I have connected with a lot of builders recently and they all say that their clients don’t come to them with a designer and the homeowner makes all the selections, even for custom homes. I want to reach out to the homeowners directly to talk about the services I offer and how it helps but has anyone actually asked builders to share their customers with them? Or how do you go about this so it’s not sketchy? Is it acceptable to ask for the homeowner name and phone number so I can connect with them?

Hello! So not to toot my own horn but, I have alot of really great experience working on restaurants in Southern California between the years of 2015-2023.. I have since moved back to my hometown in Upstate NY to start my family. I want to keep working for myself to continue to enjoy the freedom of being with my family on MY time. The issue I am having is how to break into this new, and very small market. I have gotten a few referrals out west for new work there, but the potential clients seem to get cold feet about working with a designer who is not local. So it seems I need to embrace this and focus on my local community. A little history on how it all started, In SoCal I was working for a firm full time, and got referred clients from my boss who didn't want to take on projects that were too small for the firm. So there wasn't a whole lot of effort on my part toget clients. (Very lucky I know!) But now I am starting all over again... Any suggestions? I have had an expense yelp add up for the last month and only gotten one lead asking about curtains. I was thinking of contacting a few custom furniture companies that specialize in custom work, and seeing if we could work together somehow to refer each other for new potential work. Any other ideas? Thanks!

Hello everyone! I'm looking for recommendations for a reliable SEO company. I'm considering hiring an SEO expert, but I'm hesitant because I don't personally know any company I can trust to do a great job. Any suggestions for a reputable SEO company would be greatly appreciated. I would really appreciate any recommendations you could provide. Thank you!🤗

What is your process for getting remodel quotes so they are accurate and include your time to meet with subs? For example, for some of your clients in the videos you mention getting quotes for paint or flooring. How do you build on that time into your design fee in your proposal? Or if doing a full kitchen reno, you have to have a sub meeting to get all trades in the room to have everyone give you their bids so you can create a quote for the whole project. How do you charge for this time and prevent the client from getting the bid and then walking away?

If you were to commit 4 hours a day to doing activities in your business that could produce more clients, what would you spend your time doing as a designer? I’ve been spending a lot of time on trainings and designing spaces in design files. I know I need to do the right activities to generate the business but sometimes my brain gets stuck not knowing what to do.