Meet Joan, she has had a successful design practice for over 15 years and her
revenues reflect that success, growing each year by at least 20% and currently topping $250K.
She works in a niche market geographically and has done a rock solid job of branding and marketing to ensure she is in the top three designers in her area.
To date, she's been doing design with only one team member and she's beginning to outsource larger pieces of design projects.
Meet Bridgette, she is newer to design, and has experienced some solid early success but is feeling the roller coaster ride of great clients, then nothing.
She is in a large city and hasn't claimed a niche market. She is afraid that if she gets specific, she'll miss opportunities. (The reverse is true and she appears generic to her market.)
Bridgette wants to bring at
least an intern on board, but she isn't sure she can afford it. She is working long days and into the weekends doing it all herself.
Joan loves the creative and client side. She is great at meeting new clients and bringing them on board, creating exactly the design solutions that will excite them and selling them without ever pushing.
Once a project is sold is when she wants to hand it off for
project management and delivery. She's cultivated some really talented outsource experts and is finally willing to let go of the pieces.
Bridgette's favorite part of design is remodeling. She loves the construction aspects and finish selections. She's a lot less interested in furnishings, accents, and accessories.
Her branding and marketing aren't very clear and it's one of the key reasons
clients aren't finding her, and when they do, it's not for the kind of projects she most enjoys and is best at.
Joan has a terrific work life balance, taking at least quarterly vacations to recharge, get inspired, and stay fresh. She also maps her industry inspiration events, markets, and conferences so she doesn't miss what matters most.
Joan invests in herself and her practice with key
trainings and takes full advantage of mentoring, coaching, and strategic planning. (If you are like Joan, then GO HERE.)
Bridgette has no work life balance. Her business feels a bit like a hungry beast requiring her every waking moment and never being satisfied (because she doesn't know what to
feed it.)
She's missed the last couple of years of industry events and feels out of the loop getting trend news only online instead of first hand at markets. She hasn't had a vacation in two years.
Bridgette feels that the longer she in her business, the less inspired she feels and she hasn't been willing to invest in herself with coaching, mentoring, or strategic
planning.
In one of Joan's coaching sessions, she learned about direct response marketing and added postcard marketing with testimonials just this year. She has already seen a spike in returning clients as well as new clients.
Bridgette is overwhelmed by all the marketing strategy and tools so tries different strategies about every month. She knows she needs to market herself but isn't certain
the right path to take. And without consistent and persistent clear marketing, she isn't gaining any traction. (To avoid being like Bridgette, GO HERE)
Joan leaps ahead on marketing, making sure she has social media content queued up as much as 60-90 days in advance. This is one of keys to
being able to take those regular vacations and attend industry events. Joan has a solid plan in place that fits her unique business.
Bridgette wants a plan but doesn't have the know-how to put one together and is choosing to stay on the path of overwhelm and scramble, hoping more business will come her way even if it isn't the kind of projects she wants.
I've worked with Joan* for a year now and
it's been AWESOME to see her MAGIC UNFOLD.
Bridgette* has her toe in the water of mentoring but won't dive in and take action that would move her forward. Her lack of results and frustration reflect that state of mind.
Now, you may be thinking, well it's easy for Joan to move ahead, she's already successful. But what you don't know is that Joan had hit a plateau in her business when we
started working together and now that plateau is a pathway to more profit.
Bridgette would be so much happier specializing in remodels and even doing
finish selection work for key builders as a contract designer (two lucrative business channels that work well together.) She could partner with designers who don't enjoy remodel and love furniture selection, accessories and more.
A clear rebrand and marketing plan would rocket Bridgette forward into visibility, credibility, and profitability, but it's a decision she has to make to invest in herself.
When you decide to invest in your business, yourself and your future, your MAGIC opens up.
Prosper by Design!
Mega Hugs,
Melissa
*Names are changed to protect confidentiality.
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