Keep an eye on your target market.

I was recently talking with a business acquaintance of mine who was telling me she had finally seen what she said had been in front of her for a while! What am I talking about? -well this lady who I have met a various network events and courses over the past few years has always been very focused on her business and who her target clients are. To my mind it was a very small niche and a pretty tricky one to get to part with any money!

Now more recently as things have been a little more difficult and she was having to think a lot more than before about how she was going to get her clients she told me that she finally registered the fact that she had in fact been turning work away that she was more than qualified to do because it didn't fit into her niche -it wasn't what her business did!

So what has she decided to do ?-well all credit to her -she has taken the bull by the horns and decided to rethink her whole business and to target these people who she knows are out there wanting what she can offer. I liked this attitude -there is actually quite a lot we can learn from this:

1) Know your target market really really well.

2) Check every now and then that your target market still exists and still wants what you are offering.

3) If the target market has changed, or if its requirements have changed then you may need to change and adapt too.

4) Be flexible in what you offer but not so much that you dilute your skills so much that no one can really understand what it is you do.

5) Don't be afraid to change - things are changing really fast in the business world and business owners can't afford to stand still and let it all happen

6) Be open to what is going on around you - listen to what your customers are asking you for and be prepared to adapt and try new things.

7) Keep an eye on what is happening in the business world, both locally and nationally so that you can keep up with the current ways of doing business, meaning that your customers will get the impression you are a leader not a follower.

8) And finally, don't be disheartened if things aren't going quite how you would like them to. Be astute and aware and keep your ears to the ground for any opportunities that you may be able to tap into.

10 tips for easier Project Management

For interior designers who are new to the business or have little experience, project managing a renovation can seem like a daunting prospect. Without real organisation it is something that can easily spiral out of control. Here are my 10 top tips for getting the project managing side of things right.

1) ORGANISE: Once you have the go ahead to implement your proposed schemes you need to be very organised with paperwork, specifications and schedules. Start a paper file with dividers to separate various aspects of the job. Make sure you file everything meticulously so that you can refer back whenever you need to.

2) COMMUNICATE: Your contractors wont know what to do unless you tell them. It's really not enough to hand them a load of drawings and ask them to get on with it. Contractors wont spend the time working from your plans -they want someone on site regularly telling them what to put where. Ideally you should visit the site daily so that you can quickly get on top of any misunderstandings that may occur.

3) PLAN, PLAN, and PLAN AGAIN: If you take the time to make sure you have covered every detail then your job will be easier once the project is underway. You need to make sure you have the right materials on site at the right time so it is important to sit down with the contractors and timetable the project properly.

4) CHECK: Make sure you double check measurements before making large orders for furniture, curtains etc. It is also vital to check orders when they arrive - its no good having a consignment of door handles delivered a week before they are needed only to find on the day they are being fitted that they are not the right ones!

5) RECORD: Write everything down! If the client wants changes made or additions part way through the project make sure you have the changes in writing along with a signed agreement for the extra costs involved. Record materials used, invoices received and sent out , money spent and keep any notes made during meetings with contractors.

6) BUDGET: Take time to carefully plan the budget. Timetable when items need to be ordered, when they will arrive and more importantly when they will need to be paid for. Documenting your cash flow for the project will help you decide when to ask your clients for interim payments.

7) SUPPLIERS: Keep on top of suppliers -call them to check they have received your orders if you don't receive acknowledgements from them. Find out delivery dates so that you can be sure someone is in to receive the goods, check goods are in stock and can be delivered on time, follow up if things don't turn up when you expect them to.

8) TROUBLE SHOOT: Inevitably there will be problems along the way. Don't bury your head in the sand! Assess the problem and deal with it before it spirals out of control.

9) BEFORE CONTRACTORS LEAVE: Take lots of time to really inspect the job that has been done. Write a snagging list of all the things that need to be done before the job is signed off and make sure they are followed up on quickly. The best way is to make sure the contractors haven't received their final payment until this is done.

10) FINISHING TOUCHES: Finish the job well! Make sure rooms are clean, rubbish is taken away, windows are cleaned, carpets are vacuumed, furniture is correctly placed, cushions are plumped- you get the idea! Even if your client has 4 cats sprawling on the new sofa before you left the driveway you must leave the job looking like a showroom!

Hopefully these tips will lead to problem free project management for all of you readers. Look out for my new project management course for interior designers coming soon. More details will be published on this blog nearer the time.

Setting Goals

This week I wanted to talk to you about setting goals in our business. Never has this been more important than it is now when to succeed we need to be focused on what it is that we define as success. The best way to move forward is to set ourselves goals, and this is something my business mentor has encouraged me to do on a regular basis.

So when you start out in business you have lots of thoughts about what you would like to do and achieve, and as time goes on these things change or evolve into different goals. Setting goals is a great way to keep motivated when the going is tough, encouraging you to keep developing your business. Setting goals also helps you to get a clearer idea of what direction you want to take your business and what steps are needed to get you there. If you have staff then having clear business goals can help them too, as they will clearly be able to understand the reasons for the work you are asking them to do.

So how do you go about setting goals? Well I suggest taking a blank piece of paper and writing down all the things you would like your business to achieve in the future. Some of these goals may be small, for example "complete company website" and some may be huge such as "Get ten new hotel clients on board" It doesn't matter at this stage, just write down all your dreams for your business. If you have employees it can be useful to get them to help you brainstorm because they may have a great idea of a direction you could take the business.

Think about issues such as:

Do you aim to expand your business or move to a different premises?

Is there a way you could improve your existing business methods?

Do you aim to increase your staff?

Are there any elements of your original business plan that you still need to bring into action?

What is your marketing strategy and how could it be improved?

Are there any new technologies you could use to improve or streamline your business?

How many new customers would you like to have on board over the coming months?

What new advertising ideas could you explore?

Are there any companies/individuals that you would particularly like to work with?

These are just to get you started, usually once you do start this type of activity the ideas come forward quite easily.

Once you have a list of goals, you need to connect them to some sort of time line. You cant expect all these things to be achieved straight away or even in a year. I tend to divide a clean page into 4 boxes and give them titles of "In the next 4 weeks" "in the next 6 months" " in the next 18 months" and "in the future"

You can then put your new goals into the right boxes so that you have a time frame for achieving them. Don't worry about putting some goals into the "sometime in the future box" This does not mean you are opting out completely , but that you have prioritised and chosen to complete other goals first. These future goals need to be looked at next time you set new goals for your self, and then it may be time to move them into another box.

So once you have your immediate short term and medium term goals decided in your mind, you need to plan how to achieve them and what you need to do to get there! Commit this to paper and work at them often and you will be sure to progress your business forwards.