184: Amber Lewis - Important Business Tips to Run Your Interior Design Firm

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

Do you sometimes look around and wonder if there could be different, or perhaps better ways to run your business more efficiently? If so, take heart and don't despair. Amber Lewis is back on the show today and she knows where you're at and what you're going through because she's been there. Today, Amber and LuAnn will go a bit deeper into the business side of what Amber does. They talk about how she discovered this podcast last winter and that she signed up for Kimberley Seldon's courses, because of even Amber, with a firm as successful and as large as hers, still wonders if there could be a better way to run things more effectively. Listen in today, as Amber shares her advice and the things she's learned along the way.

Today, Amber talks to LuAnn about:

• Some of the things that she's struggled with and challenges that she's faced, in her business.
• How she had to fake it, to make it, in the beginning, when dealing with people that were way more professional and talented than she was.
• What it was that catapulted her into a level above her own, in the beginning.
• Being comfortable with evolving and knowing that your style could change often.
• Being firm in your convictions, if you trust your own style.
• That clients will tend to focus on your weakness if you let it show.
• Parenting and running a business.
• Figuring out invoicing in a way that makes sense to the client- it's everything!
• The importance of figuring out how to create a good contract.
• Studio Webware- Amber finds this to be an amazingly intuitive program.
• The importance of figuring out your system and the chain of command in your firm.
• How she really works really together with her whole team.
• That she understands and accepts that there will always be variables with the trade.
• That her organization takes overall responsibility for everything in a project.
• How she works very specifically with vendors and contractors.
• That client couldn't care less who's fault it is if there's a problem- It's your responsibility!
• Treating your job as if it's your business and learning as much as possible about all it's aspects if you intend starting out on your own, one day.
• That she's always learning, growing and being humbled.
• That there's always the human factor in business.

Links:

Amber's website: http://amberinteriordesign.com Amber's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberinteriors/