Last year, we prepared for 2015 by making a list of New Year's resolutions just for design professionals. We hoped our suggestions would help you stay organized, stay on top of the market, and stay motivated!
If you've ever made resolutions before, you know how hard keeping them can be. December is a busy month and making or breaking habits is always a challenge. Whether you managed to keep 2015's resolutions or not, it's worth making new ones again this year! Get ready to set yourself some new goals.
This time last year, we suggested some resolutions that we thought might help home stagers and other design professionals feel confident and ready to face 2015. Getting organized and staying motivated were the central goals.
Did you try your hand at our list of goals this past year? It's not always easy to keep resolutions and most people get distracted as the year goes on. Don't feel guilty! Many people keep a few of their resolutions and let some others fall by the wayside. You can take another crack at those goals again in 2016!
Were you particularly successful at your resolutions in 2015? It's time to set yourself some new goals! Were there certain areas of your staging process that you'd still like to improve? 2016 is the perfect time to do that!
Remember to choose realistic resolutions that you'll actually be able to keep. Your overall goal should be to improve your skills and have a positive experience, not to judge yourself too harshly. New Year's resolutions are simply a little extra motivation to work your way towards improvement, both personally and professionally.
No matter how keeping your resolutions went last year, setting new goals for your home staging career is worth your time again this year. In case you're feeling inspired to try some completely new resolutions, here's a list of things we're going to try in 2016!
Social networking is fun, but it's also strategic when you're running a business. You might have a Facebook page or an Instagram account, but consider devoting part of 2016 to evaluating whether you're using them to their full potential. Perhaps you're under or over posting? Maybe you could use more effective hashtags? There might even be a brand new app or network that you could benefit from using but didn't know about! Having a good online presence between your professional social networks and your business website makes your services accessible to many more clients than you'll reach if you don't take advantage of what the Internet has to offer you.
Online networking is important, but it's easy to let technology take over how you interact with your clients. Balance is important when it comes to networking and communication. While you build your online presence, make sure you're also maintaining your image in the physical industry. Allot a portion of your week to spending time in the office or setting up face to face meetings with your clients rather than just speaking over the phone. If you'd like to do more, try attending local trade shows. Seeing what's new in the design world and speaking with fellow home stagers and other professionals will inform how you approach your next contract.
Great opportunities for professional home stagers come in all different forms. You might get learning opportunities like working as an assistant to a more experienced professional or taking a course that you discovered at a reputable trade show. Proactive home stagers might also come across unique work opportunities in 2016 that they wouldn't have had the confidence to take previously. If you've got the experience, why not take a risk? Keep your ear to the ground at trade shows and network with other design professionals to hear about home staging opportunities that you might not otherwise come across. The New Year is the perfect time to put your name and credentials out there and see what you get back!
Whether you're attracting new clients or looking for design professionals to collaborate with, targeting new people is a great goal for 2016. For beginning home stagers, identifying your target market and tailoring your online content and promotional materials to them will help you build your professional name and expand your client base. For experienced professionals who already have a solid client base, targeting unique or prestigious collaborators might be more useful. No matter whose attention you decide to grab, make sure you're invested in it. Evaluate what the person or group you're targeting wants or needs and show them your best work in that area.
This resolution is a little bit interpretive! You might refresh your outlook, your staging style, your website, your business's logo… you can take a brand new approach to whatever you feel like! Whatever you choose, the New Year is the perfect time to give at least one aspect of your professional career a fresh perspective. Think positively, evaluate what you're doing well, and think critically about which improvements you could make in the area you want to refresh.
Did you make one of our design resolutions in 2015? Tell us about your experience in the comments below! Did you set your own home staging goals last year, or do you have some planned for this year that you don't see here? We'd love to hear about those too! Happy New Year!
Is your New Year's resolution to become a home stager? Check out QC Design School's online Home Staging course to help you achieve your goal!