Only Girl On The Jobsite

Today I want to talk about something that quietly shapes almost every decision we make as designers—how we price our work, how we speak up in meetings, and which projects we feel ready to take on. That something is confidence. But I'm not talking about the kind of confidence that's just a personality trait or bravado. I mean confidence as clarity. Most designers I meet don't doubt their talent; th...

As we step into a new year, I want to talk today about something that sounds really simple, but in my experience has the power to quietly change everything about how we work, how we earn, and how we show up every day. This year, my word is boundaries . And today, I'm walking you through why boundaries, not hustle, not motivation, not another strategy, are often the missing piece between intentiona...

Discover the subtle shifts actually shaping today's design world, beyond trends and highlight reels. Today, I share what top designers are paying attention to for 2026: why friction is data, how boundaries build trust, and the small refinements that lead to steady, profitable projects.    Mentioned in this episode: Join the wait list for  The Designers Edge : https://www.reneedevignierdesign.com/c...

Every meaningful shift I'm making for 2026 will come back to one question:   What does this allow me to do better? And I mean better for my clients, better for this podcast, better for the education & coaching side of my business, and better for myself as well as my family. So when I look at decisions ahead of me, that one question will be the filter. And it will change how I say yes, how I say no...

Do you ever wonder why   certain collaborations feel so much easier than others? Today, we're pulling back the curtain on jobsite dynamics and talking about something design school never  prepped you for: collaboration as a leadership strategy —not just a "soft skill." Collaboration isn't a bonus. It's not something you stumble into once you feel confident enough. It's a skill. And more importantl...

We have officially entered the magical time of year when our current clients are hard to reach or vanish, our prospective clients aren't calling, and our personal lives all come together as we are barreling towards holiday chaos. So, today's episode, I want to walk you through something most designers completely overlook, and that is that the holiday slowdown is not a roadblock. It is actually lev...

Your portfolio is gorgeous — but is your website actually bringing in clients? If you've been staring at your site thinking, "It looks good… but something's not working," this episode's for you. Today, I'm joined by Robyn White of RDW Design Studio. Robyn White brings a rare fusion of strategy and aesthetics to interior design websites. A website designer who didn't follow the traditional path, sh...

Today, I want to dive into something incredibly important as we close out 2025, and more importantly, gear up for 2026. This is something that every single designer needs to understand if they want long-term stability, profitability, and relevance in this industry. So today, we're going to unpack a brand new analysis from NAHB that just dropped. And honestly, it confirms something I've been saying...

This episode is a special one for me, and frankly, one I never thought I would be recording, because this marks my fifth anniversary of this podcast, Only Girl on the Jobsite , which just is surreal, shocking, overwhelming, and humbling, all mixed in together. To mark the occasion, I invited my 3 design school besties, my design school friends, the girls, who have walked this path alongside me in...

Today I'm sharing  the story of how I built a design business that   doesn't just rely on constant marketing,  that next inquiry call, or that lucky referral. I don't go looking for new clients, and I haven't had to in years . My next project almost always comes from a client I've already worked with or from one of the contractors, architects, or realtors in my network. So today I'm breaking down...

So you've probably noticed this before: you've noticed that contractors never apologize for their prices. They walk into a meeting, they set their number and paperwork on the table, and then they wait. There are no disclaimers. There's no, I hope this seems reasonable, Mrs. Smith. It's just, this is what it costs. Meanwhile, we as designers are still over-explaining, discounting, or defending what...

H ave you ever wrapped up a project,  looked at your hours, your profitability, what you built, what you spent, and figured out that you were actually working at maybe $47 an hour? Y ou knew the project was beautiful, the clients were  thrilled, but somewhere between your proposal and that final invoice, the math just stopped making sense. And the worst part is you knew something was off. You knew...

Last week, I talked about invisible work, all of those small, well-intentioned tasks that quietly chip away at your profits. This week, I want to continue that conversation with one simple question: if you've switched to flat fees, are they actually flat enough? Because I see this all the time. Designers move away from hourly billings thinking, finally, no more time tracking, no more nickel and di...

Today, I want to dive into the invisible work that's eating away at your profits. I think you know what I mean, right? They're the hours that never make it into a proposal, the tiny tasks that keep piling up, the "quick things" that somehow take all day. So if you've ever ended a project feeling like you worked twice as much as you got paid for, you probably did. I have been there many times, and...

I talk a lot about profitability on these episodes because, of course, we do this for a living. But today, I invited someone to talk with more authority about our finances in general. And I understand it is not always easy to look at our finances, especially if they aren't where we want them to be. But Carla Titus has over 17 years of combined corporate financial planning, analysis strategy, and o...

Today, we're going to talk about the hard truth: that many of the challenges that we face on construction projects aren't just coming from contractors, architects, or the clients. A lot of them are coming from us, from the way we've been taught to see ourselves, from the way we approach our work, and from the stories we've quietly absorbed about what it means to be an interior designer managing co...

Last week, I talked all about proposals and how designers often present themselves in ways that just don't stack up next to the concise professional proposals from architects and contractors, also known as our colleagues. And I said something then that I want to build on today, that the way we present ourselves to our clients matters. Because it's not just in proposals, it's also in how we charge...

Are your proposals costing you projects and profit? In this episode, I break down the common mistakes designers make in their scopes of work, why vague language leads to scope creep, and how to write proposals that protect your bottom line and earn respect on the job site. Find the full shownotes at: https://devignierdesign.com/proposal-mistake-costing-interior-designers-projects-profit  

Today's episode is a little different than normal—and it all started when I scheduled a Lunch & Learn at Steele Appliance in Delaware.  This is a conversation that every interior designer needs to be part of! In this episode, I share how I sat down with appliance expert Elana Steele to cover everything from common design pitfalls and emerging trends to how to find the right local partners. Whether...

Today I'm sharing two recent wins that build on what we discussed in Ep241 :  What Do Interior Designers Really Do on Construction Projects? These real-life stories show how valuable designers are on job sites—and I hope they inspire you to create similar experiences in your own projects.  Mentioned in this episode: * Upcoming  Designer-Only Lunch & Learn on appliance specification - Wilmington, D...

I know it probably feels a little crazy to be talking about the holidays right now. But here's the truth: before we know it, holiday parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukkah, and New Year's will be front and center, and for all of us in construction and design, that means deadlines, delays, and client expectations that will collide all at once.  Add in the unpredictable fall and winter weather...

Have you ever been asked, "So… what do you do here?" If you're an interior designer, chances are you've heard this question more than once—from contractors, trades, or even clients. The truth is, many people don't fully understand the value designers bring to a construction project. And if they don't know what you do, they can't value it—or hire you for it. In this episode, we dive into why it's c...

Mistakes happen on every design and construction project—because we're human. But how you handle them can make or break your client relationships. In this episode, I share real stories from designers (and my own experiences) about the inevitable missteps that happen, and the exact steps you can take to resolve them with professionalism and confidence. From talking to clients about the problem to n...

I am frequently asked what it's really like to be inside The Designer's Edge program, and especially what these new features are inside The Studio portion of the program. Today, I'm excited to pull the curtain back and share one of The Studio's newest features: module-specific live Q&As.  The insight that I'm sharing today, which came out of that live call, applies to each and every one of you and...

When a client hires an interior designer, especially for a construction project, they are not just looking for us to help with picking paint color and finishes; they're hiring us for our eye, our foresight, our expertise, and our ability to bring it all together in a way they couldn't do it on their own. Because let's be real, projects get built every day without an interior designer, so those tha...