Designers Share How Ivy’s Software Has Boosted Their Businesses
Here at Ivy, we’ve seen countless examples of how our business management software has transformed interior design businesses. But hey, don’t take it from us: here, fellow members of the design community share some of the ways tapping into Ivy’s resources has benefitted their trades, from streamlined systems to increased profits, and expanded capabilities.
Written by Elizabeth Brownfield
Streamlined Systems
“Ivy is one place I can go to keep track of client information, projects, sourcing, time tracking, billing, invoicing, POs… these are all of my pain points! Ivy makes these elements of my business so much easier to deal with on a daily basis. When things are systematic, it takes much less time to journey through the process, and I LOVE Ivy for that!”
– Nichole Gabriel of Perfect Piece Interiors – Atlanta, GA
Faster Approvals and Payments
“Ivy allows me to create a digital presentation for my clients that can be approved, by item, and then paid right there. It allows for the whole process of client approval and payment to move much quicker, and I love that.”
– Rachel Madden of Rachel Madden Interiors – Marin County, CA
Eliminating Costly Errors
“Since we’ve used Ivy, we have so much more control on our projects. It’s an easy process for the client to approve the items they want — they can do it in their own time and see the total adjust. Prior to Ivy, we would print out a spreadsheet and use a highlighter to select what the client wanted to go with. There is so much room for error, and we made a few!”
– Lauren Li of Sisällä, Melbourne, Australia
More Time for Creativity
“Ivy has brought a level of professionalism to our firm that we were longing for. We are now able to handle many aspects of our projects in one place, and that keeps us on point. It’s also created a space for our whole team to work on multiple facets of our projects together. And most importantly, it’s freed us up to focus more on creating beautiful projects!”
– Lindye Galloway of Lindye Galloway Interiors – Orange County, CA
Work-from-Anywhere Accessibility
“Goodbye to a million different Excel spreadsheets! I have been able to actually come up with a process from start to finish with clients because of Ivy and their easy way of managing all of the moving parts. I am able to have everything I need in Ivy, all in one place, and can reach it now, no matter where I am, on any computer, iPad or phone. That’s pretty amazing.”
– Lindsey Borchard of Lindsey Brooke Design – Thousand Oaks, CA
Faster Payments
“Clients pay so much faster! They LOVE the interactive nature of Ivy and being able to pay with credit card or bank transfer.”
– Christopher Kennedy – Palm Springs, CA
Seamless Organization
“Ivy’s easy-to-implement tracking system allows our design and warehouse personnel to seamlessly monitor projects. We are much more organized and informed about the status of our orders.”
– Deborah Costa and Kristine Renee of Design Alchemy – Sacramento, CA
Greater Profitability
“Ivy helped my business become equal parts consultant and product sales. Before Ivy, our revenue mostly came from hourly time or flat fees. We would have clients purchase directly from the lighting store or the plumbing store, or used to take clients to big box retailers for furniture. Now, because we are so streamlined, we purchase everything directly and then sell to the client. We have become more professional as a result.”
– Barbi Stalburg of Stalburg Design – Birmingham, MI
Effortless Time Management
“I collect a retainer up front. After presenting to a client, I can write-up a proposal and have it transformed into an invoice, and then a purchase order, in minutes. Hello, time management!”
– Amanda Barnes of Amanda Barnes Interiors – San Francisco, CA
Room for Customization
“I joined Ivy because it’s a cloud-based software that integrates into platforms like QuickBooks Online. It structures my business in a way that allows me to customize our accounting and projects based on the tools that interior designers actually need to manage the day-to-day challenges that non-design accounting platforms aren’t set up for. I am obsessed with creating a lean and efficient company, and in that way, we resemble a startup. Our goal is to offer creative services with seamless operations; Ivy allows us to achieve that in a streamlined way and we don’t know how we’d do it any other way!”
– Christine Turknett of Breathe Design Studio – Austin, TX