FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

INTERIOR DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

WHY WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE WINS OF 2024 FOR GROWTH IN 2025

ROMANTICIZE THE SMALL WINS TOO

TAKING ON PROJECTS THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR VISION

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There’s nothing like beating yourself for weeks and weeks over a project that went wrong. Whether it’s the client out of control or the budget was wrong, or you underestimated your fees, surprises, or all of the agave happened, it’s 100% normal to focus on it.

But here’s the thing – it gets you nowhere if all you focus on is what went wrong. I’m not saying you shouldn’t keep an eye on that, but today, we are going to look forward and focus on the wins, because I know you had them. 

This doesn’t have to be the biggest wins ever, like you got your biggest project ever or you nailed some huge fee structure. Those are all great, but year after year, that may not happen, and I think that’s why we lose focus on the wins because we dismiss the ones that don’t feel monumental.

It actually takes effort to go back and focus on the wins, but that is what is going to fuel your growth and your confidence moving through the rest of this year. 

Maybe your phone is ringing and you’re wondering what to do to keep that momentum going. Maybe the phone isn’t ringing and you’re feeling uncertain about how to jumpstart the year. Either way, it’s about leveraging what worked last year, making strategic moves forward and stop letting things happen to you, and start making things happen.

What holds you back?

It is those persistent pain points that constantly drain our energy and takes away that forward motion. Whether it is unclear boundaries with your clients, client demands that are out of control or projects that feel like an uphill battle day after day. These challenges can absolutely overshadow any progress that we do make and really makes it difficult to see our true wins. We spend so much time in the would’ve, should’ve, could’ve realm and dwelling on it too much keeps us stuck in those negative patterns. 

Success just doesn’t happen, it’s built over time. Success often starts in places we least expect it. 

So I want you to think back to your stand-out moments in 2024. Your wins, even if you think they’re trivial, hold the key to making your 2025 even better. My hunch is because we don’t take the time to document our progress or take the time to analyze why things went right. 

We might attribute our success to luck instead of recognizing the processes, decisions, and relationships that contributed to it. How did you contribute to that win?

Romanticize your small wins

Often small wins are the stepping stones to our bigger goals. As you are mapping out your growth, let’s talk about some questions you need to ask yourself:

How can I take what worked and make it repeatable?

Do you need more processes?

Do you need to refine the processes you already have to make your projects run smoother?

There isn’t a single process I use in my business that doesn’t require me looking at it either mid-year, end of year, and say, “How can I improve this? What’s working and what’s not?

Who do I need to stay connected with in the coming year to help foster that relationship and create new opportunities?

We are in a relationship business. We are in a relationship with our clients, and our partners. That takes time to establish and nurture. 

Invest in yourself

Something I was terrible about early in my career was investing in myself. It was at the bottom of my priority list. But once I did start investing in my own development, I understood how important it was, not only to my business but to myself as a designer and my long term growth. 

I believe the secret ingredient to growth of any business, especially in ours, is to build on wins. It isn’t just a strategy, although it’s a good one, it’s about confidence. So when you acknowledge your successes – which you definitely had last year, you will begin to see yourself differently. You will see yourself as a capable, skilled professional, who brings value to every single project. Even the smallest wins build your confidence. 

Only take on the projects that align with your vision

This is an easier task to do when you start focusing on the wins from previous years. 

Also know that you will always be refining your approach. I am still refining my approach year after year. Maybe smaller incremental changes, but I am still refining my approach, as are all the designers inside my course. That is just how it goes. That is how you build success year after year by having that strategic road map guiding you forward each and every time so that you get to a place where you’re not just hoping for success, you’re planning for it with intention. 

As you keep moving through 2025 I really want you to take time to reflect, analyze, strategize, and write down those wins.