Pricing your work: it’s one of the topics that small business owners often dread talking about. Price too high and you may miss out on a new client, go too low and you could leave money on the table.

So, how should we price our work as virtual designers? There’s no perfect scientific formula, but there are a few guidelines to consider to make sure that you’re bringing in the hard-earned money that you deserve.

As designers, we know that behind every good project is a good program –– or three.

We may have our favorite rendering program, but sometimes that’s not enough for a particular project. That’s when we look to other programs, including Adobe Creative Cloud, to add a sense of realism, detail, or impact to our drawings.

So, when it comes to the Adobe Creative Cloud programs, do you know when to open up Photoshop vs. Illustrator v. InDesign? Or are you feeling overwhelmed by what seem to be subtle differences? I’m going to break down the advantages of these three often-used Adobe Creative Cloud programs and the best time to use each one.

When you’re working with a client, where do bathrooms fall in your ranking of favorite rooms to design?

Do you see bathrooms as a no-nonsense, functional space to check off the list? Or do you look at powder rooms and master baths as an opportunity to try out bold silhouettes and interesting patterns on a smaller scale?

We think the bathroom is a fabulous place to experiment in a functional way. A bathroom is your chance to draw inspiration from the mosaic you saw on your last tropical vacation, flip back through dog-eared magazine pages, and then make those ideas work in a space that bears the brunt of humidity and moisture on a daily basis.

You’ve decided to introduce Chief Architect renderings into your interior design services and you’re thrilled to offer your clients a virtual snapshot of their finished product.

The benefits of realistic interior renderings are endless. You cut down on the back and forth during the decision making process. You have the ability to sell more when the consumer can visualize what the products will look like in their space. You gain the confidence of your clients when they understand how everything will come together in a fully developed design.

Working with a 3D rendering artist on your interior design projects is one of the best time-saving and marketing decisions you can make.

Hours you could have spent going back and forth explaining design ideas to clients are cut significantly when you present an accurately rendered version of the final project. Your clients see why they’re splurging on the bold 36” chandelier rather than saving on a budget-friendly flush mount fixture. The seagrass floor mat is an easy sell when it’s shown in place with their white lacquer dining table.

Working for yourself is the dream. But, we need to find community and support within the design world.

Interior designer and small business owner seem to go hand-in-hand. So many of us are out there chasing our career dreams and hustling new business 100% on our own––which is AMAZING. But, it also means that we sometimes struggle to find community.

Yes, we have client meetings, but much of our time is spent working solo. Most days, it’s just us, drawings, and purchase orders hanging out in the office. That’s why building community is crucial to growing as a designer and avoiding burnout. You need a support group to build you up and inspire you.

So, how do you do that as someone who works for themselves? Here are the top ways we’ve found a design community as a small business owner.