Interior Designers: Business Chaos Is Bankrupting Your Talent
Marsha Sefcik - Business Systems That Bring Calm to Your Chaos
Interior designers face a profitability crisis that has nothing to do with design talent. Marsha Sefcik, creator of the "Bring Calm to Chaos" program, explains that business chaos - not lack of skill - keeps talented designers underpaid and exhausted. Without proper business systems to track time and audit projects, designers experience "chaos leaks" where money disappears on every project. Marsha's approach rejects cookie-cutter coaching systems, instead providing personalized mentorship that helps designers identify where they're bleeding profitability. This conversation reveals why time tracking matters regardless of billing method, how client portals eliminate email overwhelm, and what business structure actually looks like for designers who want sustainability over hustle culture.
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[01:02.7]
Marsha, you've worked in the design industry, from a whole bunch of different angles. Running your own design firm, working at Mydoma, helping designers all across North America, and now consulting with designers on their business operations. Can you walk us through that journey?
[01:20.6]
How, how that was for you, all the steps you made and the experience that helped shaped your approach to helping designers. Definitely. So I came. I come from a corporate background, and I. My career started in a corporate industry, sales, marketing, support training and what have you.
[01:42.0]
And then when it was time for my husband and I have a family, I'm like, I don't want to have my family. And we're corporate, and I always love design. But in my day, when, you know, you're in high school and you're talking to your guidance counselor and you're talking about career opportunities, interior design wasn't something that was on the menu.
[02:02.7]
And so I had a very, I guess, windy trajectory to get to where I am today. But anyway, when it came time to have a family, I went back to school and, got my diploma in interior decorating. And during the time of motherhood and small children, I worked part time, on my own business and continued to, you know, do projects and what have you.
[02:27.2]
Fast forward to when they're teenagers. I started freelancing. And then from there I, my business started to expand on its own and I needed a project management platform because as you can imagine in the last two decades the industry has changed a lot.
[02:44.1]
And so when I started we were still very much putting pencil to paper to do our floor plans. Mood boards were definitely, you know, big honking pieces of foam core with images attached to them and what have you.
[02:59.9]
Right. Like this was before you. You know, we were using computers. I did use chief Architect when I came out of school. That was, that was the program that I learned to use to do my, you know, some floor planning and rendering, but definitely it was very manual, let's put it that way. So you jump forward and you know, our industry has changed so much.
[03:18.5]
And so I, you know, five years ago needed a project management platform, you know, using emails and Google Drive and what have you, was no longer cutting it. And, and because I've been in the online design space through the freelancing that I was doing, I saw that as a very viable opportunity to expand my business beyond the location where I was living.
[03:41.1]
I live in very rural area in here in Canada. And so, that you know, obviously provided me with a great opportunity, but I knew I needed something to support that side of my business. And so that's where my DOMA came in. And so I started using it.
[03:56.6]
And I love that a, it was Canadian and I loved that it was created by a designer. And so I actually reached out to them and said, you know, I really like this, software, I'd like to support it. And so that's how I started, in that, I guess, arena, in the industry.
[04:16.0]
And through there I started of course working with a lot of designers. And one thing that I noticed, Douglas, over the last through four years actually was I was hearing a lot of the same things from designers because I got, I was very fortunate that I got to spend a lot of one on one time with designers.
[04:32.9]
And I was hearing the same thing over and over again. It's my back end is, you know, there is no back end operations. I'm winging it. I am completely overwhelmed. If someone was to pull back the curtain and I, this is the analogy I would often hear. If someone was to pull back the curtain and see how I'm actually running things, there's no way I would get hired for these projects.
[04:52.5]
And so I was just keeping hearing the same thing over and over again. And I come to realize because they start asking me, can you share with us how you run your business and how you do the things? And so I always thought my corporate career was very separate from my design career.
[05:08.5]
And I had a moment where it's like, no, they're not. The skills that I learned and the experience that I got in those 10 years living, working in a corporate environment definitely gave me, I guess, the business know how to run my business as a designer decorator.
[05:26.1]
And so I melded those things together without even thinking about it. So now I started in the past, you know, couple years, started working with designers one on one. And, and so I created my program bring, bring Calm to chaos because that's essentially what we're doing, and start working with designers in that way.
[05:46.0]
But I also give them virtual admin support as well. So. But on the of things. So I have a couple of ways that I can support them. And so in that period of time, if I look back over the designers that I have helped over the past couple years, a lot of them are midlife designers like myself.
[06:04.8]
They're primarily women who are exhausted by this whole idea for the hustle culture, which I don't prescribe to. They're overwhelmed by the back end of their business and they're unsure how to create that work life balance in the season that they're in. So whether that's motherhood, that's empty nesting, that's caregiving of parents, health changes or emotional transitions, they still need to be able to run a profitable business.
[06:29.4]
And I'm here to tell them that you can still do all those things. It's not an all or nothing. And so what I find also from a lot of designers, because a lot of designers are solo designers or they have a very small team and often that team is remote, is that they're feeling really alone and that they're really struggling.
[06:49.1]
So when I start working with them, one of the first things I hear is I so look forward to our sessions together because I know that I'm going to have someone to talk to at least once a week and work, talk things through, and what have you. And so that is where my business has kind of, I guess, organically evolved and what have you.
[07:11.9]
And so why I feel the work that I do matters is that the industry is overwhelmingly female led, and many designers are building businesses now in midlife. And so that's whether they have taken a hiatus, some, some time away to be with their families.
[07:30.2]
This is their second or third career. Or they have worked in another, industry or they have worked as a designer with someone else and now they want to go out on their own, they want to branch out on their own, because they want to have the autonomy to show up how they want to show up and serve their clients how they want to serve them, and then of course, provide the services that they want to, to, to provide.
[07:52.6]
So despite talent and experience, many designers are also earning far less than that, than they're worth. And I think some of that is because we're women and a lot of us tend to be people pleasers and we, we don't, I guess, understand what our worth is or we don't under, or not sure how to price our services.
[08:18.2]
And we tend to give things away and we tend to do more than what we're getting compensated for. And so that of course leads to burnout, right, and people feeling really resentful. And so for me, it's always like, if I'm going to take on a project, especially back in the day when I had young children, it's like, okay, well, what's the sacrifice I'm really willing to make to work with this client?
[08:42.2]
And is the project going to, going to be worth it for me? Right? Because we all, I always tell the designers, we all know that we can design beautiful spaces. There's no question that that's what we do and that's what we can do. But getting there, how, how, how we get there and, and the journey that the client has, working with us to get there with, you know, that, that's, that's, that's the, potentially the sacrifice that we're making.
[09:08.8]
So I see in a lot of designers taking on, projects with nightmare clients because they don't have a process and they're just saying yes to every, anything that's coming. And I get it. When you're building a business and, and you need to pay your mortgage, your rent, and you need to put food on the table and what have you, you know, you're thinking, especially as us women's, like, oh, I can't say no to that job, I have to say yes to it.
[09:31.1]
But then, you know, it doesn't end up serving you kind of thing. So I say we need to have some sort of qualification process in place, of course, to make sure that the type of projects that you want to work on, but also the type of clients you want to work with, that, you know, that's what you're attracting.
[09:47.5]
And so that is something that we Talk about in my program as well. So it's not just about, oh, well, you know, you know, how are you doing your proposals or how are you sourcing and what's your pricing and, you know, what's your markup? Yes, that's definitely a piece of the puzzle. But I also teach and mentor and support designers on things beyond that.
[10:07.8]
You know, and that's coming into, you know, making sure that your business aligns with your life. Because we're, I don't, I don't again, prescribe to the whole idea that I'm living to work. Right. We want our businesses to sustain us and so we can have the life that we want to have.
[10:24.3]
And so, you know, and as, again, a lot of designers don't have, they're not great with boundaries and, you know, we can, you know, that's a whole other, you know, conversation. So, so with the support that I offer designers, the program, is, you know, a 90 day program because again, it takes time to work through all these things.
[10:45.0]
I'm not just touching the surface and it's not a one size fits all. So I don't, I don't. When a designer reaches out and they want to work with me, I listen to, where are you at right now? Where do you want your business to be? What's broken? What needs to be fixed?
[11:01.2]
Where can we find some ease and bring some joy back into your business? Because I don't believe in a one size fits all and I don't believe in telling someone, this is the type of client that you need to be working with and this is the demographic and this is the services you need to be offering. And you know, I don't do that because I've been on that side of things.
[11:20.8]
I've, I've talked to coaches and mentors, you know, in my career where I was told, you need to work with this type of, this type of client. And I'm like, well, if that's the type of client you're telling me I need to work with, that, I'm not going to. That type client doesn't exist here locally for me, you know, and, and I don't, I don't make grandiose gestures for the designers to say, if you work with me, you're going to, I guarantee you're going to make, you know, X amount of figures.
[11:47.3]
I don't do that either. So there's no grandiose gestures. But what I do promise is that this is a judgment free zone. And I do guarantee that at the end of the program, you will feel better about yourself and about your business. So, so that's how I came to, you know, a young mom coming into this industry and how much it has changed in two decades and, and I feel how much it has changed in the last five years.
[12:15.3]
You know, and technology is a part of our process and it can be overwhelming. And so a lot of the designers that I work with, they're really good face to face with their clients. You know, that's where they're spending their time.
[12:31.1]
But they're not so great on the back end and the tech side of things. And you know, our clients expect a certain level of tech. I believe in the process as well. But I also feel we shouldn't be buried in our inboxes and we shouldn't, you know, our phone shouldn't be constantly blowing up with text from clients and what have you.
[12:51.9]
So I do feel we do need to have some sort of, separation between business and life. And tech can help us do that and it can definitely help us run things smoothly. Yeah, well, I've only dipped my toes into this industry then during COVID and it was only because I had, I had just exited.
[13:14.2]
I'd sold my two businesses right before COVID hit. And so I was home and my wife, who's a designer, was on the phone all day. And we had a five year old at home who we were, took her out of school the first year and homeschooled her.
[13:33.5]
And the stories you just told are the stories that I have heard now hundreds of times. Right. I mean, designers come with like a built in talent for design. And a lot of them go to design school. They don't all have to, but even at design school there's, there's no business education now.
[13:55.1]
So the, the designers and coaches that I've spoken with who have your background with some sort of corporate, you know, even if, when you, you entered that corporate world at whatever level, you know, it's not just a job, it was, it was an education for you, definitely.
[14:12.9]
And so you were able to bring that. And so you swam in that corporate, environment and developed a set of skills that most designers just don't have. And I, and I can see like you're almost like a lifeline. Right?
[14:28.1]
The things, once they start understanding what you're offering to them, they're going to grab hold and it becomes this real great education piece. You were saying that Your program is 90 days and do they, do they still, your students have Access to you.
[14:45.9]
Some access to you. Beyond that, 90 days, definitely. You know what? A lot of the designers that have done my program, I still work with today in some capacity. Yes, yes. It's not a, you know, because you get to know each other, right?
[15:00.9]
And, and, and, you know, and again, it's a very low, it can be a very lonely industry. So I do continue to offer support. And so, and again, I started out offering my mentorship program as a lifeline to designers, but it kind of evolved in that I offer, I continue to offer them virtual support hours, beyond that, because they, they, because they started asking, they're like, I don't want this to end.
[15:26.0]
I want to continue working with you. I want to continue having you help. You know, I've got a new project and I don't know how to price it. You know, how, where do I even start? You know, and then. Yeah, so. And I help them with their tech and I help them set up, you know, things.
[15:43.4]
I, with tech, I always say, don't go chasing after the latest and shiniest thing. You know, because we could be subscribing to a plethora of subscriptions, right. And services, but if you're not using them or they're too difficult, then don't use it kind of thing.
[16:00.2]
And I, and so, you know, we often hear, oh, well, what's your workflow and what's your process? And a lot of designers, like, I don't even know what that means. And I, and then, you know, they're chasing after, you know, someone, you know, someone, posts what their workflow is. And I'm like, we all work differently.
[16:16.0]
Our brains all work differently. And because, for example, I work with a lot of designers who have been diagnosed with adhd, so maybe my workflow is probably not going to, going to work for them, right? So it, again, it's getting really personal with these designers and with these people that I work with.
[16:32.5]
And let's finding out what works for you. And I always say we can tend to over complicate things, right? And if we over complicate things, especially our, workflow and our process, we ourselves are not going to follow it. And then of course, how can we expect the client to understand it, right?
[16:50.3]
And follow it and abide by it as well. And I'm like, do not put boundaries in place for yourself or, or what I call gates in place in your workflow if you yourself are not going to abide by them. Because as soon. And so for me, for Example, I have a no texting rule.
[17:06.5]
I don't text with my clients. I don't have a separate work phone and a separate personal phone. It's one phone. And I don't want to be on a Sunday afternoon enjoying time with my family. My phone is blowing up by a client. So there is a no text rule. And of course, every now and then they'll text, right?
[17:23.3]
And. But I don't respond. I respond via email and I have my windows where I respond. Because, you know, the. Soon, the minute you respond to that text in your no text policy, the trains left the station, right. They're going to continue to text you.
[17:38.3]
So. And I know some people, I, I do know notice that when I mention boundaries, some people will close off. And, and I'm like, just. Just give me an opportunity to explain why they're important. It's not you putting up. It's not about.
[17:53.4]
It's not about, you not being accessible to your clients and not serving your clients, but it is about protecting your time and, and your clients respecting that time. Right. Because we're not, you know, we're not all of a sudden, because I'm working in your project, your new best friend, right.
[18:11.1]
We want them to feel that way, but we're not your new best friend. Is that, you know, we're on call 24 7. No. And. And an interior design, especially if you're doing like, a full renovation of someone's home or living room or kitchen or whatever, is very stressful on the homeowner.
[18:29.1]
So is it surprising that if the designer, who is their Sherpa through this whole experience is, you know, they're going to want, the homeowner is going to want to reach out to that designer. They're the one that is making things make sense.
[18:44.4]
So, you know, when they're freaking out at 11:30 on a Friday night because of something, they think they've made the wrong decision? Like, yeah, some people are going to make that text. Some people are going to go, no, I'm not. I'm not that person. I'm not going to bother. This can wait till Monday.
[19:00.3]
Right? Some people are going to try to step over that. Yeah. And so your scenario that you just set up there for me has me questioning, well, why is your client freaking out at 11:30 on a Friday night? Right.
[19:15.3]
And so something that I talk about with, with the designers is like, okay, identifying what type of client you're working with. Because sometimes a client might be coming across as needy and they have a lot of Questions. And it's not that they don't trust you, but their personality, they might just be an anxious person.
[19:34.6]
And so how do you deal with that? And again, this is stuff business school doesn't teach you, right? How to identify different personalities. And so I always say communication, communication, communication. So one thing for me I've noticed is of course our clients, for the most part, they're not going to be too engaged, too involved during the work week, but on the weekend when they have time to sit down and talk to their partner and review everything, that's when, yeah, there's going to be questions.
[20:03.3]
But so I always suggest on a Friday, I call it my admin morning and I make sure I send a very detailed email to all my clients, even if not a lot have happened that week with their project. I give them a summary of what happened that week.
[20:19.3]
I remind them of any important dates that's coming up. I remind them of any meetings or site visits that's happening in the following week. And so they get that end of week communication from me. And then I do say, if you have any questions over the weekend, please feel free to email me and I will be happy to look at that and reply to you, you know, on Monday.
[20:41.5]
So I even have a like. So you have to have a communication policy. And I find what a lot, a lot times what happens is designers are not being communicative on what their policies and procedures are. So I suggest that when you send over your contract and your letter of agreement that you have such a document that outlines that separate from your contract and letter of agreement, you could even have it so it's interwoven into your client welcome guide.
[21:06.3]
And it doesn't hurt to reiterate that. So if you're using like some sort of client portal as well, that the clients are accessing their project, have a page there as well. Because we often know, because we can be bad for it too. Sometimes we need to be told and reminded of things multiple times.
[21:22.3]
Right. Just don't say it once and think the client's going to remember kind of thing. So I do suggest that everyone have some sort of communication policy in place and that it's no good to have the policy in place if you are yourself are not going to uphold it.
[21:38.6]
Right. So that Friday communication, making sure the, the client is aware of important dates that are coming up. You know, you don't want to get to a point in a project where you've got the Tyler the Tiler on site ready to install the tile.
[21:54.9]
And you haven't even selected the tile. Like, when that happens, that makes me ask, how, how did that happen? Like, obviously there has been no design concept created for this client. The client hasn't approved anything. But now you've got the tiler calling you up saying, where's the tile?
[22:09.9]
I'm ready to install. And there, you know, there's so many steps that should have happened before you got to that point. So again, that's where having a process in place, will save you. Right. And also make you look good and put those clients at ease, whether it's an anxious client or not.
[22:27.4]
You know, if, if you got your client there too in the tile, the, the tile guy is saying, where's the tile? And they're like, I don't know, we haven't even selected the tile, you know, so again, it's all about that client journey and the client experience. And I do feel that that is a piece that's often missing.
[22:43.1]
And so when designers are saying, well, my pipeline is dried up and it's like, okay, well have you reached out to past clients? And you know, how and how did you treat those clients? And you know, because again, it's that experience. Again, I know the end result is going to be beautiful, but you don't want the client getting to the end result.
[23:00.9]
And the only thing they remember is the price tag or the only thing they remember is, you know, the hiccups. Because there are going to be hiccups, but it's how you handle them. It's how you respond to them. Not react, but respond to them. That's going to, you know, really wow that client and have that client want to refer you and want to have you back.
[23:19.8]
Right. And so, so yeah, it is, I think we need to focus more on that client journey. And it's customer service. We are in a service based business. Yes, it's a creative business, but so much of what we do is customer service. And so that is something, you know, again, that we need to be cognizant of.
[23:38.4]
I mean, another thing is designers like to say that they're not salesy and they're, you know, sales is not their thing. Well, as soon as you get a prospect reach out to you, you're, you got to put your sales hat on. That's what you're doing. You're not just selling your design, but you're selling yourself. Right. And again, if you do a good job with that, then you're going to get referrals.
[23:58.0]
And so a Lot of the designers that I work with, that's how they've built their business. They don't have to worry about their pipeline because they're getting repeat clientele and they're getting referrals. Referrals, Right. And so, you know, yes, we have to show up on the social medias and we have to have a nice website and what have you.
[24:18.2]
But, because, you know, clients are going to go there to check us out, but that's not necessarily where we're going to attract the client. Right. And so I always. That's another piece of what I go through. We talk about marketing, and for me it's like, what are you doing to attract, engage, nurture and delight your clients and any potential prospects?
[24:36.8]
Right. You have to be hitting those four pillars. And so what are you doing to do that? So a lot of designers, like, I don't have time. Well, if you're waiting until your pipeline's dried up and you've walked out the door on a fine on your last project and now you're starting to worry, you should, like, that's too late.
[24:53.4]
Right? We. You need to be consistent consistently thinking about that. So something that I get all my designers to do is, is to set a date with themselves every week. I like Monday morning, your CEO date. And because you've got to put your CEO hat on and you've got to sit down and you've got to look at your business, you've got to sit down and you actually have to work in your business.
[25:16.3]
And. And I know a lot of designers, like, well, after the weekend, my email is. My inbox is just blown up from my clients, and I've got to hit the, the road, you know, the road running. Well, okay, maybe don't do it on Monday, maybe do it Friday after your admin time. But you have to find time to work on your business.
[25:32.8]
And when the pipeline is dried up, that. I'm not saying it's too late, but again, we should be trying to be a little bit proactive. Right. That shouldn't be happening. So I always say let's avoid that feast and famine cycle that you're finding yourself in.
[25:49.1]
Well, yeah, and considering that this past year has been rough on a lot of residential designers and a lot of it, you know, for legitimate reasons, between tariffs, between, you know, we're still coming back from like, the weirdness of what the economy happened in Covid and, this general feeling that things aren't right.
[26:13.4]
You know, they talk about that on the news programs and but the designers that I've spoken with that have done well are the ones who address that pipeline and have the systems in place. It doesn't mean it's going to be perfect for you, but it's going to be a heck of a lot better than the person who doesn't have those in place.
[26:36.5]
And it's. Yeah, yeah, no, I agree with you. So, you know, I think none of us anticipated the boom that our industry experience, experience during COVID Nobody expected that. Right. But all of a sudden everyone's home.
[26:53.2]
And, and you know, the things in your home that was, you could ignore became glaringly obvious and everyone wanted things fixed. And so a lot of designers, I mean, did really, really well during COVID and a lot of them started only wanting to take on projects where it was an entire house.
[27:13.1]
Right. They only want to. If you weren't looking at doing the entire home, they're not touching it. And so a lot of those designers now, with the turn of events over the past year, are finding that they're really slow because homeowners are being a little bit more protective over their wallets.
[27:30.4]
And so they're not necessarily wanting to invest coming out of the gate on a whole home reno, but they might want to tackle the kitchen or they might want to do the bathroom or what have you. So. So I've had to see where some of those designers have had to pivot and it's easier to pivot, like you mentioned, when you do have your process in place.
[27:51.9]
It's a lot easier for you to respond to the economic climate, which we have no control over. We do not have any control over that for the most part. But if you have a process in place and you know your workflow and you can easily go back and audit your projects and you know, what did.
[28:09.4]
Well, what didn't. And you know, yeah, you're hearing from other. You're constantly hearing from potential clients. They don't want to sign on for a full home. Well, to walk away from that project, I feel is very short sighted. Right.
[28:24.9]
Go in, do the kitchen, knock it out of the park. They're going to call you when they're ready to do the next part. And now you've got a client, right? No, you didn't get the big full home reno immediately, but you're going to have it if you do a really good job.
[28:41.4]
Right. On the one or two spaces they want to do. Now, I do agree that you should have a project minimum. For sure. You should have a project minimum. You don't want to be doing these nickel and dime projects necessarily. But it's not always, you know, an all for nothing either.
[29:00.5]
So in preparation for our chat, I mean, I hopped on your website and went through everything and I saw that it, the focus of your business is, was client onboarding, streamlining the, the processes and, and copywriting.
[29:18.5]
But just talking with you now, it's obvious that you're offering much more than that. Yes. Yeah. So, so what you just mentioned, that's your customer service journey, that is your marketing piece and what have you. So we do spend some time because we kick off the program, I kick off my work with the designers in the program by doing a business audit.
[29:41.0]
And so we go through your entire workflow from prospects, how you getting them, what happens when you get them to, you know, the, the client offboarding everything that's happening in between. So a lot of the times some of the missing pieces is, you know, how, how am I continuing to attract.
[30:00.5]
What's my marketing piece? What's my language? Because if you continue to tell me you're not liking and enjoying the projects that you're getting or you're not getting the budgets that you want to work with because you don't feel like you're really able to share or show what you, you're, you can do because the client budget is too small, then we need to take a look at your language, right.
[30:20.5]
And, and where you're showing up and what have you. So, you know, so that is a big piece. So I recently, like last year, my program, I worked with a designer who had just left a very big city center and she moved to a smaller, much smaller suburb.
[30:36.1]
And she's like, how do I get started again? Right? And so we worked through that and, and, and you know, and a lot of it, I find, especially since COVID a lot of us don't want to network. And I know a lot of people just cringe when they hear that word.
[30:51.5]
They want to network as long as it's behind their screen and it's Instagram posting and showing up on stories. But they don't want to get out there and network. And with this particular designer, she had a really good working relationship with a vendor.
[31:06.6]
And I said to her, I said, why don't you offer to take them out for dinner or for coffee, right? It doesn't have to be fancy. Could just, hey, would you like to go, go out for a coffee? She ended up going out for coffee with this husband and wife team.
[31:22.0]
That were very good vendor, and they were so impressed with her. They loved her, and now they refer to her all the time. One coffee date, right. And I know, and I. And I don't know why we hesitate. And we just want to stay behind our screens.
[31:38.8]
I think that is the downside to Covid is that we just got so comfortable being behind our screens that the idea of getting out there and asking someone to go for a coffee, and. And, you know, having a conversation with them, you know, can be a little overwhelming and it can be a little daunting.
[31:57.5]
But I feel if you're really wanting to break into your local market, especially if you've just moved there or not, you need to pay attention to who's doing business. And so if you have a vendor that you absolutely adore and you really love working with them and you love their product, then see if there's some sort of relationship there that you can create.
[32:19.1]
You know, we all can really easily drive around our neighborhoods, and we know the realtor that's. That's doing really well. Start following them, start engaging with them. Right. And then once you build some sort of rapport with them, ask them to go out again for a coffee.
[32:34.3]
I did that years ago, kind of thing, because. And again, go out for coffee with the realtor that's selling in the neighborhood where you want to work. Right. I mean, and. And what have you. So, again, yes, my program is not just, you know, the workflow and the process, but it's.
[32:52.0]
It's. It's the whole piece of the puzzle. Now, sometimes the designers, they got that piece down. You know, they. The prospects and the pipeline that's flowing, and they've got that down. But it's knowing how to time their project so they're not taking on everything all at once.
[33:09.2]
And then how to, you know, they show up for the initial consult and they promise, you know, a design concept within a week of five rooms. And it's like, you know, you're not giving yourself time to do the create creativity, and then they tend to be working through the projects, and there's a little piecemeal.
[33:26.3]
And then the client, you know, is not able to see the whole vision because, oh, we picked the sofa, but we've yet to pick the chairs. And. And so, again, it's just working out. Okay. How are you going to put all this together? How are you going to present it to the client, get the approval for it?
[33:42.3]
And what have you? And a lot of the designers I work with Too. They really struggle with the making. Sure, they're getting paid right, they're doing all the work, but they're not the cash flow. And so I talk about that a lot as well. And again, I contribute that my corporate background and experience, you know, and definitely dealing, working with some really big accounts, you know, we have to look at the cash flow as well because I never would want you to be in a situation where you just went out and put a huge order on your credit card and you haven't even invoiced the client yet, you don't have written approvals, or anything, and all of a sudden the client decides to change their mind or they don't want to pay up or what have you.
[34:22.5]
Like I. So I'm all about making sure that whatever we put in place for you, that we're protecting you as well. I mean, throughout life we all learn from mistakes that we make. But you don't want to be a solo designer.
[34:38.1]
Making a $50,000 mistake like that will kill your business. And you know, so. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And going back to what you were saying about, you know, reaching out to vendors and real estate, agents and things like that. I mean your vendors want you to be successful because when you're successful, you buy more from them and their business becomes more successful.
[35:00.9]
So that's a no brainer. And the real estate agent, I know two designers who, they've offered, up a, our based kind of like package to the design to the real estate agent and say, I'll give you two of these a year and it gets them $750 worth of consultant time and you give it to whoever you want.
[35:26.4]
It doesn't have to be you giving it to somebody you think is going to, you know, hire me for a bigger package. You do whatever you want with it. And now, the, the real estate agent is sitting there with these two presents that they can give out, you know, when they need maybe they've screwed something up and they're looking like, oh, you know, I need to rebuild that relationship.
[35:46.5]
And you've done them a solid. And then all it takes is like you get one referral from the real estate agent and then suddenly you've made, you know, $30,000 back from giving away these two packages. Like, yeah, yeah, reach out to the local builders, reach out to your local architects.
[36:04.5]
Right? You know, one designer I've worked with, you know, she just happened. She gets a ton of work from a mom's Facebook group. In her community. Right. Like show up where, where your people are showing up, that that's where you need to be.
[36:20.0]
Right? Yeah. It's such a personal business, interior design. You're in people's homes, you're discussing how their families work, you're seeing them when they're stressed out. So why would you not like that? That personal relationship does go both ways.
[36:36.5]
Yes, yes. You know, we often hear what we offer is a luxury service. Definitely. It sure is. Right? It is a luxury service, but it's also very personal. And so when I walk into someone's house for the first time, the first thing I do after, of course, introducing myself is thanking them and recognizing that I realize that you've just welcomed me into, you know, your home.
[37:00.8]
And, and I get that and I understand what that means and, and I don't take that for granted. I actually acknowledge that with my, with, you know, my clients when they decide to work with me, and whatnot. Because you want to build that rapport. You want them to trust you and, and you want them to, you know, realize that.
[37:19.5]
You realize that what, what they've, what they've taken on by having you come in and, you know, and with a renovation pretty much turn their life upside down. Right. Because it's really stressful. It's really stressful and it's a lot. And when, and by the time you're at the end of it, everyone is, is ready for it to be done.
[37:37.0]
Right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. And, and that's the most important time too. Like at the end, that's when you want them happy with you. Yes, that. I always use the, going on vacation analogy. Right. We go on vacation. That is a ten day vacation.
[37:52.6]
The first eight days are amazing. Right. They're fabulous. It's like dream vacation. And in the last two days, you might have rain and you show up at the airport and your flight's delayed, and when you get back home, what do we tend to remember? And this is just how we're, we're wired.
[38:08.5]
We tend to remember the last two days and how, you know, utter, you know, terrible they were, kind of thing. So you, you don't, you don't want to, you don't want to get to that close to the finish line and all of a sudden everything starts falling apart because everyone's exhausted and everyone is just, you know, over it and, and, and what have you, like, you want to finish strong.
[38:28.6]
So I often talk about, because we often hear in our industry, well, what's your onboarding Process. What's your onboarding process? Well, yeah, you want to wow them, right, because you want them to sign. But your offboarding is just as important. Right? How you finish up that project and tie up loose ends is just as important as how you began that project.
[38:47.0]
Because again, like the vacation analogy, they're going to remember the end. Right. And, and I, and something that I've recently started talking about, on my social media is you've got two different. Two clients, two separate clients, two different designers, same budget.
[39:04.5]
Similar budget, similar room, similar timeline. And, you know, both of them end up with beautiful spaces, but one has a story to tell, right? One sees it just as a transaction kind of thing. And so what is the differentiation there?
[39:21.2]
Right? And it's one. The designer with the story to tell really took the time to get to know her clients, understood how they wanted their space to feel and work for them and how they were going to use it, remembered certain nuances about the family or about the people that they're working for, whereas the other one was very much all business and just saw it as a transaction.
[39:45.4]
Right. I'm going to give you this in return for this kind of thing. And so, so that, again, coming back to how you're working with that client through the entire process makes all the difference. In, in, you know, your referral network and in your, in your repeat clients.
[40:06.7]
Because, you know, you don't want to be just doing a project and just seeing as a project, okay, it's done and I got paid for it and I'm moving on. You don't want it to, to, to do that because you're constantly going to be, what I almost say, like, reinventing the wheel and constantly having to be going out and looking for a new client, clients, and you're constantly starting at ground zero every time.
[40:25.6]
Right? So if you, if you really do a good job now, obviously there's going to be some clients where you're just like, I don't want to do that again. Right? We've been, you know, but that shouldn't be every project, because if it is every project, then we need to go back to ground zero and we need to look at what your qualification process is and your communication and the language that you're using.
[40:44.4]
Okay. I'm wondering, so now that you've been doing this, working with designers, helping them, I'm curious how this has impacted your design business. Like, are there lessons that you've learned as the teacher that you're now brought into your design business?
[41:01.7]
Definitely. Definitely. So, you know, I always say we're going to, you know, I have my own workflow, I have my own processes and what have you. But things are always evolving. And even in my business, you know, things are not always perfect. So just this past fall, I had a custom window seat cushion fabricated by an upholster that I have worked with for years.
[41:24.2]
And the, cushion got picked up and it got delivered, and it was too short by, like, this much, like six inches too short. And I was like, what happened? Because I know, like, out of anything, I know I'm a very good communicator and that I dot my eyes and cross my T's, But I'm like, what happened?
[41:44.4]
And so I went back through my process. I'm like, okay, now I need to do an audit, right? Like, I have to go back. I have to, like, what happened and what do I do to make sure that that doesn't happen again? And so I went back. And so what ended up happening is I sent off my estimate in an email.
[42:02.6]
I just typed out an email message. I need you to give me an estimate for a cushion. This is the rough measurements, because it's not built yet. This is the rough measurements. This is the fabric that we're going to use. And, and, and, you know, I want this kind of piping and what have you.
[42:18.4]
So a lot of the details were there, but I did state that the final measurements will be confirmed when the bench is built. And so a couple of months go by because I get my quotes really early in my process, and then, you know, a couple of months goes by, so that would put them back in February, and then last August.
[42:38.2]
September, September. I now say, okay, the bench is built, and I have now done up an actual work order for her. And I sent it out to my pollsterer again through email. But when she went time, when it came time to do it, she searched my name and she came up where she provided the quote.
[42:58.5]
And I'm like, so she built it off the quote, not off the actual work order. And I'm like, okay, so. And again, I didn't want to burn bridges with this vendor because it wasn't necessarily her fault or my fault. There was obviously, I need to make some changes to my operating, you know, my SOPs when it comes to going from quote to an actual work order.
[43:24.9]
And how do I, prevent that from happening? And so instead of reacting and be like, okay, you need to fix this, and da, da, da, da. I'm pointing fingers. I want it to be very collaborative in my approach because again, I, I've worked with this upholster for years. We've never had anything like this happen.
[43:42.5]
Even though my process that I just outlined to you has always been the case and we've never had an issue, but now we did. And so I was like, I need to fix this to make sure this never happens again. So I went and I updated my, my process when it comes time from going from a quote to a work order.
[43:58.1]
But I also was very collaborative in my approach to the vendor and say, okay, the cushion is six inches too short. I want to work with you on how can we fix this for the client. I want to be very collaborative on this. And so, so we came out with a solution that everyone was going to be happy with.
[44:16.2]
I didn't expect her to do all of it, you know, to remake the whole thing and her eat all the cost. But I also wasn't going to have my client, of course pay for another cushion because it definitely wasn't their fault.
[44:32.0]
So I offered to pay her cost on her materials and the fabric and whatever we couldn't reuse. And, and she would throw in the labor. And so that was what we worked out. And you know, I've continued to work with her. So again, I often find I don't like drama.
[44:50.3]
And so I'm like, let's not be reactive. Let's take a moment when things like that happen to learn from them because mistakes are going to happen. We're human. A, you got to be honest about them. So I often see on social designers posting saying, I messed up and I tried to cover it.
[45:08.7]
I didn't want to be forthright. And first of all, always be honest. Always be honest, apologize and be very solution oriented. Do not point fingers, do not place blame, because that's not. This is a relationship business. It's a relationship with your clients, it's a relationship with your vendors and with your trades.
[45:26.5]
And you don't want to be known as that designer that nobody wants to work with. Right. It's really hard to do business when you have that reputation. And so I always recommend and encourage people to be upfront and honest even when it's really difficult to do, recognize, that you're not human.
[45:44.8]
Yep. Have your little pity party, beat yourself up over it, but then dust yourself off, okay, how am I going to solve this and what have you, and then, you know, come out on the other side with the client with the right sized cushion in my case. And it's still a really healthy working relationship with my upholsterer.
[46:03.1]
Yeah. And to be honest, I mean it's a fairly inexpensive mistake that can be a learning, you know, a way to learn and improve. Because I mean imagine if it had been the built in bench that the error had happened.
[46:19.3]
Right. Way more expensive. Or the kitchen cabinets were measured incorrectly or somebody like you, like in this example, you know, went off the wrong email. Like now you're talking tens of thousands of dollars, so. Exactly. So that was a very small accident that happened that I was able to fix.
[46:38.3]
So going forward to hopefully prevent a bigger thing from happening when it comes to measurements, I will always go in to measure but things like cabinetry and stuff before it gets measured. I am very blessed. I have a general contractor that I've worked with for 12, 13 years now and before I have a kitchen ordered, he comes in and we do a site visit and because, and we go through all the measurements and we map things out, even for things like tile and what have you.
[47:07.5]
If I'm getting custom drapery done, I get my drapery person in. Okay. This is what I've measured but I want you to double check that. Right. Like so, you know, if there is a discrepancy, not necessarily is it going to come back on my shoulders because I did my due diligence. Right. I always say this is your.
[47:23.3]
Yeah, it's my, it's in my skill set to do all the measurements. But you're going to be the one making the drapery. I've told you what the fabric is, you know, what the repeat and the pattern, all that stuff is. But I need you to do your measurements because you're, you're going to be the one making them.
[47:38.5]
Right kind of thing. So I have no, again I take a very collaborative approach with, with all my trades, that I'm working with. And so it was a very definitely a team oriented endeavor. Yeah. Which you need.
[47:53.6]
I mean it is a team business for sure. Yeah. We touched on that little technical error that happened for you. I kind of want to dive, go a little sideways and look at the tech stuff. Because you mentioned that before, with definitely a focus on AI because I mean it's everywhere and every business is concerned.
[48:14.6]
Where do you see that going? Because I know when Chat GPT first came on the scene, people freaked out. Like, you know, that's it, that's the end of this industry. That's the end of that industry. And I think we've gone through A phase now where people are like, they're, they've been like, oh, you know, it's not really doing what they said it was going to do.
[48:33.9]
So I'm not really that afraid. And I don't think designers ever should have been afraid because of the high touch and the luxury side of the service. I mean, you know, I mean people watch HGTV and think they, they're an interior designer. When real designers know, that's laughable.
[48:52.0]
Right. You know, and now, now you've got homeowners who are, you know, bringing chat GPT with them to client meetings. I've heard. So the designer will say something, they whip out their phone, they ask the question to chat GPT and they say, well, you know, chat GPT said something different. Right, right.
[49:08.4]
So, so I, you know, if we, if we were to go back and look at, you know, like I say, I've been in this industry for two decades. You know, tech has come a long way and there's always been tech, some sort. And you're always going to have people who are, who resist tech.
[49:23.5]
Always. Right. Like you go back, you know, anytime something new comes out, you're always going to have the pool of people that resist it. And then you're going to have the pool people that's just going to embrace it. They're, they're first out of the gate and then you're going to have the group in the middle that kind of sit back and watch and observe and then slowly start to integrate it.
[49:43.8]
AI is not going to go away. It is not. And, and what have you. And I, I use it a lot in my business, to help me with a, lot of stuff on the back end of things to just make me a little bit more efficient and what have you.
[50:02.8]
You know there's AI concepts now and AI for rendering and I always say if you're going to use any sort of AI, especially in your visualizations, tell the client that it's AI generated. Like be upfront and honest about it and be upfront and honest with them that it is part of your process that you do use some AI to generate some visualizations.
[50:23.8]
Now as for a client in a client meeting pulling up their chat GPT and AI ing something that I've seen said in front of me, I haven't had that happen yet. At the end of the day I would remind them that AI is pulling from data from numerous sources and nothing is ever going to replace the hands on expertise and experience and skill set that I'm bringing to your physical project.
[50:56.2]
Nothing is going to replace that. So I don't, you know, we've always had this fear that technology is going to replace human beings. It, you know, and, and now it's AI is going to replace human beings and like nothing is you, you know, you can chat GPT a color in your room, have at it.
[51:14.4]
It's not going to be exact, it's not necessarily going to be what works because of course when, you know, I don't just use like a paint color as an example, for example, because it's not taking into account, you know, if you're northern exposure, you know, it's not taking account how many windows, what kind of lighting you have in the room and what have you.
[51:32.4]
AI has definitely come a long way. AI rendering is, you know, becoming a thing for me. I always like to do my due diligence right now and I want to make sure that things are scaled properly. So I am still definitely doing my floor plans, you know, in, you know, my program that I use and I'm still doing my 3D renderings.
[51:51.9]
But I, I haven't resorted so much to doing a lot of visualizations using AI. I, I'm definitely playing around with it. And I did use it for a recent powder room because it was such a small room, just to show everything together.
[52:07.7]
But I do use it a lot for the back end system side of things, kind of thing. I think it can be used really smart, that way again. And one thing that I've been using, I do a lot of rendering for designers and so if they come to me and they're like you, they have this really odd shaped, you know, coffee table they want to use.
[52:30.6]
Well, I don't want to have to go into SketchUp and build that model. Like that's, that's not an efficient use of my time. So I will use a 3D AI rendering, app to pop that image of that coffee table in. It will generate the 3D model for me and then I can import it into my rendering program.
[52:47.8]
So I love it for that. Right? There's nothing, there's nothing hurting to do that because I'm not having to spend time in SketchUp building the model to export it out and import it into my program so it has its place. Those are like absolutely not.
[53:04.9]
And I know a lot of people talk about the impact it's having environmentally and what have you. You know, I, I'm not going to Even touch that because that's opening up a can of worms. But with technology, it's really hard to run a business today without using some sort of technology in your business.
[53:28.0]
And I have, I've had meetings with designers who still got the filing cabinet next to their desk and they're using file folders or they're using the zippered pockets to keep everything on track. And you know, they're out there and I'm like, at some point, you know, you're going to have to digitize some portions of your business.
[53:49.1]
You definitely do, you know, and, and I also don't think you should be running your business through your inbox either. Like, you know, I, and before when I was doing things that way, everything was being emailed. Everything was being emailed. And you know yourself, you email something to a client on a Monday, Tuesday, by Friday, Saturday, they're asking you to resend it because they're not going back through their inbox to look for it.
[54:12.6]
Right. So what do you do? You go back through your sent items, you locate it and you either resend it again. Right. I, I eliminated all that. So a lot of client designers don't like the idea of having a portal or a place for their clients to log in and have access to things.
[54:29.7]
I've only ever in and, and I've used multiple portals. I've only ever had clients give me kudos because they know they can log in at any time, they can access their project, they can see things and I am not having to send multiple emails and they're not having to keep track of multiple emails and you know, they can see their statement of account anytime.
[54:54.5]
They can see their renders, their images, they can see their product list. Like they can see it when they have the time to sit down with each other and review it. And you know, and a lot of times that's on the weekends. So I really cut down a lot of that.
[55:10.9]
I don't want to be running my business through my, through my email. All of our emails are really noisy and busy. Right. It's overwhelming. So you're in control of what they can see because there's going to be aspects of that project that, that you don't want them to see.
[55:26.6]
You don't want them to see inter office communications and, and obviously pricing and things like that. No, no. So I just onboarded two new clients. I am using a newer, platform and I, onboarded two new clients just last week and immediately, oh my God.
[55:47.6]
Your proposal Was beautiful. Like, they read through the proposal and then if they were happy with that, they click next. And then they had their letter of agreement they were able to sign. Then they were able to pay for their invoice. And I sent one email, and on the email it says, get started. There was a button and they clicked it, they got a welcome email from me.
[56:04.6]
They got to see the brochure, they got to see the proposal, they got to see their, their letter of agreement and their invoice. I mean, it was super slick. And that was one email. And you know what? Before I had any sort of system in place, I used to track my time. And that's something else.
[56:20.3]
You know, whether we do hourly or flat fee, I don't care how you bill, you do what works for best for you. But if you are not tracking your time, you have no way to go back and do an audit on that project. And if you cannot do an audit on that project, you're not able to identify what I call your chaos leaks.
[56:36.9]
Where are you losing time? Where are you losing money? Right? And so everyone's like, oh, I do, I do a hybrid, to be honest with you. And I'm not saying that's going to work for everyone. Some people bill hourly for everything. And some people like to do the flat fee. I do a hybrid.
[56:52.0]
I will. I'm comfortable doing a flat fee on the part of the project that I know I can control. The variables that I can control. I know how long it's going to take me to do a design concept for five rooms on a main floor. I know how long it's going to take me to do the sourcing for that and the floor plans. But when it gets to the procurement and the install and the project management, there are so many variables now outside my control.
[57:13.2]
I don't even want to flat fee, that kind of thing. So then I do go hourly. That is just my process. And again, I have designers who do, you know, a, variation of that or they do all hourly. Again, what I, what works for me, I'm not going to push on you, but we are going to have that conversation.
[57:31.3]
But if you're not tracking your time, you can't do an audit. You can, there's no way you can go back and do an audit on all the projects you did last year and to know, did you make money? Are you losing money? You know, yes, you can go and look at your profit sheet and you know, and look at your, your, your lines on your, your statement, but again, you don't know where you lost time kind of thing.
[57:54.3]
So, I don't, I don't want to sound like too much of a fanboy, but I really appreciate the, the, the flexibility that your obviously is in your business. You're aware of that. But, but how you're presenting that to your designer clients.
[58:11.0]
Yes. Like it's not, it's not a, a cookie cutter thing. And I, and I've spoken with like, many, many business coaches, ones who are specific to designers and ones who work in different groups. And far too many of them to me, have systems that are set in stone.
[58:30.8]
And they expect the, their, their students to wrap themselves around these very rigid systems. And that drives me crazy. I mean, I get that you need to have a system, but yes, there should be. Whether it's 10 or there has to be some flexibility to it.
[58:48.3]
Yes. Right. So I, I, I, I really appreciate that. Yeah. My, my, my saying my slogan, if you will, is there's more than one way to build a design business. And I am not going to. What has worked for me is not necessarily going to work for you.
[59:03.5]
You're going to be in a different phase in your business, different season of life than what I'm in right now. You know, and, just because everyone else is doing it this way doesn't mean that's how you have to do it. You get to decide how you show up in your business. You get to decide what services you offer.
[59:20.2]
Like, I work with a designer. She doesn't do procurement at all. She doesn't touch it. Right. And there's, there's, you know, a chunk of the community out there was saying, well, she's leaving money on the table. She's a very profitable designer. She is happy. And again, successful success looks different to everyone as well.
[59:36.7]
So that's why my program is so personal. It is one on one. You are working with me and I am not selling you a system because there is no one size fits all right? So I get to know you personally, I get to know where you're at, and I get to help you build a business so you can show up, how you want to show up.
[59:57.5]
I'm all about autonomy. That's why the corporate culture doesn't work for me. I'm all about autonomy, having freedom to show up, having freedom to serve the clients I want to serve, and what have you. But at the end of the day, I do want you to be profitable. I want you to be able to, you know, support yourself if that is something that you, that you really want to do because again, I work with women from all different backgrounds, all different seasons.
[60:21.1]
And so, you know, we, we open up, we want to open up the book and be like, hey, where are you at now? Where do you want to be and how can I help you get there and what do we need to fix and what's working kind of thing. But I'm, I'm not going to push a certain system on you.
[60:37.1]
And as I mentioned it earlier, I don't make any grandiose gestures either. By, I'm not going to tell you. Oh, by adopting my system, I'm going to guarantee that you make X amount of dollars. I'm not going to do that because again, there are so many variables outside of my control that I cannot make that and I'm not comfortable making that.
[60:55.6]
But I will tell you that you will feel better about yourself and your business at the end of the program. You've sold me on it. So let's say I'm an interior designer who is hoping that 2026 is going to be a better year than last year was.
[61:12.4]
How do I reach out to you and what does the process look like when I do reach out? So when you reach out to me, I do like to jump on a quick call and I know some people don't like to do a discovery, but I do like to jump on a call because I want to make sure that we're going to be a good fit working together because I'm not trying to be everyone's cup of tea and I know I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I want to gauge where you're at, what you're looking for to make sure that we're going to be a good fit.
[61:38.2]
Because my program is one on one and it's very personal that I want to make sure that we're going to work well together. And so I do offer a complimentary call. It is not salesy because I've been on that call where I've had a coach bring me to tears and I am a tough woman and I don't cry easily and so I would never do that.
[61:55.9]
It is a very judgment free space. And so I offer a call. Jump. Let's jump on a call. No pressure, no commitment necessary. You just tell me where you're at, where you need help, need support, and then from there, you know, you can sign up.
[62:12.8]
I mean, there's no one stopping them from going to my website, right now marshasefcig.com and signing up. But most people want to have a little chat. Unless we have chatted a lot through Instagram. You know what, send me a DM on Instagram. I chat to a ton of designers every day kind of thing.
[62:28.0]
I am happy to chat. I love to talk, as you probably picked up. And so, so yeah, I have lots of conversations. My DMs are always, always open. And so either Instagram or, through my website kind of. And there's a ton of resources there.
[62:44.2]
I do have a newsletter that goes out every Friday. I share three tips and two resources. Every Friday at lunchtime that hits your inbox and you can read that thing on under five minutes. So it is jam packed. So I have a lot of people really look forward to that. And I often get a response to.
[63:00.0]
It's like, oh my God, were you on project on site with me this week because this is what happened, or were you part of that meeting? Because that's exactly what's going on. So I do feel I have my finger on the pulse. I understand what's going on. I understand what designers are facing and what they're experiencing.
[63:15.3]
Experiencing. So I do try to provide a lot of resources to them. So through my newsletter, through my Instagram post. And like I say, I'm always open for a chat through DM or if you want to jump on a call, that's great too. Fantastic.
[63:32.4]
Well, I was, I was hopeful about this podcast and I am very glad that I had you on. Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you. You made it easy. Okay, thanks Marsha. Thank you. Bye now. Okay, bye
Key Takeaways
Business chaos, not design ability, keeps talented designers underpaid - The gap between design talent and business operations creates invisible "chaos leaks" where time and money disappear without designers realizing where profitability breaks down.
Time tracking enables business audits regardless of billing method - Even if you bill flat fee, tracking time reveals which project phases consume resources disproportionately, allowing you to identify unprofitable patterns and adjust pricing or processes.
Client qualification processes prevent wrong-fit projects - Establishing criteria for ideal clients and having courage to walk away from misaligned projects protects both profitability and wellbeing, eliminating the feast-or-famine desperation that leads to saying yes to everyone.
Hybrid billing protects profitability during unpredictable phases - Use flat fees for controllable variables (design concepts, sourcing, floor plans) and hourly rates for stages with factors outside your control (procurement, installation, project management) to maintain profitability without underestimating scope.
Client portals eliminate email chaos and improve client experience - Digitizing project management through centralized portals allows clients to access statements, renders, and product lists on their schedule while drastically reducing administrative email volume and giving designers control over information visibility.
Offboarding determines referrals and repeat business - How you finish a project creates lasting memories more than the middle phases. A strong offboarding process with connection and story creates the foundation for referrals and return clients, while transactional endings limit future opportunities.
Conclusions
Strategic Benefits for Your Design Business
Implementing business audit systems transforms how you understand profitability in your design practice. When you track time across all projects regardless of billing method, you gain visibility into where resources actually flow versus where you assumed they went. This data reveals which services generate profit, which client types consume disproportionate energy, and which project phases need pricing adjustments. Client portals shift communication from reactive email chaos to proactive information sharing, reducing administrative burden while improving client satisfaction. Qualification processes protect both revenue and wellbeing by ensuring projects align with your capacity and profitability needs before you invest time in proposals.
Implementation Blueprint
Start by implementing time tracking this week - even if you bill flat fee, capture how hours distribute across project phases for three months to establish baseline data. Audit last year's completed projects to identify patterns: which clients or project types consistently exceeded time estimates, where scope creep occurred, and which services proved most profitable relative to effort invested. Establish qualification criteria defining ideal clients based on project scope, budget alignment, and communication style preferences. Investigate client portal platforms that integrate proposals, contracts, invoicing, and project communication in centralized systems. Document your current processes before changing them so you can measure improvements and identify which efficiency gains actually reduce overwhelm versus just creating different tasks.
Professional Transformation Through Business Structure
Building business structure doesn't mean adopting someone else's rigid system or sacrificing the autonomy that drew you to entrepreneurship. Marsha's "there's more than one way to build a design business" philosophy recognizes that sustainability looks different depending on your season of life, financial goals, and personal working style. Transformation often means shedding hustle culture expectations and building businesses that respect both your expertise and your boundaries. The goal isn't scaling to seven figures or managing large teams - it's creating profitable operations that allow you to earn what you're worth while maintaining the wellbeing and creative energy that makes great design possible. Business systems should bring calm to chaos, not add complexity to overwhelm.
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