In the world of interior design, staying ahead isn’t just about having a keen aesthetic eye. It’s also about leveraging the right tools to streamline operations and amplify your brand’s presence. Working with hundreds of business owners, I’ve helped them with not just their financial management but also their workflows, automations and tech tools that allow them to grow. These businesses have transformed by simply integrating the right tech tools into their daily operations. Check out this list of tools that can be game-changers for anyone in the interior design industry. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or just getting started, these tools might just be the key to move the needle in your business.
- Houzz Pro: Our preferred tool for professionals in the interior design space, Houzz Pro offers an integrated platform to showcase your work, attract new clients, and manage projects seamlessly. It’s a digital portfolio, a client collaboration tool, and a project manager all wrapped into one. And bonus – it integrates with Quickbooks Online.
- Design Manager: Focused on streamlining the complexities of the design business, Design Manager offers tools for project management, accounting, and inventory tracking. It’s a specialized solution crafted with designers in mind, ensuring all your projects run smoothly from inception to billing.
- QuickBooks Online (QBO): Financial health is the backbone of any thriving business and QBO is the single tool that simplifies your accounting by automating invoicing and payments, tracking expenses, and providing real-time financial insights. This platform is cloud-based and ensures you always have your finger on the pulse of your business finances.
- 17Hats: If you ever wished for a personal assistant to manage your workflow, client interactions, and bookings, 17Hats is your answer. This all-in-one business management tool is perfect for solo entrepreneurs and small businesses. It helps you streamline tasks using a fulling automated workflow (my favorite feature) and keeps everything organized. It even has a client portal.
- Zapier: This app is the secret sauce to automating tasks in apps that generally don’t “talk” to each other. No manual intervention needed. From automating email campaigns to updating client records, Zapier helps interior designers save precious time and focus on what they do best – design.
- Airtable: Airtable is spreadsheets on steroids! It offers a visual platform to organize projects, clients, assets and just about anything you can think of. Its flexibility and integration capabilities make it an invaluable tool if need to keep track of countless details. My favorite use case is planning out our content. Its built-in automation allows my intern to be notified when content is ready for her to create.
- Google Workspace: Google Workspace is the go-to collaboration for all of our business needs. You can use tools like Docs, Sheets, and Meet, to collaborate in real-time with your clients or your team. This ensures everyone stays in sync and projects keep moving forward, irrespective of where everyone is.
- Publer: Social media presence is crucial for any business today, especially interior design. Publer allows you to schedule, collaborate, and analyze your social media content on all your platforms. You can publish in real-time or schedule for later. You can even see posts that you didn’t schedule through the app and posted from other places to help manage what is being seen and where. This tool will help you keep your brand’s voice consistent across all platforms.
- Canva: I’m almost certain you are already using this one but if you’re not and you’ve been under a rock, let me tell you how Canva is the bee’s knees. Canva is an easy-to-use platform for creating captivating graphics, presentations, and branding materials that keep your visuals on point. This tool will help you stand out both online and offline.
- Book Like A Boss: If you are still manually scheduling appointments, please stop. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Book Like A Boss provides a sleek, intuitive platform for scheduling and booking and ensures you never miss an appointment. Clients and prospects can easily find slots that work for them and they will get reminders prior so they don’t miss the meeting. And did I mention it’s so pretty!?
For each one of these tools, there are at least two or three others, but these are my favs. Whether you choose to try these tools or others, know that they can provide the edge you need to stand out, stay organized, and deliver exceptional results.
If you’re interested in testing out any of these tools, go here for an affiliate link and save.
