ASID Hosts Webinar Series on Small Business Solutions for Interior Designers

May 25, 2022  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

The series will be held as part of Small Business Month and will cover three different topics: How to Limit Your Risk Exposure, Protecting Your Business and Staying Profitable with a Strong Contract, and Planning for Your Firm’s Future – and Yours. Each of the webinars will be submitted to IDCEC for continuing education approval. As the interior design profession continues to exemplify the power of small business with more than 94% of firms having less than ten employees, this series and ASID’s growing roster of resources fosters impactful empowerment for design small business owners.

As part of its Small Business Solutions initiative, ASID will also release “ASID in Conversation: Designing as a Small Business,” the first episode of new video series created by ASID. In the premiere episode, ASID Board Chair, Carolyn Ames Noble, ASID, WELL AP, WELL Faculty, USGBC Member, Principal of Interior and Product Design at Ames Design Collective, and Shundra Harris, ASID, RID, Founder and Principal Designer of Shundra Harris Interiors, will share meaningful advice as they explore their own personal experiences as entrepreneurs and small business owners. The series can be viewed on ASID’s YouTube channel. Future “ASID in Conversation” episodes will feature design visionaries in conversation as they explore the transformative power of interior design, essential viewing for design professionals and enthusiasts alike.

“ASID is committed to providing the necessary tools for our designers to flourish and impact lives, as small business owners make up 75% of our organization’s membership,” said ASID CEO Gary Wheeler, FASID. “As an avid supporter of small business owners, ASID is thrilled to highlight success-driven interior designers and offer additional resources and advice from leading design business owners with years of experience developing thriving firms.”

The three-part webinar series will kick off on Tuesday, May 24 with the You’ve Built It, Don’t Lose It: How to Limit Your Risk Exposure webinar. Designers from diverse sectors and backgrounds – Blanche Garcia, ASID, WELL AP, LEED AP and Principal of B. Garcia Designs; Bridget McMullin, ASID, NCIDQ, CID, CAPS, and Principal of McMullin Design Group; LuAnn Thoma-Holec, FASID, NCINQ, CID and Principal Owner of Thoma-Holec Design; Jeremy Walsh, CIC and Executive VP of Commercial Lines at Hub International; and Phyllis Harbinger, FASID, CID and Founder of Phyllis Harbinger Design and Business Consulting and Principal of DCI Studio – will explore how small business owners can protect their businesses with effective risk management strategies. Members can learn how these proven practices, including ASID’s Member Liability Insurance Program, can safeguard the future of their firms.

Following the risk management webinar, the Protect Your Business & Stay Profitable with a Strong Contract webinar will highlight the critical role contracts play in protecting small business owners, their firm, and their profitability, emphasizing the significance of an effective contract. The author of the ASID Interior Design Residential and Commercial Contract Packages Alan Siegel, Hon. FASID and Partner at Levy Sonet & Siegel, LLP will speak alongside Eric Haydel, Allied ASID and President-Creative Director of The M-Geough Company and Eric M. Haydel Design, Inc., and Jennifer Biffer, ASID, NCIDQ and Principal of Duneier Design about what small business designers need to include in their contracts to limit liability, establish scope of work, and ensure payment.

The series will close out with Planning for Your Firm’s Future – and Yours!, which will cover succession planning for designers as they think about the future of their firms. From ASID peers who have successfully managed the work-life balance of a small business owner – Caleb Anderson, Allied ASID and Co-Founder of Drake/Anderson; Mark Bonnett, Managing Partner at Corepath Wealth Partners; Doreen Hunter, Allied ASID, WELL AP and Principal of HDesigns Group LLC; Krista Ninvaggi, Allied ASID and Principal of Woods Bagot New York; and Maria Martin, ASID, RID, and Founder of Design Appy – members from all stages of business development will learn about each designer’s personal experience with managing the transitions of a firm’s life cycle, along with the ASID Member Retirement Program and how it can help with the process.

ASID will further its support for small business owners in the design community at its inaugural GATHER conference this September in Miami. CEUs, workshops, pop-ups, roundtables, and one-on-one appointments at GATHER will explore "Better Business" practices with resources to support new and growing enterprises with best practices and problem-solving.

To register for the You’ve Built It, Don’t Lose It: How to Limit Your Risk Exposure webinar on Tuesday, May 24 from 2-3 p.m. EST, click here.

To register for the Protect Your Business & Stay Profitable with a Strong Contract webinar on Wednesday, May 25 from 2-3 p.m. EST, click here.

To register for the Planning for Your Firm’s Future – and Yours! webinar on Thursday, May 26 from 2-3 p.m. EST, click here.

ASID’s Small Business Solutions webinar series is one of the many resources the organization offers to entrepreneurs of varying levels of experience. More information can be found on the ASID Small Business Solutions website, which will continue to grow thanks to ASID’s education and research departments, with select tools available for non-members as well.