This week we are answering questions from our audience--first up is one of my FAVORITE hills to die on and what I consider one of the most damaging things you can do for your business.

It is not a smart business practice to sell blocks of time as a designer because it limits your growth and does not allow for future planning and calculated risks. This is not an effective way to market and value a designer's creative services. Selling based on the end product or creative vision is a better approach for setting yourself apart from competition. By selling transformational spaces and having confidence in your pricing will show your clients you know what you are doing and you are a professional.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

NOW ENROLLING

The Paradigm Shift - Website - ENROLLING THROUGH APRIL 15!

• 4 months of business & marketing mindset & sales - Fast tracking the changes you need to make NOW to set your business apart from your competition. It is a lighter version of the annual program and will be a quick start in the business mindset realm for seasoned professionals and a more manageable amount of information for newer designers. It is a wonderful opportunity for designers who need help fast and are willing to put the time into it on their own with strategic assistance along the way.  

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website - ENROLLING THROUGH APRIL 15!

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

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• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

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• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

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Sometimes the simplest of truths is what is going to move the needle and this begins with understanding who you are and your own weaknesses.

We all have them right??

If you have a team, or even if you are a solopreneur, you are still consistently working with others and there are always going to be challenges of working together. However, being able to understand their strengths and weaknesses is going to make you a better business owner.

It is important for you and those that you work with to be honest and admit if they are not understanding something and try different approaches in their conversations. These tough conversations are necessary for growth and success in a company.

We are sharing our simple mindset mistakes that may be holding your or your team back from having a successful working relationship and being able to work effectively together.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Your marketing dollars are important. There are many elements to successful marketing and it starts with becoming part of the DNA of your business. This week we met with Denise Grothouse, the founder and CEO of Perfect Six Marketing, a company specializing in marketing strategies for the kitchen and bath design industry. In this episode we discuss the importance of having a strong brand voice and understanding your target clientele when it comes to marketing while also optimizing your #1 marketing tool--your website. You cannot be putting all your eggs in one marketing basket--but instead diversifying and leveraging where your leads come from to ensure a stable and successful business.

Read more about Denise Grothouse below:

With over 20 years of experience, Denise has mastered the art of growing businesses through tailored marketing solutions. Her proprietary methods have helped clients achieve exceptional sales growth, leveraging her expertise in SEO, social media, website development, and public relations.

Before founding Perfect 6 Marketing in 2015, Denise co-founded and served as Vice President of Grothouse Inc., where she grew a multimillion-dollar custom wood countertop company. Her journey began after a devastating fire destroyed her fledgling business in 2005. Armed with resilience and a $5,000 credit limit, she rebuilt from scratch, turning setbacks into success. This experience sparked her passion for helping others achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.

Denise’s approach blends old-school hard work with constant innovation. She’s deeply committed to promoting Made in America brands and believes in giving every business, regardless of size, the visibility it deserves. As a columnist for Kitchen and Bath Design News since 2017, Denise shares her insights with industry professionals nationwide.

Beyond marketing, Denise serves on the leadership council of the National Small Business Association and actively supports ocean conservation through Perfect 6 Marketing’s partnership with the Oceanic Society. For every new client, the company adopts a whale, underscoring her commitment to meaningful, sustainable impact.

With a reputation for perseverance, creativity, and a compassionate approach, Denise continues to inspire businesses to thrive in competitive markets.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Optics matter. Client's trusting you know how to manage money--matters. Understanding there is no free lunch--matters.

Here is the drum roll take away.

It takes money to make money. Ta da!

Professional designers understand that it costs money to travel to market to learn about the products they specify ( and usually sell for a profit) -- or how important it is to pay for a good attorney in your state to develop a contract to suit your needs--or to get a CPA help to know when to become an S corp. -- Yes Virgina! it costs money to do these things.

Who sold people the fairy tale this is a cheap business to get into?

It is not. There are money and time costs.

If it were a cake walk, everyone would do it. And by the grace of all intelligent creatures--- anyone who balks at pay to play, orders 9.99 contracts off Etsy, crowd sources tax advice---- and then has the huevos to complain about clients shopping them or not wanting to pay their 200 buck an hour fees??? Are ya kidding me with this?

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

I am PASSIONATE--and if you have gotten my weekly newsletter the past two weeks then you would know all those years ago in college my young professor's advice stuck. So we are re-releasing one of our most popular episodes and trying to reignite the flame in those that may feel it dwindling!

Are you giving clients the yearning for more? Showing passion is one of the most important things you can do as a business to demonstrate to your clients what it is that you are bringing to the table.

Passion for my work is why I get up in the morning and being excited about what the day holds---and have an eagerness to jump into it. It’s not always roses and mai tais but still--I am passionate about what we do so it keeps me going.

Do not be afraid to be excited about what is happening in your business. Clients feel this energy and will gravitate to you if you embrace it authentically.

We discuss the need to bring your A-game every day because you want to cultivate that enthusiasm and excitement for your clients as you begin their project.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Happy New Year! What better way to start off the year than with my top 5 marketing strategies for small business owners grow their businesses.

Marketing is a mindset and not just an activity, and it takes time and effort to see results. This is not simply a standalone entity, it is ingrained in the essence of any business. Every interaction, from the moment a potential lead first encounters your brand, contributes to your marketing efforts.

To build a brand that resonates and connects, you need to define who you are and who you aim to reach intentionally and this mindset should permeate all aspects of your business.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

The process of procurement in a busy design firm is NO joke. You are not running popsicle stand, you are running a firm with various moving parts and you have to be able to have a way to track what is coming and going through your business. This is where checks and balances come into play to avoid costly mistakes and keep the firm running smoothly.

We know discussing purchase orders can be a little bit boring but by practicing a proper purchasing process and using purchase orders can make or break your interior design business.

Why?

Because a purchase order ensures accuracy in tracking and forecasting, as well as plays a key role in auditing and cross-checking bills and expenses. We want to be able to have clear communication with vendors and this ensures that all the necessary details of a transaction with a vendor are documented, thus making it easier to communicate and avoid misunderstandings.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Mentioned in this episode:

The Design Paradigm - One on One Business Strategy Program

The Design Paradigm

Cheryl is going solo this week while Liz takes a well-deserved little vacation. Cheryl is discussing managing client expectations and making sure you are not keeping them in the dark--you need them to trust the process! There is a level of professionalism that comes with the importance of managing clients' expectations during their project.

Setting clear expectations with clients from the beginning, communicating clearly, defining project timelines, and always guiding the client through the process will manage the client's needs and manage the potential risks in the project. By creating a plan and forecasting future steps in advance this also helps to avoid surprises and disappointments and a key aspect of running a successful interior design firm.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Mentioned in this episode:

The Design Paradigm - One on One Business Strategy Program

The Design Paradigm

How can you be team player without giving up your own rights? Working with contractors can be a tricky relationship when they want you to stay in your lane--BUT it doesn't have to be. Creating a team approach with positioning in your marketing, the copy that you use, the verbiage that you talk about, and how you talk about it with other people, all of that is so important. We discuss how important positioning to the client about it being win-win-win and how to sell this to the client and they actually need both components of this is because we do different things and we focused on different things.

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Mentioned in this episode:

The Design Paradigm - One on One Business Strategy Program

The Design Paradigm

Who doesn't love an install day!? Sure, it can be hectic and exhausting but this is where you get to see the fruit of your labor come together. Cheryl went solo this week talking about In Detail's top tips for a successful install day!

Having a team in place for installation that understands the logistics and are able to convey it to your movers AND your client is one of the keys to success. A strong install day is the icing on the cake for clients, so it's important to plan ahead and communicate clearly with your team and the movers.

Did we miss any top tips? Share one of your faves and we will feature it in our newsletter!

Have a question--click here to ask us.

Damn Good Designer - Damn Good Designer - Website

• The best business coaching for Interior designers—seriously. This is not some wham-bam glamathon; It is the real deal you have been looking for and what is missing from the business coaching marketplace today.

The Design Paradigm - The Interior Design Paradigm - Website

• A 12 month comprehensive and powerful business coaching program for creative entrepreneurs who are serious about running a profitable business and being the expert in the room.  It is the only coaching program to combine individual attention & accountability with live group workshops, honest video presentations and customized attention to your needs.

Join our FREE Facebook Groups

• Small Business - Think Big - Facebook
• What They Didn't Teach You in Design School - Facebook Group

For designers who need honest talk and a place to work on the business, marketing and promotion small business owners need.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get our FREE download

• Hidden Keys for Growth for 2025 - DOWNLOAD NOW

***Any use of this page and its content to develop or train artificial intelligence or to do computer analysis is prohibited.***

Mentioned in this episode:

The Design Paradigm - One on One Business Strategy Program

The Design Paradigm