Shaun and Rebecca sit down with Crystal Bright, a virtual interior designer. Crystal shares how she grew her business in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crystal has completed over 400 projects in the past five years and helps other designers transition to virtual work. Crystal explains how she uses AI and tools like 2020 Design Live to streamline her virtual design process and provide high-quality services to clients. 

In this episode, they discuss:

• Crystal’s story of starting a virtual interior design business and growing a lot during the 2020 pandemic
• Crystal was offering kitchen plans on Fiverr initially at a low cost of just $15 but later realized her value
• Overcoming impostor syndrome, and gaining confidence in her design work through education and experience, and taking NKBA courses
• Virtual design and rendering software that Crystal uses – 2020 Design Live, SketchUp, Lumion, etc
• Pros and cons of flat rate vs hourly fee structures for design services
• Challenges of in-person design work vs remote work and balancing business and creativity
• How Crystal automates her client communication and uses tools like Canvas, Monday CRM, Zapier, etc, to simplify workflows
• How Crystal streamlines her virtual projects with Design Live
• Finding a balance between charging rates that clients can afford and appropriate compensation for her skills and expertise
• Strategies for negotiating project proposals 
• Using AI tools like ChatGPT to streamline client onboarding, interpreting clients’ questionnaires and design preferences, etc

Mentioned:

Follow Crystal:

@crystaldbright

https://www.instagram.com/crystaldbright/ 

@livingbrightinteriors

https://www.instagram.com/livingbrightinteriors/ 

@3dbrightdesigns

https://www.instagram.com/3dbrightdesigns/ 

Living Bright Interiors Website: https://www.livingbrightinteriors.com/ 

NKBA courses for kitchen and bath: https://nkba.org/ 

Scanning floorpans with Canvas app: https://canvas.io/ 

Lumion for renderings: https://lumion.com/ 

Monday CRM app to communicate internally: https://monday.com/ 

Zapier for automation: https://zapier.com/ 

Loom for video replies and communication: https://www.loom.com/ 

Learn more about Cyncly and Design Live: https://www.2020spaces.com/2020products/2020designlive/ 

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