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What Level is Your Design Business?

VitaVygovska

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Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 90 total)
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  • in reply to: The WHY behind your goal #22845
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hi ladies,
    great job on sharing your “why’s”!!! now, you didn’t think i was going to let you off easy, did you? :-). More probing questions, here we come…

    Freddie, how much $ do you want to make? do you know that number? get specific about it. Who do you have to have in place to start travelling? Do you travel now – how much more travelling would you like to do? For your goals to be meaningful, they first need to be specific. While they stay nebulous, you’ll never know if you achieved them.

    Vessie, how do you define ‘success’ for your business? is it revenue $, net income $, number of people, number of projects? How much time with your family.
    How many dates with your hubby? What quality time with your kids? Get specific. Put out into the universe exactly what you want. That’s your 1st step.

    Kathy, i love that you want to help people! It’s noble and commendable. Are you willing to work 80hours a week for it? Are you willing to go on 4 appointments a day? are you willing to bring down your pricing? what does “lifestyle that provides inspiration” mean? i love the corporate-speak b/c i myself am a corporate drop-out :-). Talk to us like we are 3-year olds. what makes you giddy? what makes your soul zing? what do you want to do for yourself and your family, once you are a success? and how will you know you got there?

    Alejandra, what does “balance” look like to you? is it days, hours? is it travelling? is it going to a movie? is it shutting down at 5pm? is it taking Fridays off? What does “me” time look like? How much of it would you like to have? Let’s start here.

    you guys, the true WHY is deeper than ‘streamlined systems, etc’. Streamlined systems is HOW you get to your why. The ‘why’ needs to be so strong and compelling that when it gets hard, when you have to make really tough choices, there is no other option than to make them, b/c that’s how badly you want to make to your ‘why’. Keep digging, ladies 🙂 I’m here for you! xo, v

    in reply to: Vitalia Inc. process questions #22844
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hello kathy,
    thank you for your questions!
    1. do you mean “what if the price ends up being higher after the site visit?”. We give them the higher price citing that site measurements are higher than what we were given originally.
    2. we do EVERYTHING possible to not visit the site. We give preliminary budget based on designer emailed specs, pictures, etc. If this estimate aligns with their financial thinking, then we go. This is not always possible, i.e. a whole house of shades, weird window configs, certain motorization jobs, new designer and she has no idea, etc. If it’s not possible, it’s not possible -then we go.
    3. We have a standing Monday afternoon meeting where we go over every line item on the project management report. Additionally, every time there is a mistake, issue, or a challenge, i always ask: is this user error or do we need to change the process. usually, it’s both, so we adjust our process accordingly.
    hope this answers your questions,
    v.

    in reply to: Trade vs. Retail #22843
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hi Vessie,
    i hear you, sweetheart, i hear the angst, frustration, exhaustion – all of that in your voice.
    i soooo want to help b/c sometimes at a bird’s eye view, things are so much clearer.
    let me take it step by step.
    1. retail vs. to the trade. What FEELS better for you? 3 options: retail, trade, both. Take some time, pray on it, journal, do some soul-searching. Then make a decision and stick with it. Just go with how it feels to you personally. there is no right or wrong answer. just whatever you prefer. it’s your business, you do what you want. you won’t go wrong with either decision. Where you will go wrong is if you continue vacillating. it is when we are unsure of something and keep going back and forth, that it takes the most bandwidth and tires us out.
    2. start charging designers pricing that is commensurate with your service. Ask yourself: “At what price will I enjoy working on this project/with this designer?”
    3. Instagram. have you asked designers to tag you? just a simple ask. Conversely, do you tag them on your IG?
    4. Be ok with not chasing every designer and every project

    Base your decisions on what will make it simpler for YOU. One price is simpler than two. One target audience is simpler than two. it is simpler for me to ask for what i want and get a no, than to not ask and always wonder (i.e. in case of IG tagging, charging a higher price, etc).

    there is so much more to say, but let’s leave it at this for the time being,
    xo, v.

    in reply to: Fabrication Sales #22796
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    We are about 40%-60%- hard goods-soft goods.
    My seamster Boris works a lot – by choice- it fits with his lifestyle right now.
    So in normal work hours, my fabricator role is more like 1.5 full time people.
    And we outsource about 10% of our total, that he doesn’t have time to do.
    It’s not so much based on size, more on complexity and deadlines.
    I hope this answers your question.
    I’ll look into some of these percentages more to make sure I’m accurate and should have it done of the “people’ module.

    in reply to: Trade vs. Retail #22795
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hi Nikki,
    great questions.
    i decided to go to the trade only around 2013, when my daughter was born.
    for me, it’s a simpler business model.
    i’m used to dealing b2b from my previous corporate experience, i’m more ‘business and to the point, less ‘doesn’t it look wonderful and you’ll feel amazing in the space’ :-). Plus, the back-and-forth on pricing and being shopped around felt really bad for me.
    so for those reasons, the decision was kind of organic and it felt right.
    i charge retail pricing to the designers.
    for example, 1WOM is around $150. plus lining, plus trim, plus hardware, plus install.
    the pricing covers multiple estimates, etc.
    i think you should do what makes financial sense for you. And also pursue what feels good and simple.
    This business is too complicated to make it even more so 🙂
    xo,
    v.

    in reply to: Flow Chart Templates #22790
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    Ladies, SOOO happy to hear you loved my flow charts!!! i’m such a geek when it comes to this stuff. Sometimes i think only i care about it. Hearing your feedback, just reaffirms it one more time how valuable it is to put our processes into a visual representation.

    Nikki, thank you for the resource!

    Flow.DrawIo files are uploaded under week 1 resources.

    now let’s all strive for NO yellow!!! 🙂

    in reply to: Fees and Consultations charge #22788
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    Oh, my goodness, i just logged in and saw how active you guys have been here!
    here’s what we do:
    1. if retail customer, charge the fee $250, applicable towards their order should they place one
    2. if designer, we do not charge a fee
    in all cases, we do EVERYTHING possible to give them a budget estimate before driving anywhere.

    yes about the revisions – the struggle is real! but we do not currently charge additional for them.
    our pricing is pretty high though – you guys will see in class 3, when i show you some of our estimates.

    xo,
    v.

    in reply to: The WHY behind your goal #22751
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hi Nikki,
    these are so great!!! i will give you the roadmap for how i do it, so you can implement it for yourself.
    let’s take a deeper look at your life-balance goals and revers-engineer your work to fit them.
    1. if you were to pick of the five, which one would you want to focus on as your first priority?
    2. which day during the week would you want to do it?
    3. can you see yourself block that day? if not full day, could it be half day?
    4. what would your work look like if you blocked that time for yourself?
    would love to hear from you!
    v.

    in reply to: Flow Chart Templates #22738
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hi Myrna,
    thank you so much for sharing your perspective on the first class.
    You’re 100% correct: the process flow charts are the foundation for how we execute many other things in our businesses.
    I love them because they visually capture every step AND because I, as the owner and CEO, can see at a glance what role performs each of those steps.
    would love to hear how you’re going to apply these to your business!
    Vita

    in reply to: Flow Chart Templates #22723
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hi Lisa,
    so great to hear that you’re seeing the potential!!!
    thank you for asking for the flow chart files and i’m really glad that they piqued your interest.
    i’m happy to share those ONLY if you promise to do something with them 🙂

    there is a terrible statistic that says that only 20% of students actually act on the material and do something with the handouts and resources.
    how sad 🙁
    let’s beat this stat, shall we?
    -vita

    PS. i’ll send to Diana (university director) to upload into the resources.

    in reply to: The Power of the Right Mindset #19191
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    oh, Sweet Julie! i hear you. i hear the frustration. The angst. The defeat. You are a beautiful person. for what you are. And for helping your family. There are no magic bullets. i will have a few helpful tips for you tomorrow. My heart goes out to you. i’ve been where you are (at half the volume! but it felt the same). So i know it’s possible to dig yourself out. please keep the faith. you are in my thoughts. XOXO

    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    Thank you so much Jens!
    you’ve hit the nail on the head: my version of the american dream!
    -v

    in reply to: Penny for your thoughts? #19039
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    Hello everyone!
    i want you to know that i read EVERY word or EVERY message.
    LOVE your sharing, being open, being vulnerable, being transparent.
    LOVE the comradery and support.
    LOVE how this group is gelling together 🙂

    a few thoughts on some of your common themes.

    1. Feeling overwhelmed.
    I hear you. It’s OK. It’s a natural result of new learning. Especially if the learning is brand new and if the learning is deep. This is not superficial. This is not a ‘get this fixed quickly’ kind of learning. This is investing for a long-term future and success. You are being asked to review, reconsider, potentially build or re-build your house from scratch. There is nothing quick, light, or shallow about it. This is a big deal! It is ok to feel overwhelmed. You are exactly in the right place.

    But it doesn’t feel good, you might say. Yes, i hear you on that too. The key is to channel the feeling of being overwhelmed into the productive energy that will carry you forward. How do you do that? Take a nap. Take a breath. Embrace it, don’t resist it. Give it time. Let it marinate it inside you.
    Then create a list. Big, long, comprehensive to-do list. Chip away at it. Start with easiest, smallest, lowest-hanging fruit. Once done, reach for the next lowest-hanging fruit. Allow time. Give yourself grace.

    2. Bandwidth and being concerned about sticking with it.
    You can not do it alone. The faster you accept this, the easier and faster you’ll be on your way. Left to our own devices, we will always take an easier or a more familiar route. To break this pattern, you need to find someone who will hold you accountable, who will guide you, challenge you, and call your BS :-). And i mean really accountable. It could be a spouse. It could be a colleague in the industry. I already see accountability partnerships forming even within this group. Your best bet is getting a business coach who is an outsider and is getting paid to do this for you. That’s what I have always personally done in my course of business.

    3. Excitement about the possibility and gratitude for taking this class.
    Thank you for all of your kind words! Yes, let’s stay in this space. Being excited. Being energized. Being grateful. Just by taking this class, you are years ahead of where i was, where most of your colleagues are, and most importantly, where you were even short 4 weeks ago. You see what’s possible for you now. You see what and how it needs to be done. You have the guides. You have the road-map. You are in a great place. Exactly where you are supposed to be. Exactly at the right time.

    i can’t wait to spend the next two classes with you!
    ~v.

    in reply to: Penny for your thoughts? #18900
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    Peggy,
    Thank you for sharing and being vulnerable! i hear you: adapting a new system is a LOT. Especially, since it comes in a context of what you’re already doing. So the question becomes – do you scrap what you have OR try to adapt what i’ve taught into what you have. Take the house down to the studs and rebuild OR try to work within existing walls. Take an existing old panel and rework it OR get brand new fabric and fabricate a new drape. i can go on with metaphors :-).

    The one thing i saw in your response to Jens is that you’re getting stuck in ‘what ifs’.
    We are in the custom business.
    There will always be what if’s.
    You can get your template to 80% – then work in the ‘what if’ scenario for the other 20%.
    that’s how our templates are set up.

    Table it for now. Let’s get through next at least two classes. Let it all marinate in your head for a bit. The right decision will present itself.

    in the meantime, i command you finding “low-hanging fruit” area and making incremental improvements where you can as fast as you can!

    great job, lady!
    v.

    in reply to: Process Flows & PMS :-) #18881
    VitaVygovska
    Participant

    hi Jens,
    LOVE all your take-aways so far!
    it will take some time. One step at a time.
    First process flows, then PMS.

    about hiring out: we will talk about how value your time and how much to hire out in this week’s class.

    v.

Viewing 15 posts - 61 through 75 (of 90 total)
What Level is Your Design Business?