Self-Hosted Project Management
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Many interior designers use project management software such as Ivy, Studio Designer, Mydoma, Design Manager or another software. Last week’s blog post focused on the features of these project management systems.
What happens when you don’t find the right fit, or decide to do it yourself either with free programs or programs you already have? There is a group of interior designers that are doing this and are considered self-hosted. They don’t use any of the software options above to stay organized. So how do they do it?
MICROSOFT EXCEL
Most people already have Microsoft Excel and if you are good at it, it can be used to organize projects, orders, expenses, bookkeeping and a variety of other things in your business.
You can create private boards to share with your client to house your design ideas and product choices for their design. You can also create a private board to create a library of your favorite and popular products and sources.
GOOGLE DRIVE
You can keep photos, stories, designs, drawings, recording, videos and more in your google drive. Your first 15 GB is free with a google account. This is also great for storing notes, spreadsheets, invoices, documents and correspondence with clients.
TRELLO
This free cloud-based platform is great for working with your clients to collaborate on projects. You can create boards, lists and cards to help you stay organized. Many of my virtual design assistants use Trello when collaborating with designers as well.
PAYPAL, VENOMO, WAVE
Create invoices and collect payments. These are free to use but some fees may apply for processing payments.
HELLO SIGN
Use this free service to collect digital signatures for your client contracts. Collecting signatures with this platform just became a lot easier.
MAILCHIMP
Free for up to a certain number of subscribers this service is a great way to get started with your email subscriber list. As you grow you may want to consider using a paid service for your email campaigns. Next week’s post will be on the best options for your email subscriber list and emails.
WEBSITE
Some designers even use private pages on their website to communicate with their clients regarding renders, concept boards, selections, etc.
Self-hosted may take a bit more organization but some people are more comfortable using systems they are already familiar with. There are a variety of ways to be successful in this business. It just depends on what works best for you!