TIPS TO FACE TODAY'S TOP BUSINESS CHALLENGES

TIPS TO FACE

TODAY’S TOP BUSINESS CHALLENGES:

Creative Director, Eric Haydel, recently visited with Amanda Schneider, Founder + President of ThinkLab, over a zoom call sponsored by GE Monogram Luxury Appliances.

Amanda is passionate about studying the latest in workplace trends that are leading architecture and interior design companies to think differently about their business strategies for the future.

Here are five tips to re-think and manage your business around economic fears that were gleaned from this conversation.

1. Focus on the team. Frequently when businesses see a slowdown, management will overreact and lay off employees to solve an immediate problem. Instead, focus on diversifying each person’s role to cover the bases needed to sustain the business. It’s never too late to teach the team new ways to work together. 2. Review how you work. There’s no better time to look over your contracts,

billing practices and terms of sale. Many professionals admit that they haven’t updated those terms since they first opened their practices. The American Society of Interior Designers offers a great step by step guide to improving contracts and offers boiler plate layouts that are easy to use.

3. Look for ways to be more transparent. The key to this is to first be honest with yourself. In today’s business climate, your clients will shop you, they will try to find a discount, they will always question the value in what you’re charging. Be ahead of the game. Nothing erodes a relationship like misleading a client about markup or how much you are paying for a product. Take time to look at how you can set yourself up to share more with your client and build greater trust.

4. Book a lunch. Plan for coffee or take a client out to dinner. Nourishment is necessary and what better way to thank a client for business and ask them for more business than partaking in a meal. Design professionals should remember that much of our job is about selling a personal service and spending more time face to face only builds the network. 5. You are not alone. So many times, when challenges arise in our business, we feel alone. Remember there are others around you who can be amazing mentors, advisors, or cheerleaders. They have often struggled and experienced burned out, your colleagues can be the best business to guide you through this time.

To hear more of the conversation and learn more about ThinkLab and the Monogram

About ThinkLab

ThinkLab is the research division of SANDOW Design Group, where we leverage SANDOW Media’s incredible reach to the architecture and design community through brands like Interior Design Media, Metropolis, Luxe, and Material Bank with proven market research techniques to uncover relevant trends and opportunities for the design industry. Join in to explore what’s next at thinklab.design/join-in. 

About Amanda

Amanda Schneider, LEED AP, MBA is a researcher, writer, and founder of ThinkLab. Amanda is a strategic thinker with a strong background including industrial design, market research, product management, sales, and strategic launch practices with a breadth of companies within the interiors industry.

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Interior design professionals create the spaces where people live, work, heal, learn, socialize, and play. Designers’ decisions also impact the interior design industry comprised of designers, manufacturers, dealers, contractors, consultants, tradespeople, artisans, and workers around the world.

Through this wide reach, interior designers play a significant role in reducing global carbon emissions and regenerating ecosystems to help avert the climate crisis. Interior design professionals are also in a unique position to improve people’s lives and support wellness and prosperity in our communities.

We have a professional obligation to our peers, the public, and future generations to strive for a just, healthy, and sustainable society. The Interior Design Pledge for Positive Impact calls upon designers to understand, assess, and maximize the positive impact of our work by making three interconnected commitments:

DESIGN FOR CLIMATE:

The climate crisis is the greatest single threat to health and economic prosperity on the planet, and disproportionately affects vulnerable communities. Interior design professionals reduce the negative impacts of climate change by committing to: – Reduce emissions, including operational and embodied carbon, to the maximum extent on all projects. – Optimize design processes to reduce waste and the depletion of natural resources. – Design for adaptability and resilience. – Design for responsible end-of-life, deconstruction, and decommissioning processes.

DESIGN FOR HEALTH:

Both human and ecological health are essential components of a thriving society, and essential for the future of humanity on the planet. Interior design professionals support holistic health and safety by committing to: – Improve physical health by eliminating toxic and hazardous substances and creating healthy and regenerative environmental conditions. – Nurture the mental wellness and wellbeing of people who use our spaces. – Building social health by fostering better connections between people and strengthening community. – Promote ecological health by preferring processes that restore and regenerate air, water, and other natural systems.

DESIGN FOR EQUITY:

Social equity and climate justice are central to cohesive, safe, and resilient communities. Interior design professionals promote diversity, inclusion, and equity by committing to: – Design to benefit people with different backgrounds and needs, equally and fairly. – Include and reflect the perspectives of underrepresented communities in our work process. – Make design choices that directly support the health and prosperity of vulnerable communities in our work product. – Prioritize access and a positive experience for all people, regardless of visible and invisible differences.