Running your own business is so difficult - you have to understand your financials, have a solid business plan, create a strategic marketing plan, be witty and smart on social media, manage your clients, AND manage your team members. Whew, that is A LOT. But there is one thing, above all the...

Ideally, we should NEVER stop marketing - it should just be part of our ongoing business! But there are important reasons that you should definitely be marketing NOW, especially if you're ready to book through 2022. Any outreach or promotions that you do today will usually bring in...

Customer service is more important than ever! It's the key to keeping your clients coming back, to getting new clients through grassroots marketing, and to making sure your business is running smoothly. But with all the supply chain issues, shipping delays, and problems with products when they do...

Recently, we heard the big news that PayPal was going to buy Pinterest. That may have fallen through, but it was a great reminder to designers to pay attention to Pinterest again. HA! But seriously, admit that you got distracted by that shiny Instagram toy and forgot all...

As we head toward All Hallow's Eve, I like to avoid any scary moments by double-checking my business strategy for the coming months. We've had a rollercoaster of a ride in 2021, so I want to be sure that 2022 will include far more treats than tricks. Here are 4 things I will have in place to...

The holidays can be magical - and stressful. I like to get ahead of the craziness by planning my client gifts early so my team and I aren't scrambling at the last minute. That's no fun for anyone and it takes the magic out of the season, for sure! So what do you have planned for your clients?...

Talking about financials and money can be scary for some people‍. And thinking about any economic downturns can be frightening to just about every business owner. But that doesn't mean we should put our heads in the sand. Solid financial planning can keep us from riding the rollercoaster of...

That question is the one EVERYONE wants an answer to! Our clients are driving us crazy with questions about their furnishings, and we're stuck in the middle. Even our vendors don't have all the answers. Things change daily with shipping containers, plant closures, truck shortages and more. So...

It's a VERY tight job market out there right now. You probably already know that if you've been trying to hire help. And when it's almost impossible to get new employees, you DEFINITELY do not want to lose the ones you have. Especially if you are lucky enough to have a fabulous employee. Here's...

There are so many fabulous architects and builders out there to work with - but, let's admit, some are better than others. There are always those superstar builders that are doing amazing homes and I've been lucky enough to work with some of them. But how do you get to know them if your business...

There is so much attention focused on the other quarters of a financial year, that we forget how important the end of a 3rd quarter is. This is the point at which you still have time to adjust your path and meet your goals before the year ends. And it isn't too early to plan for the next year,...

This year has flown by AND it has dragged its feet. Who knew this was what 2021 was going to be, right?! So why in the world would I want you to go ahead and plan for 2022? Because of what 2020 and 2021 turned out to be, of course!! We had no clue what we and our businesses would be hit with over...