Disclaimer: Before diving into this topic, I have to admit that I love designing business systems & processes. It makes my nerd-brain ridiculously happy. Perhaps a little too happy.

But…as much as I love the processes that help a business run more efficiently, provide an improved service and make more money…it is possible to mess things up and over-process a business. Especially if that business offers a luxury service…like residential interior design.

Let me explain with a couple of questions. About cheeseburgers.

• Which of these burgers would you rather eat?

• Which of these burgers was made by world’s most successful burger chain?

The world’s most successful burger chain is successful because it’s business processes virtually guarantee the same level of experience each & every time. No surprises. Good or bad.

And while we all should strive to remove the “bad surprises” from our businesses, it’s the “good surprises” that lead to rave reviews, client referrals & repeat business.

Residential interior design isn’t the same as running a burger joint.

It’s personal. It’s expensive. And there’s going to be bumps in the road.

• Sometimes, when you demo a living room, you find black mold. Black mold doesn’t care about your budget.

• Sometimes, your kitchen cabinets are delayed, throwing off your installation schedule. Figure it out.

• Sometimes we’re all hit with a global pandemic & it take 18 months to get the appliance you’ve sourced. You’re the boss…what are you going to do?

• Are you going to impress your clients by snowplowing those problems out of the way?

• Are you going to delight your clients by saying YES when your processes are saying NO?

As much as I love processes & systems, if you’re running a residential interior design business, you have to decide which burger you want to sell and how you’re going to balance efficiency with a truly custom experience designed to satisfy & delight your clients.

• Some homeowners are satisfied with the process burger.

• Affluent clients want the better burger.

• Which burger do you want to sell?