Details- "The details are not the details. They make the design." -Charles Eames

Does anyone else remember end of Feb/ early March, getting that call to head home and start the WFH process? If you were like me, at the time it felt like the days were dragging on, but now, here we are in mid- October, gearing up to head back into the holiday season and it feels like the WFH days were yesterday.  This year has been a whirlwind with up's and down's, but it has also been a very revealing year that has allowed many of us to see who was prepared, where we all were vulnerable and could use improvement, and has opened our eyes to the changes that we need to make in our daily habits to be more prepared and responsive in the future.  Overall, I think we would all say that the building industry has been "lucky." In many parts of the country, we were exempt from the stay at home orders.  As essential, we were able to keep working, shipping and receiving product, and in special cases installing in the residential markets.  It was encouraging to feel the sense ...

As we approach the potential for the end of the "stay safe at home" orders, a popular topic has come up for what business and selling might look like.  This is a topic that I don't believe we will fully understand or be able to answer for many, many months, however, it is one that I do believe will shape the building and remodeling industry for years to come.  There is NO doubt that we have all had to adapt and that many have found that there are virtual platforms and tools that they have neglected, until now, that can be extremely successful business tools moving forward.  Does a virtual presentation completely replace a showroom experience? Probably not.  Does a picture of a cabinet door suffice for a $50k cabinetry purchase, HECK NO.  While there is no replacement for the physical samples and the experience of interacting with displays in a showroom, there are resources that can help propel business forward, reduce the sales cycle time, and to help us weed th...

The other day I discussed expectations and the absolute necessity to set the proper expectations early and often.  I find, however, there is a fine line that is walked between a doomsday outlook of everything under the sun that could go wrong, and a proper expectation of the process and preparing for bumps.  We don't intend to scare people, but when you have been in the industry for a bit, you know that there is rarely a "perfect" job.  This industry still has a largely human element to it, which is what makes it so exciting and rewarding.  We try our best to remove the potential for errors and delays as much as possible but at the end of the day, the building industry is one of Human craftsmanship.  While we hope for seamless installs, perfect fitting cabinetry, zero-few cuts in a backsplash install, the reality is, that isn't reality.  The question is, how do we prepare customers for the unexpected without scaring them away.  I believe that this sta...

Mood boards can be a great way to get started in the design process.  They help to begin to narrow down and focus the design and help it to take shape and direction.  They can also be an incredible way to organize and prioritize aspects of a design to be sure that the most crucial details do not get overlooked.  Using a mood board can help to make sure that each detail of the design is supporting the overall mood you are trying to create in the space.  My favorite way to do an initial mood board is PowerPoint.  Its so fast and easy to grab inspiration, a few particular finishes, and to create a quick paint pallet to get your design rolling.  What are your favorite ways to create a mood board? 

How many have heard the phrase "the new normal," today?! I have to say I get it but its starting to drive me crazy!! Since the quarantine, the only thing consistent has been inconsistency.  My normal is constantly adjusting to the abnormal.  when all of this started I wiped my outlook calendar thinking, well, "I can't go there any more so I have to cancel..." BIG MISTAKE.  After the first week of cleaning out emails, managing what I could with a phone call, organizing my samples in my "office" (my car 😉),  I quickly started to get very frustrated with the new normal.  This time isn't easy and very very little is within our control, but one thing we are in control of is how we approach this and shape our new normal.  It is our choice if we come out ahead and we learn something, or we come out stagnant.  I have been pleasantly overwhelmed with how many of my accounts have reached out to me asking for CEU's and training, embracing a slower time a...

One of the most crucial aspects for those in the building industry is creating expectations.  Expectations are everything! Expectations can make or break a project. They can make a successful project by a industry professional's standards, unsuccessful, in the drop of a hat! One thing I have had to remind myself of, constantly, is that those outside of the industry don't know what they don't know.  They often don't even know where to start.  I find this with homeowners but even with those inside the industry, sometimes.  Rep's live their specific products and process, day in and day out, but those who use our products digest what they need at that minute but don't have space to remember every detail with all of the other items they they need to coordinate and think through for just one project.  Homeowners are even further removed.  We must be sure to clearly represent our products, processes, timelines, etc. I feel that a great way to ensure proper expect...