Ask Us Anything: Brian Paquette on warehouse insurance that works for designers

Summary

Trade Tales Podcast Summary Episode: Ask Us Anything: Brian Paquette on Warehouse Insurance That Works for Designers
Host: Caitlin Peterson, Editor-in-Chief of Business of Home
Guest: Brian Paquette
Release Date: August 6, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Trade Tales, Caitlin Peterson invites Brian Paquette, a seasoned interior designer and logistics enthusiast, to address a pressing concern among designers: securing adequate insurance for items stored in warehouses. The episode delves into practical solutions, systematization of business processes, and the importance of reliable partnerships in the design industry.

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The Insurance Conundrum

Timestamp [00:52]:
A fellow designer presents a dilemma: ensuring insurance coverage for clients' items stored in various warehouses. The challenge lies in navigating insurance policies that often do not explicitly cover such storage, leaving designers uncertain about the best course of action.

Unnamed Designer:
"The insurance companies want... how old's the building? How much inventory is there exactly?... We've been going back and forth for weeks." [02:10]

This scenario highlights the complexity and frustration designers face when trying to protect valuable inventory without straightforward insurance options.

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Brian Paquette's Systems Approach

Timestamp [05:53]:
Brian Paquette emphasizes the significance of robust systems in managing a design business. He describes systems as an ongoing, evolving process that offers freedom by reducing inconsistencies and simplifying complex operations.

Brian Paquette:
"Systems are freeing. I can do the thing that I really want to do, which is be creative and also have a good life balance." [06:25]

Paquette advocates for viewing systems not as rigid frameworks but as flexible tools that adapt to varying project demands and geographic locations.

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Implementing Comprehensive Install Documentation

Timestamp [09:00]:
One of Paquette's key strategies is the creation of detailed installation documents. These documents encapsulate his meticulous approach to installations, covering everything from styling techniques to logistical checklists.

Brian Paquette:
"This is what a Brian Pocket Interiors install looks like... how I lay a throw blanket... a checklist for inventory, light bulbs, extension cords..." [12:09]

By documenting every aspect of the installation process, Paquette ensures consistency and confidence among his team, enabling seamless project execution even in his absence.

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Simplifying Business Operations with Markups

Timestamp [24:45]:
Paquette discusses his straightforward pricing strategy, employing a uniform 30% markup on all billed items. This approach eliminates the confusion caused by varied markups across different services and products.

Brian Paquette:
"We put the same markup on every single thing that is billed to our clients... it's just simple as that." [26:09]

He likens his pricing model to retail practices, where additional costs are embedded within the final price, thereby simplifying client interactions and maintaining transparency.

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Building Effective Partnerships with Warehouses

Timestamp [15:27]:
Addressing the original insurance question, Paquette shares his experience collaborating with warehouse partners. He underscores the importance of selecting warehouses that understand and adapt to the specific needs of interior designers.

Brian Paquette:
"Our warehouse wanted a furnishing schedule... they added insurance based on monthly inventory... We choose full coverage with no deductible." [18:03]

Paquette's partnership model ensures comprehensive coverage and minimizes risk, turning insurance into a profit center for both parties. He advises designers to cultivate strong, transparent relationships with their warehouse partners to ensure mutual success.

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Advice and Key Takeaways

Timestamp [32:39]:
Paquette offers invaluable advice on managing expectations and fostering positive business relationships. He emphasizes the importance of humility, understanding human limitations, and maintaining clear communication.

Brian Paquette:
"Never pretend to understand anyone's day... focus on understanding that we are all flawed human beings." [32:42]

Additionally, he advises designers to trust their colleagues, vet partners thoroughly, and be willing to seek new partnerships if existing ones do not meet their standards.

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Conclusion

This episode of Trade Tales provides interior designers with actionable insights into managing the often-overlooked aspect of warehouse insurance. Brian Paquette's emphasis on systematic business practices, transparent pricing, and strategic partnerships offers a roadmap for designers to secure their inventory effectively while maintaining creative freedom and operational efficiency.

For designers grappling with similar insurance challenges, Paquette's experiences and solutions present a compelling case for re-evaluating existing workflows and forging stronger, more reliable business relationships.

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Notable Quotes:

• "Systems are freeing. I can do the thing that I really want to do, which is be creative and also have a good life balance." — Brian Paquette [06:25]

• "We put the same markup on every single thing that is billed to our clients... it's just simple as that." — Brian Paquette [26:09]

• "Never pretend to understand anyone's day... focus on understanding that we are all flawed human beings." — Brian Paquette [32:42]

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For More Information:

• Podcast: Trade Tales
• Host Email: [e-mail]
• Website: businessofhome.com/tradetales

Transcript

[Brian Paquette]

Foreign.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Hi, I'm Caitlin Peterson, the editor in chief of business of Home. Welcome to Ask Us Anything where we're tapping your favorite Trade Tales guests to answer all of your questions about building a better design business. Some weeks we'll be workshopping a crisis. In others, we'll take a step back to talk about the big picture. Things like embracing change, hiring, or how to level up. No question is out of bounds. No question is too large or too small. And we're keeping it confidential so that this is always a safe space to air your frustrations and share your fears. This week we're fielding a question from a designer about the best way to get insurance coverage and the items they've placed in warehouse storage.

[Unnamed Designer]

One of my clients sent me an email saying, oh, one of my friends mentioned to me, should I be getting insurance to cover the things in the warehouse? And I was like, I don't think so. But in my mind I'm thinking, well, I want to cover that. I don't think that's really on the homeowner with the level of service we're trying to offer, but I don't know that that is explicitly covered.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Our question asker wanted to know the best way to protect items in storage for her clients, but her search kept hitting a dead end. Now she's wondering if anyone out there has stumbled onto a solution.

[Unnamed Designer]

So I talked to my current insurance agent. We have regular business insurance errors and omissions, liability, all of that. But I talked to her and she said, oh, no, that's not covered. And in commercial insurance, everything is sort of a separate policy. So let me go down the path of researching this policy for this specific need. And she is having a heck of a time getting this covered for me.

[Unnamed Guest]

Like nobody was wants to cover this.

[Unnamed Designer]

Right? The insurance companies want, okay, where's the warehouse? What's the address? How old's the building? How much inventory is there exactly? And I keep telling her, well, it depends. It depends on the day, it depends on the project. I don't just use one warehouse because we have projects in multiple cities. Everything is not in there all at the same time. So all these questions the insurance person is asking my agent, the answers are all, well, it's all over the place. It depends. We've been going back and forth for weeks. And I asked her, is this something where it actually should be on the homeowner and that would be easier. I just need to tell them. And she said, not really. Because typically, at least in our state, what would be covered under the homeowner's policy is 10% of what is covered in the contents of their house. So say their homeowner's insurance policy has 500k covered for their house contents. Only 50k would be covered if something was in a storage unit or with their kids at college or what have you. So I'm sure this is different depending on state, but it just seems like we've hit this thing where there is no easy answer. And it's just left me thinking, well, what are other people doing? Have other designers just not thought about this? Or what is the answer? If you don't own your own warehouse and you are using perhaps multiple warehouses, depending on what your project is, like, what are they doing? Because the warehouse does have insurance, but it is so minimal, it's laughable.

[Unnamed Guest]

Okay, I was just gonna ask you about that.

[Unnamed Designer]

Yeah. Cause I went that route too, and it's like, oh, yeah, we'll replace, you know, 0.001 cent per pound. So for the level of furnishings and stuff that we're doing as designers, you're.

[Unnamed Guest]

Gonna get a nickel for a critic.

[Unnamed Designer]

Yes. That costs you $20,000. Like it, it does not even begin to cover it. So I'm just wondering, what happens here and how do we solve this?

[Caitlin Peterson]

This question taps into the kind of anxiety that can keep you awake at night. That thought, what do I do if the warehouse burns down with all of my clients new stuff inside? Insurance is never the most exciting topic, but it's absolutely an essential one. In many cases, it's your only real safeguard in the face of catastrophe. And that's why getting it right matters a lot. As we ended our call, I knew just who to connect with to help this designer find her footing. Someone whose relationship with an amazing receiver has transformed the way his business operates, including when it comes to insurance, all of that and more in just a moment. If I know one thing about what your clients are asking for, it's this. They want homes that do more than ever before. And that's why the latest collection from Four Hands is focused on versatility, function, and enduring style. With more than 400 elevated pieces designed to help you help your clients make the most of their homes. You'll find everything from flexible seating for entertaining and room dividers for work. From home days to outdoor styles that connect effortlessly with your interiors. And kitchen islands that pull double duty as a space for snacks after school or and cocktails after five. These fluid pieces can be used to add a sense of ease to daily life. And they create transformative spaces where Anything feels possible. Find the inspiration for your next [e-mail] Tradetales today I'm thrilled to be joined by Brian Paquette. As a guest on trade sales. Last year, Brian explained why geeking out about systems actually goes hand in hand with creative freedom. He's a self proclaimed logistics fanatic and I thought he'd be the perfect person to answer today's question.

[Unnamed Guest]

Thank you so much for joining me today.

[Brian Paquette]

Of course, thank you for having me as always. This is, I just look forward to this all the time, so.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, I was lucky enough to spend some time with you in Los Angeles a few months ago during Legends. But Trade Tales listeners heard from you last spring when you had just emerged from.

[Caitlin Peterson]

I think you said it was like.

[Unnamed Guest]

A year of really focusing on refreshing your firm's systems. What does that feel like now? Like on the other side with a little bit of distance from that effort?

[Brian Paquette]

Yeah, I think the thing about systems is it's not, it's not done once. It's a constant evolution and there's actually freedom in that because I think if you look at like systems stuff as like, okay, we're going to spend six months, you know, when it's slow or something like that, or even one month or whatever building all this thing and it's the end all be all, you're looking at it in the wrong way because every client, whether they are in the same state or a different state or every budget allowance, I mean we just had an issue where California is. Now we have to pay tax in California for California projects as well as in Washington. And so now there's a new system within our firm where we have to look at the scope and budget of the project that we may be getting in California to decide if it's actually worth it monetarily. So and there's a whole system to that that's all just really boring numbers and all that kind of stuff. But it's really important, right, because you can end up like working on a project for a year and a half and, and get an eighth of what you would make doing on a project in, in Washington state where we, you know, where we are. But yeah, you know, systems are freeing. I think that's really what it is. Like I have, you know, for as long as I can remember been about trying to make what can seem like a really, really stressful and over complicated job because there's no consistency and no, there's just no consistency throughout our industry, you know, seem really complicated and try to make it uncomplicated so that I can do the thing that, you know, I really want to do, which is be creative and also have a good life balance. So, yes, it's freeing and yes, it's ongoing. And I think there's freedom in the ongoingness because it allows you to just be really flexible and be like, hey, that thing happened. Let's adjust this.

[Unnamed Guest]

What was the biggest fix or solve? Was there any one thing that you were like, oh, my gosh, we changed this piece of the way we work, and it. It feels just dramatically different or it makes the work feel so much better?

[Brian Paquette]

So I've always. Well, not always, but I have been for the past six years, been in. You know, it's just me and one other person or me and two other people. And that's really, really important to me. And, you know, we dealt with all the system stuff like, you know, onboarding and invoicing and tracking and client portals and all that kind of stuff. But one thing I didn't really think about, which is important in a larger firm when you're dealing with 50 projects a year and stuff like that, was extracting all of my effort into a document or extracting all of my knowledge into a document, meaning I'm heading into a different phase of life and I don't want to do this install or it's not worth my time to do this install because of scheduling or vacation or something like that, like that sort of thing. How can someone else who's been with the firm for five years and should very, you know, very much be able to handle an install by themselves do it with the utmost confidence? So this document that says, this is what a Brian Pocket Interiors install looks like. These are all the little things that you may not see. But I fixate on whether it's how to style a bookcase or the clearance of a rug in a room, or the type of light bulbs that I like for certain things, or a checklist just to sort of, like, take the anxiety out of an install. They're. They're always going to be anxious. They're even anxious for me. We have one this Thursday. Like, I'm. I. I'm not, like, nervous like I used to be 10 years ago, but there's always anxiety around.

[Unnamed Guest]

It just kind of. It hums in your stomach, right?

[Brian Paquette]

100%. Right. And most of that anxiety, honestly, is like my own buildup and has nothing to do with everything. And then there's also, like, creative anx anxiety, which is like, it's excitement. Right. So if I'm you know, wanting to hand this over to a person, it should be on me that if I want the best results and I do actually want to step away from this, I needed to put in the work to build this document that set up this person for success so that they felt comfortable and so that the client, when they walked into the house like, you know, at the end of the evening, once it was done, they didn't know that I wasn't there. It's always about freeing ourselves from the things that we, that we don't necessarily need to do, you know, whether it is, you know, one, you know, we've also. My employee has been using AI and ChatGPT because ChatGPT now has my voice in terms of emails. And she is very aware that her voice and emails like unchecked is very different than my voice. And we want to have one. And she came to me with this, you know, like, and she was like, I want to have one cohesive voice. And so she, what she does is she asks it to put it in my voice. She writes all of the things, whether it's bullet points or whatever, and then she asks it to put it in my voice. And so all of our emails are very, very similar in tone. So it's just like, it's just tools, you know, just like, yeah, all these, all these things that can free you up of time doesn't mean that you need to fill that time with more work. That's not the goal here. The goal is just to be efficient so that there's. You actually feel, you feel space to go on vacation and without, you know, worry or anything like that.

[Unnamed Guest]

What is that document? You know, that install document, for example? What does that look like? Is that a Google document that's eight pages long, single spaced? That's just sort of like a brain dump of things. What actually are you putting on the page?

[Brian Paquette]

We built it together and it's basically like it's. I mean I just used Acrobat to do it and like, yeah, I'm not techie, so. But it was like everything I knew that I wanted to make this thing and so I used a example project that had all the things that I knew, like everything from. Like this is actually how I style a bookshelf. Like this is how it looks like when I do it. And here's, you know, the amount of books and stuff like that. I know this sounds silly, but. And here's the space. I mean here's where I like a drinks table next to a chair. This is how I like my pillows fluffed on a sofa. I mean, really getting minute. This is how I lay a throw blanket, you know, on a thing. This is how I make a bed. I'm very methodical about how I make our beds. It's really simple. There's no question. It's one way. So there's pictures.

[Unnamed Guest]

So it's super visual.

[Brian Paquette]

Yeah, it's super visual. And then there's also like a checklist for like, have you gone through the inventory for the project and either purchased all of the light bulbs or made sure all the vendors have set. Have sent light bulbs for those fixtures? Have you looked at the house in terms of like, where there's going to be a credenza with two lamps on it? Do you need an extension cord? What size extension cord do you need? Do we have an install kit as well that has everything from like, you know, screwdrivers to steamers, little things like, did you get. Did you get flowers? Did you ask about flowers? Did you, you know, like, where are those flowers going? Did you get a candle? Did you get branded matches to go with said candle? Where is that candle being left? If they have young children, don't leave it in this certain area. Maybe on one of their bedsides, like really, like minutia. And the thing is, is like, you think about one thing and then you think about another. And so I just went through, I just literally went through the house from the entry door, you know, and then to the end of the install.

[Unnamed Guest]

What else is going on at the firm these days? What are you most excited about when you walk into work?

[Brian Paquette]

I think I'm just, I'm leaning into the stride of things right now. Like, I think age has a lot to do with that too. You just learn, like, what matters and what doesn't. I'm excited when I walk in the office that we have like a client roster full of people with mutual respect. Like that I don't have.

[Unnamed Guest]

That's beautiful.

[Brian Paquette]

Yeah, it's. I mean, it's like, it's simple, but it's like, I don't want to have this low level anxiety constantly about managing the expectations of people. Like that sort of thing is. It's untenable. Like, if all I'm thinking about is managing expectations, like, there's the rob, like the robber of all of the joy of this job. I want to work for good people. I want to do the job that I'm supposed to do and I want to be creatively challenged.

[Unnamed Guest]

I love that.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Are you ready to give some advice?

[Brian Paquette]

Oh, Absolutely. This is a. This is a good topic for me. I love logistics.

[Unnamed Guest]

Okay, well, this week we are fielding a question from a designer who actually heard a casual mention of warehouse insurance on this show two weeks ago and thought, wait, I'm struggling with that right now. So can we talk about how you navigate this? Because I know that your firm doesn't kind of personally carry the insurance.

[Caitlin Peterson]

What has your solution been?

[Brian Paquette]

So, yeah, we don't personally carry the insurance. We carry standard business insurance, and that's what's been advised for us. I want to say that I have not come up with this answer. I want to say that our warehouse receiver and installation team here in Seattle that services all of Washington for us, they're like, I don't know, just. I hold everybody else, like, up to them, and that's really unfair. But I've worked with them for 16 years. So they started not as a residential warehouse. They started as being the receiver for, you know, places like BNB Italia. And, you know, like, they would receive whole cargo loads of furniture, and they would be, you know, basically hired by these, you know, de la Spada and, you know, all of these other companies to learn about the product because they were not only receiving it, but then they were installing it. And, you know, some of that stuff can be complicated. And so they wanted experts on the ground in Washington state. And so that's kind of how it worked. And I happened to work for BNB Italia when we first moved to Seattle. So I met these guys through that. And when I left there and started my firm, you know, I needed a warehouse, and I just asked them if they would be open to doing this. And they had never done it, but they were like, yeah, sure, like, of course you can ship anything you want here. So that. That started that relationship. And. And we have been, you know, I consider them like my number one partners in business since then. And so. And I've brought things. I have taught them a lot of things about, you know, like, it's very different when you're bringing an entire houseload of things, you know, versus one sofa from, you know, from, you know, one dealer to a house. I've also brought them along. You know, they. They did not do mounting and art installation up until about five years ago. I think there was a time where I was like, could you guys hang a mirror? And then that basically turned into, they now install everything that is hungry in our projects from art and mirror. So they took the time to train people to do that. So that's one less vendor I have to bring on site. So when it came to insurance, they actually. This sort of backs up. They came to us a couple of years ago and, you know, they knew that we would have all these projects, right. And they're receiving them at different times. And what. They came to us because they knew that we had. They asked for basically like a finished schedule, but, well, not a finished schedule for house, you know, that would have paint colors and plumbing and stuff like that. They wanted a furnishing schedule.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Okay.

[Brian Paquette]

And so we took, you know, we. We already made those. And because those went in our client portal so a client could see when it was ordered and when its expected date of receival was going to be. So our receiving warehouse wanted that. They also wanted a copy of our. All of our invoices for goods. And what they did with this information is they knew everything that was going to come in for that client before they received it. They also knew the value of everything that was going to come in when they received it. And as they received a good. And as they charged monthly insurance per square footage, they added on the insurance for the amount that was received in that month. Right. So it grew. And then the insurance part of it at the end of it was also like, we have a choice. So that one they fully cover. They say, we're just fully covering this. It is, you know, full coverage with no deductible. There's no choice in that. And I would have chosen that anyway. When it comes to the installation, the designer or whoever has the opportunity to say delivery with no insurance. Delivery with, you know, like our guest has said, you know, like, you know, minimal insurance, like 10 cents to the dollar, that sort of thing.

[Unnamed Designer]

Ye.

[Brian Paquette]

For full coverage with no deductible. And we just. I'm sorry, we just choose full coverage, no deductible. And the reason being is that, like, while some clients. I just don't. I don't even ask our clients like it does.

[Unnamed Guest]

It just is, this is how we do our business.

[Brian Paquette]

Yeah, yeah. It's not my stuff. It's not in your home yet. So it is not covered. And you know, the fact of the matter is, is like, there is a chance that on the way from the receiving warehouse, a bunch of things could happen. Who knows what could happen? And, you know, if we're Talking about a $5,000 charge for $250,000 worth of goods, it's sort of nominal, that stuff. You know, it could be antique. Most of it's custom, and most of it has a long lead time. So what is the value to you? But the fact of the matter is, is, like, this is all talked about in our onboarding document. No one really pays attention to it, and obviously they don't realize it because it's just a line item in their installation costs. You know, it says, like, install six plus guys, eight hours plus tip. And then there's another line item of insurance. And so what I would say to this person is, like, I have brought things to my warehouse. They have brought things to me. Like, I truly see them as a partner. So I don't know, maybe you bring. Bring what we have learned from our warehouse and just bring it to them. The fact of the matter is, is this has actually become a profit center for both of us. So they make out and we make out. The fact of the matter is, is when you sell insurance and the insurance is not used, someone's making money. So I think what has happened during the pandemic is so many people got projects in remote areas. You know, people move to remote areas for, like, sector homes or main homes. And I had this as well. Like, they were receiving warehouses in those places, but they were. They were used to receiving, like, pallets of soda and refrigerators. They weren't used to receiving and inspecting $20,000 sofas, you know, and dealing with that and then maybe installing it. And so I think there's a learning curve. And we had that. And so what we've done is we've just created another document or, you know, as easily just explained, this is how our warehouse does it. Here's the results of how they're doing it, and here's what you could see. You know, if you take this on.

[Unnamed Guest]

Are most people interested in that?

[Brian Paquette]

100%. We have seen so many of our receivers. And I mind you, like, I'm not working all over the country. I mainly work on the west coast between California, Washington, and Idaho. So, you know, I haven't had to train, you know, 9 million people in the middle of nowhere, but, like, I've had no pushback at all. It's like working with an architect. You know, it's like it's having five people in the room building a house and me being humble to what I don't know, and the architect being humble to what they don't know, and the landscape person and the client and all of these people being humble to what they don't know, but understanding that together we can come up with the best solution possible.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Hey, designers, I'm back with a quick reminder about the latest collection from 4 Hands 400 Timeless Styles that Flex, move, contain and connect to help your clients make the most of their homes. Plus, the Four Hands Art Studio has welcomed Benjamin Galvin to its roster of artists, using its best in class printers and scanners to capture the textures and dimensions of his organic, cubist inspired works. New has never looked so good, and I can't wait for you to check it out. Find the inspiration for your next [e-mail] Tradetales.

[Unnamed Guest]

Have you made an effort to kind of consolidate as much of your business to one receiving partner as possible? Or is that idea of having multiple warehouses kind of feasible and logical to you?

[Brian Paquette]

I can't fathom having. But the thing is, maybe if you were in Texas. I'm in Washington, and Washington is not a tiny state. But our receiving warehouse will service anywhere in Washington. I mean, if I wanted them to go to port like Oregon, they would do it for me. They've gone four hours away for us. We put them up. You know, we've done large installations and I'm not the only designer that has done that with them. So I think it's maybe case specific, but I can't even fathom having a separate warehouse in Washington not being. It just seems silly to me. But currently we have. We're working with three different receiving warehouses in three different states. And they're all different. They absolutely are. They are different in, in levels of communication. They're different in their. Their way that they do it. They're different in the way that they. Bill, like I said, I've got a pretty high bar for, you know, what is done in Washington. But I don't think of that as a detriment. I think of that as just like, well, I'm. This is how we do it here. And it's not like I need you to do it. It's just like I'm gonna throw this at you and see how you respond.

[Unnamed Guest]

Yeah, you mentioned that there, that this is profitable for you to work this way. Can you break that down a little bit and explain kind of the mechanics? I know you're putting a markup on a lot of these fees. Can you explain how that works and why that's so important to you?

[Brian Paquette]

I want to be clear. I put the same markup on every single thing that is billed to our clients. Perfect. We've talked about this before. Like, simple simplicity is really important to me. Not because, I mean, partially because of me, but also because it. It. I want to. You know, I hear these firms talk about like, we do 15% on this and 10% on antiques and 20% on out of state shipping and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You are adding confusion to an industry that has zero consistency. And I think so. So we put markup on all of that because this is, this is a business. It's just simple as that. You don't like when you buy a can of soda at Target, all of those things are built into it as just one price, right? Like they are charging you for receiving that can of Coke, for selling that can of coke for all of the staff that are involved. Like all of those types of things are built into the price of that. You don't ask that because it's not broken down line item. And I thought, I'm like, you know, keep it simple. I think the reason people get really nervous about charging people for things is that there is no consistency in our industry. And everybody's trying to create their own consistency without necessarily having an MBA.

[Unnamed Guest]

Can I ask you what that one markup is on everything?

[Brian Paquette]

30%. Anytime we are inputting a thing into the, into an invoice, it is marked up 30%.

[Caitlin Peterson]

How do you talk about that with clients?

[Brian Paquette]

I don't really. And meaning like I don't have belabored conversations because it's unnecessary. When you start out a conversation feeling like you are apologizing, when you over explain something, it makes it seem to your client that you aren't confident in.

[Unnamed Guest]

Your business or like you're trying to get away with something. Right?

[Brian Paquette]

Yeah, exactly. And the fact of the matter is, is I'm not, I'm not doing anything. I'm just running a business. But because there's so much lack of consistency and some clients might interview six designers in the same city and every one of those six designers has a completely different way of, of running their business. I get why it's complicated. So that's why I have made our business simple and that's why I've made the explanation simple. It is all explained in our onboarding documents. And if clients have questions during, you know, say the first interview, I'm more than happy to explain it. But I don't overly explain it. Our clients also say this too. Like we're not a big hourly biller. We're just not. Mostly because I don't bill hourly to manage the logistics of our projects. That is built into that 30%. I also don't charge hourly to order our product or price out our project.

[Unnamed Guest]

Product or budget, only charting, charging hourly for the design time design.

[Brian Paquette]

And like Meeting, like meetings. If, if one of us has to go and meet an electrician to go through the scope of work.

[Unnamed Guest]

Work.

[Caitlin Peterson]

Right.

[Unnamed Guest]

Like I got in a car, I drove to do a thing and I couldn't do anything else.

[Brian Paquette]

Exactly. But we have calls with our logistics team prior to installs. I don't bill for that because that's all part of it. So yeah, it's like we don't have these insane hourly bills every month. And I'm totally fine with that because I know how our business is run and I know how it can remain profitable.

[Unnamed Guest]

For someone starting this conversation with their warehouse and saying, you know, okay, I now am aware that there's another way of doing this where you could shoulder the work basically of offering insurance coverage for this product that you're storing for me. What is the upside for the warehouse?

[Brian Paquette]

The upside is profit. Upside is profit and also just peace of mind. I mean, it's really just as simple as that. The other thing too is that there is like, I know our warehouse gets a lot more interior interior design business because of how they are running as organized as a well oiled design firm because they know that that's their number one customer. If they were not as well oiled, they wouldn't be in competition. I would say the same thing to like a wallpaper installer. I'm like, what is your, what is your end game? Do you want to work with really organized people or do you, you know, I actually had this, you know, conversation with a wallpaper installer. I was like, do you want to work with retail or do you want to work with interior designers where you're going to get constant work. You need to understand what your, what your client base is. And if your client base isn't is organized interior designers. I don't know many interior designers that wouldn't require this. Because if you have any, I don't know, I guess if you have like any experience or heard any sort of horror stories about insurance, you just be like, I, I have to get this covered. And, and you know, any business consultant would say it's not on you to do it. That's just, that's the risk is not on you. That's just not how it works.

[Unnamed Guest]

If this designer's warehouse, you know, gets this idea from her and is like, no, no, no, that's not for us. We do business this way. Is the answer just that it's time to find another warehouse?

[Brian Paquette]

100%? Yeah. Yeah. I mean it's just like any, it's any sort of Think of it as another subcontractor. If that. If, you know, if you've got a. A painter, an electrician that is just not meeting expectations, have a clear conversation as to why they're not meeting expectations. You know, it just is what. That's just business.

[Unnamed Guest]

When you went looking for partners, you know, in Idaho and California, in other states, what were you looking for initially in a good partner? What did you expect them to have figured out already? And then what did you. What were you willing to bring to them and work with them on?

[Brian Paquette]

So it's like, I knew my expectations in Washington, right? Like, I knew all of the things that were happening in Washington. So the first thing I did is I asked friends in California, like, especially, like when we were working in Palm Springs. There's one. That's it. Are they. Are they my favorite? No, but there's one. And they do an adequate job, and their installers are like, they're lovely people. Do they do as great of a job as Washington? No. Have I brought all of this information to it and it's kind of gone over their heads? Yes, but it's adequate. And I honestly, I don't have a choice because if I sent all of that stuff to, say, Los Angeles at my receiver there that I do love, our logistics, you know, estimate would go maybe from 20% to 25%. And that just seems unfair to our clients. So, yeah, I asked designer friends. I'm like, who are you using? And I've just basically interviewed people, or I've tried out people, you know, in small ways. First, our main receiver in California actually did not start out as a receiver and installer. They started out as a trucking company. So they would pick up from our furniture manufacturers in Los Angeles, and they were doing loops from Los Angeles to Seattle. They were dropping off all the way, and they would do a loop every other week, which was really helpful for us. So they were doing that sort of stuff. And then, unbeknownst to me, they started, you know, they started doing receiving and inspection and then installation. They started receiving first, like receiving an inspection that was. And they let me know that they were doing that now, that they would love to work with me on any projects that I work in California. And that's kind of how that happened. And then I was surprised. I thought I was going to have to hire a separate installation crew. And so when I went to, they actually came to me. They're like, do you know when you're going to be installing this project so we can schedule it and I didn't even know at the time. That's on me. I hadn't, I just, I think I was just in the weeds or whatever. So it's trust your colleagues, vet them first. And, you know, and then your expectations just have to be managed down from there. You know, I just don't expect the same in Palm Springs as I do in Washington or Los Angeles because I have choice in both of those places.

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, this is great advice that you've given today.

[Caitlin Peterson]

What is some of the best advice you've ever received?

[Brian Paquette]

It's a little two pronged, but it kind of is the same thing. It's, you know, never pretend to understand anyone's day and then just always have an understanding that your expectations of them will never be met and their expectations of you will never be met. And that's okay because if we just, we focus on that, we, we lose all the joy. I mean, it's basically just about the human condition. It's like if we all relate and understand that we are all flawed human beings, it's such a better way to enter a meeting and enter a relationship. It's kind of like this, just this low level thought, you know, it's like it's a way of being where it's, I'm not going to let something as silly as an email, you know, bother me. I'm also going to look at that email and not pretend to understand what's going on in that person's life because that person is not my husband. That person is a client. Maybe they're a long term client, maybe they're a short term client. But at the end of the day, we never truly know what's going on in anybody's brains and how they come to things, whether that's a meeting or an email or, you know, anything. And so it's like if you can just all. I think that's just like overarching. We have this tendency in America just to, you know, shoot before we think. And if we all just kind of slowed down a little bit and understood that everybody's dealing with something, I think we'd all be a little bit happier.

[Caitlin Peterson]

That's our show for today. Thank you so much for being here and for everyone listening with a question of your own. I'd love for you to ask us anything. Don't worry, we'll keep it anonymous. Please start the conversation by sending me an [e-mail] if you're enjoying Trade tales, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the show. And if you're looking for even more great business advice, head on over to businessofhome.com trade deals is produced by me, Caitlyn Peterson, and Caroline Burke. This episode was edited by Carolyn Burke and Michael Castaneda. Our theme music is by Kyle Scott Wilson. Thanks again for listening, and I'll see you here next week.