The Interior Design Business Handbook: A Complete Guide to Profitability » (4th Edition)

MARY V. KNACKSTEDT, FASID, FIIDA, is founder and President of Knackstedt, Inc. of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and New York. She is an interior designer, furniture designer, consultant, and speaker. She frequently does keynotes, as well as continuing education courses and business courses for professional organizations and universities, including Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

As a consultant, Ms. Knackstedt has helped develop many new businesses and helped to restore failing businesses. She continues to consult designers individually and in groups throughout the country.

It is imperative that interior design firms maintain a solid business structure to permit them to work in a profitable way. Although the creative part of your business and administration often seem to require different talents, this book can help you realize how one can complement the other. All successful businesses must constantly redesign themselves to fit the market of the day.

For over a decade, The Interior Design Business Handbook has helped firm owners manage their operations successfully. Now in its Third Edition, this book’s accessible, practical guidance has been brought up to date to address the latest trends and challenges in the field. This Third Edition outlines every component of managing a firm, from choosing a location and administering daily operations to putting it up for sale. Included are innovative ideas for attracting and keeping clients, building a team of staff and consultants, mastering financial management, working with outside sources and contractors, and, most importantly, achieving professional growth. Techniques and practices used by leading firms have been meticulously researched and detailed here, such as tips for equipping your office to be Internet-friendly and strategies for establishing service value in today’s economy.

Supplemented with more than 50 sample forms and letters–including a prospective client report form, a design service outline, an existing conditions survey, and many more–this book is an essential reference for seasoned interior designers and those starting their own firms.

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Primarily for practicing interior designers, whether working independently or within large firms, this comprehensive guide to managing an interior design business covers the full range of business activities and procedures for the life of a practice, and includes some 50 sample forms and letters that can be adapted to specific interior design operations. This revised edition (first was 1988) contains updated resource listings, and additional information on the computer, service, photography, and education. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)