How millennial designer Victoria Holly stays on top

For in-demand millennial interior designer Victoria Holly, success in a competitive industry comes down to efficiency, quality control and leveraging technology. This week on Disruptive Design, Victoria Holly sat down with DNN Editor in Chief Courtney Porter to share her strategies for scaling operations while keeping standards high. Click play on the video below to watch the discussion:

Design as a second career

Holly was always drawn to interior design, but her path to creative entrepreneurship was indirect. After majoring in fine art and PR/marketing in college, she worked in advertising, where her experience in client management and business processes helped lay the foundation for her to eventually scale her own business. 

She also worked for another interior designer prior to branching off to start her own firm. Together this experience gave her a great foundation to not only be creatively successful, but to run her business as well.

“When you’re helping another interior designer, you’re getting experience in design and how to pull together a room,” she said, “But you’re not necessarily getting client management as an intern.” 

Scaling Challenges and Solutions

As her business grew, she needed to figure out to delegate responsibilities. To scale, she identified tasks she dislikes or that don’t require her personal touch, then hired and trained staff for those roles. Holly’s first hire focused on operations, coordinating with contractors and managing on-site logistics. Of course, the real challenge was relinquishing control.

“The hardest thing for any business owner, especially in a service-oriented industry,” she says, “Is to get frustrated when you hire someone new because they’re not going to do it as fast or as good as you in the beginning.” The mindset shift she had to make was preparing any new hire to do things better and faster than her– in a year or two.

Leveraging technology for efficiency

As a millennial designer, Holly doesn’t shy away from adopting new technology and social media, but not in the ways one might think. She uses Pinterest often but there are downsides to using it for sourcing. 

The algorithm has clocked her taste, for example, and shows her lots of product from Australia. The price looks right initially, but the overseas shipping takes it to an other level and off the table for many of her clients. Instead, she uses it for mood boards, and client communication. 

As an internet native, she also knows better than to be enslaved to the algorithm, constantly chasing the latest trends and will give herself permission to take longer breaks from social media marketing when she needs to.

She utilizes project management software Asana to track tasks and deadlines, which she credits with reducing client emails by 80% due to improved communication and proactive updates.

She customizes a client-facing google spreadsheet and calendar template that tracks budgets, item statuses, and installation schedules, updating it daily to keep clients informed, which also greatly reduces back and forth email correspondance and ensures everything is transparent and accessible in the same place.

Balancing growth and quality control

While Holly’s team has grown to four employees, she is cautious about rapid expansion. Her priority is maintaining quality control and personal involvement in projects. It is her name on the business after all.

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“There is a limit to how large I can grow if I want to be in control at all times. But I’m okay with that because to me that’s where I want to focus things: [quality and quality control]” Holly explains.

Sourcing and pricing strategies

In order to maintain high standards while sourcing products online, Holly emphasizes the importance of understanding materials and specifications. She considers factors like weight, construction materials, and manufacturing processes when sourcing product for clients.

Her pricing model is based on overall project budgets rather than individual product markups, enabling her to mix and match higher-end and mid-tier pieces as needed. She provides clients with detailed breakdowns of estimated costs for each item category before beginning work, allowing for transparency and flexibility within the agreed-upon budget.

Designers are more relevant than ever before

As the interior design industry increasingly moves online, Holly believes designers will remain crucial in helping clients navigate the overwhelming amount of options and interpret product specifications.

“I get a lot of feedback from all my clients, regardless of [which] generation [they belong to], that it’s just so much and they get overwhelmed,” Holly said. “All the measurements and the weight is listed online, but that doesn’t mean anything to them because they don’t know the right measurement for what the piece they need is anyways.”

For luxury interior designers looking to grow their businesses, Victoria Holly’s approach offers valuable lessons in balancing growth with quality control, leveraging technology for efficiency, and maintaining a client-focused mindset.

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