“When I first started working as an Interior Designer, I was sitting in front of my computer when I received the message that the 2 planes had flown into the twin towers. It was shocking, and scary. No one knew what to do. Travel halted and people just stopped spending money. People certainly were not thinking about decorating their houses. We had to lay off a large portion of the staff, and I was the only one spared. Strange and unprecedented times! Then something interesting happened. Since no one was travelling and they were feeling uneasy about the world around them, they wanted to “nest”. It was slow for about a month, then business exploded! The phones wouldn't stop ringing! People wanted us to help them turn their home into a sanctuary.”
We are all feeling a little unsettled right now. It’s hard to deny that these are times that the vast majority of us were unprepared for. And while we see a number of businesses crumble around us, and lie awake wondering if ours might be next, there is a unique opportunity here for designers. One that might take us from just purely surviving the storm, to thriving in it.
Since restaurants, outings, and travel have been curtailed, people are staying inside for an uncertain but decidedly long period of time. The stay-at-home economy will continue its climb, and more and more people will be working from home. Some companies are even claiming they’ll never go back to a regular office.
So what better time to help them create a comfortable space they’ve filled with daily comforts and imbued with inspiration? People are spending a lot of time in their homes, and when you spend a lot of time in one spot, you start to nitpick and hanker for a refresh to bring a sense of renewal to the space.
Whether it’s a simple “home office refresh” package, or a larger consult to completely overhaul their space, you have the ability to positively impact someone’s life – and that has recognizable value.
We are also fortunately in a time where we have the tools and technology to continue to offer our design services remotely. With services like zoom and *cough cough* project management software like Mydoma, designers can have meetings, create projects, send invoices and get paid without having to leave the house!
So what are you waiting for?
If you’d like to learn more about how to get some of these tools & technologies in place, our friend Dixie Willard has some really amazing resources to get you going. And, if you’re not on Mydoma, and want a software that’ll help you organize and execute your design projects, whether in-person or online, you can click this banner below for a free 15-day trial.
At some point the virus will have run its course. Things will get back to normal. The markets, and the economy, will have recovered. And many of us who run businesses will be smarter and savvier because of it.
See you on the other side.
Over the past 20 years, Lisa has been providing design solutions to people struggling with difficult spaces. Specializing in renovations and commercial spaces, she has assisted people throughout the Ottawa area ditch the design doldrums, and make the most of their interior spaces.
As of September 2019 Lisa has been working as the Account manager for Mydoma. She is excited to be a part of a team that is passionate about helping other design professionals thrive in their business.
If you’d like to talk to Lisa about how Mydoma might fit into your own design process, feel free to book her here.
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