“Can you fax that over to me?” one of my vendors asked.

 

“Fax? Uh, I don’t have that. Can I scan it? Email it? Fill it out online?”

 

The interior design industry has long been known for taking a while to catch up.  Not the trend/ design side, but the office/billing side. It has always shocked me that for an industry on the cutting edge of trends, we fall pretty far behind in technology.

 

As we all know, in March 2020, the world changed.  COVID hit and we shut down.  Many of us, myself included, were unsure of what was going to happen or what the future of business looked like. We had to adapt.

 

Last October, pre-pandemic, I had an epiphany.  After 20 years in the design business, I realized it was time for a change.  Maybe not a change as much as an addition.  I had taken a leap once before.  10 years ago, I left my office design job and started my own business.  Aside from being responsible for everything, I have loved it.  I was ready to leap again.  It was time for more.  I decided that to reach more people, to scale the business, I had to increase my online presence.  I wanted to share my design expertise with more people.  And, with technology as the future, I felt design should be in that space as well.  While others continue to fax, I decided it was time to move forward.

 

So I spent the next 4 months really digging in.  I hired a business coach and a virtual assistant. I spent endless hours diving into my “why.”  Why do I do what I do, and who do I serve?  I grew my social medial presence, re-designed my website, and hit the ground running.  Then March,  and COVID came. I was fortunate that I had already established myself online, since that was basically the only way to reach people for awhile.  I spent three months, supporting and reaching out and working to help my niche from online.

 

As the summer months grew longer, I started to suddenly get busy in the 1:1 space.  These are clients that are local to where I live, and I could now get back to helping them in person.  My summer, which is typically slow, was anything but. Lots of projects are coming in.  People have spent so long at home they have realized that their homes were not functioning for them. 

 

As we begin September, all the experts agree.  The design field is busy.  Kitchen and bath remodels have increased significantly.  The last three projects I have worked on have seen prices increase by about 10-20%.  This is for numerous reasons, with supply and demand at the top of the list. 

 

An average kitchen remodel costs from $11,000 (for a small kitchen)  to anywhere upwards of $150,000. The lower end means that a lot of the remodel is DIY.  I have experience with too many to count,  and there are many factors that go into these remodels.  From figuring out your budget, interviewing contractors, to sourcing reliable materials. Then, making sure all the selected materials go together, are on-site and are the correct items.  I’ve often seen people become overwhelmed with these projects all too quickly.

 

With the costs of materials rising, I find homeowners are looking for guidance and ways to save money.  I am here to help.  I have created a Kitchen Remodel Planner. This tool will take you through each step of a remodel; from budgeting to hiring the contractors, and everything in between.  I lay out the costs, questions to ask, floorplans, cabinet counts, and more. Guaranteed to save you time and money, it will save you frustration too! With this tool, it’s like having an Interior Designer by your side as you remodel your space.

My Kitchen Remodel Planner is available now! 

Get yours here: https://style1519molleejohnson.vipmembervault.com/