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reviews
6
TW. Give me your five best tips for promoting your business and launching an interior design firm?
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3. Don't be afraid to ask people you know or clients to recommend you to others. Sometimes recommendations come from the most indirect connections, so it is good to get the word out there to one and all.
4. Social media, social media social media!!!!!...including programs like Blog Talk Radio are a must for self-promoting.
5. Associate yourself with a designer referral service. The one I am associated with is iMatch Designers run by Lloyd Princeton. There is usually a yearly fee associated with services like this, but, once again, you are spreading the word about your talents to an audience you would not normally reach.
6. Lastly, as a designer you should have a "look" that makes your style highly discernible when someone looks at photos of your work. Create your "brand" of interior design so people associate you with it. This is something I feel strongly about!
TW. What are some mistakes small business owners make for starting a business and keeping it afloat?
All small businesses should be run like a smart, tight ship. In the interior design business avoid falling into the pit falls of too large a rent for your office, and too many people on staff. To be successful you must provide excellent service...interior design is a service business. That means, calling clients back within 24 hours, making them feel you are listening to their wants and demands. Although it is all about your talent and creativity as a designer, in the end interior design is a business and must be run like one.
TW. I run into a number of new business owners looking to partner with more established business owners. What advice would you have given them and why?
I have frequently thought of doing this but have never been successful at finding the right person. Perhaps, in that interior design is a creative business, it is more difficult to find the right 'dancing partner' or someone that can share the limelight with you and not need to be top dog all of the time.
TW. Any final thoughts/tips?
Be prepared for many ups and downs. Having talent is not necessarily going to open tons of doors for you and send people your way. I have often commented on the number of people who have become successful interior designers and in my book have zilch talent or originality. Be persistent, focused on your goals and totally devoted to your business. Living and breathing a business is definitely a sure fire way to guarantee success. Look and see what the most successful interior designers are doing: how does their web site look, what events do they go to, listen to them at design events, etc. there is no one recipe for success for everyone, but basic devotion to your craft, listening to what your clients want and maintaining professional business standards will definitely promote you in the right direction.
Q9. How can people reach you?
Gail Shields-Miller
Shields & Company Interiors
223 East 60th Suite 4F
New York, NY 10022
T (212) 679-9130
F (212) 679-9140