From:Jennifer Bramwell
Subject: Question for you
Hi, Vicente, I enjoy your blog and appreciate your willingness to give advice. Myself and my business partner have an interior design business with a studio in my home. We have avoided taking on the overhead of retail space for the past five years and enjoy the flexibility and low overhead of not having inventory and a retail business to take care of. However, we are trying other methods to attract clients including a monthly newsletter and a blog. We are still facing some dry spells and can take on and need more business. We are primarily residential and live and work in a four season tourist community north of Toronto so there is lots of business to be had if we had the magic bullet.
Any suggestions?
Kind regards,
Jennifer Bramwell
Vicente Responds:
For many years I ran my business from a separate office in my apartment and was lucky enough to build my business from there. When I first went on my own, I felt that to feel fully professional, I needed a seperate office where I could be perceived as established and grounded. I think it helped to build confidence and respect from the clients that I got.
If you keep a plant in a small pot it won’t grow bigger, but if you transplant it to a larger pot it will flourish. Think of your business in the same way.
Regarding that magic bullet for new business…I suggest you think of ways in which you can get connected to clients that are out there (and when you find that one that works best, let me know so I can do it myself!).
Here are some of my quick thoughts:
- Socially, I have no kids (only a cat), but I understand that the school connection is pretty good in helping to get the word out there.
- Are you published? Perhaps you should target your area’s design magazines with your best job and see if you can get published. That usually gets the phones ringing.
- Talk to real estate people so you can form a partnership where they can help you sell services when they sell a new apartment.
Maybe some of the readers have additional ideas – let us know what has worked for you by sharing them here!
#1 by Lindsey on May 26, 2010 - 10:37 pm
Great question and great answer.
I, too, have been working out of my house since I ventured out on my own Jan. 2009. My biggest fear is not being able to keep a steady client flow with the larger overhead. However, most of all I fear losing potential clients by not having a public presence. Fear is an evil thing…
#2 by Lindsey on May 26, 2010 - 10:43 pm
Oh- being published locally has landed me several fun and interesting clients. Best of all, they hire you because they love your style- not because they are in need of a designer, any designer. From the get go they know what to expect and you know they have awesome taste!
#3 by Carla on June 3, 2010 - 1:51 am
I’ve moved out of my home office into my new design studio in the last few months and I’m absolutely thrilled I did it. I have a full time employee too, which is really a jump. My clients love coming to my studio to meet and can learn so much more about my work and what I can offer them. It’s the best business decision I’ve made.