Most would agree that the only thing we can really count on is: Change. And 2023 was certainly full of those! We are once again beginning a new year with all the usual anticipation, but salted with new cautions and expectations.
For businesses it is a time for reflection, followed closely by analysis, followed closely by planning. Quick, enthusiastic resolutions usually last about as long as the glow and excitement of those New Year's Eve celebrations – fun for the moment, but most just don't have legs!
2023, and a few of its predecessors, have taken a toll on many traditional approaches to business operations, employment, contracting, promotions and marketing. We are coping with factors our Dads and Grandparents would find nothing short of extraordinary. The impacts that drive many of our business decisions today are factors their generations just took for granted would take care of themselves! The weather? The weather is just the weather! Well... Not quite... Not any more.
In past articles in this Interior Design series I have tried to address most of the ways in which radical natural and societal changes have impacted and influenced your Interior environment projects.
There have been many changes in what the Interior design industry offers you from materials to innovative designs that accommodate a society literally driven indoors for a greatly increased percentage of its time. Some changes – unfriendly at first – have even proven smart, as well as wise.
So, here we are, a new business year to address, perhaps with even more unfamiliar changes to come. It might be a good idea to look at our past planning paradigms and be open for new, more flexible approaches.
One approach to consider is that of projecting ahead in your planning, incrementally.
What I can offer is in the context of an Interior design project you may be specifically planning, or one that is still in the speculation stage. A little background insight: Many Interior design projects in recent years have encountered delays or full stoppage simply due to severe and unpredictable weather conditions! Even though a project is Interior, it still depends on shipping, external support elements such as electrical, plumbing, AC, etc., that have exterior work aspects. Planning for the unexpected can take away a lot of its negative power.
By dividing the various parts and stages of an interior design project, and implementing them incrementally, there are several advantages. A big one is the opportunity to space out financial outlay. A simple pragmatic advantage is that, when and if an unexpected, unwanted glitch arises, only the increment being managed and worked at that time is appreciably affected.
The best way to structure the increments of a specific job is guided by your Interior design professional team. Your team knows best how to stage the aspects, coordinate the various support elements and prioritize accurately so the end aspects dove tail correctly.
This discipline can create "breathing space" between increments if desired. Many Interior design projects involve some construction, some demo and a big temporary mess! A breather could be welcome. And, in a residential Interior design project, where the family is fully in residence, breaks are welcome!
You may have an Interior design project in mind, but are hesitating for a variety of reasons. It could be about convenience, financial limitations or temporary business interruption. For a family, just dread of disruption.
Developing your project incrementally is something to consider. Incremental project segments can be ongoing, continuous and with brief breaks; or, the increments can span seasons, in conjunction with other projects such as landscaping.
Robert Boccabella, B.F.A. is principal and founder of Business Design Services and a certified interior designer in private practice for over 30 years. Boccabella provides Designing to Fit the Vision© in collaboration with writingservice@earthlink.net. To contact him call 707-263-7073; email him at rb@BusinessDesignServices.com or visit www.BusinessDesignServices.com or on Face Book at Business Design Services.
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