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.