Episoder
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As the name of this podcast states, being the only girl on the jobsite can be difficult, and I know I’ve mentioned the challenges of this before, but I don’t always dive into the topic as much as I’d like to. Well today, we’re diving all the way in!
As always, if this episode leaves you with more questions than answers, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or shoot me a dm on social media!
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/role-of-women-in-construction
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I received the emails I’m sharing in today’s episode from so many designers after they signed up for my upcoming webinar. They were letting me know their issues, concerns, and the top 1—and sometimes 10—problems they’re having with the profitability of their projects.
In today’s episode, I won’t mention names, but you might hear me read yours or hear one you can truly relate to. I know I have related to all of these questions at some point in my career. I want everyone to understand that we are all in this together. There is no judgment. There is no room for shame. We are all learning, and frankly, there just isn’t enough education out there for us on how to build profitable businesses. I hope today’s episode helps, and be sure to sign up for my upcoming webinar, which will give you all the answers to today’s questions in even more detail!
Please join me for my free Webinar, Unlocking Profitability: Pricing Strategies for Interior Designers, on September 12th & 13th at 12:30 pm EST >>>https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/pricing-webinar
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Mangler du episoder?
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Today, we are talking all things numbers, and I know that may make some of you cringe a little bit, but I have invited my friend Michele Williams on to share on how to unlock profitability in your business and how to master your financials.
Michele Williams is the dynamic owner of Scarlet Thread Consulting and Metrique Solutions, two companies focused on empowering creative professionals to own the financials of their business. With an eye for detail and a passion for innovation, Michele has carved a niche in providing strategic business coaching and financial analytics to help business owners navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship.
At Scarlet Thread Consulting, Michele utilizes her extensive experience in finance and business management to offer tailored coaching and mentoring services. She is dedicated to helping her clients achieve financial clarity and operational efficiency, enabling them to make informed decisions that drive their businesses forward.
Through Metrique Solutions, Michele offers a unique blend of technology and consultancy, providing cutting-edge software solutions designed specifically for the owners of small business. Her expertise in financial metrics and data analysis empowers her clients to optimize their pricing strategies and enhance profitability.
Michele's commitment to excellence and her unwavering support for her clients have established her as a trusted advisor and thought leader in the design community. Her work not only transforms businesses but also inspires creativity and growth, making her an invaluable asset to the industry.
I am honored that Michele is here to talk with us about the finances that we need to get a hold of in order to establish, maintain, and grow our profitability. Without that, we are stuck in a hobby and not in a business. And while it can be anxiety producing to look at our numbers, listening today will not only help you understand how to look at them but also how to take charge of them!Free download:
Use Coupon code WomanJS for one month free of Metrique Solutions
Grab Michele’s free quiz where you can get a financial health check-up here: https://www.scarletthreadconsulting.com/financial-quiz-landing-page
Find out more about Michele and follow her on social media here:
Instagram: @Scarletthreadatl, & @Metriquesolutions
Facebook: @Scarlet Thread Consulting & @Metrique Solutions
Please join me for my free Webinar, Unlocking Profitability: Pricing Strategies for Interior Designers, on September 12th & 13th at 12:30pm EST >>>https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/pricing-webinar
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We’ve all been in these client meetings where you’ve hopefully asked the client, “Do you have a budget in mind for this project?” Hopefully, they have given this some thought. But here’s the tricky part….
You have no idea what they’re basing that number on or if it’s all they can spend.
A course member reached out to me asking about this issue. She said time and again she is going into these meetings, has bid the whole project out, and then the client starts adding scope of work to the project, and she, rightfully so, is saying, “Whoa, you’re going to blow your budget.” And they say, “Oh, I know. But it’s ok. I want to do more.”
Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. The opposite is also true. You build out to their budget, and they say, “Oh my gosh, no, I cannot spend this kind of money.” And then, you and your team have to start value-engineering the designs that you’ve completed.
Neither of these scenarios would set you up to move forward smoothly with the project or complete the design you created.
Today, I want to share my thoughts on handling these situations and how you can avoid them entirely by educating them on the front end.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/avoid-client-budget-changes
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Today is Part 2 of my interview with Virginia DesRoches. If you missed the first part, Episode 187, I suggest going back and listening to that one first!
Virginia DesRoches and John Foran are the dynamic couple and trailblazing visionaries behind Ironwood Studio, an all-encompassing firm that seamlessly merges construction and interior design along the South Coast of MA. Rooted in strong family values, they have earned a robust reputation for their work in designing, building, and renovating family homes from floor plans to furnishings of extraordinary quality and character.
Drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature, their designs always blend modern and rustic elements, creating a luxurious and welcoming atmosphere ideal for family living. Their dedication to their craft has been recognized in publications such as The Boston Globe, DIY Network, and The Nest.
Virginia emailed me recently about a new build she had just recently completed. Her goal was to share her mistakes, which she calls rookie mistakes, with all the designers listening so they could learn the lessons that she experienced throughout this project.
There was so much value in our conversation that we split it into two episodes! So, today, we are going to dive further into what I call, teachable moments, and she calls rookie mistakes. Everything from understanding what’s in the proposals that the contractors present and do they cover everything to how to manage a project site book, how to develop and present flat fees to a client, and ultimately, how she plans to implement these lessons in her next projects so that she doesn’t make the same mistakes again.
Virginia has free resource for you here: https://www.ironwoodstudio.co/free-resources called "The Ironwood Dream Home Guide Book." It includes everything you need to know when preparing for your New Build.
Find out more about Virginia and follow her on social media here:
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/ironwoodstudio.co/
LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginia-desroches-17192313/
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/rookie-mistakes-part-2 -
I hear everything from designers, from “I estimated 50 hours, and I’m now at 90. I’m totally upside down on my numbers.” to “I have no idea where to start” to “I totally messed this one up, Renee, and I don’t know how I’m going to get out of it.”
If that is you, or you’ve had these pangs of anxiety, you are amongst the many, and this is why I want to talk about his topic today.
I know I’ve discussed pricing in other episodes, but today, I want to discuss the common thread I’m seeing when designers tell me how they priced their projects. If you skip this step or gloss over it, you absolutely can’t build your pricing correctly.
As always if this episode leaves you with more questions than answers please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or shoot me a dm on social media!
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/scope-of-work-is-key
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We all make mistakes; I make plenty of them! The entire purpose of this podcast is for designers to learn from the mistakes of others. My guest today is Virginia DesRoches who is here today to talk about some of the rookie mistakes she has made and the lessons she learned from them.
Virginia DesRoches and John Foran are the dynamic couple and trailblazing visionaries behind Ironwood Studio, an all-encompassing firm that seamlessly merges construction and interior design along the South Coast of MA. Rooted in strong family values, they have earned a robust reputation for their work in designing, building, and renovating family homes from floor plans to furnishings of extraordinary quality and character.
Drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature, their designs always blend modern and rustic elements, creating a luxurious and welcoming atmosphere ideal for family living. Their dedication to their craft has been recognized in publications such as The Boston Globe, DIY Network, and The Nest.
When Virginia and I first met in my course, Interior Designers Guide to Construction Management, she shared a large new build she was working on, and couple of weeks ago she emailed me to tell me the job was finished and that while it ended well, she encountered a lot of what she called, rookie mistakes along the way. She thought other designers could also learn from them and wanted to share the high’s and low’s of this project.
The value in what Virginia shares is extensive, and so today is Part 1, where we cover cover setting fee structures, the details in making selections, permitting, and factoring in things often forgotten about, such as weather and then how to best work with new trades on a project.
Virginia has free resource for you here: https://www.ironwoodstudio.co/free-resources called "The Ironwood Dream Home Guide Book." It includes everything you need to know when preparing for your New Build.
Find out more about Virginia and follow her on social media here:
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/ironwoodstudio.co/
LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginia-desroches-17192313/
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/rookie-mistakes-part-1
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It’s already July 30th and I don’t know about all of you but I’m feeling that mid-summer slow down, both the highs and the lows of it. Now is the time when we want to start looking ahead to start planning our fall and winter pipeline projects. So today I want to talk about how to embrace the moment while also preparing for the future if you have a full pipeline of projects and what to do if you don’t.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/planning-for-fall-winter
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If you ever feel a lack of confidence about skills that you definitely have, then today’s episode is for you!!
Last week’s episode (Ep184) was a really important conversation around struggles I know so many designers have about setting boundaries and how they present themselves to contractors, clients, and anyone else in our industry.
A lot of this stems from a lack of confidence and feeling insecure about skills that you definitely have.
This topic definitely hit a nerve with a lot of designers listening to last week’s episode about things you took away from the episode and things you want to work on. In fact, it even came up inside my course's live masterclass on building the best team. So today I want to continue on with this topic on gaining confidence in our skills, setting those important boundaries, and elevating our design expertise!
As always if this episode leaves you with more questions than answers please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or shoot me a dm on social media!
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/elevate-your-expertise
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If you want to know how to really master your confidence and build effective, quality relationships with your team members then today’s episode is for you!!
Jeannie Andresen is here today and we dive into how to start building relationships with a new team member, why these relationships are so important, and how to create boundaries when needed and stand in our own value!
Jeannie Andresen is a former corporate director turned business coach who specializes in helping interior designers gain confidence, balance, and profitability in their businesses.
Jeannie’s background includes a decade of experience in corporate America running a recruiting business inside a Fortune 100 finance firm. Her role included directly managing a team of six, indirectly managing a team of 30, and onboarding, training, and coaching sales professionals to develop daily habits of success to reach their business goals.
Jeannie now focuses her business on teaching design professionals the confidence, processes, and boundaries necessary to run an organized, efficient, and profitable design business.
She has been interviewed on prominent design podcasts such as A Well Designed Business and Designed by Wingnut Social, and is an educational partner to Designer Link, an interior design membership community on Chicago’s North Shore.
Find out more about Jeannie and follow her here: Instagram: @jeannieandresen_ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeannieaandresen
Grab her free download here: https://pages.jeannieandresen.com/bulletproofboundaries
If you’re interested in joining my course, you can use my code ‘Masterclass’ to receive $150 off the price. That special discount will expire on July 18th at midnight EST.
If you have questions, feel free to schedule a course discovery call with me by scrolling down to the bottom of the page here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/renovation-management-interior-designers
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/jeannie-andresen -
Recently, I’ve been hearing rumors about supply chain issues rearing their ugly heads again, and I was too busy to focus on them at the time and certainly didn’t feel it in my day-to-day world. But I came across an article and took the time to do some research on this topic and I want to share the information I found with you and why it is so important for you to continue to lean into your construction management services.
If you’re interested in joining my course, you can use my code ‘Masterclass’ to receive $150 off the price. That special discount will expire on July 18th at midnight EST.
If you have questions, feel free to schedule a course discovery call with me by scrolling down to the bottom of the page here: https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/renovation-management-interior-designers
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/supply-chain-issues
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I am a luxury interior designer, construction expert, and industry educator.
That’s my sound bite.
What is your soundbite?
Today, I want to talk about how to develop your own soundbite and why it’s so critical to do so.
After listening to today's episode, I would love to hear your soundbites! Send me an email at [email protected] or shoot me a dm on social media! We are much stronger together, and this is a way we can connect even further!
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/your-soundbite
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I often say it takes more than a dozen people for any of my projects to be successful, and occasionally someone on that team goes rogue. That can be very disruptive to not only the process and the flow of the project, but potentially to your bottom line. So today, I want to talk about what that can look like, how you can remedy it, and, most importantly, how you can avoid it altogether.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/avoid-vendors-going-rogue
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I often hear from designers asking for advice on how to price their fees. This isn’t because they’ve never priced out a construction project before for clients. It’s more often than not because they aren’t getting their numbers right, and they’re losing money on projects. So today, I want to talk about how to get your pricing covered to cover your actual price spent on projects - and spoiler alert, the key to your success comes before you start estimating.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/stop-losing-money -
Today, I want to share with you a project I’ve been working on that had so many teachable moments that I think you will find valuable. This one project has reaffirmed to me the value of my referral network, the ability to pivot when things get turned upside down, the ability to obtain team cohesion, and my personal belief that you don’t design for future owners but for the current ones you are working with. Ultimately, this single project reaffirmed my belief that a client and potential work can be more valuable than a specific project they bring to you in the first place.
As always, I’d love to hear from you with any questions or any experiences you'd like to share! Email me at [email protected] or send me a DM on social media.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/teachable-moments
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I’ve talked before about my ‘A team,’ which I refer to as ‘my Todd.’ I’ve also mentioned that he always threatens to retire, to which I always respond, “Well, you can’t retire until I retire!” Unfortunately, that likely isn’t going to happen as Todd is preparing for retirement. While I am disappointed we won’t be working together for much longer, I am looking at this as an exciting opportunity. Today, I want to dive into what that looks like and how you, too, can embrace change even when you don’t really want to.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/finding-new-a-team
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What’s the difference between a hobby and a profession? Well it’s as simple as boiling it down to making money. I hear a lot of designers undervaluing their services and having anxiety about marking up procurements on construction projects. So today, we are having a frank discussion on this topic!
After listening to today’s episode, I hope it gives you some new insight and inspiration, as well as hopefully a few actionable steps you can start taking today. Don’t wait to change your money mindset issues and to boost your security, knowing your value and worth in ways that you can start charging for immediately!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me! Email me at [email protected] or send me a DM on social media.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/charging-your-worth
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After talking to and hearing from many designers and hearing all of their questions, I started noticing this underlying theme in most of the questions the designers were asking.
I thought it couldn’t all boil down to this one similarity, but it did—and that was pain points. Almost every question I read involved a lack of fully understanding the pain point of whoever they were working with.
So, in today’s episode, I’m diving into the importance of identifying and addressing the specific challenges and issues not only your clients face but your industry partners and yourself as well. Missing the mark on understanding pain points can hinder successful project outcomes! I share how you can avoid this by investing time into truly listening to your clients, and industry partners and taking time to evaluate what is going on in your own business that may be presenting itself as a pain point.Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/understanding-pain-points
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Spring is a busy time of year! Today, I want to talk about how to manage these really busy months but also how to prepare for the summer months ahead by leaning in on your systems, getting schedules sorted out, now for all involved in a project, how to communicate this clearly with your clients and potential clients, and making sure to schedule in some down time for yourself and your family.
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/summer-guide
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Today, I’m covering a topic that has been coming up in conversations I’ve had with designers lately: the aversion to risks.
I am hearing from designers like you about all of the risks they are trying to avert—financial security, reputation damage, and legal risks—and they are normal and to be expected. But when they get in the way, you miss out on potential opportunities. They can slow down your career advancement and reduce your competitive edge.
So today, I am sharing some examples of each of these that can come up in your career and breaking them down into bite-sized pieces so that you can breathe a sigh of relief with a path moving forward, walk away with some actionable steps to mitigate these risks, start calming the spiraling down, and make professional and advisable decisions on exciting new opportunities!
Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/risk-reward-strategies-for-designers
- Se mer
