Punch List/Project Wrap-up Procedure

 Proposal & Ordering Protocol

 Scheduling & Project Management Procedures

 Centralized Data/Project Management System

 Managing Images Protocol

Team Management

This is the last piece of the foundation of your firm. This is where you prepare specifically for building out your team. You’ll want to provide them with not only the organizational structures of the rest of your foundation, but well-conceived H/R resources and structure around their employment and role.

 Hierarchy Chart

 Updated Team Job Descriptions

 90 Day/1 Year Review Schedule

 Review Forms & Procedure

 Bonus Structure

 Bi-Annual Team Building

 New Team Member Orientation Packet

 New Team Member Training Checklist & Procedure

And that’s it. Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions or thoughts.

Next we’ll dive into the team and the roles each member plays.

Navigating Interior Design Business Development

The interior design sector has gone through a lot of changes over the last year, but continues to move forward and in many cases, is booming. I am seeing a lot of growth despite the uncertainty, and for many of you, the need to grow your business is becoming more evident. It is different now though. As we all have gone through a purging process and come to terms with the things we need and the things that are not truly important, rebuilding our lives and our businesses more intentionally has become paramount.

This is the time to retool, reorganize and build our firms more strategically. Today I want to focus on the foundational aspects of your design firm. We’re going back to the basics so you can visualize your business development as a whole and then map out your growth track.

That clarity is going to serve as the roadmap for your year ahead. It will be better this time, more organized, polished, efficient and in many ways, easier. Your energy will be more on point and your team and processes will truly facilitate the level of service you know you are capable of. The first step in constructing a better business is breaking it into its pieces and understanding how your plan fits into the bigger picture.

Do you remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? Maslow was a psychologist that created a pyramid of 5 levels of development. He asserted that in order to rise to the next tier, you had to satisfy the level below.

I realized years ago that the same premise applies to interior design firms and I created a hierarchy of needs for our industry. As you develop your firm, this model will help you to understand your gaps, next steps and the overarching construct of your business, a bit like the blueprint for your firm.

Over the next few days, I’m going to break down each level and section within each level. You can use it to plot your moves as you navigate business development.

The FOUNDATION level of the hierarchy of needs is all about setting up the infrastructure and systems that will enable you to incorporate a team, outsourced support and utilize well all manner of resources, into your firm. Without this foundational work, getting your processes and payroll dollar to translate into efficiency and profit will be very difficult. Things will feel disjointed and disorganized. Too much will be in your brain and getting team members to click in, be proactive and experience long periods of high levels of concentration will be unattainable. Setting up a well-conceived foundation enables all the transactions of business to actually be absorbed well and processed effectively.

In the next post I will discuss the foundation of your business. Stay tuned!