Design Manager Hub

The Future of Interior Design Is Remote, Tech-Enabled, and System-Driven

Design Manager — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

How Designers Are Scaling Smarter with Software, Specs, and AI

Interior design is undergoing a fundamental transformation. What was once a highly in-person, paper-heavy, and fragmented profession is becoming remote-friendly, technology-powered, and system-driven. Designers who embrace this evolution are building more scalable businesses, delivering better client experiences, and protecting their creative energy for what matters most: exceptional design.

Tax Season Lessons: What Successful Interior Design Firms Do Differently All Year

Admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Every spring, interior design firms that are not financially prepared face the same painful experience. The accountant is waiting on records that are still being assembled. The bookkeeper is asking for transactions from six months ago. The principal is reconstructing purchase orders from vendor emails and trying to remember which project a charge belongs to.

How Luxury Interior Designers Actually Build Profitable, Low-Stress Businesses with John McClain

Fiona Sanipelli — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

An Interview with John McClain on Systems, Structure, and Making Real Money

Let's start with your background. For designers new to your work, can you tell us about your design firm and how you ended up focusing so heavily on the business side of interior design?

I've been designing for sixteen years now and had two offices on both coasts. I have scaled back now to just one office and take on only several select projects each year. That's important to say upfront because I'm not a former designer turned business coach. I'm an active designer who spends more time working with other designers now, but I'm still in the work. Still designing homes. Still managing projects and vendors and clients.

When I was about seven years in, I hit a wall. The firm was successful. My design work was getting published. Clients loved what I was creating. But I was exhausted. Working weekends. Not making the money that matched the caliber of work I was doing. And I was frustrated because I couldn't figure out why.

That's when I started getting obsessed with the business side. I looked at my processes, my pricing, my contracts, the way I was structuring projects. And I saw the gaps everywhere. Not in my design ability. In my business foundation.

Once I fixed those things, everything changed. Profit went up. My hours went down. I could actually take on projects I genuinely wanted to design instead of projects that paid the bills. The business structure made everything better, including the design itself.

Around that same time, I started noticing something. I'd be at a Market or in conversations with other designers, and I'd get DMs and texts. Designers asking me questions. What are you doing differently? How did you think of that? How are you structuring this? It became clear there was a real need, and I hadn't formalized it yet.

So I started coaching. Then The McClain Method Podcast. Then Bright Lens Studio for positioning and visibility. But I never stopped designing. Because honestly, I didn't want to. And I wouldn't have the credibility or the real-world perspective I have now if I had.

You talk a lot about contracts and scope. Was there a specific client experience that really shaped how you approach those things now?

Oh yes. I still remember it much too clearly. Early in my career, I landed what I thought was a dream client. Big house. Big budget. Big confidence. I was excited and honestly a little intimidated.

I made the classic mistake. I trusted verbal agreements. I assumed we were aligned. I didn't have a written agreement. And I let my enthusiasm and trustworthiness replace legal clarity.

That project unraveled fast. Suddenly there were accusations about money, approvals that were never documented, and panic about purchases that had already been made. I remember sitting in my car after one particularly awful call, hands shaking, thinking, "I might actually lose everything over this." For all the gory details, listen to episode one of my podcast, The McClain Method.

Clients don't create chaos. Ambiguity does.

From that moment on, everything changed. My agreements became extremely clear, detailed, and unapologetic. Scope is defined. Procurement terms are explicit. Payment timing is non-negotiable. Change orders require written approval. Transparency protects everyone.

Strong systems don't make you rigid. They make you safe. For both you and the client.

I see so many designers hesitating to be specific in their agreements because they think it sounds cold or rigid. It's actually the opposite. Clear agreements mean you can be warm and generous with clients because you're not secretly worried you're getting taken advantage of.

Through your coaching work, what are designers struggling with the most right now?

Three things, consistently.

First is pricing confidence. Most designers I work with are underpricing significantly. Not because they're not talented enough or confident enough in the work. They're underpricing because they don't have a clear profit strategy. They're guessing. They're looking at what someone else charges and cutting their own rate to compete. They're tracking time like they have to justify every hour. And all of that creates uncertainty.

Second is understanding the difference between revenue and profit. I'll meet with a designer who says, "I did a two-hundred-thousand-dollar project." Great. But I ask how much of that was actual profit. Crickets. They don't know. They know they worked hard and their bank account has some money, but they can't see where money actually went or where it leaked away.

The leaks are usually happening in procurement services. That's the area where most designers have no clarity on actual cost versus what they're charging. It's a gap between what they think they're making and what they're actually making.

Third is systems. Designers have incredible creativity and no process. They manage every project differently. Communication happens via text and email and phone calls scattered everywhere. Invoices get lost. Change orders aren't documented. Installation mistakes happen because no one wrote down the specifications. Then they hire someone to "get organized" but they don't actually define what organized means first.

What inspired you to start the podcast, and what do you love about it?

Honestly, it wasn't some grand plan from the beginning. The podcast came about because so many designers continued to reach out to me and I found myself having a great answer (I say that humbly but accurately). It became clear that there was a real need for the conversation, but I hadn't really formalized it yet.

I started The McClain Method Podcast in 2023 because I realized these questions weren't just about pricing or contracts. They were bigger. Designers were asking about identity, about what success actually means, about how to pivot when something isn't working anymore.

The business side matters. But it's not separate from the soul side. A designer can have perfect systems and still be miserable because they're not designing the life they actually want. That's not a business problem. That's an alignment problem.

I started with solo episodes because I wanted to think through these ideas out loud. But quickly I realized there was power in bringing other voices into the conversation. Now we do a mix of solo episodes and interviews, and I'm pretty intentional about who I talk to. I'm picking people whose work and thinking actually align with these values around systems, clarity, and soul-aligned decision making.

What I love most about the podcast is the closing question. Before we wrap each interview, I ask every guest: what would you tell your younger self just starting out? I have dozens of these answers now, and every single one is different. The wisdom is all different. I'm actually compiling all of those responses into one full episode soon, and I'm genuinely excited about that because the variety of perspectives is so valuable.

You emphasize that processes equal profit. Why is that so critical, especially in luxury design?

Because luxury is expensive. Your margins need to protect you from complexity.

When you're working with high-value projects, small mistakes are big problems. A design decision that shifts affects a five-hundred-thousand-dollar procurement budget. A timeline misunderstanding cascades into contractor delays and premium rush fees. A client expectation that wasn't documented at the start becomes a scope change that eats into profit.

Systems prevent those things. Clear project phases. Defined decision points. Written specifications. Communication schedules. They sound rigid, but they actually protect your creative freedom because you're not constantly managing fires.

The other part is margin. You can't build a real profit margin without knowing where your money is going. Most designers think they're building thirty percent profit and they're actually building eight percent. That's because they don't have systems that track procurement costs, labor hours, overhead allocation, and client payments.

Once you have visibility into those numbers, you can make intentional pricing decisions. You can see that certain clients are more profitable than others. You can see which projects drain resources relative to what they pay. You can actually design your business instead of letting it happen to you.

Luxury clients expect a smooth process. They're paying premium prices. They expect a premium experience.

That means organized communication. Clear timelines. Predictable check-ins. Professional handling of everything from contracts to installations. Systems deliver that. Chaos doesn't.

Give us the real talk on procurement services. How do designers actually make money here without burning out?

First, let's retire the word markup. I know why people use it, but I hate it. It makes what we do sound like we're standing behind a cash register, not leading a high-touch service. It's procurement services. That's what it is. Let's call it that.

And here's the truth: most designers think about procurement the wrong way. They treat it like a simple percentage on cost, instead of what it actually is: a revenue strategy inside the business.

Let's make it real.

Say you're furnishing a project and the product total is fifty thousand dollars. You apply the classic thirty-five percent markup and you think you just made around eighteen thousand dollars. Sounds good. Sounds easy.

Sounds cute, until you look at what that eighteen thousand actually costs you in time.

Because procurement isn't ordered and done. It's sourcing, curating, quoting, presenting, revising, chasing vendors, handling lead times, tracking shipments, answering client texts you should not be answering, coordinating delivery, managing damages, solving install day chaos, and keeping everybody calm while you silently want to move to a remote island.

If that took you two hundred hours, and honestly it often does, that's about ninety dollars an hour.

That's not luxury. That's employment with better throw pillows.

So what do you do instead?

You price procurement services based on what it really includes. You map the work, end to end. Curation and sourcing time. Selection meetings and revisions. Ordering and payment processing. Vendor management and follow-up. Freight, receiving, and delivery coordination. Install oversight. Client communication through the entire thing.

Then you charge like a professional who's running a business, not like someone hoping it works out at the end.

Some designers charge a flat procurement fee. Some bill hourly on top of product cost. Some use a blended model with a creative fee plus procurement services. I too have my own method that I swear by. The model isn't magic. Being very clear is the magic.

Burnout shows up when you're doing a mountain of invisible work and pretending it's just part of the project.

One client change order turns into rework. One vendor mistake turns into hours of cleanup. One install issue turns into you becoming a free project manager. And if you didn't track it, plan for it, or charge for it, you just paid for it.

So yes, systems matter here.

Standardize your procurement workflow. Use tools like Design Manager that show your numbers clearly. Put your procurement terms in writing. Define what's included, define what's billable beyond the baseline, and stop winging it because you're afraid your client won't like it.

The designers making real money in procurement services are not the ones who hustle harder. They're the ones who treat procurement like a repeatable system with real pricing and clear boundaries. They know exactly what they're making and they don't lose money on invisible work because they stopped pretending the invisible work doesn't exist.

What are the most common financial and accounting struggles you see with luxury residential firms?

The biggest one is that most designers are afraid to even look at their books. I know I was in the beginning. Some designers don't even have books. They're operating in complete fog.

Here's the thing: it's very easy to start a design business because we love what we do. Almost too easy. You have talent. You have clients. You're making money. But it's another thing entirely to treat it as a proper business. And most designers don't.

The illusion of profit is number one. A designer completes a three-hundred-thousand-dollar project and feels successful. But they never actually measure what they made. They see money in the account and assume it's profit. It's not. Part of it is client reimbursements. Part of it is product cost that still needs to be paid to vendors. Part of it is overhead. What's left is what they actually made.

Most designers don't separate these things. So they look at a big number and feel confident, then at tax time they're shocked by what they actually owe.

Second is that product margins aren't calculated correctly. Designers quote a price on furniture without accounting for all the actual costs. Procurement time. Designer time spent managing the order and changes. Shipping fees and potential damages. Installation coordination. Restocking fees if something doesn't work. That all costs money. If you're not building it into your margin, you're working for free.

Third is that business and personal finances are mixed. Reimbursements from clients come in but the designer doesn't know if that's profit or pass-through money. They spend personal money on business things or business money on personal things. At tax time, nothing is clean. The accountant doesn't know what's what. So either taxes are calculated wrong or it takes weeks to sort it out.

Fourth is that expense documentation is scattered. Invoices are in email and text messages and old project files. Receipts are in a drawer. Contractor payments are sometimes on cards, sometimes on checks. When an accountant or auditor asks for documentation, it's a nightmare.

But here's what I want to emphasize: detailed records aren't just important. They're essential. Let me say that again. You must keep detailed records. Period. Find the right software and rely on it to stay organized.

Tax season creates huge stress for designers. What causes it, and what can designers do throughout the year to prevent it?

The stress doesn't come from taxes themselves. It comes from having no clean records and no support system in place.

Most designers don't want to think about bookkeeping. Some think they don't even need a bookkeeper. Wrong on both counts. And most don't have project management software like Design Manager that allows them to track detailed records throughout the year.

If your expenses are scattered, if you're not tracking the cost of goods sold correctly, if you don't have clean records of what was business versus personal, then tax season is crisis mode. You're scrambling to reconstruct a year of financial activity. You're not sure if you're missing deductions. You're worried you're going to get something wrong.

Most of the stress is completely preventable.

Throughout the year, you need clean systems. One place where business expenses go. One place where invoices are organized by project. Clear separation between what you spent on product and what you spent on overhead. Documentation of every significant transaction. Categories that make sense for your business. And honestly, you need someone managing this. A bookkeeper who understands design business. Not just a random accounting person.

When you pay vendors, document what they did. When you receive reimbursements from clients, know whether it's product cost or profit. When you buy something for business, keep the receipt and categorize it immediately instead of putting it in a pile.

It sounds tedious, but it takes about an hour a week to maintain clean records. Compare that to weeks of stress and scrambling at tax time.

The other part is understanding your numbers before tax time comes. Most designers don't look at their financials until the accountant asks for them in December. By then it's too late to fix anything. If you're looking at your numbers monthly, you can see problems coming. You can adjust. You can plan.

And here's the truth: you need project management software that handles this. Something that keeps detailed records of everything. Your project budgets. Your procurement. Your client invoices and payments. All of it. That means when tax time comes or when you need to prove something happened, you have it. Immediately. Not scrambling.

Clean records throughout the year equal calm tax season. Every single time.

You mention that designers need better systems. What tools actually make a difference when it comes to financial clarity?

What most designers need is centralization. One place where project budgets live. One place where procurement is tracked. One place where client invoices, retainers, and deposits are organized. One place where you can see what you've spent and what you've made on each project.

Software like Design Manager can give you that. You're not trying to force your business into accounting software designed for other industries. It centralizes the numbers that actually matter: your project budgets, procurement costs, markup, profit margins, vendor costs, client payments.

The real power is seeing your numbers in real time, not after the fact. You know immediately whether a project is on budget. You know what your actual profit margins are. You know where money is sitting with clients as retainers or deposits that you haven't completed work for yet. You know if a vendor payment is due and overdue.

Most designers operate on a cash basis: money comes in, money goes out, hope you have enough left at the end. That's not a strategy. That's chaos with good intentions.

The right system gives you visibility. When you have this kind of clarity, everything feels calmer. Pricing conversations stop being defensive.

Let's talk about AI and technology. How do you see it changing how interior designers run their businesses?

Most designers are terrified that AI is going to replace them. I think they're looking at it wrong.

AI isn't replacing designers who know how to design. AI is making it irrelevant if you're just okay at what you do. Which means the designers who win are going to be the ones who combine real creativity with business systems. Who use AI to automate the administrative stuff so they can focus on clients and vision.

Think about what AI can handle: email management, project scheduling, data entry, invoice organization, repetitive communication. Those things don't require taste or judgment. They require consistency. That's exactly what AI is good at.

What it can't do is sit with a client and understand what they're really looking for. It can't make the hard call about design direction. It can't manage relationships or navigate personality conflicts. That's the work that matters. That's the work that justifies the price you charge.

Now, I'll say this about the visual side of AI. Yes, AI can generate renderings. Clients love renderings. But here's what I know from experience: a client cannot hand an AI rendering to a contractor and have them follow through with no issues. It's not possible. The rendering is one thing. Implementation is everything else.

So the designers who are smart about this are using AI to eliminate the busywork and enhance their communication. That frees them to be better designers and better business owners. They're working less, making more, and delivering better work because they're not exhausted.

The competitive advantage is going to go to designers who embrace systems and tools, not the ones who resist them.

You have recently started a new wing to your business: Bright Lens Studio. Tell us about that and what's happening there.

Bright Lens Studio came from seeing the same issue over and over with designers I worked with. They had beautiful projects, strong businesses, and real talent, but their visibility didn't match the level of their work.

Most designers approach marketing the same way they approach business before they have systems. It's reactive. Scattered. Trend-chasing. Posting because they feel like they should. Trying to be everywhere instead of intentional anywhere.

That kind of visibility is exhausting. And for most designers, it's also not sustainable or even feasible alongside real client work.

Bright Lens is built on a different philosophy. We focus on the right audience, not the biggest audience. Strategy before content. Clear positioning and messaging before you ever worry about posting frequency.

We help designers build visibility in a way that actually fits into their real lives and real businesses. In many ways, Bright Lens is the visual and positioning side of The McClain Method. Same philosophy. Same emphasis on clarity and systems. Just applied to how designers show up publicly.

You've also published a book. What was that experience like, and how did it impact your business?

I wrote a book called "The Designer Within." The whole concept came from thinking about how much I loved design as a kid. I was actually obsessed with it. But I had no idea where to actually begin. How do you go from loving something to actually doing it?

I share my actual design process. Real tips. Real thinking. I wanted to arm people with the right tools, not just inspiration they can't execute. It's not just a beautiful coffee table book. It's a working book.

Here's what surprised me about publishing: the book gave me validity in the world that I honestly already had in myself. That's a weird thing to admit. I knew my work was good. I knew my process was solid. But there's something about a book with your name on it that changes how people perceive you. Doors open. Bigger platforms invite you to speak. Coaching clients come already educated about your philosophy.

I learned that a book is not a moneymaker. Anyone thinking they're going to write a book and live off the royalties is going to be disappointed. But as a marketing tool and a credibility builder? That's where the real value is.

I would tell any designer thinking about publishing: do it for the clarity it creates in your own mind first, and the positioning second. If you're only doing it for the authority it might bring, you'll quit halfway through. But if you're writing because you have something real to say, something that came from your actual work and experience, then it's worth doing.

Best Interior Design Software for Professional Firms (2026 Comparison)

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

When searching for the best interior design software, most comparison articles present generic Top 10 lists that treat all design practices identically.

Interior Design Accounting 101

Admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT

In our latest webinar, Priya Srinivasan from Numbers for Design shared valuable insights on accounting challenges faced by interior designers. Here are the main highlights:

Common Challenges

Interior designers often struggle with maintaining accurate financial records, managing client deposits, and understanding sales tax. Priya emphasized the importance of using accounting software like Design Manager to streamline these processes.

Case Study: Petty Cash Error

Priya shared a case study where a $44,000 petty cash error was discovered due to incorrect software setup. This issue highlighted the need for proper system configuration from the start to avoid costly mistakes and ensure accurate financial reporting.

Accrual vs. Cash Basis Accounting

Accrual accounting provides a more accurate financial picture compared to cash basis, especially for interior design businesses. Priya explained that accrual accounting records revenue when services are rendered, not just when cash is received, offering a clearer view of financial performance.

Importance of Financial Statements

Understanding key financial statements like the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow report is crucial. Regularly reviewing these documents helps identify trends, manage expenses, and make informed business decisions.

Action Steps

Review your accounting system setup in Design Manager to ensure accurate classification of accounts.
Prepare financial statements on an accrual basis for a comprehensive view of your business.
Regularly review financial statements to catch any unusual changes and understand their impact.

By following these best practices, interior designers can maintain financial health and make strategic decisions for their business growth. For more resources, check out Design Manager’s support and community forums.

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Where Inspiration Lives: An Interior Designer’s Guide to Art Basel Miami

Admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT

Every year, Art Basel transforms Miami into a living laboratory of creativity, a collision of art, design, architecture, and culture that influences the way we think about space. For interior designers, it’s more than an event. It’s a chance to refill the creative well, reconnect with sensory curiosity, and discover the ideas that will shape the next wave of interiors.

If you’re heading to Miami for Art Basel this year, consider this your curated cheat sheet. This guide highlights the exhibitions, neighborhoods, and experiences that speak directly to the designer’s eye — the places where texture, color, form, and storytelling intersect.

Must-See Fairs & Satellite Shows

Art Basel Miami Beach

The main fair and the heartbeat of the week.

Focus on the Galleries and Feature sectors for museum-quality works and emerging global voices. It’s a prime opportunity to source statement pieces or identify artists whose work can anchor luxury residential, commercial, or hospitality projects.

Wynwood Mural Fest

If you’re looking for color stories, typography, scale, and pattern inspiration, Wynwood is essential. New large-scale murals debut during Basel week, bringing together global street artists and fresh visual languages that often influence interiors for years to come.

Design Miami

The fair for collectible design.

Expect sculptural furniture, limited-edition lighting, experimental material studies, and objects that often forecast the next wave of interiors trends. Perfect for designers working in luxury, hospitality, or high-concept spaces.

Untitled Art (South Beach)

A contemporary-focused fair with more accessible price points. Ideal for discovering emerging artists whose work translates beautifully into boutique hotel, multi-family, and mixed-use environments.

Installations & Museum Moments

The Bass Museum

Known for bold, large-scale contemporary installations. A great stop for designers researching conceptual direction, form, and atmosphere.

ICA Miami

The place for ultra-contemporary work. ICA’s exhibitions frequently foreshadow the color palettes and material explorations that will define the coming year.

Superblue Miami

Immersive, experiential environments that push the boundaries between art, architecture, and technology. Great for designers focusing on experiential retail, hospitality, or placemaking.

Museum of Graffiti

A must for understanding the evolution of graffiti, lettering, and urban visual culture. Also a hidden gem for sourcing limited-edition prints.

Neighborhoods Worth Exploring

Design District (Midtown Miami)

High-end design galleries, architectural showrooms, and global luxury brands. Great for discovering innovative materials, finishes, and surface treatments.

Wynwood Art District

Beyond the official mural festival, this neighborhood is a walking gallery of graffiti, street art, and experimental outdoor installations. A go-to for studying scale, pattern mixing, and color theory through a different lens.

Little River

A growing enclave of sculptural studios, fabrication shops, and emerging artists. Excellent for designers sourcing one-of-a-kind objects.

Little Haiti

Vibrant murals, Caribbean-inspired palettes, and bold visual storytelling. A strong stop for hospitality designers looking to incorporate cultural warmth and vibrancy authentically.

Little Havana

Known for hand-painted signs, typography, and local craft. Great for boutique and retail designers exploring storytelling through graphics and signage.

Allapattah

Industrial, modern, and raw — home to warehouse murals and newer artist studios. Perfect if you’re searching for an edgier, more sculptural visual language.

Join Us at Basel

Are you headed to Miami for Art Basel? We would love to see you there! Click the link below to get on our list for invite only events, creative sessions, and experiences hosted by world-renowned artists.

👉 Get On The List

Simpler, Faster, Smarter: The Future of Design Management is on the Web

Admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 06:00:00 GMT

For years, designers have relied on multiple systems to manage their projects, clients, and financials. But as teams grow and technology evolves, that split between desktop and web tools creates more confusion than clarity.

With Design Manager Web, we’ve streamlined the experience — bringing every feature you love into one, unified platform that’s faster, more intuitive, and built for the future of design management.

As Byron Risdon, a DM user since 2007, put it:

“As a dedicated user since 2007, Design Manager has transformed my business. The new web version elevates the experience with its modern interface. The bank import feature saves me countless hours of tedious work, while the tab functionality allows for quick referencing across different project elements. It's not just software: it's a game-changer for efficiency and creativity!” — Byron Risdon, Byron Risdon Inc.

The Benefits of Going All-In on DM Web

One System, One Login, One Way of Working

No more switching between interfaces or remembering where a file lives. DM Web gives your entire team a single, consistent way to manage projects — from proposals to invoices — all in one place.

Fewer Headaches, Greater Efficiency

Juggling two systems slows everyone down. When your team operates fully in DM Web, you cut the confusion and focus on the work that matters. The future of Design Manager is online — more secure, more integrated, and more powerful. Every improvement going forward will live in DM Web, ensuring your firm is ready for what’s next.

Early Access to Innovation

Our newest features — like the new Client Portal and Catalog — are only available on DM Web. Users who stay in ProCloud risk missing the updates that make collaboration smoother and project delivery faster.

We’re constantly improving DM Web. Those who are all-in get early access to new capabilities that won’t appear anywhere else.

How It Works

You can switch between DM Web and DM Pro Cloud anytime — your data remains safe and your workflow uninterrupted.

And yes, for DM Web no Citrix downloads required! Whether you’re working from your studio, home, or a client site, DM Web gives you seamless access wherever you are.

If you are a ProCloud user, you already have full access to Design Manager Web. All your project data is synced and waiting for you. Just log in anytime, from any browser, on any computer.

Questions? Talk to our team to plan your transition.

Interior Design Products Perfect for Pets

Margot LaScala — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

We’ve already covered how designing for pets doesn’t require sacrificing on style. In this follow-up article, we take a deeper dive into the products and materials that make pet-friendly interior design a possibility. From more traditional natural materials to lab-created innovations, designers have a surprisingly wide range of options when it comes to choosing furniture fixtures and equipment that are appropriate for animal roaming abodes.

2 Tips for Keeping Your Computer Healthy

Contributing Author — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Even if it seems like your computer is running perfectly, it still needs routine maintenance. Your business can't afford computer crashes or lethargic technology, and if you do not maintain your computers, your chances of experiencing these issues increase dramatically. We recommend following the below two tips to keep your computer healthy and working efficiently.

1. Update Your Operating System

One of the most overlooked ways to keep computers running smoothly is updating your operating system. While it may not sound like a big deal, maintaining your operating system is vital for a healthy computer in today's environment. An up-to-date operating system will significantly improve the reliability, security, and speed of your computer.

As of today, we would suggest PC users upgrade to Windows 7 or 8, and Mac users upgrade to OS X 10.7 or higher. It is also important to turn on automatic updates for your operating system.

2. Invest in Antivirus Software

While not immune to attack, Mac viruses are rare. This is partially due to the sheer number of users utilizing Windows over Mac OS. Although Macs are increasing in popularity, only about 10% of all computers are Macs. Viruses are usually written by people that want to affect the largest audience possible, and consequently, Windows computers are targeted more frequently. However, there are several options out there for Mac Virus protection. Most are yearly subscriptions, but there are a few free options as well.

PC users are more prone to virus attacks, but there are many easily implemented options for virus protection, like Norton and McAfee.

Remember: those who write viruses tend to target the individuals who do not update their virus definitions. Most antivirus software now has the built in option to "auto update". It is as important to stay up-to-date as it is to actually have the antivirus software itself.

Venus Williams Manages Interior Design With Her Firm, V Starr Interiors

Margot LaScala — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT

For Venus Williams, “go big or go home” are words to live by. With seven Grand Slam titles to her name, the tennis star is indisputably one of the greatest athletes of our time, as well as a household name worldwide. She is becoming equally renowned as an entrepreneur with a sharp portfolio of her own companies, including the smashingly successful interior design firm, V Starr Interiors.

The moment Venus Williams debuted her talent on the professional tennis circuit in 1994, she instantly took the world by storm with her breathtaking combination of power, style, and grace. These fundamental qualities, shown at a prodigiously young age, are what make Venus a natural artist both on and off the court. This unparalleled determination pushed her to pursue a career in design simultaneous to maintaining her top 10 player status, while also eventually launching V Starr Interiors in 2002. Soon thereafter, Venus earned a degree in design from the Art Academy of Fort Lauderdale. The firm, never afraid of grand gestures, specializes in commercial and large-scale residential development projects, all designed with Williams’ signature balance of power and grace.

V Starr Interiors designed the Atlantico at Alton condominiums in West Palm Beach, FL

Born With A Passion

For most people, becoming a professional athlete by the age of 14 would require a strictly singular focus; however, with the encouragement of her parents, Venus has been nurturing her inner artist from childhood. She was only 19 when she enrolled in the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, taking courses in between training for and competing in the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments. Her unwavering spirit was evident in the six championship titles she won before finishing her degree in 2007. Never one to sit and wait for opportunity to strike, Venus opened V Starr Interiors while she worked on her degree, officially launching the firm in 2002, the same year she won the doubles championship at Wimbledon (with sister, Serena) and placed runner-up in the U.S. Open.

Like many interior designers, Venus found her first clients within her personal and professional network, establishing her business with luxury residential projects for an NBA and an NFL player. Venus and her team quickly moved into larger scale residential development projects, leading naturally into the hospitality space. Today, her portfolio includes seventeen multi-million dollar commercial-scale projects across residential, hospitality, entertainment, and state-of-the-art university athletic facilities.

Maintaining Leadership Across Several Courts

How does Venus Williams make the seemingly impossible her reality? She credits determination and organization with allowing her to succeed in every arena she enters. She built her team at V Starr Interiors with these principles in mind, saying:

“At V Starr Interiors, our team is both creative and organized, with the help of Design Manager, which is an innovative software in the design field. I am an easy-going, yet extremely hardworking person, and I look for people who fit that mold and never take no for an answer. We always find a way through any challenges or difficult situations that may arise on large commercial projects.”

Venus also understands the importance of playing the game with the most advanced equipment available. Just two years after first hanging her shingle in 2002, Venus learned about Design Manager’s unique and comprehensive project management and accounting software and has been using it to manage her firm ever since. One of her favorite features is Time Keeping, which she describes as, “very important to the project profit and loss analysis, as time is money.” The firm’s utilization of Design Manager’s wide-ranging project management tools also extends to Specifications and Purchasing. Venus explains, “once you use the software properly for specifying a material and the client decides to purchase, it is a seamless process; Design Manager gives us a way to create specifications and manage them easily, making the process smooth and seamless.” She also loves the professionally branded client documents that Design Manager produces, which can be easily managed and adjusted as necessary. Together, these functions help V Starr Interiors maintain a strong relationship with clients and brand recognition, which helps to foster future growth.

“I have been using Design Manager for years at my own firm, and highly recommend it to all other design companies as it is a very useful tool to keep projects organized, and best of all it is extremely user-friendly.”

Venus’s Advice For Fellow Entrepreneurs

Venus believes that an important factor in maintaining success is staying engaged with your network, clients, and other professionals. Remembering her own journey to success, she suggests asking recent design school graduates for feedback about which software they use, and what they have learned through working with them. Keeping your ideas fresh should be a continuous task; if you fail to challenge yourself, you will cease to evolve. Last but not least, she encourages designers to be disciplined in how they run their businesses. She says,

“Losing always taught me more than winning ever did. It makes me reflect and improve, get more focused and even more hungry. Sports teach you how to set goals and be disciplined, which are all stepping stones to being successful in business.”

Staying organized with Design Manager can help you learn without making mistakes, however! Venus says, “I have been using Design Manager for years at my own firm, and highly recommend it to all other design companies as it is a very useful tool to keep projects organized, and best of all it is extremely user-friendly.”

A Peek at What Comes Next For V Starr Interiors

After a rapid rise to international renown, V Starr Interiors now works on a number of high-profile projects, including Airbnb’s first new construction residential community, Niido. Venus and her team have been tapped to design the first apartment units for this ground-breaking new extension of the sharing economy. To support the increasing number and ever-growing scale of the firm’s projects, V Starr added two leadership positions in July 2018, promoting from within Venus’s carefully crafted team.

Get Ahead with Design Manager

Few, if any, of us will ever come close to being ranked world No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on any occasion, never mind on three separate occasions. Even fewer of us will win four Olympic gold medals in our lifetimes. However, everyone can achieve Venus’ exceptionally high standards for excellence in business management by taking action and signing up for a free trial of Design Manager today. In the words of Venus, “The worst decision is not making one.”