Knowing who to hire to staff your firm is important, but knowing when that expansion needs to take place is equally, if not more, crucial. This week, we asked nine designers—Lynn Berney, Elle Cantrell, Alexa Evans, Kesha Franklin, Alessia Genova, Tracy Gould, Christina Loucks, David Ries and Alexis Vitale—how they came to the conclusion that it was time to hire more people to run their firm.
Room to Grow
“I was working basically 24/7 for the first year of running my firm, and knew I wanted to hire my first employee [after that]. I started out of my house and wanted to set up an office space prior to hiring, as I believe separation between personal and professional [areas of life] is important. Once I signed the lease on my first office, I immediately began seeking my first employee. She started part-time and transitioned to full-time within a few months. When I was working well over 40 hours a week again, I knew it was time to consider a third employee, and we’ve continued to grow from there. We now have a team of 10.” —Elle Cantrell, Elle Du Monde, Atlanta
Growing Pains
“The best way I can explain this is feeling like I was growing out of my clothes and needed space to expand. Not only physically—in the office—but also in terms of capacity, to expand and a desire to create that space [for growth]. This past year, I became very aware of the need to add a more permanent team [rather] than juggling freelancers in and out of projects. Juggling keeps you in the weeds of turnover and means you can only partially disengage from the day-to-day and [immerse yourself] into the full vision of not only the project but also future growth. I got a larger office to allow space for a team and began hiring. I am now adding two full-time roles, in addition to the three part-timers I hired very soon after leasing new office space. This has opened up so much opportunity for forward growth and lessened the burden of getting mired down in the operational weeds. I took processes I knew from my corporate and agency world experience and implemented them by putting systems in place that would best suit team understanding.” —Christina Loucks, Christina Loucks Design Group, New York
Notice the signs
“Growing your team and finding the right team members is so vital to running a successful company. Our first sign of needing to grow was when we had to start turning down clients, as we didn’t have the capacity to support them. We never wanted to get into a position where we overworked our team and couldn’t deliver. Keeping the team’s morale up and ensuring no burnout is important. It’s a fast way to spiral out of control.” —Alexis Vitale, Vitale Design Group, Hermosa Beach, California
Creativity Balance
“As an interior designer, I firmly believe that creativity is the most potent tool in our design toolbox. It’s crucial to allow ourselves the time and space to keep our minds open and receptive to new ideas. When I find that this time and space [to foster creativity] is unavailable, it signals to me that it may be time to grow my team. Our business is often a nonlinear process, whether it’s during the design process or while problem-solving during procurement. We are challenged to think creatively. I believe that the more minds, the better, and having the right team balance contributes to a project’s success. As the design process unfolds, creativity, collaboration and innovation play an instrumental role in executing our work. Seeking peer input can provide invaluable insight and fresh viewpoints in getting our projects across the finish line. Having the right talent makeup is key. Many obvious reasons exist for having a fully staffed team, but the creative benefits loom large.” —David Ries, Ries Hayes, New York
More Time for Clients
“From the inception of our business, we have always prided ourselves on our ability to provide each client with personalized attention and individually curated spaces that reflect their personal life and needs. When living up to these expectations became a daily source of stress, we knew it was time to add more manpower. We never want any client to feel like we do not have enough time to answer all of their questions, provide an appropriate number of site visits, and be available for all of their consultation needs. Growing our business and having satisfied clients are our number-one priorities as a firm. No client wants to hear that we can’t take a call because we are busy with the accounting side of our business. We realized that by hiring a bookkeeper, as well as an administrative assistant, we could free up our time and continue to show each client the specialized attention they deserve. When you are a designer, you want to know each client is very happy, but there comes a point when adding support creates a better work environment for both us and the clients. Hiring someone familiar with the business has been one of the smartest decisions we have made, and has allowed us to continue to grow and expand our projects. We can now accomplish the necessary back-end work while at the same time providing the individualized attention our clients deserve.” —Lynn Berney, Tracy Gould and Alexa Evans, LTA Interiors, Boca Raton and New York
Pandemic Shifts
“Business growth is a constant thought and process for me as an entrepreneur, but the need for the growth of my team came from an unexpected influx of projects during the pandemic. The pandemic caused people to finally pay attention to the projects they had started and abandoned or never had the time to address, or to better prepare their homes for their new normal. Like many designers, Halden Interiors [came] to the rescue. But the high demand for my services made me realize that I could no longer operate as I had in the past. That’s when I knew I had to hire additional staff that would allow the firm to efficiently and effectively manage our various projects and position us for growth. With the expansion, it was then time to acquire office space outside of my home. The growth of my team required an environment that nurtures brand culture, creativity and work ethic. This step in my business confirmed that the growth I envisioned and the goals I had for my firm would not and could not come from me alone; success requires teamwork and collaboration.” —Kesha Franklin, Halden Interiors, Montclair, New Jersey
Spread Too Thin
“Determining when to expand a team is a critical decision. Recently, we hired a couple of new designers with varying levels of experience. While I can’t yet share specific projects that led to this decision, it was driven by our commitment to maintaining the high level of service and quality work that Tihany Design is known for. Managing several projects simultaneously can stretch our resources thin, so it’s crucial to ensure everyone has adequate time for the creative process.” —Alessia Genova, Tihany Design, New York
