Written for Decorati by Gail Doby, ASID

My crystal ball predicts a mild recovery in 2011.

The tax bill passed in December 2010, and economic indicators are stronger for remodeling. The affluent are spending again. However, they are more cautious and value-driven than before.

What can you do to grow your business?

1. Specialize. Create a specialty niche that capitalizes on a growing trend. It doesn’t mean you’re limited to doing that work, but it makes it easier to market your business because you will be known for that specialty. Neurosurgeons make 265% more than family practice doctors. Kitchen and Bath designers make much more than the average interior designers based on NKBA statistics and our findings.
2. Create your own economy. (Some interior designers are swamped, congratulations to you!) Why? They spent their year marketing consistently. They revamped their websites, reconnected with past clients, used social media, increased their visibility with public relations and generally worked hard. Action: Create a 12-Month Referral Program for your business. One for past clients, one for current clients, and one for referral partners. Automate it with software like Constant Contact, Send Pepper or AWeber.
3. Increase your visibility. Self-promote or hire a publicist. Create a 12-Month plan for Advertising, PR and Marketing. Make sure you have a Facebook Fan Page, Twitter Account, Optimized LinkedIn profile and an updated website. List your business on the Search Engine Maps for your area. Optimize your website to include the words, “interior design your city” on more than one page, create a blog and post at least once a week (make sure it is attached to your website) to increase your website traffic. Set a target for your media exposures. Don’t stop until you have commitments for the number of articles, public speaking opportunities, TV or radio interviews. Write blog posts for your local on-line newspapers. Get involved in your community.
4. Joint venture. Find people who are in allied businesses and co-promote. If you’re not a specialist in window treatments, kitchen or bath design, partner with someone who is. Develop a relationship with a remodeler and create joint articles or press pitches about the latest trends. The media loves to hear about trends.
5. Systematize your marketing. Some wise person said, “you never know which day you missed marketing that caused the phones not to ring months later.” Inconsistent marketing creates inconsistent results. Market, Market, Market. Marketing makes selling irrelevant. Analyze what you’ve done in the past. If you didn’t get a result after spending thousands of dollars on advertising, STOP!

Create a successful 2011!

Gail Doby, ASID and Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University, is your shortcut to a more profitable and passion-filled interior design business. Download your complimentary copy of the 2010 – 2011 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook for more great strategies.

Everyone knows I love books, whether they’re a hard copy or audio. I guess it’s my constant thirst for knowledge which drives me to read. We never get too old to learn something new.

Vickie Ayres, The Countess of QuickBooks, recently gave me a subscription to Soundview Executive Book Summaries. Each month, I’ll receive three new summaries. Each summary is available in multiple digital formats. As a bonus, I’ll also receive 30 of the top business books from 2010 and six bonus summaries of my choice. What I love about this gift is I can get the gist of the entire book by reading or listening to a summary. WOW, who could ask for anything more than that? I guess Vickie knows minutes do matter to me! If you really like the summary you can purchase the book. Hmmm, no probably not for me, the summary will be just right.

With this subscription I also received a hard copy of their book The Management Gurus. This book contains 15 summaries of the best management books of all time. I really love the book. It is short, sweet and best of all to the point; since each chapter is a condensed version of the author’s book. Did I mention MinutesMatter to me?

The summaries contained in this one book include: (I’ve hyperlinked a few titles for you.)

• Winning With People
• Topgrading
• Jack Welch and the 4E’s of Leadership
• The Leadership Challenge
• Gods of Management
• Influencer
• True North
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
• Judgment
• Small Giants
• Dealing with Darwin
• Wikinomics
• Managing Crises Before They Happen
• The Leader of the Future
• The Next Global Stage

Check out their site and see if this is a way for you to learn more faster.

Think of all the people who’ve coached you during your lifetime. Even as little kids, our parents held out their arms saying, “Come on…you can do it! Take a little step, that’s a good girl, YEAH! You did it!” Confidence is such a great feeling!

From the first steps we take to the first ball we hit in Little League, coaches make us believe we can do better. As life progresses, we seem to resist the need for coaching. Almost everything we would like to improve in our business and personal lives would benefit from some coaching. A skilled coach can help us get there faster and easier. Stretching us, making us reach for skills we thought out of reach. A good coach will recognize our weaknesses and give us work to do to improve. The pat we get on the back in acknowledgment of our strengths and improvement can make us stand tall all day long. This is why we feel so strongly about the personal support we offer here at Minutes Matter. Our clients who take advantage of the one-on-one support we offer come away with a feeling of accomplishment and proficiency that is not seen in any other training tools we offer.

If this is the year to master your accounting or take your design renderings to the next level, why don’t you try a little coaching? We offer group coaching sessions (which even include a little homework) and private sessions too.

Don’t be one who barely skims the surface of what Studio and QuickBooks & Quoting can do for your business. Today’s the day to start fully utilizing all aspects of these multi-faceted programs.

QuickBooks “Right Start” | Novice |
(begins January 18th)

“What would it be worth if you had your own CFO working side by side with you for six weeks?”

Well, with the Right Start Coaching Program you can! Our online coaching program is specifically tailored to suit your business needs and offered exclusively through Minutes Matter and WFCP (Window Fashions Certification Program). Vickie Ayres, a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor, will guide you through this amazing six-week program.

Learning accounting through trial and error produces unnecessary and costly mistakes. Instead of a haphazardly learning QuickBooks, immerse yourself in this program to learn the most efficient and precise financial practices. Since its a government mandate to keep accurate records, now is the time to create a systematic approach to accomplish your bookkeeping responsibilities.

It’s simple and easy. During our Novice program you’ll actually create a company, perform tasks, generate reports, and determine your profitability – all from the comfort of your own office. Every week you will receive a lesson handout for that week’s Group lesson by email. The handout will include instructions to complete that week’s assignment for the project that will be due at the end of the program.

In the advanced level, we’ll talk about financial analysis and how to trouble shoot when bad things happen.

The online coaching program is developed specifically for design and window covering professionals by Minutes Matter and offered exclusively through WFCP. Earn credits toward WFCP’s Business Strategy Certification as you learn. Each session is specifically tailored to suit your business needs. You’ll learn to utilize QuickBooks to your advantage.

It’s that time again, when most of us are thinking about setting goals for 2011…and most of us won’t accomplish them. Why is that?

We get excited and create amazing resolutions or goals, and within days, we stop working on what we know we want to do, but do we really truly want to achieve those goals?

If you don’t have a Goal Journal, go purchase one a blank journal at the office supply or bookstore. That’s your first step to goal achievement in 2011.

Why don’t we accomplish our goals? Let’s look at some of the top reasons:

1. We set too many goals. It’s like going to a buffet. If you mounds of food and put it all on your plate, you’ll eat too much, and yet, not get the nutrients you need. Or, you’ll eat a small portion and waste the rest. Why do we do this? We want to make some significant changes, but we don’t have a realistic expectation about how long things will take. So…when you set those goals for yourself, be sure to include a time estimate for each of the goals to be completed. Realistically, you can only do one thing at a time. Focus is the key to success. Strategies:

• Set 1 – 3 goals per month at the most
• Estimate time to be completed
• Set an end date for completion

2. We fight our own subconscious belief systems. We may not believe we’re worthy of the success that reaching that goal will mean. If your internal beliefs aren’t in synch with the goals that you’ve set, you’ll self-sabotage and then feel even worse that you didn’t accomplish your goals. When you set goals, identify the beliefs you must have to achieve those goals. Strategies:

• Evaluate whether your real true core belief about yourself is aligned with the beliefs you must have to accomplish those goals.
• Identify what steps you must take to change your beliefs that you are worthy of those goals and release those negative beliefs.
• Define what it would mean emotionally to you to accomplish those goals. Would you feel confident and proud?

3. We don’t write down the steps and resources we need to achieve those goals. Just writing down a goal without the steps almost ensures that we are writing down a dream and not a goal. Strategies:

• Write one goal per page in your new Goal Journal.
• Write the step required right before you achieve that goal.
• Keep working backwards until you have the first step identified.
• Immediately put those steps on your calendar based on your time estimates and end date.
• Focus on achieving the steps and not the end result.
• Celebrate your accomplishments frequently.

4. We’re not accountable to others or to ourselves. It’s easy to let ourselves not follow through. We’re too busy, too tired, too frustrated. Strategies:

• Identify your excuses and exorcise them. You either have excuses or results. Which one do you choose?
• Get into a mastermind group and make that a requirement, that every week, you set accountability and you at least get a friendly kick if you don’t get the task done.
• Remember that if you don’t take the accountability to yourself seriously, you’ll get less accomplished.
• Don’t make a goal or promise to yourself unless you’re willing to keep it.

5. We set goals that don’t mean anything to us personally. If you’re doing something to please others, you’re likely to disappoint yourself. Strategies:

• Only set goals that you are committed to do because they fit with your personal values. If they don’t fit your personal values, then don’t commit to them.
• Setting a goal to lose weight because we want to be more attractive to our mate or prospective partner won’t keep us on task.
• Do it for yourself because you want to feel healthy, sexy and attractive.

6.We don’t cut expenses quickly enough. If your goals are financial, and you’re not on track to achieve your financial target, it’s important to make changes. Avoiding the problems won’t make them go away. None of us expected the economy to crash so completely, and if you’re still doing the same things you were a few years ago, you could save some money on non-essentials. If you can overcome your own resistance to change, fears and concerns, you’ll be even stronger as a person and as a business owner. Now it’s important to find your resourcefulness and determination to succeed in spite of it. Strategies:

• Cut non-essential expenses.
• Use outsourcing instead of adding employees and the associate overhead.
• Bundle your phone and Internet services.
• Cut out subscriptions. Go to the library or bookstore to browse.
• Invest in leverage for exponential success – software, education and marketing Don’t cut your marketing or education budgets.
• Keep your expenses low even when business returns to a more normal level.

7. We don’t have time and resource contingencies built in. Life happens and when we don’t account for the fact that we get colds or the flu, or others need our help with something, or we need an extra cushion in case of emergencies, then we get frustrated and give up on a goal because we didn’t allow for that time. Strategies:

• Allow twice as long to accomplish your goal and twice as much money.
• Determine your Plan B or Plan C just in case. If you don’t get 6 new clients, what will you do? How will you achieve your revenue goals?
• Set up reserves in your business to help you cover shortfalls.
• Think about additional resources you can draw on to meet your adjusted goals when you’re not on track to achieve them on time and within the budget you set.

8. We don’t remind ourselves about our goals often enough. How much is enough? Strategies:

• Create a collage with pictures of how you’ll feel when you achieve your goal and what it looks like.
• If you’re shooting for a dollar goal for your business, create a picture or add color to the graphics of the dollar figure, and add that to your collage. Include pictures of your family so you connect the earning of the money with what it will do for your family and for yourself.
• Include pictures of the rewards. Will you give yourself a day at the spa, or a massage. We think in pictures, so use pictures to motivate yourself and connect with the emotions you’ll feel when you achieve what you desire.
• Look at these pictures and reminders every day, and be sure to include them on your computer screen or in your Goal Journal (that you’re going out to buy today) so you can see what it is you want to achieve and can measure your progress.
• You can also scan in a collage of goal achievement pictures and use it as a screen-saver on your computer.

9. Don’t look at goals as a heavy burden. Add rewards for accomplishment. Strategies:

• Take a break, have coffee with a friend, go to the museum for a few hours, take a walk, put extra earnings in a separate fund to purchase a small reward like a great picture frame or massage.
• Write down what you’re grateful for in your Goal Journal and do it frequently. That in itself is a great reward for small accomplishments.
• A long journey begins with a single step.
• Take the first step.

10.We feel like a failure if we have setbacks along the way and it can tempt us to give up. Strategies:

• When setbacks arise, take a detour. Each setback is feedback, and it means we need to take in what we experienced and think about what we learned from it. It’s not a reflection of our character.
• Be your own best teacher. We all learn more from our mistakes more than our successes. Discover the root cause of your setbacks, and how you can avoid the same challenge in the future so you don’t repeat the mistakes.
• Use your Goal Journal to record your setbacks so you can figure out how you can overcome them.
• Record your progress.

You are worthy of great accomplishments and recognition for who you are. Remember that it is more important to do things because they make you feel good than it is to get recognition by others. It’s good for your soul to feel that you’re worthy and wonderful the way you are.

About Gail Doby, ASID: Gail is a business shortcut for designers who want to create a more profitable and passion-filled business. She is Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University. Join her on Facebook or LinkedIn and – join the LinkedIn Design Success University group.

We use the latest technology to help our clients learn how to use our software, whether it’s the graphic design program Studio or our QuickBooks & Quoting program. Minutes Matter offers free monthly webinars for which you can register quickly and easily. Look for an email or check our website and blog for links to the various presentations.

Once you click on the link to register giving only your name and email address, you’ll receive a confirmation email. When you use the link from one of our emails, you can “auto-register” by simply clicking, there’s nothing to fill out. If you don’t see the confirmation, check your spam or junk mailbox.

On the day of the webinar, you’ll receive a reminder.

At least ten minutes before, click on the blue hyperlink in the email and wait for the GoToWebinar software to download. This takes less than a minute. Then you’re in the meeting site. You can decide whether to listen to the presentation through your computer’s speakers (this is called VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol) or by calling in on your telephone which may be a toll call depending on your long distance service.

Your computer monitor will display the presenter’s screen and you will be able to watch in the comfort of your office or home as the demonstration takes place live.

Because we have so many attendees, we have everyone muted to prevent feedback from background noise. We still want you to participate, so use the Question box on your Attendee Panel to type in your questions. One of our organizers will respond and if your question needs clarification, the presenter will demonstrate on screen.

We hope this brief explanation of how a webinar works will alleviate any fears you may have and you will join us for an informative, fact-filled seminar.

See you on line!

We invite you to join us Wednesday, December 8 at 1 PM Eastern for our Studio Live! Webinar which will focus on the Media Room. In addition to some inspiring ideas for creating elevation renderings of a Home Theater and learning how to design to scale on a photo (working around a pool table!), you’ll also receive a white paper on media room suggestions and specifications.

Log on early to watch our slide show and plan to stay for the entire presentation to be eligible for the gift certificates drawing!

Click here to register:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/777235624

For the well-organized among us:
If you use Microsoft Outlook Calendar, click on the link after your register to add the Webinar to your calendar, or choose one of the other calendar options.

Here’s how to add the Webinar or any event in your Google calendar “automatically” and make sure you have the details right.

1. Click on the link in the email that says “Add to your Outlook calendar”.

2. Select “Save File” and save it to your desktop. In this case, the file is webinar.ics.

3. Go to your Google calendar and find the “Add” link. Look for it on the bottom right of the “Other Calendar” section on the left side of the screen.

4. Select “Import Calendar”.

5. Select the appropriate file (the one you just downloaded) and click the Import button.

6. You’re done! The event will now appear on your calendar.

The whole process takes less than a minute, and you have all the info accurately placed on your calendar.

As we gather together with family and friends and count our blessings, here’s an educational site to entertain the children (and the adults!) and learn about what really happened on that “first” Thanksgiving nearly 400 years ago:
http://www.plimoth.org/education/olc/intro.html

Studio designs inspired by the Members Take on the Catwalk. Created by WFCP members. {Window Fashion Vision: WFCP Members}