There are a lot of small companies with one or two people running the show. And it can resemble the greatest show on earth. It can “wow” at the end, but it can, quite frankly. be a circus to get it all together. From the start, every detail must be exact. Every drawing must be precise. Every purchase order needs to be correct down to the last nailhead. And even if all that goes well, you then must hope that the furniture you ordered months ago actually comes with the correct top, the fabric applied the right way, and in the right finish. In the meantime, the tile guy read the drawing upside down and installed the tile wrong. The painter did not bother to cut the trim straight. The kitchen guy ordered the wrong size cabinet for the 3rd time. The plumber decides he does not need to show up for a week and delay the whole job. And the client treats you like it is all your fault. You personally are causing the delays and screw ups. It is just appalling the table lamp did not arrive before Thanksgiving. What will my family think?? How dare you.
You decide you need an assistant to help, so you hire someone. How do you go about making it a fit? Are they really going to help? Or are they more interested in being on social media all day long?
You are expected to know everything about everything: from furniture and rug construction to actual building construction. And there is no place to turn for help. The trade groups are there for CEUs or an occasional networking event.
We want to help. Between us, we have faced so many problems, issues, employees, and all the other things that happen that you just cannot make up or believe. Having worked both showroom side and design side, in a commercial sphere, countless kitchens, baths, renovations, we have learned a lot on how to solve the problems and issues that come up daily. How do you properly deal with customer service to fix the sofa that is two toned and should not be? How do you cover yourself against contractor delays? How do you deal with the cranky client?
We can all learn from each other. Ask questions. Get advice. It does not have to be such a daunting task to face it all. Let’s all survive design together.
