FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

JOIN THE WAIT LIST FOR MY REVAMPED COURSE, THE DESIGNER’S EDGE

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

WHAT IS IT REALLY LIKE INSIDE THE STUDIO

THE VALUE OF LIVE Q&A’S

UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE WE BRING TO OUR CLIENTS

HOW WE CAN ELEVATE OUR INDUSTRY TOGETHER

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We’ve all invested in a course we knew we needed. We also have every intention of completing it. Right? I mean, we’ve invested in ourselves.

But then, guess what? Life happens. 

The projects go awry.

Kids get sick.

Seasons come and go.

Holidays come.

Vacation time.

Your inbox explodes.

And that course you desperately needed and really wanted to go through, it gets shelved. Or worse, you don’t shelve it, you find yourself mid-project, you are totally overwhelmed, and you go racing into the course, trying to find the fix. 

You’re not calm. You’re certainly not focused. Because you’re in a panic, and it is nearly impossible to absorb anything in that state of mind. 

So when I looked at my course, The Interior Designer’s Guide to Construction Management, I knew it needed to evolve into a more robust program called The Designer’s Edge. 

So I added The Studio. And inside that is where the features that will take the knowledge from the course and expand on it, and included in that are live module-specific Q&A calls. 

These are not broad open office hours, they are strategic, focused calls where we break down one module at a time, look at how the lessons apply to your real projects and come up with the solutions to the questions as you are implementing the material. 

You no longer just get the what. You’re gonna get the how and the why.

The course is designed for you to start at Module #1

The title, Thriving As The Only Girl On The Jobsite, may not sound as exciting as Pricing Strategies, Client Systems, and Proposal Templates, but I can tell you for sure, that by skipping it, you would be making a big mistake. 

Because if your mindset isn’t solid, if you don’t show up confident and grounded, you will absolutely trip yourself up all the way through the project. You’ll stay quiet when you should be speaking up. You’ll take heat from contractors that isn’t yours to carry, or you’ll second guess your decisions, and then so will everyone else. 

If you have an immediate issue, go find that answer. But then, go back to the beginning. Start at module #1 because it sets the foundation for how you show up every time on site, every meeting, and in your own business. 

There are boundaries; designers had to have gone through the entire module. They couldn’t just listen in, because again, that is not absorbing the full material, that’s cherry picking and it doesn’t make sense when we’re just cherry picking information.

The cool part is that the designers who did join the Q&A, they got it. 

I asked them to share one mindset shift or takeaway from Module #1. And here’s some of what they said:

Go forward confidently.

Ask questions, clarify, and don’t be afraid to speak up.

Have a detailed scope before pricing and clarify scope creep.

Tell client’s “I’m part of the Team that will make this a success.”

Learning how to take the lead from day 1.

Being the only girl on the job site is hard, but it’s possible with the right tools.

This tells me how important this module is, because the confidence coming out of those simple quotes tells me that they are prepared to take on the even harder part of managing a construction project.

Another lesson in that module is how to prepare yourself to be a team member, blending in with the rest of the team. And I don’t mean just visually, but yes, what you wear matters. But I’m also talking about creating a team dynamic where you’re not an outsider. 

Designers are so often left out of the real conversations. We’re looped in too late. We’re seen as extras or afterthoughts, or not needing to know that information. 

Part of that is because we’re unsure how to insert ourselves into the team. 

We are usually the only girl on the job site. We don’t want to overstep. We aren’t really sure where our place is, so we just stay on the side. We’re not sure if we’re going to be taken seriously. 

So what do we do about that?

Firstly, you do dress the part. 

This may seem simple, but it is powerful. If you’re showing up in a dress and open-toed shoes to an active construction site, you’re saying, “I’m not prepared for this environment.”  It definitely tells the team that they need to watch out for you instead of collaborating with you.

Secondly, you must participate.

Listen in to all the conversations, offer ideas, reference past projects, and ask the question everyones avoiding. When they realize you know what you’re doing, that you’re thoughtful and strategic, the rest of the team will absolutely start looping you in. 

But again, that all starts with mindset.  

You have to believe you have value, that your perspective matters, and that you’re there to lead, not just decorate the end result. 

Leading takes on many forms

This is not just showing up on a job site; it can also take the form of owning mistakes and leading through them. 

Mistakes happen. God forbid, we’re human. But when they do happen, your response, how you handle it, matters the most in that moment. 

I never want to see any of you just brush off a mistake and definitely not point fingers, and most importantly, do not just sit there and hope no one notices. 

The best way to handle a mistake is to own it. Take responsibility with calm, professional clarity. In doing that, you immediately establish yourself as a leader. Client’s trust that. Contractors respect that. And yes, it can be very uncomfortable, but it is also what will set you apart. 

The more you belabor an issue, point fingers, let time go by, seemingly small problems bloom. So you want ot be that professional and that leader in the room. Take charge and then – move forward. 

During this call, and probably every time I talk to members, it’s talking more and more about the value we bring.

I don’t just mean in aesthetics. Of course, our designs, they’re badass and stunning, but the value we bring is about improving the quality of our clients’ lives. It is by elevating the design, whether it’s our own or it’s the architect’s, and you have added your value, your expertise, to elevate the original designs. 

So in this call, we discussed how to figure out what that means to each and every client because no two clients will be the same. 

A designer shared an incredible tip. She said to her client, “Don’t clean up anything before our meeting.”  She wanted to see the mess, the chaos, the daily friction because only then, will I truly know where I can help. 

Now that is awesome. I encourage you to use that line. 

So this call that I had with the members, the open sharing, the problem solving, the solution driven conversations, it was just the beginning, because inside The Studio, I’m going to continue hosting module specific Q&As so that the members can process the content, ask the questions, so that they can apply what they’re learning in real time. And yes, there’s a heavy dose of accountability, because you’ve had to have done the module to join the call. 

In addition to this, there are also live masterclasses, live scope reviews, the private podcast, and the additional resources; that are all a part of The Designer’s Edge, alongside my signature course, The Interior Designer’s Guide to Construction Management. 

It’s not just about the course alone; this is a program that is designed to build your confidence, your clarity, and boost your profitability in every one of your construction projects. The course teaches you the what, and the studio is where we dig into the how and why. 

It’s where designers are learning alongside other designers, they are asking the tough questions, and they are growing into becoming the project leaders that their clients need them to be.