Resilient by Design with Rebecca Hay

We know that one size doesn't fit all and today's episode is a formidable example. My candid conversation about collaboration over competition travels three very different paths to the same Full Service Design destination.

This episode is the very first time we've ever shared a recording of a live event! What you're about to tune into is a panel talk from the in-person Designer Meet-up we hosted on November 10 2022 in Toronto, Canada. I was joined by 3 amazing panelists and we focused on busting the myths behind offering full-service design. We get this question a lot – "What does offering full-service design mean?" So in this panel, we uncovered it all – the good, the bad, and the ugly!

During the panel, we shared the realities of being a designer and of owning a business. We told some amazing stories that I hope you can take away and learn from.

Mia Parres | @miaparresdesign & @livemyabode

Jaclyn Genovese | @jaclyngenovese & @spacesbyjacflash

Carly Nemtean | @carriagelanedesign_build & @thecollectiveworkspace

How do you actually know when it's time to raise your interior design rates?

Not because another designer charges more. Not because someone in a Facebook group told you their hourly rate. And definitely not because you picked a number that simply feels right.

In this episode, I'm breaking down four signs that can tell you whether you've outgrown your current pricing: capacity, experience, demand, and profitability.

We'll talk about why being fully booked can mean your rates are too low, how your growing experience should affect what you charge, why saying yes to almost every proposal could actually be a warning sign, and the profitability math that ultimately settles the question.

I'm also digging into the hidden cost of waiting too long to change your pricing, from resentment and burnout to attracting the wrong clients and leaving yourself without enough margin to grow a team.

If your business has evolved but your rates haven't kept up, this episode will help you figure out whether it's time for your pricing to catch up.

And if you're ready to stop guessing at the number, check out Pricing With Confidence at rebeccahay.com/pricing.

Episode Resources:

• 280: Why Most Designers Are Scared to Raise Their Rates (And What You Can Do Instead)

Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

When your client looks at marble and porcelain, they see two tiles.

As the designer, you see sourcing, samples, maintenance, installation, trades, lead times, revisions, coordination, risk… and hours of work they may never see.

Years ago, I charged the same design fee for two bathrooms in the same home. One involved a straightforward porcelain selection. The other involved marble, multiple suppliers, stone-yard visits, samples, revised drawings, fabricator conversations, installation issues, and a client who changed her mind after approval.

Same approximate square footage.

One took roughly three times the work.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the invisible work that needs to be considered when you're pricing an interior design project, including:

• Six questions to ask when assessing the scope of a selection
• How client preferences can impact your design fee
• Why changes after approval need clear boundaries
• How customization and complicated materials affect profitability
• Why two projects with the same square footage shouldn't necessarily have the same fee
• The importance of tracking your hours, even with flat-fee projects

Your client isn't just paying you to know the difference between marble and porcelain. They're paying for everything you know, anticipate, and coordinate because of that decision.

If your pricing isn't capturing that work, it might be time to take another look at your design fee.

Episode Resources:

• Learn more about Pricing With Confidence: rebeccahay.com/pricing
• Watch the Original Video: What's the Difference: Marble vs Porcelain

Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

Six years ago, Ching Tan was winging her process, second-guessing herself, and walking into client conversations unsure of what would happen next.

Today, she runs a full-service interior design firm, works with custom builders, and takes on large-scale projects with budgets reaching $1 million+.

So what changed?

In this episode, Ching returns to Resilient by Design to share how building structure behind her talent changed the way she runs her business.

We talk about how she learned to pre-qualify clients, confidently lead conversations with clients and trades, price projects by phase, communicate consistently throughout a project, and stand behind her designs instead of letting everyone else steer the ship.

We also get into working with builders versus homeowners, managing large project budgets, moving into full-service design, and why the process you use today should continue evolving as your business grows.

If you're still winging parts of your projects or waiting until you feel completely confident before taking on bigger work, Ching's story is proof that you don't have to have everything figured out before you begin.

You need a strong foundation you can build from.

Episode Resources:

• Ready to create your own process? Learn more about Power of Process® and build the structure behind a more confident, streamlined interior design business.
• Episode 28: What you need in your business to gain your clients' trust
• Find Ching at www.taninteriors.ca and on Instagram @taninteriorsds

Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

When is an ideal client a lemon? When you don't have the process to serve them.

Today I'm talking about two very different interior designers. I've been both of them, and maybe you have too.

One is saying yes to every consultation, decorating job, and small project that comes through the door, hoping it will eventually lead to something bigger.

The other already knows she wants to offer full-service design but feels unsure, intimidated, or overwhelmed by everything that comes with it.

Full service isn't a level you "graduate" to as a designer. It's a business model, and it isn't right for everyone.

In this episode, I'm sharing five questions to help you decide whether full-service interior design is actually the business you want to build.

We're talking about the work beyond the design, the kind of client relationships you want, fewer versus higher-volume projects, profitability, lifestyle, and why saying yes to everything can actually keep you from the projects you want most.

I also share how I went from taking on lots of smaller projects to building a full-service firm, and why the biggest shift wasn't better marketing or a prettier portfolio.

It was process.

Because when you can clearly articulate the entire journey, clients can finally trust you to take them on it.

Episode Resources:

• Episode 209: Why Decorating Can Be More Lucrative Than Design
• Episode 222: Tailor Your Business to Your Lifestyle
• Rebecca Hay YouTube Channel
• Learn more about Power of Process: https://rebeccahay.com/powerofprocess

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Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

What happens when you stop winging your interior design business and start putting real processes behind it?

In this episode, I'm joined by interior designers Ale Cretul, Andrea Krill, and Jocelyn Polce to talk about how dramatically their businesses have changed over the last few years.

From Andrea leaving corporate finance and building a growing design team, to Jocelyn moving from 20+ clients a year toward fewer, larger projects, to Ale realizing she needed to learn the business behind the design, their paths look very different.

But the common thread is clear: they started treating their design businesses like businesses.

We talk about process, hiring, client boundaries, confidence, community, mindset, bigger projects, difficult clients, and the importance of defining what success actually looks like for you.

You'll also hear how the three of them found an unexpected peer support system in one another and why having people around you who understand your goals can completely change the way you navigate business growth.

If you're busy doing the work but still feel like you're figuring out your business one project at a time, this conversation is for you.

EPISODE RESOURCES

• Power of Process is now open for enrollment until October 8th. Learn more here: https://rebeccahay.com/powerofprocess

• 237: Transforming a side hustle into a full-time interior design business with Andrea Krill
• 246: How one POP alum moved from side hustle to full time designer & never looked back with Andrea Krill
• 101: [Bonus] It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to start. The biggest 12 month business transformation with Jocelyn Polce
• 171: The biggest 2 year business transformation with Jocelyn Polce
• 131: High Point Market, is it worth it? Part one Roundtable
• 132: High Point Market, is it worth it? Part Two Roundtable

Guest Websites

• Andrea Krill Interiors
• Ale Cretul Interiors
• August Oliver Interiors

Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

I didn't go from sourcing $20-a-yard fabric to confidently presenting $300-a-yard fabric overnight.

In the early years of my business, I wanted to create elevated, custom spaces, but I was constantly trying to save my clients money. Cheaper fabric here. Retail instead of custom there. And eventually, the design I had envisioned would get watered down.

In this episode, I'm sharing what actually helped me break out of that cycle.

We're talking about knowing your numbers, setting realistic client expectations, presenting higher-end options with confidence, giving clients fewer choices, having a backup ready, and getting comfortable with the fact that sometimes your client is going to say no.

Because if you want to move your design business upmarket, you can't wait until you magically find clients who are already asking for $300-a-yard fabric.

Sometimes, you have to be the one willing to put it on the table first.

Listen in for the behind-the-scenes story of how I learned to do exactly that.

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If you're ready to move beyond clients who question every dollar and start booking better-fit, bigger-budget projects, join me for my free workshop:

3 Mistakes Standing Between You & The Full-Service Design Business Of Your Dreams

I'm breaking down the common mistakes that can keep talented designers from booking dream clients, plus the practical shifts I used to build a more professional client experience, present proposals with confidence, and grow my own design firm.

Save your spot for the free workshop → rebeccahay.com/dream

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Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

Where do you find premium design clients?

I think that might be the wrong question.

In this episode, I'm breaking down why you don't simply "find" better clients. You have to become the designer they want to hire.

I'm sharing my own experience getting stuck in the budget client referral loop, why your portfolio can either reinforce that loop or help you break out of it, and what I've learned about the way premium clients actually make decisions.

You'll hear why professionalism matters beyond beautiful design, how your website, photography, offers, and process influence the calibre of projects you attract, and why premium clients often want fewer choices and more confident leadership.

I'm also explaining an important distinction: a big budget does not automatically equal a premium client.

If you're ready for bigger projects but feel like your current inquiries aren't reflecting where you want your business to go, this episode will help you identify what may need to change.

Resources:

• Learn more about the Consultations that Convert Bootcamp: https://rebeccahay.com/bootcamp
• Learn more about Power of Process

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Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

What do you do when the big design projects aren't coming in as quickly as they used to?

In this episode, Rebecca sits down with interior designer and business owner Karin Bennett for a candid conversation about the decisions that help keep a design firm profitable when the market shifts.

They talk about when it makes sense to take on smaller projects, why Karin continues investing in marketing during slower seasons, and how she balances keeping her team busy with protecting the standards of her firm.

Then they get into the numbers: flat fees, tracking hours, implementation fees, and why your pricing model needs to evolve as your services and projects change.

You'll also hear why Karin prefers hiring experienced team members, how that has made delegation easier, and what she wishes she had understood about hiring much earlier in her business.

If you're navigating a slower season, questioning your pricing or trying to make smarter decisions about what your design business needs next, this conversation will give you plenty to think about.

Episode Resources

• Learn more about the Consultations that Convert Bootcamp: https://rebeccahay.com/bootcamp
• Episode 71: Focus on your strengths and take back control of your business with Karin Bennett
• Learn more about Karin at her website and follow her on Instagram.

Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.

Want more design clients?

Before you focus on generating more leads, take a closer look at what happens once you actually get a potential client on the phone.

In this episode, I'm breaking down how to run a discovery call that helps you pre-qualify the right clients, communicate your value, talk confidently about investment, and move the conversation toward a paid consultation.

And a lot of it comes down to what happens in the first two minutes.

We're talking about why designers need to stop winging discovery calls, why listening is more powerful than pitching, how to set expectations from the beginning, what to say when it's time to ask for the next step, and why you should never end the call with a vague "let me know."

I'm also sharing one number I want every designer to start tracking: your discovery call conversion rate.

Because your discovery call isn't just a sales conversation. It's the beginning of your client experience.

Episode Resources:

• Learn more about the Consultations that Convert Bootcamp: https://rebeccahay.com/bootcamp
• Ready to create repeatable systems throughout your design business? Learn more about Power of Process.
• Pricing with Confidence Course

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Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems.

Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.