Business of Home

Winter 2022 | Issue 22

When we talk about sourcing, it’s often through the lens of taste—channeling a client’s deepest desires into rooms that help them live better and more beautifully. But buying product is how most firms make money, and shopping smart can be the difference between making a profit and taking a loss. In this issue, we’re zooming out from perennial debates over markup percentages and charging strategies and instead investigating the big-picture ways designers can improve their margins and maximize profitability.

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Features

A designer’s guide to better cash flow

In any design business, there’s money coming and going at a dizzying, sometimes unpredictable rate. That’s why it’s crucial to create systems that allow you to access a constant stream of income. Here’s how successful design firms do it.

BY Haley Chouinard

Stocking dealers get better pricing on product. Here’s how you become one

There’s a big payoff when designers become stocking dealers—but what does it take to get there? Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting it right.

BY Caroline Bourque

Why are retailers obsessed with designers?

Twenty years ago, retailers weren’t interested in designers. Now they actively court the trade. What changed—and why does it matter?

BY Fred Nicolaus

12 designers share their sourcing secrets

Every project hinges on sourcing and shopping, and how you approach the product side of your business can make a big difference for your bottom line. There’s no right or wrong here, just what’s right for you. Ready to start thinking more strategically? Twelve designers tell us what works for them.

BY Kaitlin Petersen

Design Dispatch

magazine

This woodworker is embracing the beauty of ‘flaws’

Pooja Pawaskar’s hand-whittled creations highlight the wonders of imperfection.

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3 designers on the pieces they return to again and again

While there’s always a thrill in discovering a new gem, three designers share why their time-tested favorites still bring them (and their clients) joy.