Peel back the curtains and see the difference between running a specialized design firm versus a general one.
They say there are two ways to build a business – as a generalist or as a specialist. I get to see how both operate. If you got to see what I see behind the scenes, I think you’d be inspired to run your business a little differently.
The Generalist
A little bit of residential here. Some commercial there. As a generalist, you do a bit of everything.
Sometimes, you’re re-decorating a bedroom and other times, you’re doing a full-gut restaurant renovation. Each project is wildly different in size, budget and location. You don’t always want it like that, but you need to keep the lights on. Being choosier seems like exactly what you do not need at this point. You want to keep all your options open.
You’re proud you’ve gotten to this point with word of mouth and referrals. You’re not rushing to have a marketing plan or because your work speaks for itself, and your network amplifies it.
You’re versatile. You’ve worked with a wide variety of spaces, projects and clientele. You bring fresh perspectives from one project to another. Your team never gets bored.
However, at the cost of versatility, it’s hard for the team to keep up. Briefing takes a lot more work and detail because each project is unique. They say the more similar projects you do, the more time and money you save from efficiencies. But since all your work is so custom, it’s like you’re starting from scratch every time. Unless you have a highly engaged project manager who is tightly keeping track, projects often go out of scope and over budget.
When hiring, you have a larger talent pool to source from, but team members may be less loyal.
The Specialist
Maybe it’s cafes, dental clinics, heritage homes or playrooms. Whatever it is, you are the go-to design expert for it.
You skillfully articulate your service and its value. You’ve created a methodology. It’s hyper-tailored to your clientele, which makes selling easy. It’s why your clients buy into your premium price tag.
Your portfolio reflects your specialization. Your expertise is evident all over your website and social media. Google “interior designer for (insert here),” and you’re on the first page. Sometimes, you earn press features, and journalists even come to you asking for expert quotes.
New opportunities well beyond your social circle regularly find you. You are choosy. You’re not needy. You say no when someone doesn’t meet your standards or fit your methodology.
There is still a high degree of customization behind each space. Despite what your peers may think, you don’t create cookie-cutter designs. You can’t quite streamline your drawings, but you’ve created efficiencies in project management. With standard clients come standardized scopes of work. You know what to deliver for every client, are quick to spot patterns and can think proactively. There is little backtracking.
However, finding talent with the experience and expertise that matches your firm isn’t easy. The pool is small, but they are tremendously passionate and dedicated when you find them.
The Common Misunderstanding
Both businesses have advantages and disadvantages, but I’d argue specialists are often misunderstood. Hear me out.
First, many designers are terrified to specialize and “pigeon hole” themselves. The reality is that specializing doesn’t take away opportunities. By positioning yourself as the expert, more opportunities come to you. Second, specializing isn’t just a marketing strategy. It’s how you do business inside and out. It’s how you create your processes, hire teammates, choose vendors and price your services. It’s not just how you present yourself. It’s the box and the wrapping paper.
I’ll admit. I’m a sucker for specialists. In our agency, I see their marketing go further and faster with less time and money than generalists. Instead of making a splash in the ocean, they create tidal waves in a lake.
I’d guess that many of you want to be specialists and have taken baby steps in that direction. You have a handful of projects of the “same type” but you haven’t taken the leap to call yourself an expert on your website or social media. Partially because you haven’t had the time to work on your marketing but mostly because of fear.
If you want to finally embrace your specialization, be recognized and found for it, book a call with me.
