795: Power Talk Friday: Katie McFarlan: Profitable Interior Design Firms Track Their Data

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

Design, Business, Arts

4.9 • 810 Ratings

🗓️ 29 July 2022

⏱️ 93 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today With Katie McFarlan: Welcome to a Well-Designed Business. What does it take to be successful? We talk about it week in and week out on the show. There are so many details, so many facets to business success. But there are a handful of business practices that every successful designer puts into place—the things that set them apart from those who struggle. Today, Katie McFarlan of Dakota Design Co joins me to share the six business practices she believes are key to a well-designed business. Pick It Apart [11:54] Katie breaks down why setting a project minimum is important and the different ways to do it. [22:57] LuAnn and Katie discuss the value of clear service offerings and processes. [32:57] Katie shares why investing in yourself is vital. [47:42] LuAnn and Katie talk about professional photography and why it matters even if you don’t have projects yet. [51:28] Katie highlights how setting boundaries helps with business success. LuAnn Nigara and Katie McFarlan's Ah-Ha Moments “The more clarity you can put around things the less opportunity there is for designers to complain about “scope creep.” If you didn’t define what it is that you do, how is the client supposed to know that it’s out of the parameters?” -LuAnn “When you do the same thing over and over again, it’s good at getting you to be more efficient and working out the kinks. Your clients will enjoy working with you more when they know what to expect.” -Katie More About Katie McFarlan: As a former wedding and event planner with 16 years of experience in operations and project management, Katie enjoys using both her creative and analytical sides to find solutions that work for her clients. With her intimate knowledge of how both industries work, she knows what it takes to get behind-the-scenes operations running smoothly so businesses can grow in a sustainable and professional way. Today her business, Dakota Design Company, helps interior designers and wedding planners who are buried in business operations get back to doing the creative work they love. Through consulting and done-for-you implementation, she and her all-female team streamline their clients’ services and pricing, create strategic client experiences, and refine and implement processes their teams and customers will appreciate. Connect with Katie McFarlan Website Instagram Blog Client Experience Download for listeners What’s new with LuAnn Nigara Power Talk Friday Tour at High Point Exciting Windows! Build a Better Business Registration luannuniversity.com http://www.luannnigara.com/cob Get The Goodies! For checklists, resources, and extra goodies from A Well-Designed Business sign up for free here. To Get on LuAnn’s Email List, text the word designbiz to 444999! Purchase LuAnn’s Books Here: Book 1: The Making of A Well – Designed Business: Turn Inspiration into Action Book 2: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Pre-Order Book 3: A Well-Designed Business – The Power Talk Friday Experts Volume 2 Connect with LuAnn Nigara LuAnn’s Website LuAnn’s Blog Power Talk Friday Like Us: Facebook | Tweet Us: Twitter | Follow Us: Instagram | Listen Here: Podcast Other Shows Mentioned: #678 Power Talk Friday: Katie McFarlan: The Client Experience Starts with Processes A Big Thank You to Today's Sponsor: Mydoma Studio, your complete designer toolkit. Mydoma makes it easy to streamline your processes, track projects, communicate with clients, and get organized. It’s created by designers for designers, specifically to address what you need as a business owner. I’ve said countless times that systems and processes are how you reach the next level of profitability. Mydoma Studio makes it easy to do that. You can get 20% off your first three months by going to mydomastudio.com/awelldesignedbusiness

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, are you getting ready for Thanksgiving? Maybe you're hosting and you're busy getting all of your dishware organized and your menu organized. Or maybe you're like me. You're at the season where you just get to ring the doorbell with a pie in your hand, right? Either way, I hope you are planning to spend some quality time with friends and family, whether that means it's a big,
0:21.1	raucous crowd and lots of carrying on or downtime. Either way, I'm wishing you a happy
0:26.5	holiday season. And, you know, what happens after Thanksgiving, we have Black Friday.
0:31.6	And on Black Friday, Luann University is officially opening registration. And here's the thing. Because it's Black Friday,
0:39.2	we got some Black Friday deals for you. All right, first of all, let me explain this. Early Bird for
0:44.0	Luann University is open from November 29th through December 31st, 2024. So that is the entire early bird
0:52.4	period. And during the early bird period, you get two bonuses.
0:57.2	Number one, you get the early bird pricing.
0:58.8	But you also get, if you buy, whether you buy a five-week course or a three-hour intensive,
1:05.2	if you purchase and register during the early bird period, you are going to be enrolled in the workshop that
1:13.4	Amber DeLegarza and I are hosting together live. It's called Success by Design. Strategic
1:20.6	Goal Setting meets Time Mastery. Okay. So this is going to be a live workshop. It is going to happen in real time on january second
1:30.4	twenty twenty five and we're going to spend part of the time mapping out how do you set your goals
1:37.1	what do you do how do you decide if it's a legitimate goal if it's a reach goal if it's a too easy
1:43.2	of a goal what should your goals be?
1:45.5	And then Amber will take over and she will help us figure out how to carve that time in our
1:52.9	work life to work on our business. Okay. So it's managing the expectations of the hours
1:59.6	you have available so that you can get it all done.
2:02.3	So this is going to be a fantastic class that you are going to take real time and ask us real questions.
2:08.5	Okay, so those are two bonuses that you get if you sign up any time during the early bird period,
2:14.3	November 29th to December 31st.
2:16.4	But there is an extra bonus if you sign up during
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