Day Eight of our 12 Day Countdown – Suggestions for things you can do this month to prepare for a fabulous 2009!  Social Networking!  What is social networking, you ask?  There are actually entire websites devoted to answering that question. 

Social Networking points out that the most popular place to do your social networking is online, probably because “the internet is filled with millions of individuals who are looking to meet other internet users to develop friendships and business relationships, too.”  That means there are other designers, potential clients and other interior design industry associates just waiting to connect with you!

Some suggestions for “places” you want to be:

Ava Living – is the world’s online interior design marketplace bringing together a diverse and passionate social network of individuals and professionals.  This site is a favorite of mine, since it is dedicated entirely to our industry.  I have met so many wonderful designers and industry enthusiasts through Ava Living.  In my opinion, being part of Ava Living is a must!  Once you join, be sure and join The Business Resource for Interior Designers – a place for interior designers to come to discuss anything related to the business of interior design. Please feel free to pose questions and give advice based on experience.

Twitter – is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time.  To learn more about How to Use Twitter as a Twool, read this blog post by Guy Kawasaki. 

LinkedIn – an online network of more than 30 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries

I would also encourage you to check out Designing Profits and learn about the Best Practice Network.  “The Best Practices Network (BPN) is a group of interior designers from across the country who have banded together to share “best practices.” The BPN includes firms ranging from sole practitioners to 30+ person firms, residential and commercial specialists, and everything in between. Our members are carefully selected to ensure a positive and supportive learning environment where the most important business and financial strategies can be presented by experts (outsiders and by Members themselves) and adopted by all.”

Spend some time this month and familiarize yourself with what these organizations have to offer.  It is truly the easiest way to connect with the world outside your door.  There is a whole interior design industry waiting to meet you!

What do you consider valuable?  Your diamond wedding ring, a prized art collection, that set of china you inherited from your beloved grandmother?  What about the “valuables” stored on your computer?  Isn’t it critical that we ensure our information (files, documents, contacts, emails, calendar) is safe should our computer malfunction, get stolen, or not survive a natural disaster (or that cup of coffee you accidentally spill on it!)

Recently, I had the misfortune of having my hard drive crash.  This put me largely out of commission for a week while it was being replaced and all the data was restored.  In an effort to learn from this experience I did some research that I thought might be helpful in keeping others from going through a similar scenario.

I work primarily from my home office, so after learning that my computer was officially out of commission, I decided immediately that we needed to get our house networked; this would allow me to log in from any computer and access all files and data on my work computer.  When I consulted with a few professionals about this need, I got the impression it was probably not cost effective.  Not wanting to give up, I decided to take my research online and there I found a few viable options for the small business.

1. Online Backup Software – while whining to my parents about my computer disaster, my apparently very tech-savvy, hip, 73 year old Dad told me about Carbonite.com.  For just $49.95/year you can “install a small application on your computer that works quietly in the background looking for new and changed files that need to be backed up.  It looks and feels just like part of your computer, and is integrated with your desktop – there’s no new interface for you to learn.”   The New York Times says, “It’s the easiest online backup software to use – in fact, to not use, since it’s completely automatic.”  Only you have access to your files, they are secure and encrypted.  In fact, the Wall Street Journal assures “you’ll sleep better at night.”  Of course, Carbonite.com isn’t the only company out there providing this service, but from what I read it gets my vote for #1.  Looks like “Father knows best” after all.

2.  Data Phone “Partners” – It seems like just about everyone has a Blackberry, iPhone, or other fancy phone that allows them to access emails, calendar and the internet at all times.  So, of course they have also come up with convenient ways to backup and sync data between your computer and phone.  Having recently purchased an iPhone, I quickly signed up for my MobileMe account.  For $99/year I can keep “everything up to date, anywhere [I am].”  Whether I’m on my phone, home computer or using someone else’s computer, “everything is in sync” and I “can manage it all from anywhere using rich web applications at me.com” because all of my “information is kept on their online server.”  For the Blackberry users, I also found a similar resource for you, IBackup.  If you visit IBackup.com you can learn about different pricing plans and features for this company that offers online storage, sharing and streaming for PocketPC, Blackberry and Palm devices.

3. Online Document Storage & Sharing – At Gibson Design Management we are big fans of just about everything Google.  One online resource that we utilize for sharing corporate documents that multiple team members need to access and update is Google Docs.  We also utilize Google Calendar for keeping track of each other and Google Chat for quick and easy communication with one another.  With much of our team in Virginia and a few of us in Portland, Oregon, this allows everyone to keep track of each other and feel connected.  Google Docs proved to be very helpful last week because I had access to many of the documents that I had been working on for various projects.  Although it definitely would have made for a much less hectic week to have had some of the safeguards in place mentioned above, this did allow me to survive the week and not completely lose my mind.  Best of all, the cost for this one is absolutely free.  

I know I am not the only person on the planet who didn’t have a back-up system in place so I felt compelled to share my experience and my research.   I’m sure there are many other resources out there; if you know any good ones please feel free to share so that we can all sleep better at night. 

Gail Doby, Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University, and Nika Stewart, The Designers’ Success Coach, are co-hosting an exciting event that you don’t want to miss–The Interior Design Summit on October 28, 29, & 30.

Click here to learn more

This three-day event is unlike anything that has been done for the interior design industry to date. They are interviewing 11 speakers (so far) that are top-selling authors, business consultants and agents to celebrity designers, and other amazing guests that are sure to help you grow your interior design business.

What is unique about this event is that you can listen to this from the comfort of your office or home during these three days. No travel expenses, just a nominal fee for the event and you will receive recordings so you can listen again at your convenience.

Here are some of the things you will learn:

How to book yourself solid

How to market so you don’t have to “sell” to get clients

How to build amazing referral partners that send affluent clients to you

How to create your marketing plan to get a steady flow of business

How to work with the ultra-affluent clients – how to get them and how to serve them…learn what they are looking for in an interior designer

How to use newsletters to stay connected with your prospects and clients …without having to write!

How to use social networking to create an online portfolio especially if you don’t have a website

How to build your personal brand so prospects and clients immediately know who you are and what your business represents

How to build a great team and manage your staff effectively

How to streamline the parts of your business that you don’t enjoy

And much more…

Save the dates and plan to make this an event in your office by bringing in lunch and having a discussion (with yourself if you work solo, or with your staff) to create a winning plan to take your business to the next level.

Click here to learn more about the event

Designing Profits, Inc. performed a major national survey of interior designers this year.  These survey results are now available for purchase on their website ($89).  From the DPI site: “This package contains both the actual results of the 2008 “What Designers Earn” survey, and David Shepherd’s 38 minute PowerPoint presentation with audio voice over. More than just an analysis of the survey, Shepherd provides a mini-MBA in strategies interior designers must adopt in order to create sustainable profits in the future.”  I saw David present some of this information at the 5th annual Business of Design Conference last month and was very impressed with both the findings and with his presentation technique.

Visit the Designing Profits site to purchase this informative and eye-opening package.