Courage is an interesting subject because women are not expected to be courageous. It’s not something that’s discussed when we’re kids or even encouraged. Despite this, courage is still very important.
It takes courage to move a past client into a new fee structure. That can be a scary situation, especially if you don’t know what to say or how to do it. The same goes for moving from hourly billing to design fees on a project because if you’re not sure what the amount should be, you can get yourself into a precarious spot. Of course, you don’t want to lose the job or the client because you didn’t do something right.
It also takes a lot of courage to be the lead for a big remodel. In that type of job, you have the design fee, all the projects, and all the construction support, which adds up to a really big number. And it takes both a lot of knowledge to work on all that as well as the courage to go after the project to begin with.
Making your first hire and leveraging systems for your business also takes courage, especially when you have no clue what design business systems look like.
Keep in mind that courage isn’t something that some people have and some don’t. That’s simply not true.
Courage is the decision that something else is more important than the fear.
Watch the video above where I explain that in order to develop courage, you have to do it fairly often. It’s like a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly for you to be strong and confident about it. We all have courage. It’s just a matter of recognizing it and then exercising it to make it happen for us. Then, we can achieve a lot more because we’re not running around afraid of something, afraid to say something, or of taking up too much space.
As far as how to raise your rates on past clients and keep them happy, move away from hourly billing and into design fees, present yourself as the lead in a remodeling job, hire someone for the first time, leverage systems in your design business, and do them all well, you will find these strategies and techniques within our Growth and Structure programs here at Interior Design Business Academy.
So, if you are looking for ‘how-to’s’ for your design business, I encourage you to schedule a clarity call with one of our coaches. The call will help you know where you are in your business, what the next best step is for you and your business, and what our IDBA programs offer. The call is free and lots of fun!
Until next time, design something beautiful and get paid what you’re worth.