Join me in a conversation with fellow landscape designer and business owner Sarah Van Sanden owner of SVS Landscape Design on the decision to take the leap into entrepreneurship, building a business, being part of a support group, hiring, and business vision and goals. 

Find out more about Sarah and see her work at www.SVSlandscapedesign.com and on Instagram. 

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Most of the construction industry and even the design industry is dominated by men. I have never been bothered by being one of few or the only woman and have been very fortunate to gain a lot of valuable exposure to the industry in an open, welcoming, and non-judgmental environment. I have had many mentors throughout my career that fostered that experience. I am fortunate and am not directly confronted with sexism often, mostly because of the fantastic contractors and crews that I work with. When we work together and collaborate we raise the industry as a whole higher. Your positive influence and support help guide and influence the interactions around you.

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Why is defining your ideal client important? Well, it all circles back to intentionally creating a business that you love. If you work on projects and with clients that inspire and invigorate you it will make work more enjoyable. I also find when I am in the sweet spot, I am more creative and more efficient and the workflow feels much smoother and I accomplish tasks with ease.

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Planning for an ideal workflow is super important not only for financials but also for my sanity. Like I said it doesn’t always work out as planned but I do put a lot of effort into planning my project flow.

Planning helps to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your time because we all know that busyness does not necessarily equal effectiveness. Planning your ideal workflow is balancing ambition and wellbeing and designing how your business fits within your life and your personality rather than the other way around. Last but not least have trust in yourself. Trust in your ability to react. You will not be able to be proactive on everything and have to be proactive and reactive to keep things flowing.

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Our very first podcast with a co-host! Hear from Colleen Hanzen Landscape Designer and Office Manager at Kismet Design about working collaboratively, remote working tools, delegation, organization systems, and communication tools. Be sure to find out more about Colleen at www.KismetDesignCo.com.

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Balance is a widespread topic lately. It seems everyone is talking about work-life balance. But there isn’t really a quantifiable definition of what that really means. That is because it will be different for everyone. Many times it feels like one side has to suffer to achieve this balance but it doesn’t. it is all about developing the mindset and sticking with it knowing that the outcome is totally worth it.

One thing you can’t consistently do is say yes to everything. it is ok and actually really good to say no sometimes and show yourself some love. Having good boundaries is essential to be able to ensure that you can sustainably show up without burning out. consistency only works when it can be maintained over a long period of time. 

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How do you charge for your creativity, what do you charge, and are you charging too much or too little? The hard questions creative entrepreneurs often find themselves asking. 

Why do you show up in your business or job every day? It is not just to punch a time clock and earn a paycheck. It is often so much more than that.  For creatives like us, it is often quite complex. But it boils down to a balance of finances and passion. So, how do you charge enough to be profitable in a creative business? In my opinion, it all comes down to efficiency and your efficiency is a product of your processes. Join me to discuss how defining your offering and developing systems and templates can help guide you in determining your billable rate and increase your efficiencies to be profitable. Profitability as a designer is not just how great you are at what you do but how efficient and effective the services and products you offer are and your ability and willingness to do the homework to ensure you are refining your processes and billing strategy to support what you do.

Want to learn more about Kismet Design? Follow me on Instagram @kismetdesignco or sign up for email notifications of my upcoming classes and coaching offerings www.KismetDesignCo.com/Classes/ 

Referrals can be a potent tool for building a business. Join me in discussing how I acquire and develop my referrals, which have led to the success of the first few years of my business. Starting a business during a global pandemic may sound scary and daunting but given a lot of luck and some gratitude and good intentions it has been a blast. 

Want to learn more? Follow me on Instagram @kismetdesignco or sign up for email notifications of my upcoming classes and coaching offerings www.KismetDesignCo.com/Classes/ 

Inspiration can be found everywhere if you are open to it. Let's discuss harnessing and utilizing it to fuel your passion. 

Communication is the greatest tool in customer service that I have. Providing good communication will keep your process flowing efficiently, help you manage client expectations, and share your love and joy of design with your clients and colleagues. Join me for a brain dump on my thoughts on how I communicate through the entire design process and into the installation of a project. Listen carefully and respond creatively! see more on my design process at www.KismetDesignCo.com