Interior Designer, LRS Interiors

>> Hello, my name is Loren [assumed spelling] [inaudible]. And the name of my firm is LRS Interiors. And I'm an interior designer. My job on a daily basis consists of many things. There probably is not anyone one consistent way to describe what a typical day is like. I do both residential, and I do commercial design. So I have a staff. A lot of times I will see myself typically checking with my staff. Many days I have messages and e-mails already waiting me to take and check in or fires to put out, if you will to start my day. So some days, you know, it's just you wake up and you put out the fires and your day takes on a life of its own. Or my day takes on a life of its own. I would also say, a typical day could involve client meetings and appointments, networking. I may be meeting with some people to establish new relationships or planting seeds for the future. Going to the [inaudible] or locations where we'll be working with [inaudible] or resources to find products to prepare for an appointment. I will also be delegating to my staff some things for them to do to help me get ready. [inaudible] them paperwork, invoices, purchases orders. And that's probably one of the tasks I think that I would say I like to delegate out, but you still have to bring it back home. Paperwork, other types of paperwork such as signing checks. And I have 3300 square foot show room so I have inventory. So I may be purchasing a product. I may be meeting reps that are bringing product lines in or[inaudible] look at things like that so that I have fresh product. Or I might be deleting product or I might be updating samples. And then obviously the projects getting them geared up and ready to present. So making sure that everything is tight, ready, reviewed, drawing sketches, layouts, rendering samples. Making sure we have everything that we need so that when I go to present to a client whether it's business or a residential we're ready. What are my hours like? I think that most people think that I wake up at ten in the morning. And I'm home by four in the afternoon. And that is a big misconception about being an interior designer. I'm up early in the morning so that I can get an early start before the world starts calling me. So that I can either, you know, review e-mails, go over paperwork, plan a mental agenda that I think I'm going to capture and get on with the day. I want to get organized, get set, get dressed. When [inaudible] walk out the door the phone's already probably been ringing. And I have messages or text messages or e-mails. [inaudible]. So I know that I will check in with my office. And that's probably definitely either nine or ten o'clock that this is already underway. I'm usually at my first appointment by nine or ten. Sometimes I have earlier meetings. If it's construction, that might take place at seven thirty, eight thirty. Ending of the day, many times the world of design you're on your client's time. So for me, a lot of my clients are home at six, six thirty, seven o'clock. And that's more the residential side. So when working residential, I will say that I am going to be seeing clients seven o'clock in the evening. Especially if they're home at six they want to eat their dinner. It's good to give them a chance to unwind so they can decompress. I found that one of the worse things to do is be right there at the door when they're ready to come home. So I set up appointments strategically to give them a chance, as I said previously, to decompress. So I'm going to be actually, you know, getting home at nine, nine thirty. And also I might be working on Saturday. So especially people who are beginning, you know, paying the dues. There's some boundaries. [inaudible] And I try to find times when they're going to be fresh and able to absorb and listen and take in the good design that I'm presenting to them. Do I travel a lot? I would say it depends on the project. As far as local commuting, I would say I'm in the car quite a bit. And within an hour radius that's the most common travel. It's fun to say that you have a project out-of-state or, you know, going to Florida or going to Arizona or you know that dreamy kind of going out of the country. I haven't had so much of that yet. But a lot of clients do have a second home. And that sounds more glamorous. But it's kind of like anybody else's business travel, you're working more than socializing and hanging out. So if you get to do that once in a while -- and I hope to do that because my life personally allows me to do that. So I just think that's something I get to do. But it is work. So just for anybody thinking about that, if you can get a few days in have a little fun, good.