What you will learn in this episode: 

• How to handle not being treated respectfully on job sites

• Costly mistakes

• What happens when you take on too many projects at once

Today’s episode is based on all of the feedback I received from designers after listening to Ep86 as far as their experiences of bumps, trials, and tribulations that they have gone through while building their experience in renovation management. 

Today I want to break out some of the common themes I heard from so many of the designers so that you can hopefully learn from their mistakes just as you learn from mine! 

I found that most of the experiences I heard about fell into three main categories that I think are really important to discuss on a deeper level and how to try to avoid some of these issues.

The first category I heard about was not being treated respectfully on job sites. 

Some really resonated when I say that I was called “little lady,” some felt dismissed, and some said they were just flat-out treated poorly. 

These are all real interactions that designers have with contractors, whether they are the General Contractor on the job, the subcontractor, or sadly, both. 

I’ll be honest, I still have these experiences from time to time even after all these years. 

Each story that was told to me had different endings, and each designer handled it in a different way. In general, my personal experience with behavior like this is to stay calm. They may see you as a pain in the ass, someone they have to manage, they may even want you off of their site. 

In today’s episode, I’m sharing my experiences and some tips on how to handle these kinds of situations, or hopefully prevent them from happening altogether. 

The next grouping of issues that designers had on projects were big mistakes that they made – and many ended up being costly. Not all were costly mistakes, but they were mistakes that can lead to costly issues.

Maybe your client will start to wonder if you are a good fit for the project, or worry that you are too new to be trusted with an expensive project once you make a mistake. Or your client might be hesitant to tell their friends about you and refer you to another project. Therefore one mistake can cause you to lose work as well as a pipeline of networking.

My suggestion before you potentially make a mistake is to swallow your pride and ask for help! We cannot be an expert in all things and all areas. Asking for help in order to avoid a potential mistake could save you money in your pocket, marketing opportunities, and more. 

Then lastly, I heard from several designers who took on too many projects, too big, at one time. 

I will tell you, managing a renovation project of a medium to large size is a lot of work. There are a ton of moving parts and pieces throughout the entire project. It’s a lot to manage. It’s a lot to stay on top of, it’s a lot to get everything right. 

Is it impossible to do? Absolutely not. 

But if you are not confident in your skills, you shouldn’t be taking on too much, too soon. 

My advice is to stack these projects – don’t turn them down, but stack them. That way you are not trying to do three projects all at the same time, in different areas of the home. 

You want to end up with happy clients and happy trades that will want to work with you again in the future!

I hope this episode helps, and I’d love to hear from you, whether you have more questions or about the experiences you’ve had – both the good and the bad!

Like this Episode?

• Be sure to check out Episode #86: How to Build Experience in Renovation Management

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