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Kevin Isbell on what to do when an order goes wrong
00:36:06
Kevin Isbell on vetting vendors, navigating expensive mistakes, and ensuring that the client’s experience comes first—no matter the cost.
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- [00:03]
Caitlin Peterson
Hi, I'm Caitlin Peterson, the editor in chief of Business of Home. Welcome to Ask Us Anything, a new show where I'll be tapping former 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' keeping it confidential so that this is always a safe space. Air your frustrations and share your fears. This week we're in that crisis territory, and I'm excited to field a question from a designer who's looking for better ways to hold vendors accountable.
- [00:52]
Kevin Isbell
I ran into a scenario where I've worked with a vendor that I worked with in the past, so thought I had a really good relationship with, but there were certainly a couple aha. Moments that occurred that have given me some pause and just wanted me to maybe reevaluate my process or paperwork or how I interact with those vendors to ensure that I am not the one suffering or my clients aren't the ones suffering.
- [01:14]
Caitlin Peterson
Our Question Asker launched his own firm three years ago after spending more than a decade at larger design companies. Now that he's on his own, he's more directly involved in procurement than ever before, and he's finding that sometimes the process can be downright painful. He reached out to the show with a story of an order gone awry.
- [01:34]
Kevin Isbell
So I would say within the last six months I was doing some custom chairs for a client. Appropriate po specifications were done, details were all outlined within that po, sent it off to the vendor. They seemed to be a okay with everything detailed within that Fast forward four or five months. As soon as I received the photos from the receiving warehouse, I automatically realized, darn it, something wasn't right about these pieces that we had made. And so I reached out to the vendor and I said, hey, this doesn't match the specifications. They admitted that they made a mistake and then it just all kind of crumbled from there.
- [02:12]
Caitlin Peterson
Like the what do we do about this mistake together kind of conversation.
- [02:16]
Kevin Isbell
Correct. And so I felt kind of in a pinch because I am very much a client pleaser and I will bend over backwards and try and problem solve as much as I can for my clients. And so I felt kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place because I'm trying to get these chairs corrected. But I also have a vendor that's not really participating or actively involved in trying to get them corrected. So the first step was, let's try and get these chairs corrected at a local workroom so that we don't have to deal with freight and possible additional adjustments that became a disaster because that work room couldn't fix them. And so here we are, like, six months after the original delivery of these chairs, and they're still not fixed. And so it was an aha moment of like, all right, well, what do I need to change about my process to ensure that I'm not liable, that my clients don't suffer because of the mistakes that are occurring?
- [03:09]
Caitlin Peterson
And just like, who pays for all of this? Right.
- [03:11]
Kevin Isbell
And who pays for all of this? Exactly.
- [03:14]
Caitlin Peterson
Every single piece of this sounds expensive.
- [03:16]
Kevin Isbell
It does. And I have empathy towards the the vendor because I know the fix isn't.
- [03:21]
Unknown
Going to be cheap.
- [03:22]
Kevin Isbell
But I also, as a small business, relatively new to the business, or at least on my own, I don't have the capital or the funds to necessarily cover other people's mistakes. But I certainly can also go back to my client and have them pay for it. It's not their issue. So I would say one of the aha moments was certainly photos before it's sent out, so I could recognize any discrepancy that might be present via a photo. I've looked into changing some of my purchase order verbiage, adding some lines about liability or who's going to fix this if problems arise, or how long do we have to rectify this issue before it needs to be refunded?
- [04:02]
Caitlin Peterson
You had another great example you sent. It was more on kind of like the damages side.
- [04:06]
Kevin Isbell
Yeah. It's still related to these custom pieces. When it went to the workroom, they got damaged from the workroom.
- [04:12]
Caitlin Peterson
Oh, geez. Okay.
- [04:13]
Kevin Isbell
That's not the original vendor's error, but also the troubleshooting that was recommended per the vendor. And so now, instead of damaged frames, we're talking about damaged fabric. And, like, who has to buy more fabric? It's one of those terrible scenarios that has just snowballed out of control. I'm just curious. Is, like, is there scenarios where you do have to take legal action, or is there certain verbiage that you need to include in contracts to prevent that? And I feel like the small fish in a big pond trying to fight the fight.
- [04:46]
Unknown
Right.
- [04:47]
Kevin Isbell
I don't necessarily have the means or the manpower or the hours to accomplish that. And so I'm just trying to figure out in the future, how do I protect myself from this happening again?
- [04:58]
Caitlin Peterson
There are two issues at stake here. One our Question Asker's vendors aren't standing by him, and that's obviously not okay. But two, his clients are still missing a pair of chairs, and in my experience, that's actually the much bigger problem. As we ended our call, I knew just who to connect with to help our Question Asker find his footing. Someone who pulls no punches when vetting vendors, who's navigated some very expensive mistakes, and who's adamant that the client's experience should come first, no matter the cost. All that and more in just a moment. Our question today is all about what to do when an order goes sideways. Something that's bound to happen to all of us no matter how carefully we dot our I's and cross our T's. We'll have all kinds of advice about what it takes to weather that storm. But for now, I want to take a moment to tell you about Fourhands, whose commitment to helping designers deliver exceptional results for their clients is built into the very fiber of their business. Fourhands offers thousands of trend proof styles made with quality materials, packed and shipped with care and intention, and backed by a best in class claims process that helps designers make things right. When things do go wrong, there is nothing better than knowing that your vendors are in your corner. And that's a guarantee when you're working with Four Hands. Explore the benefits of shopping with Four Hands for your next project at four hands.com tradetales today I'm joined by former Trade Tales guest Kevin Isbell, whose Los Angeles firm is in the midst of several exciting projects, including an upcoming wallpaper collaboration and a historic restoration in Virginia. When Kevin was on the show the first time, he shared the story of how he rose through the ranks of several top design firms before launching his own business in 2009. I thought he'd be the perfect person to answer today's question. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. Trade Tales listeners here heard from you back in 2022 where we talked about the work you did to build a business model that doesn't require runaway growth to be and I think how you were navigating sort of the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, which seems like a lifetime ago.
- [07:20]
Unknown
It really does.
- [07:21]
Caitlin Peterson
What have you been up to since then?
- [07:23]
Unknown
Oh geez, where do we start? I guess the highlights would be I have a new two skew line of wallpaper coming out in collaboration with Gracie, which I'm super excited about. Because when you think about wallpaper, I mean there is no other right? And the Pen bespoke realm. So I'm really excited and hopefully by fall we'll kind of get those things nailed down, the coloration and, you know, all of that. But it's based on a paper that I did for them for Legends, which is the sort of design market week in Los Angeles this year, rebranded as Design la.
- [08:03]
Caitlin Peterson
I feel like in some ways their, their look and their viewpoint is so specific, right? You see a Gracie paper and you just know, what did you want to add to that? Or what was it like to sort of bring your own viewpoint into that conversation?
- [08:20]
Unknown
Visually, we went with something very contemporary, right? They're definitely known for their scenics and their sort of Asian inspired designs. This is kind of the polar opposite. What we did for Legends was the theme that year was Houses in Bloom. So the paper I did had just gigantic blooms, right? Four and a half feet diameter. And then we painted the entire building so the background of the paper was black. We painted the entire paper black. And then we had a decorative artist come in, paint on the walls and paint across to connect the two windows. And then there's a local firm here that does these larger than life almost Willy Wonka sort of inspired paper flowers. So I lined the windows in moss and then we had these giant things coming out. But then the background of that is these, you know, larger than life kind of florals. So the two that we're doing are based on that. We're calling it Legends and then Demi Legends. It's just sort of fun and light hearted and great. But the thing is, with Gracie, you can do whatever you want, right? So you can change the diameter of the flower, you change the color, you can change the flower, you could add your pet dog into the situation. You know, it's because everything is custom made to you. It's a fun process and it's exciting. So now we're kind of waiting for flower studies from their, their studio to come in where they're kind of doing, you know, so I spent some time just walking around and anytime I was out and saw Bloom, I would take a photo of it, right? It's like, oh, I like how this rose is completely open in this one. Or I love this bee sitting on this. So it was fun. And then they're going to take that sort of information and extrapolate it through the Gracie studios in China. And so I'm excited about that.
- [10:25]
Caitlin Peterson
When you're adding something to the line versus commissioning something custom for a client, how different is the process, the development.
- [10:32]
Unknown
Process, when you're doing it For a client, you have a defined space that you're filling. Right. So this is not. This is more figuring it out, designing. And then it's like, okay, how many panels would it take to kind of create the scene, so to speak? Yeah. So in that regard, it is, you know, sketching. But then it's like, okay, now what happens beyond the page?
- [10:58]
Caitlin Peterson
Right, right.
- [10:59]
Unknown
And then so they'll come back and give like a 10 panel sketch of how they think that it could sort of work. But basically I had to work on. Their wings are 6 foot by 8 foot. So we thought in a 6 foot by 8 foot grid. So that's like, how are they displayed and what's going to show the most information on. On that.
- [11:20]
Caitlin Peterson
Oh, that's really amazing. I would never have thought of that.
- [11:23]
Unknown
So it is, it's different. Right. Because when it's for a client, I say, okay, here's the elevations. I want this skew number. You know, less butterflies, more hummingbirds, and then that's it. Right. And then they come back to me with how it's going to go across all the panels. I think we really see it in a more hospitality kind of situation. Right. Where it's just big and bold and fun.
- [11:50]
Caitlin Peterson
That's amazing. What else gets you excited when you're walking into work these days?
- [11:55]
Unknown
These days? Well, I am working on the renovation and restoration of a national registered house in Charlottesville, Virginia. That is really exciting. It's a whole new sort of beast with that. Luckily, the architect has to deal with most of the, you know, things we can and can't do as far as the registry. So it's exciting. It's exciting. And it's just, I get to flex a different muscle.
- [12:26]
Caitlin Peterson
Well, are you ready to give some advice?
- [12:29]
Unknown
I can certainly try, yes.
- [12:33]
Caitlin Peterson
All right. Well, this week we are fielding a question from a designer who went out on his own about three years ago after more than a decade of working for other firms. In his previous roles, he had colleagues who were the ones who got in the weeds when there were vendor issues. And now he is a solopreneur with an expensive pair of chairs that arrived with the wrong finish. Once these chairs arrive with the wrong finish, he talks to the vendor, they say, you know, no, no, no, like, don't send them back. We don't want to take them back. Just send them to a local refinisher, they make a recommendation, the work gets done, and in the process, the upholstery is damaged. So now he's got this nightmare also in terms of figuring out who's responsible for what, how do you hold each party accountable? And also his client just still doesn't have chairs.
- [13:25]
Unknown
Right herein that is the biggest issue.
- [13:28]
Caitlin Peterson
I was just gonna say, where do you start when you hear this? Sort of like, first this, then that, then this. Who pays? Who's responsible? What would you do first?
- [13:37]
Unknown
One thing I learned way back in design school, and I will never forget it, is a teacher said to me, designers homes are furnished by their mistakes, which it's unfortunate, it really, really is. But at the end of the day, you really have to protect your client. Your client needs to be happy at the end. So I don't know the extent of how the finish was wrong, but could they have been rejected at the receiver? Right. Therefore the original person had no recourse but to accept them back because they were rejected. Right. I don't know if that was an option at the time or if he received photos after the fact, you know, but there's no amount of documentation and follow up that can avoid human error. I mean, it can minimize it as much as possible.
- [14:32]
Caitlin Peterson
Yeah.
- [14:33]
Unknown
But it is unfortunate and it does happen.
- [14:39]
Caitlin Peterson
Yeah. I think that's actually an amazing thing to hear, is that this isn't necessarily like that this can happen to anybody and that it's not. Maybe there's some processes you can put in place, but also, like, this could still happen even with all the right processes in place.
- [14:56]
Unknown
I can tell you of a story in New York City where we were building a cabinet for the gentleman's television in the family room. And the television kept getting bigger and the cabinet kept getting bigger. So we measured that it would fit in in the space where it belonged. When we got it there, it would not fit up the stairs, which then meant we needed to crane it up and over the townhouse, in through the library balcony, and into the space that it was going to, only to then recognize that the chair rail sticks out an inch and a quarter more than the base board does. So it fit between the baseboards. It did not fit between the chair molding, which then meant this piece needed to come back out, be hoisted yet again up over the townhouse and back to storage. That, my friend, is a very expensive mistake. Hoisting a piece of furniture in the middle of Manhattan is definitely not the most economical way to move in a piece of furniture to one.
- [16:12]
Caitlin Peterson
I'm just like doing the math in my head of like, did you pay to close the street? And like, also to park the crane and also to rent the crane.
- [16:18]
Unknown
Like, ah, yeah, well, luckily there's, there's a company there called Hours Rigging and they deal with all of that. But yes, the answer is yes, they, you know, so it happens and it's awful and it unfortunate that this particular person encountered such a mistake early in their career. But the client needs to be protected at all cost because as they say, happy people tell, you know, two or three people, unhappy people let anywhere from 10 to 12 people know. Right. Which is also something he could work into his own defense. Right. So if these people don't want to take care of it and they are professionals, then, you know, he, he can just start letting people know that I would not work with them because they don't stand behind their word. Yeah, I try to work with the same people. My upholster I've been with for 20 some years, my drapery workroom, all of those people that those relationships are not only easier because there's a shorthand I can say, you know, give me, you know, give me a Wilson arm like we did, and with a Smith, you know, skirt or something like that. But it's also when things like this happen, they're more adept at taking care of it. They're more willing to sort of help you out because you have a long standing relationship with them.
- [17:45]
Caitlin Peterson
When you go back to a situation like this one, what does taking care of the client mean in this instance? Is that ordering a new set of chairs from the original vendor, is that saying, gosh, I'm so sorry, and reselecting, Is there some version where you're also saying, here's something that we've borrowed in the meantime for you, like how would you solve this problem?
- [18:06]
Unknown
Yeah, I would first and foremost try to get something that filled that hole immediately. Because those two chairs, and I don't know how long they've been out of the house since the installation, but every time they sit in that room, they see those two chairs, spaces that are unoccupied. So I would try to get that situation remedied so that there is at least something there. Then I would go back to the vendor and say, okay, you now own these two chairs. I need to end the finish that I requested and like, let's go. What's hanging on. But I don't know the, the history that this person has with the vendor. I don't know if it's someone new or it's someone that they've had a long standing relationship with. If it's someone they had a long standing relationship with, then that's completely unacceptable. And it should be broken immediately because we're only as good as the vendors that we bring onto the job.
- [19:06]
Caitlin Peterson
Is there a world where you would just kind of replace that order and buy that second set of chairs from that vendor just to make it happen faster?
- [19:14]
Unknown
If it comes down to ruining the relationship with the client, then yes. Yeah, I currently have a 12 foot dining table that has been sitting in storage for years because the client wanted a table that set 14 and in her head she thought that was 14ft and but 12 foot will will accommodate 14. But there was a miscommunication at the end. It was like, do I want to ruin this relationship over 10, $12,000, whatever it was, or do I just want to make the client happy, move on and hope that sometime down the road I can replace this piece?
- [19:55]
Caitlin Peterson
And that's always the right choice.
- [19:57]
Unknown
And to me, the client is one, the reason I'm here. Two, the reason I'm eating. And so it's unfortunate, but it's not the client's fault. Yeah, it's. Sadly, the vendor is not being professional. The vendor is not standing by their word. And outside of legal action, I don't know what else you can do. And the longer it drags on, the more I think it's going to leave a bad taste in this client's mouth.
- [20:35]
Caitlin Peterson
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- [21:52]
Unknown
I guess it depends on the number attached to it. And then it's expensive, it's time consuming, it takes an emotional train on you. So you're not only out the cost of the replacement of the chairs, because if you go to legal action, you're now buying those chairs. Right. Because the vendor is not going to work with you at that point. So then you're out the cost of, of legal representation and the possibility of own two chairs. So I think in this instance, it's unfortunate and it's heartbreaking, but I think he owns two chairs that he will just have to specify into a new, a new project when the time, when the time presents itself.
- [22:36]
Caitlin Peterson
Are there, are there things that you've added to your contracts, to your terms with vendors that can help mitigate some problems like this?
- [22:47]
Unknown
Well, I, it starts with the work order, but there aren't really terms because you're not really signing a contract with your upholsterer, let's say. And I don't know if he got these from, you know, like a bespoke upholster like Luther Quintana in New York City, or if these are something that he bought through a showroom. Right. So that, that's information, I don't know, but just trying to document everything. Getting finished samples, getting finished photography before it's released.
- [23:21]
Caitlin Peterson
Yeah, I think he said he's gonna start doing that.
- [23:23]
Unknown
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not everyone will do that, which is really unfortunate. And it's the bigger companies that don't want to do that, which is really somewhat annoying, you know, but you just have to document everything and make sure that the invoices say what you want. The seat height, the seat depth, the arm height, you know, if you have the ability to sketch it out as to how you want it to look, great. Constant communication, you know, with my upholstery, using Luther as an example, I will stop in and do a midway process. It's in muslin. How are we going to lay out the. How is the fabric laying out? And it will do all of those things along the way. But again, you can do all of that and it can still come wrong.
- [24:08]
Caitlin Peterson
Right.
- [24:08]
Unknown
And then there's also how wrong is wrong. Does the finish still work? Is it off a shade or were they supposed to be red and they're actually blue Right there. There's a difference between what's an acceptable tolerance of mistake and what's a flat out mistake. If the finish on the leg was supposed to be red mahogany, it's brown mahogany, it's like, okay, does it still work right Is this issue worth pulling it from the installation, disappointing the client going through all of the issue to have it fixed, or can it work? Maybe it wasn't in your original concept of what it would look like, but does it still work in the space?
- [24:56]
Caitlin Peterson
Do you talk about that with a client or how do you talk about that with a client?
- [25:02]
Unknown
Don't ask, don't tell.
- [25:04]
Caitlin Peterson
Yeah. Okay.
- [25:05]
Unknown
Now going back to the. They were supposed to be red and they came in blue. Then obviously that's the thing, right?
- [25:10]
Caitlin Peterson
Right.
- [25:10]
Unknown
But once the room is installed, if it still gives what it was supposed to give. Quoting the kids, right, if it's giving what it was supposed to give, then maybe it's just time to pivot, change lanes and keep moving. And then also a qualified mover has a million things up their sleeve that they can fix. You know, a crushed leg, a scratched finish, a. Things like that. There is, there's an arsenal of things that can handle those mistakes that also keep you moving forward.
- [25:50]
Caitlin Peterson
Can we talk a little bit about vetting vendors in general? I know you have these long standing relationships when you're exploring working with someone new. What are you looking for that can help you avoid some situations like this one?
- [26:05]
Unknown
Right. Well, I'm starting with my colleagues. Right. So, hey, you know, who do you use for this? Right. For instance, this, this project in Virginia. There are designers out there that I, that I know. I was like, okay, I need a good shipping and receiving company. Who do you recommend? And just vetting them as much as you can. So if someone else has been like in the trenches with them, then they can vouch for whether or not they're good. That's your starting point. And then I guess look for red flags when you're talking to them. Are they communicating back? Does it take a week and a half to get a reply to an email? Is your quote, request, you know, in the body of an email or is it on letterhead with all of the details that you have requested? And it just shows their professionalism in that. And then trust your gut, really, if something doesn't feel right about them, then keep looking, I guess. Or who are some of the clients that you've worked with? How was your relationship with them? And if every designer they've ever worked with were complete idiots and didn't know what they were doing, then that's a red flag. Right? Because obviously if they're shifting the blame, which it's kind of sounds like is happening for this person, you know, that's also a red flag. But again, you Never know. People can promise the world and deliver you sand. And unfortunately, that is kind of what happens when you're first starting out. You know, it's interesting because it's kind of a full circle. When we, we were talking last, I guess in 2022, I did have this issue when I went out on my own from a large, large firm. I was a design director. I was there for years, and then all of a sudden I was no longer this big fish that was bringing in millions of orders to them. I was now the new guy that maybe had one, one or two projects a year.
- [27:57]
Caitlin Peterson
And they talk to you differently, I bet.
- [27:59]
Unknown
And they talk to you differently? Absolutely. Because they always knew you as sort of their equal to the head person. Right. And so in that case, it's time to find new vendors who are going to put you as their big fish.
- [28:20]
Caitlin Peterson
When you started your firm, did you have to do a lot of kind of recalibrating on who you wanted to work with then?
- [28:26]
Unknown
Yeah, I actually had one vendor who would not work with me, period. A carpet dealer. And that. Which was great because then ended up me forming a long lasting relationship with my rug dealer in New York. And to this day, they're still my vendor. Right. Even though I'm now based in Los Angeles and I work all over the country, they're still my go to people.
- [28:51]
Caitlin Peterson
That's awesome. That's amazing to have those relationships for so long.
- [28:55]
Unknown
Yeah, it's helpful, you know, and it's like you're supporting them and they're supporting you. And this kind of goes back to the issue at hand, building those relationships. And I just can't see in this day and age for me, at this point in my career, that I would be working with an upholsterer who would not take these things back, that, that they would risk my relationship with them. And you should also remember that even though I think he calls himself a small fish, even small fish have teeth. Right. So he might need to get a little bit more forceful on this situation.
- [29:35]
Caitlin Peterson
You will take these back. You will do this for me. Yeah.
- [29:37]
Unknown
Right. Or this is the end of our working relationship as we know it. So you're either going to do right by me in this moment, in your error, because it sounds like he has documentation that the error is theirs, or, or you're not. Right. And if you're not, then that's great. I'll move on and you will no longer have my business and trust. And behold, at every networking event, if anyone asks me who I recommended as an Upholsterer. I am going to tell you like I had an issue with a very famous Italian closet company. I won't name their names, but the errors and the things that just kept happening were just, it was egregious to a point where it was like, okay, so then I was like, I was telling anyone. It's like, I'm your FedEx delivery driver, dude. I don't really care about your closet system, but I would tell anyone.
- [30:34]
Caitlin Peterson
You know, you mentioned before this idea of, you know, these vendor relationships are truly relationships that you've invested in, that you've built. What is the secret at the beginning, especially to creating that trust, creating that mutual respect with the people that you want to be your long term partners.
- [30:53]
Unknown
That's exactly it. The word respect. I may know how I want the sofa to look, but Luther Quintana is the expert at how it should be. So I'm going to come to him and say, this is what I would like. How do we get there? And then I need to rely on his expertise and to take me there. Right. I can detail it and write out as much as possible, but if it's not the way it's properly done or, you know, he'll be the first to tell me like, I don't think that detail is going to work with, you know, how you want it to. I'm like, okay, great. Like that's what I'm looking to you for because that's. We all come into this with our own area of expertise and I know how I want it to look at the end. But it's their responsibility and their area of expertise to get me there and to get me there where it's beautifully done. So I do think it's, it's respect first and foremost, respecting them for their craft and respecting them for the, the years and countless number of pieces they've. I'm just using upholstery because that's, you know, the, the topic at hand. But it any, any vendor, right. But I'm, I'm looking to them for their years experience in how it needs to be done so that pro that it works and functions properly. Like I know how a house should look. I can't build you. Right. I will give you details and all that, but I cannot build that house. It's an unfortunate situation, but I think every designer has been through it and it is awful that it happened at an early point and there may or may not be a capital cushion to absorb it.
- [32:31]
Caitlin Peterson
Right.
- [32:32]
Unknown
But I just think it's an unfortunate situation that is not the client's fault. And keeping the piece that the client purchased from or a piece similar to that from them is, in the long run, hurting the relationship between the client and the designer. And you can fight your battles with the vendor behind the scenes. Right? My clients will never know. Going back to that dining table, it's like, okay, 14ft. Great. Boom. Done, right? And crying. Literally crying after, like, in the car.
- [33:09]
Caitlin Peterson
On the way home.
- [33:10]
Unknown
Yeah, yeah, right. But, you know, at the. At the end of the day, it is the client at the top of the hill, and we have to make sure that they remain that way because it's what keeps us employed. It's what keeps referrals coming in. It keeps what helps with the second job when they buy the beach house or the house in the mountains or, you know, upgrade to a larger home. So that, first and foremost, you know, is protect the client and therefore protect your reputation.
- [33:39]
Caitlin Peterson
I want to pivot really quickly and ask you about advice that you've received. What's the most meaningful advice you've been given?
- [33:48]
Unknown
When I was first starting out on my own, similar to the designer of the topic, anytime I would be in the company of a more established designer, I would ask them, what word of advice do you have for someone starting out like me, you know, and. And it was, you know, Barbara Barry, it was anyone. If they were speaking and I could get their ear for 10 seconds, I was asking them. But one designer said to me, it's. Keep momentum is everything. Keeping the momentum in the project going is instrumental. Sometimes you have to trust the process, even when it's messy. But keeping the momentum going, it's really hard. Like, I know for myself, if they don't make a decision on something and then they want to do it post installation, it will take me months to find that lamp. You know, it's just because my head's no longer in it. So it is. Keeping the momentum going is not only easier, but it's also a smarter business sense. Just get it done right. And some designers want to deliver a piece and then decide on what the next piece is going to be, and that's going to drag everything out. So for me, keep the momentum going. It keeps the enthusiasm up, and then it gets you in and out of the project actually more quickly.
- [35:17]
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 email@tradetalesusinessofhome.com if you're enjoying Trade Tales, please leave a review on 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 Tales is produced by me, Kaitlyn Peterson and Caroline Burke. This episode was edited by Caroline Burke and Michael Castaneda. Our theme music is by Kyle Scott Wilson. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you here next week.