Hot Young Designers Club Hot Young Designers Club

This week we're talking about setting our projects up right. Yes, a big part of our job is creative. But we spend a lot of time setting client expectations, so we break down some ideas through automation, emails, forms, and templates. Since so much is out of our hands, we can at least take these steps to help prepare our clients!
Questions/comments? Email us at https://mailto:hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com/ (hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com)
Follow Rebecca
http://www.instagram.com/studioplumb (Instagram) + http://www.studioplumb.com/ (Website)

Follow Shaun
http://www.instagram.com/wrenstedinteriors (Instagram) + http://www.wrenstedinteriors.com/ (Website)
Stuff they mentioned:


Sub-agreements in https://my.captivate.fm/dubsado.com/?c=studioplumb (Dubsado)
https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9395629?hl=en (How to send an email later in Gmail)
Rebecca uses https://airmailapp.com/ (Airmail) for her email

On today's show we're sharing some secrets of styling and talking about the art of selling accessories. And we have some exciting past guests to share their own process. We get into profitability, efficiency, and how to retain the joy of design. If you've been wondering how everyone else does it, this is the show for you
Questions/comments? Email us at https://mailto:hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com/ (hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com)
Follow Rebecca
http://www.instagram.com/studioplumb (Instagram) + http://www.studioplumb.com/ (Website)

Follow Shaun
http://www.instagram.com/wrenstedinteriors (Instagram) + http://www.wrenstedinteriors.com/ (Website)


Stuff they mentioned:


We talk about the benefits of hiring a stylist for photographs and editorial instead of styling for client installations.
How to help clients understand the value of creating fully styled spaces
Using fully accessorized and styled rooms to help advertise for the next ideal client and project
Most designers are investing their own time and energy to bring in accessories and styling items for clients
We realized that many are not confident that their process is the ideal way they want to handle things long term
We explore a little about why running a retail store isn’t ideal for everyone
We wanted to leave more confident in our own process and feeling comfortable with experimenting on new styling processes
Eneia shares her own process for purchasing accessories and how she bills it to clients
We talked about creating a single lump line item on proposals for accessories.
Rebecca is trying the Sortly app for inventory management
Lauren from Studio Laloc has a little bit of a different process she shares with us
https://www.kravet.com/decor/decorative-accessories (Kravet accessories)
The journey of buying vintage and antique items and maintaining an inventory may not be for everyone
Consider the space needs, temperature control, insurance, and the need to sell merchandise to build profit into your business model
We weigh some of the pros and cons of new wholesale accessories vs. purchasing vintage and how to make money off it
https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ba0813b8-0125-4c42-a781-d0dbcbec94d0 (Ginny Episode 6)
https://player.captivate.fm/episode/8534a50a-987d-4d69-a089-6520d23a4e1e (Eneia Episode 38)
https://player.captivate.fm/episode/d7373c1a-b0ff-4cdd-9ee8-f0233cfde496 (Lauren Episode 29)

In Part 8 of our Process Party series we're breaking down how we set budget expectations with our clients. Whether it's furnishing our remodeling projects, we have to set proper expectations early. Because money isn't just part of the conversation - it is the conversation! Head to our show notes for details on how to download our free HYDC Client Budgeting Guide.

Questions/comments? Email us at https://mailto:hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com (hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com)
Follow Rebecca
http://www.instagram.com/studioplumb (Instagram) + http://www.studioplumb.com/ (Website)

Follow Shaun
http://www.instagram.com/wrenstedinteriors (Instagram) + http://www.wrenstedinteriors.com/ (Website)
Stuff they mentioned:
We're continuing our Summer Skip Schedule to publish new episodes every other week
We would love to take a Summer sourcing trip to France or Morocco
Rebecca is worried about everything she needs to accomplish before her Hawaiian vacation
Shaun's vacation plans for Provincetown, MA didn't come together, stay tuned for other vacation plans.
Shaun's loving https://www.carolinairvingtextiles.com/almaty-velvet (Carolina Irving's Almaty Velvet fabric)
We want to be good stewards of our clients' money and where it makes sense for their budgets to be spent
Listen back to https://player.captivate.fm/episode/50acf0ae-6d87-4e02-87f2-4cc5053dca48 (Episode 44 Process Party: Furniture Education) when we started these budget conversations
In our interview with https://player.captivate.fm/episode/969bd7d5-0fb4-4f61-91b0-9ea88ed2fd63 (Jacob Medina in Episode 26), he talked about using a Good/Better/Best model with clients to establish budget expectations.
We need to move past our own money stories and emotional hangups to be the best advocates for our clients
Shaun has found it helpful to use the https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2021/ (National Home Remodeling Guide) to help clients understand costs of remodeling or construction projects
These honest conversations help establish our credibility as trusted advisors for our clients
Shaun also implemented a minimum furnishing and accessory budget along with construction projects as a way to create a more sustainable business.
Head to our https://hotyoungdesignersclub.com/resources (Resources) Page to download the free PDF of our Client Budgeting Guide.

On this week's episode we're excited to sit down with Asha Chaudhary, the CEO of Jaipur Living. Jaipur Living is one of our favorite rug and textile vendors to work with. Asha shares what it's like to run a business with her family and how they like to collaborate with textile artisans globally.

Questions/comments? Email us at https://mailto:hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com (hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com)
Follow Rebecca
http://www.instagram.com/studioplumb (Instagram) + http://www.studioplumb.com/ (Website)

Follow Shaun
http://www.instagram.com/wrenstedinteriors (Instagram) + http://www.wrenstedinteriors.com/ (Website)


Stuff they mentioned:


This episode is sponsored by Jaipur Living. Visit https://JaipurLiving.com/HYD (JaipurLiving.com/HYD) to set up your account today.
We appreciate the family-owned attention Jaipur Living gives to their products and their customer experience.
Asha and her sisters are all helping their company build on their father's vision that started in India.
It was fascinating to hear about how the relationships with the artisans helps create a unique and beautiful textile and we love sharing that story with our clients.
Asha is on the steering committee for the https://www.buildanest.org/ (Nest) organization, a non-profit supporting the responsible growth of the artisan and maker economy.
The https://www.jaipurrugs.org/ (Jaipur Rugs Foundation) is helping to uplift the artisan communities throughout India.
We talk about Jaipur's partnership with designers at https://www.jaipurliving.com/rugs.html?product_collection=35117 (Verde Home) to create a unique collection based on what designer's are looking for.
And you know we enjoyed hearing about the supply chain impacts on their business so we can help our clients understand what's happening globally and build the right expectations into our business.
Asha also shares with us how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their families, artisans, and their business. It was a good reminder for us to consider the impact that individual people are having on the goods we bring into our clients' homes.
There are lots of great customization options in the work with Jaipur Living which is exciting as a designer to think about how we can create our own bespoke pieces for clients.
Asha shared how she has been investing in her own professional development recently through the https://bit.ly/3632giC (StrengthsFinder book) and online https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx (StrengthsFinder) assessment.

This is the first episode of our new Vendor Bender series where we'll welcoming industry experts onto the show. We want to help designers run their businesses better, and we're starting of with Dalia Soles of Design Assisted. Dalia's company helps designers increase their efficiency through outsourced project management, design assistance, and procurement.

Questions/comments? Email us at https://mailto:hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com (hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com)
Follow Rebecca
http://www.instagram.com/studioplumb (Instagram) + http://www.studioplumb.com/ (Website)

Follow Shaun
http://www.instagram.com/wrenstedinteriors (Instagram) + http://www.wrenstedinteriors.com/ (Website)
Stuff they mentioned:
Dalia's background in both commercial and residential projects in Palm Beach, CA helped her identify a gap in the design industry that lead to the launch of her company, Design Assisted.
Find Dalia https://www.designassistedco.com/ (online), on https://www.instagram.com/designassisted/ (Instagram), and on https://www.facebook.com/designassisted/ (Facebook)
Dalia cut her teeth in the design industry working for http://www.kembleinteriors.com/ (Kemble Design) in Florida
We love her spirit of figuring things out and being courageous to jump into a new career path and industry.
Dalia talks about thriving in environments where she can lift others up, and how her role as a Design Assistant can sometimes involve being a therapist for her designers.
We talked more about outsourcing in https://player.captivate.fm/episode/29b2de21-7d6d-4971-b659-2793e464a2e0 (Episode 40)
Dalia shares how she uses https://trello.com/?andaceid=andadposition=andadgroup=105703214328andcampaign=9843285532andcreative=430959026561anddevice=candkeyword=trelloandmatchtype=eandnetwork=gandplacement=andds_kids=p53016490704andds_e=GOOGLEandds_eid=700000001557344andds_e1=GOOGLEandgclid=Cj0KCQjw--GFBhDeARIsACH_kda_P-3s95iv-DPqwMCJaYLWeDI2SmfUnHXUfHv63sOUazW8gPom22waAjPXEALw_wcBandgclsrc=aw.ds (Trello) and https://www.asana.com (Asana) to help her clients projects move smoothly
Bringing on a design assistant can help increase revenue through time billing and increase the designer's productivity
Dalia shares her love of Google Slides to help organize information and acts as brain dump for our full minds
We also talk about our various experiences with Enneagram and how our types effect our work and personal lives.
Dalia has recommended https://willowandjax.com/ (Willow and Jax) to some of her clients as a resource to help define their processes.
She also talked about her mental health journey working with adult ADHD after discovering https://www.tiktok.com/@chalenejohnson?langCountry=cebandenter_from=pcandsource=h5_mand_r=1 (Chalene Johnson) on Tik Tok
She's currently inspired by the dynamic work of https://www.instagram.com/cameron_ruppert_interiors/ (Cameron Ruppert Interiors)

This week we're boldly going where no Hottie has gone before. It's time for the 5th installment of our most popular series Just Stop. And do we have some good ones for you. We're talking about fighting the algorithm, getting paid in full, and hunting for unicorns.

Questions/comments? Email us at https://mailto:hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com (hello@hotyoungdesignersclub.com)
Follow Rebecca
http://www.instagram.com/studioplumb (Instagram) + http://www.studioplumb.com/ (Website)

Follow Shaun
http://www.instagram.com/wrenstedinteriors (Instagram) + http://www.wrenstedinteriors.com/ (Website)
Stuff they mentioned:
Shaun had fallen off Instagram posting so he got back into it by starting Reels.
One of Shaun's reels has https://www.instagram.com/reel/COtE4xVgpKb/?utm_medium=copy_link https://www.instagram.com/reel/COtE4xVgpKb/?utm_medium=copy_link (gone viral).
If you fell off the wagon too, try using an auto-posting app like Planoly or Later.
Rebecca is having a Mom Summer but has a vacation coming up
And if you're looking for the perfect bag to carry everything around, Rebecca is loving her https://bit.ly/3peqNK5 (Hulken) bags.
The Hulken bag also holds her https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/kuggis-box-with-lid-white-20280207/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2NyFBhDoARIsAMtHtZ5uVGbg2mYU2pMpy2aOSqC-r5OfotC3HpujLOv9VpRWZ1pnWtgkA00aArHDEALw_wcB (IKEA KUGGIS presentation trays)
We're back for part 4 of the popular Just Stop series (https://player.captivate.fm/episode/39c8823c-5b34-416f-979e-a9f2a0f8bdb5 (Part 1), https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ddb81e7e-0d8d-4497-a479-106eb0de9853 (Part 2), https://player.captivate.fm/episode/c1b80202-3164-417d-937a-14a8d5e001ec (Part 3))
Just Stop asking for magic unicorn solutions to problems during projects, put in the work and learn from your mistakes.
Just Stop asking what to do with 90s developer niches, just close them up.
Just Stop selling goods and products to clients without marking them up.
Just Stop worrying about what other designers are doing.
Just Stop complaining about the Instagram algorithm.
Just Stop complaining about how the internet and online shopping have changed our industry.
Just Stop acting like a bank for clients - they should be paying for 100% of goods before you order so you're not at risk.