No one becomes an interior designer because they love spreadsheets. Problem is, a bad spreadsheet can tank a project just as dramatically as the wrong shade of pink. For that reason, designers who can afford the expense will often outsource the nitty-gritty details of running a business to project managers and accountants. The best of these back-office pros keep a job humming along and profitable, freeing up the name on the door to think creatively. And with a close eye on tearsheets, invoices and schedules, they tend to notice things designers don’t. We reached out to some of these behind-the-scenes heroes to collect their best advice—and most dire warnings. 

Start at the End
There’s nothing quite like the bubbly excitement at the start of a new project. All that enthusiasm, however, can lead to hasty decisions that blow up down the line. Jared Miller, former CFO at the award-winning design firms of Alessandra Branca, David Easton, Roger Ferris, David Kleinberg and Charlotte Moss, recommends working backwards. “Designers tend to over-promise on timelines and under-budget, and that’s the worst combination possible,” he says. “Start by asking what day the client wants to move in, then develop a timeline: In order to get you in by that date, we need to do installation on this date, and if you want custom carpets, we need this amount of time. Then, do the same thing with the budget.”

The advantage of working in reverse, Miller says, is as much psychological as it is practical: “Super-high-net-worth clients will try to push designers around. If you can show them right up front that you’re serious and you understand how to manage expectations, they’re going to know that you understand how to manage their money and will feel comfortable as they have to keep writing checks.”

Develop Formulas
While every job is unique, veteran project manager Danielle Kelling, who has worked for the likes of Branca, Robyn Karp and Katie Ridder, says that designers shouldn’t get hung up on finding a new source for every detail of a project—that is, if they want to make money. The most profitable designers she has worked for don’t try to reinvent the wheel every time they spec a sofa: “One designer I worked for, all of her projects cost almost exactly the same—she ran a tight ship,” recalls Kelling. While it may sound boring to always use the same vendors for certain aspects of a project, it actually frees up time to spend on the creative showstoppers that clients really notice. “Nobody is going to be like, ‘Oh, the back of that sofa is so creative,’” she says. “People pay attention to unique finishes and pieces. If you want to create a really fabulous eglomise panel that takes a long time, great. But for basics, save your energy.”