What tools and apps can help me with time tracking and invoicing? How do I organize my notes and stay organized? Is an iPad worth it for work? How can it be used effectively? Tune in as we share some of our tried-and-true methods for staying organized and productive. With some small adjustments to your processes, these small methods can make a big difference for your business. Just don't call them hacks!

In this episode, Rebecca and Shaun discuss:

• Tools and apps that can help with time tracking – Harvest app, GoodNotes 
• Tips for using technology effectively during meetings
• Value of iPads for work
• Using Canvas to take measurements during home consultations
• How to determine if a remodel makes financial sense
• Useful tools for site visits and consultations
• Strategies for note-taking, file sharing, and collaborating on projects remotely
• When should a contractor be brought in – during initial consultations or after the design process
• Getting early cost estimates and feasibility studies from contractors before fully developing design plans
• How to work with clients to establish a realistic budget and avoid cost overruns

Mentioned:

Amazon Salad Bar: https://amzn.to/3SnWeAO

Harvest App: Time Tracking Software With Invoicing | Harvest

Good Notes app: Goodnotes | Notes Reimagined | Note-Taking App

Canvas app for home measurements: The easiest way to get as-builts | Canvas

Tankersley Construction Episode: ‎Hot Young Designers Club 105: A Conversation with Tankersley Construction

Cost vs. value remodeling guide: Cost vs. Value 2023 | National

Rebecca’s Upwork Freelancer for Chief Architect: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~012a205720d9c6bb42

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

High Point Market

https://highpointmarket.org/registerhydc

Moe's Home Collection

Save an extra 10% off your purchase using code HYDC10 at checkout. https://moeshomecollection.com

Do you want to take your interior design business to the next level? High Point Market can be the boost you need to take things to the next level. Today’s guest, Stacy Garcia, has built an impressive career over 25 years in the design industry. She shares how instrumental High Point Market has been in fueling the success of her businesses, Stacy Garcia Design Studio and textile company LebaTex.

In this episode, Rebecca and Shaun speak with Stacy Garcia to discuss:

• Stacy’s career journey from textile design to residential design
• How Stacy started her business with limited resources
• Forecasting trends through groups like Color Marketing Group, Patti Carpenter, Nancy Fire and knowing what will work in the mass market
• The role of High Point Market in product development, seeing trends emerge before they hit retail
• How design trends, colors and consumer tastes have changed over the years
• The way trends, creativity, and different designers/creatives influence each other
• The importance of industry connections, education and collaboration with other creatives
• How different designers influence each other’s work 
• Encouragement to attend conferences and panels at High Point Market to learn from experts

Mentioned:

Register for High Point Market: Register - High Point Furniture Market

Stacy's Textile Company: LebaTex

Stacy's Website: Stacy Garcia

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

Moe's Home Collection

Save an extra 10% off your purchase using code HYDC10 at checkout. https://moeshomecollection.com

Today, we go back on the journey of where we started and discuss the mistakes we made and the lessons we learned. We share everything we wished we knew when we started — from basic bookkeeping and accounting to choosing the right software, tools, and infrastructure we wish we implemented sooner.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Shaun and Rebecca are hosting the KBIS Panel 
• Shaun and Rebecca’s early days in business and the journey they’ve been on since
• Their toolbox when they launched and how they got their first clients
• Projects from their first year taking on clients — their charges, the very basic tools and processes they used 
• Mistakes they made – no business structure, setting unrealistic rates, unclear project scopes, etc
• Lessons on bookkeeping software options, choosing the right accounting partner and proper business banking/accounts
• Tips for newbies just starting out, as well as those looking to take their business to the next level
• Designers often delete old projects and content from their websites as their style and clientele evolve — use Wayback Machine to track changes
• Things to do if you have no portfolio — create mood boards, design plans, or spec sheets to show your design skills

Mentioned:

KBIS Panel

https://kbis.com/nextstage/#lighten-up-the-humorous-side-of-design

Join our Patreon for more community

https://www.patreon.com/hydc

Wayback Machine website time capsule

https://web.archive.org/

Heidi Caillier on the Business of Home Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-of-home-podcast/id1340460508?i=1000637795675

Furnishing Budget Calculator

https://shop.hotyoungdesignersclub.com/b/tmhwI

Investment Guide

https://shop.hotyoungdesignersclub.com/b/t8nJL

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

High Point Market

https://highpointmarket.org/registerhydc

Moe's Home Collection

Save an extra 10% off your purchase using code HYDC10 at checkout. https://moeshomecollection.com

What is your approach to designing projects? Today’s guest, Dan Mazzarini of BHDM Design, shares his unique narrative-based approach to design. By asking the clients questions like “What is the story you want to tell with this house?” Dan helps them pull out their vision and desires beyond just aesthetics. He then works to design a space that brings that narrative to life. 

In this episode, Rebecca and Shaun speak with Dan Mazzarini to discuss:

• Dan’s background and how he got into interior design
• Dan’s experience launching brands like Michael Kors 
• Dan’s narrative approach to design — asking clients the story they want to tell with the house
• How Dan and his team approach residential vs hospitality clients 
• Three things he considers when looking at potential projects — Paid, Promote, Pride
• Dan’s way of structuring his billing and the models that work best for him
• Dan’s team structure and how he runs a geographically dispersed team
• Bringing on a dedicated procurement person to the team and how it has impacted the roles and engagement of his design team
• The importance of designers understanding how products are made
• Establishing a vision for projects through visual boards and narratives
• Challenges of forecasting workload and balancing talent
• Networking and finding new clients through social media and in-person events

Mentioned:

BHDM Design Website

Dan Mazzarini (@danmazzarini) on Instagram

BHDM Design (@bhdmdesign) on Instagram

ARCHIVE (@archivebydanmazzarini) on Instagram

For more on networking with a purpose, check out Episode 99 with Ali Faulker:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hot-young-designers-club-interior-design-business-podcast/id1505427626?i=1000626439906

Getting new leads through Pinterest: Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

Pinterest Masterclass

Pinterest is not just for inspiration anymore. It can actually be used strategically to gain new clients! Learn more about our Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass at:

Moe's Home Collection

Save an extra 10% off your purchase using code HYDC10 at checkout. https://moeshomecollection.com

As we enter 2024, there are some things that we do not wish to bring with us into this year, and we want to make some changes in our lives and businesses. Today, we share our no-more list for 2024 and discuss the 6 changes (3 from each of us) we want to make in our businesses. Some of these changes will resonate with you, Hotties, and your businesses.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Shaun and Rebecca are hosting a panel on The Humorous Side of Design in Las Vegas
• Rebecca is going to be more discretionary about full-service clients
• Shaun wants to be more selective about half-baked decorating projects
• Shaun's experience with clients who wanted decorating help but not full design
• The challenges of managing client expectations 
• The importance of having clear and defined goals in projects
• Rebecca's struggle with monthly planning and tracking
• The fear of projects never feeling complete in consulting-only work
• Rebecca's goal to put more effort into her design business, Happy Hour
• Shaun's will pay closer attention to initial client meetings
• Rebecca is no longer going to be afraid of selling her services and getting beyond her fear of self-promotion
• The importance of paying attention to warning signs during discovery calls
• Shaun wants to get back to regularly posting content on Instagram and Pinterest

Mentioned:

Rebecca will be spending more time on Happy Hour

https://www.itshappyhour.co/

Shaun’s demotivated to spend time in Instagram and Pinterest

https://shop.hotyoungdesignersclub.com/b/W8rXP

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

Pinterest Masterclass

Pinterest is not just for inspiration anymore. It can actually be used strategically to gain new clients! Learn more about our Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass at:

It’s the last episode of 2023, so today, we did some year-end reflections and highlights. From doing over 100 episodes of the podcast to contributing our designs and opinions, we achieved so many things this year. While there were certain challenges along the way, today, we’re taking time to reflect on some of our wins and accomplishments of 2023 instead of just frustrations.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Reflections on wins and positives in 2023 instead of just frustrations
• The Hot Young Designers Club Patreon community and the exclusive episodes 
• Personal and professional accomplishments of Shaun and Rebecca in 2023
• Business of Home featured Hot Young Designers Club in an article on their website
• Hitting 100 episodes of the podcast and over 100k total listens
• Opportunities to contribute opinions on AI and design
• Rebecca’s experience being in HGTV magazine 
• Finding a reliable contractor partner and the importance of a strong working relationship
• Shaun’s experience in managing a studio space and business overhead
• Rebecca started renting clothes through Nuuly to be more experimental with her style
• The goals Shaun and Rebecca set for the podcast in 2020
• Shaun and Rebecca’s experience running a podcast
• Working with clients who allow for creative exploration and experimentation 
• Financial side of consultations and scheduling milestone meetings in advance
• Completion of Shaun’s South Pasadena project
• Encouragement for listeners to do their year-end reflections 

Mentioned:

Try the HYDC Business Retreat for your reflections

https://shop.hotyoungdesignersclub.com/b/ceYUJ

Rebecca has liked Nuuly for renting new cloths

https://fbuy.io/nuuly/rebecca438

Check out our feature in Business of Home

https://businessofhome.com/articles/inside-the-designer-podcasting-boom

Shaun’s South Pasadena project

https://wrenstedinteriors.com/project/south-pasadena/

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

Pinterest Masterclass

Pinterest is not just for inspiration anymore. It can actually be used strategically to gain new clients! Learn more about our Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass at:

We're back with another installment of our Just Stop series to call out some things that just need to stop, like relying too much on trade discounts and not building relationships directly with manufacturers, being fair-weather sales reps, using a personal email like Gmail or Yahoo for business, etc.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Importance of Pinterest for businesses
• Avoid using "just" when clients request tasks, like "can you help with a few items"
• Relying too much on trade discounts and not building relationships with manufacturers
• Frustration with national retailers' slow shipping and poor customer service
• Finding quality customer service representatives in the retail industry
• Reminder to stop neglecting your homes – treat your place like the showroom it is 
• Testing out products in your own home before recommending to clients
• How private equity is involved in the interior design industry
• Impact of private equity ownership on companies like Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
• Debt loads and profitability pressures from private equity
• Employee-owned companies vs private equity-owned companies 
• Making authentic connections vs. just trying to get new work
• Providing food for photographers during all-day shoots
• Representing your business name professionally in emails – no more Gmail or Yahoo emails

Mentioned:

Read more about the closing of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams on Business of Home

https://businessofhome.com/articles/mitchell-gold-bob-williams-shutters-abruptly

Here's how Private Equity is involved in the interior design industry

https://businessofhome.com/articles/mitchell-gold-bob-williams-collapse-private-equity-ownership

Explore the Las Vegas Market exhibitors

https://www.lasvegasmarket.com/exhibitor/exhibitor-directory

Explore the High Point Market exhibitors

https://www.highpointmarket.org/ExhibitorDirectory

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Our guest today is Pinterest expert Leah Reinert. We dive deep into our Pinterest For Interior Designers Masterclass and show you how to properly optimize your Pinterest presence and use it as a lead generation tool for your businesses. Leah also shares some cool ways to use Pinterest.

In this episode, we discuss:

• About Pinterest For Interior Designers Masterclass
• Leah's journey of discovering the power of Pinterest for businesses
• How to drive traffic to your website from Pinterest without a huge portfolio
• Repinning other people's pins to your boards to signal interest and prop up content
• Using Pinterest to promote your press content, email opt-ins, etc
• On Pinterest, leads take time to convert, but it offers valuable evergreen content
• Using Pinterest as both a creative inspiration tool and a lead generation tool
• Ways designers can create Pinterest content without a blog
• How Pinterest is different from Instagram
• Tips for focusing Pinterest marketing on a local region
• Repurposing existing content like IG captions into microblogs for Pinterest
• Linking pins to unique URLs on a website rather than generic homepage 
• The different types of services Leah offers for Pinterest marketing assistance

Mentioned:

Leah Reinert's Website 

Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass

Leah Reinert's Pinterest

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

Pinterest Masterclass

Pinterest is not just for inspiration anymore. It can actually be used strategically to gain new clients! Learn more about our Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass at:

What is the most challenging part of your business? What percentage of your projects involve working with a designer? How do you vet clients before getting into pre-construction? Rebecca and Shaun sit down with Steve and Heather Tankersley, owners of Tankersley Construction, to discuss their business.

In this episode, Rebecca and Shaun speak with Steve and Heather to discuss:

• The most successful and challenging projects for Steve and Heather 
• Tankersley’s pre-construction process where they evaluate design goals, budget, etc
• Challenges of traditional contracting methods
• Having a structured process for vetting clients – a form on the website, in-person or virtual meetings, etc
• The need for designers to stand firm in their boundaries rather than compromise on unprofitable projects
• The potential for clients to shop around after receiving the pre-construction documentation
• Steve’s experience with Sandler Training and how it has helped them in their business
• Frustration with clients who refuse to budge on costs despite inflation
• Renovation costs are unlikely to go down and will increase due to inflation
• Impact of social media on shaping people’s perceptions of home design
• A client’s experience of wasting $50,000 on plans that were not feasible to build due to budget constraints
• How National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is helping to make the remodeling industry better
• Heather and Steve’s goals for the future of their company 

Mentioned:

Visit Tankersley Construction Website

Steven and Heather Tankersley (@tankersley_construction) on Instagram

Sandler Sales Training

Business of Home article - Inflation is going down. Why aren’t contractor bids?

National Association of The Remodeling Industry

Remodelers Advantage

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Design Resources - Check out our shop

Mentioned in this episode:

Black Friday Sale

25% off everything in our shop!* 11/20 - 11/27

Pinterest Masterclass

Pinterest is not just for inspiration anymore. It can actually be used strategically to gain new clients! Learn more about our Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass at:

Pinterest Masterclass

Pinterest is not just for inspiration anymore. It can actually be used strategically to gain new clients! Learn more about our Pinterest for Interior Designers Masterclass at:

Hey there, you fabulous hotties! It's that time of year when we want to shower you with gratitude. We're incredibly thankful for each and every one of you and all the fun we've had together. So, we're back with our much-anticipated Black Friday sale!

It's our biggest sale of the year, and we're giving you 25% off on EVERYTHING* in our shop.

Sale Dates: Monday, November 20 to Monday, November 27

This is the perfect time to grab all those fabulous downloadable resources, templates, and tools that you've been eyeing.

All you need to do is visit https://shop.hotyoungdesignersclub.com/ and use the coupon code THANKFUL at checkout. Thank you for being amazing! We can't wait to see you take advantage of our Black Friday Sale. 

*Pinterest For Interior Designers Masterclass not included in sale

Our links:

Subscribe and leave a review - Apple Podcasts

Like, Comment, & Follow - Hot Young Designers Club Instagram

Rebecca’s Instagram 

Shaun’s Instagram

For more information - Check out the website

Become a “Loyal Hottie” - Support us on Patreon

Designer Resources - Check out our shop