The Interior Design Business Handbook -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter 1 Finding Your Place in Interior Design -- What It Takes to Be an Interior Designer -- Five Traditional Ways of Working -- Designer -- Agent -- Merchant -- Employees -- Contractor -- Working Styles -- Independent Practice -- Apprenticeship -- Teams -- Group Practices -- Design Associates -- Design/Build Team -- Specialization and Specialties -- Acoustic Design -- Adaptive Reuse -- Administrative Headquarters Design -- Airplane Design -- Amusement Park Design -- Apartment, Condominium, and Co-op Design -- Aquarium Design -- Art Consulting -- Art Dealing -- Audiovisual Design -- Auditorium Design -- Barrier-Free Design -- Bathroom Design -- Beauty Salon and Barbershop Design -- CAD Specialization -- Carpet and Rug Design -- Ceramic Tile Design -- Closet Design -- Color Consultation -- Commercial Design -- Computer/High-Tech Office Design -- Construction Supervision -- Corporate Campus Design -- Corporate In-House Design -- Cosmetic Dentistry -- Country Club Design -- Dental Office Design -- Design Coordination -- Design for Children -- Design for In-Home Medical Care -- Design for Vision or Hearing Impairments -- Display and Exhibit Design -- Energy Conservation Design -- Ergonomic Design -- Estate Management -- Facility Management -- Factory and Production Consulting -- Faux Finishes and Stenciling -- Feng Shui -- Forensic Consulting -- Funeral Home Design -- Furniture Design -- Furniture Management -- Geriatric Design -- Graphic Design -- Greenhouse Design -- Hard-Surface Flooring Design -- Hardware Design -- Health and Fitness Club Design -- Hedonistic Sustainability -- Historic Preservation -- Home Office Design -- Home Theater Design -- Hospital Design -- Hospitality Design -- Houseboat Design -- Human Factors -- Interior Landscaping -- Journalism.

Kennel Design -- Kid Friendly -- Kitchen Design -- Law Office Design -- (LED) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -- Library Design -- Licensing -- Lighting Design -- Lighting Fixture Design -- Liturgical Design -- Manufacturer In-House Design -- Manufacturer Representation -- Marine Design -- Marketing -- Medical Center Design -- Medical Office Design -- Medical Spa Specialization -- Model Home Design -- Modular Prefabricated Design -- Multimedia Center Design -- Mural Painting -- Museum Design -- Nursing Home Design -- Office Design -- Park Design -- Party and Ball Design -- Passenger Train and Bus Design -- Patio and Outdoor Room Design -- Permaculture -- Photographic Set Design -- Photographic Styling -- Plumbing Fixture Design -- Prison Design -- Privacy Design -- Product Design -- Product Display -- Product Evaluation -- Product Marketing -- Professional or Trade Organizations -- Project Management -- Proxemics -- Psychiatric Care Facility Design -- Public Relations -- Purchasing -- Real Estate Development -- Real Estate Upgrading -- Rendering -- Residential Design -- Resort Design -- Restaurant Design -- Restaurant Kitchen Design -- Retail and Specialty Selling -- Retail Store Design -- Safety Code Specialist -- Security Consulting -- Set Design -- Shop-at-Home Services -- Shopping Mall Design -- Showroom Design -- Socially Dedicated Design -- Solar Design -- Spa and Skin Clinic Design -- Spaceship and Rocket Design -- Stadium and Arena Design -- Storage Design -- Tabletop Design -- Television Design -- Tenant Development Services -- Textile Design -- Training Center Design -- Transit Center Design -- Tree Hotel -- Turnkey Services -- Underground Habitation Design -- Universal Design -- Vacation Home Design -- Vastu -- Videoconference Center Design -- Wallcovering Design -- Wall Finishing -- Wayfinding -- Window Treatment Design.

Finding Your Place -- Measures of Sucess -- Chapter 2 Starting or Changing Your Business Type or Structure -- Initial Considerations -- Planning Ahead -- Advantages -- Disadvantages -- Getting Feedback -- Accountant -- Bankers or Other Lending Institutions -- Business Consultant -- Designer -- Financial Advisor -- Insurance Advisor -- Lawyer -- Other Professionals -- Buying an Existing Business -- Advantages -- Disadvantages -- Evaluating an Existing Business -- Selecting the Right Form of Ownership for You -- Sole Proprietorship -- Partnership -- Corporation -- Buy-Sell Agreements -- Taxes -- Licenses -- Fictitious Name Registration -- Domain Name -- Dealerships -- Joint Ventures and Asociations -- Considerations -- Chapter 3 Planning for Profit and Growth -- Developing a Firm -- Planning or Designing -- Setting Goals -- Personal Goals -- Business Goals -- Formulating a Business Plan -- Planning for Profit -- Factors That Affect Your Profits -- Ways to Increase Profits -- Analyzing Your Firm's Direction -- Evaluating Your Team -- Outsourcing -- Selling Your Business -- Considerations -- Chapter 4 Setting Up a Design Studio -- The Right Location -- Proximity to Your Client Base -- Sizing Up the Competition -- Residential Suitability -- Staff Availability -- Business Climate -- Visibility -- A Building for Your Business -- Leasing or Buying -- Home Studios -- Equipping Your Office -- Equipment -- Telephone Systems -- The Library -- Inventory -- Considerations -- Chapter 5 The Design Team -- Forecasting Requirements -- Staff Positions -- Chief Executive Officer (CEO) -- Managing Director or Business Manager -- Marketing Director or Manager of Business Development -- Human Resource Manager -- Receptionist -- Other Staff Positions -- Short-Term Staff -- Acknowledgment of Independent Contractors -- Finding the Right Employees -- Writing a Job Description.

Interviewing a Prospective Employee -- Interview Techniques -- Trying Out a Person -- Equal Opportunity Laws -- Legal Commitments -- Getting References -- Hiring an Employee -- Notifying Other Applicants -- Salaries and Benefits -- Design Firm Benefits -- Employee Evaluations -- Reviewing Goals -- Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance -- Termination or Resignation of an Employee -- Resignation with Formal Acknowledgment -- Exit Interview -- Employee-Related Letters -- FROM FIRM TO STAFF -- FROM DESIGNER TO FIRM -- Hiring Consult ants -- When to Hire -- Whom to Hire -- Consultant Contracts -- Considerations -- Chapter 6 Business Development -- Market Development -- Market Research -- Sources for Jobs -- Getting the Right Jobs -- Public Relations -- Fundamental Public Relations -- The Tools of Public Relations -- Public Relations as an Investment -- Publicists -- Advertising -- The Keys to Advertising -- Choosing the Right Publications -- The Design of Advertisements -- Photography -- Video -- Selling -- How to Sell -- The Initial Interview -- The Presentation -- Negotiating -- Closing the Sale -- Debriefing -- Considerations -- Chapter 7 Charging for Your Services -- Job Pricing -- Before You Give an Estimate: The 80-20 Rule -- Considerations for Job Pricing -- The Design Service Outline -- How to Charge -- Basic Methods of Compensation -- Overhead Expenses -- Calculating Hourly Rates -- Fee Bases -- The Design Concept Fee -- The Straight Design Fee -- Time and Expenses -- Value-Based Fees -- Per-Square-Foot Charge -- Retail Sales-Based Methods -- Contract Price -- Methods for Saving Expenses -- Reducing Bookkeeping -- Factoring in Margin for Cost Increases -- Determining the Fee Structure -- Getting Higher Fees -- Relating to the Client -- Repackaging Your Services -- Showing a Strong Portfolio -- Offering Something Different.

Offering Better Services -- Having a Good Reputation -- Contracts and Letters of Agreement -- General Provisions -- Ways to Prevent Lawsuits -- Types of Contracts and Letters of Agreement -- When to Present a Letter of Agreement or Contract -- Considerations -- Chapter 8 Succeeding in Project Management -- The Programming Phase -- Data Collection -- The Schematic Design Phase -- The Design Development Phase -- The Contract Phase -- Placing Orders -- The Contract Administration Phase -- The Twilight Zone -- Freight Claims -- Receiving Instructions -- Installation Supervision -- Postoccupancy Evaluation -- Client Retention -- Client Loyalty -- Considerations -- Chapter 9 Working with Sources and Contractors -- Selecting Sources -- Investigating Source Companies -- Making Sales Reps' Visits Worthwhile -- Keeping a Research Sheet -- Keeping Up to Date with Your Sources -- Working with Your Suppliers -- Quality Control -- Due Diligence -- What Suppliers Want -- Buying Methods -- Co-op and Buying Services -- Traditional Buying Methods -- Buying Service -- The Proposal -- Purchase Orders -- Working with Your Contractors -- Finding the Right Contractor -- Business Arrangements -- Supervision or Observation -- Ways to Make the Job Easier -- Considerations -- Chapter 10 Managing Your Office -- Management -- Management Styles -- Providing Leadership -- Time Management -- Organizing Your Time -- Time-Management Chart -- Time-Saving Methods and Ideas -- Communication -- Meetings -- Managing Meetings -- Delegation -- Handling Mail -- E-Mail -- Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) -- Recordkeeping -- Areas That Require Recordkeeping -- Daily Diary -- Protecting Confidential Material -- Copyrights and Intellectual Property -- Using Office Tols -- Managing the Library -- Managing the Telephone -- Phone Call Process -- Considerations.

Chapter 11 Managing and Securing Your Financial Position.