Site measurements are an inevitable part of our jobs but there are many different ways to gather the information. I will take you through my process although in thinking about this I have realized that there are pieces I won’t be able to show the way I want without video. Therefore, I will also offer a live webinar with demonstrations of what we will be reviewing today and more- be sure to sign up on my website www.kismetdesignco.com. In this episode, I cover what is in my measurement bag and the step-by-step process I go through to gather all the site information.

Connected episodes:

5: Efficiency and Profitability

4: Building a Business Through Referrals

1: The Process Driven Designer

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

Building a brand is so much more than just a logo and a color scheme. Brand is what you stand for and why you do what you do. The passion you have is the driving force in building your brand. Whether you are a business owner or an employee, as a creative anything, you bring a critical piece to the brand that you serve and sell. Most of my colleagues are solopreneurs meaning they run a business of 1.  Their business brand is also their personal brand. They are selling themselves as much as they are selling the service. One cannot be distinctly separated from the other. Most creative fields regardless of business size are like this. Just as your life and career are a journey and an evolution, brand is as well. With each step you take each new layer of growth and experience evolves the brand of your business.

Connected episodes:

19: Deliberate not perfect- Calming the Voice of Perfectionism

14: Year-End Planning

13: Delivering on Expectations

12: Design Presentation- a valuable tool in the design process

5: Efficiency and Profitability

4: Building a Business Through Referrals

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

For a long time, I embraced perfectionism as a badge of honor as many of you likely have at some point. But I found myself asking at what cost perfectionism was worth. I still hold myself to very high standards, yet I no longer strive for perfection. The weight of the expectation of perfect is a bit much. The design industry runs on the constant chase of beauty and beauty and perfection are placed on a pedestal that we all look up at in awe. Striving to be perfect can be very stressful and can breed a lot of critical self-evaluation. I do not have the power to change societal expectations, but I can change my own. For me, goal setting is often framed around balancing my ambition and expectations.

Connected episodes:

14: Year-End Planning

13: Delivering on Expectations

6: Work-Life Balance: Saying No Means Getting to Say Yes

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

Lisa Bauer is a landscape designer, certified professional horticulturalist, and the owner of Chartreuse Landscape Design. We discuss design process and inspiration along with our favorite plants, the use of natives and the common misnomer regarding hardy tropicals in the PNW. Her designs play with the composition of clean crisp lines of the hardscape elements contrasted with big bold lush foliage. Listen in to hear how she brings it all together.

Find out more about Lisa and see his work at www.chartreuselandscape.com or on social media @chartreuslandscapedesign

Connected episodes:

3: Inspiration and Passion- the Design Process

16: Collaboration Between Installer and Designer

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

Lisa Bauer is a landscape designer, certified professional horticulturalist, and the owner of Chartreuse Landscape Design. We discuss design process and inspiration along with our favorite plants, the use of natives and the common misnomer regarding hardy tropicals in the PNW. Her designs play with the composition of clean crisp lines of the hardscape elements contrasted with big bold lush foliage. Listen in to hear how she brings it all together.

Find out more about Lisa and see his work at www.chartreuselandscape.com or on social media @chartreuslandscapedesign

Connected episodes:

3: Inspiration and Passion- the Design Process

16: Collaboration Between Installer and Designer

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

Kevin Monohan is the owner of Avalon NW a premier landscape installation company in Seattle. We discuss the contractor's perspective on the role of the designer through the installation of a landscape and his evolution of business. Construction is often a very high pace, high-stress endeavor. I found his insight into finding a balance of schedule, services, and crew size to achieve a comfortable balance point inspiring. Kevin and I also discuss the importance of saying no to make yourself available to say yes and building trust by being of value and offering help to colleagues and collaborators.

Find out more about Kevin and see his work at www.avalonnw.com and on Instagram.

Connected episodes:

6: Work-life balance: Saying no means getting to say Yes!

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

In this episode, I will take you through how I modify my typical presentation process for a virtual meeting. With the pandemic, we all got thrown into virtual meetings whether we liked it or not. For me it was a great thing- now that life is more normal I don’t conduct a lot of virtual meetings anymore but I am delighted to offer them, especially for those clients that are not always able to coordinate time away from work to meet with me. the conference room on their lunch break gives them more flexibility to meet with me to review plans within my working hours. I had thought of it for years but never had the need to make it happen until the pandemic. Silver linings!

Connected episodes:

2: Communication of Design,

12: Design Presentation- a valuable tool in the design process.

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

Be sure to sign up for updates if you want to receive the yearly planning sheet I will be sending out!

Year-end planning is not just about the end of the year but about the start of a new year. The calendar changes and so with it the tracking of business financials (for tax purposes anyways). But most of all it is a mindset shift. The new year provides a clean slate, a set point upon which to build. It is easy to set goals at the beginning of the year- the challenge is keeping the momentum. Join me in walking through my year-end planning process. 

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

Be sure to sign up to receive updates if you would like to receive the yearly planning sheet I will be sending out!

Each client will approach your business with expectations based on their desires and past experience. Those expectations will be either confirmed, denied, or transformed at each touch point they have with your business. This is obvious, the not-so-obvious piece is that the expectations need to be confirmed or denied across the board. If one touch point fails, it can take down the entire experience. Setting and managing expectations is essential at every step of the way. Intentionally designing the experience of each touch point a client has with your business will set the foundation for the remainder of your communication. . Consistently delivering a clear message and vision will over time become your brand.

Connected episodes:

2: Communication of Design,

4: Building a Business Through Referrals,

9: Defining your Ideal Client,

12: Design Presentation- a valuable tool in the design process.

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/.

Be sure to sign up to receive updates if you would like to receive the yearly planning sheet I will be sending out!

Especially as a designer, aesthetics are essential every step of the way. How you walk clients through the documents sets the tone and serves as a filter for which they digest the information provided. How you deliver and present your ideas is part of the entire design experience. It is one of the most valuable touchpoints you have with your client. It proves or disproves to your client your knowledge, talent, and dedication to them as your client. Each client wants to feel like they are your top priority and your presentation skills can convey to them how important to you they are.

Other episodes mentioned: Communication of Design, Inspiration and Passion

Please be sure to subscribe and follow @kismetdesignco. Please also sign up for my newsletter to be notified of upcoming webinars, courses, and other offerings https://kismetdesignco.com/classes/. 

Be sure to sign up to receive updates if you would like to receive the yearly planning sheet I will be sending out!