Ep. 12: Design Documents & Outsourcing with Interior Designer Ronniesha Rivera of Vetted by Design

What actually separates a “pretty ideas” designer from the one contractors trust, clients respect, and projects run smoothly for?

In this episode of Stuff Interior Designers Need To Know, Rebecca West sits down with residential interior designer Ronniesha Rivera, founder of Alder & Stone and Vetted by Design, to talk about the unsexy (but wildly powerful) backbone of a successful design business: documentation.

They get into the real, behind-the-scenes role that drawing sets, specs, and systems play—not just in avoiding mistakes, but in building credibility, protecting your time, and positioning yourself as a true professional in an industry that’s still fighting the “fluff pillows” stereotype.

Ronniesha shares hard-earned lessons from the field, including how documentation has saved her in high-stakes client situations, how to collaborate with contractors without losing your mind, and why even furnishing projects deserve the same level of detail as full-scale builds.

They also dive into outsourcing—what to delegate, when to do it, and how to avoid costly mistakes when hiring support (yes, including the kind that can cost you thousands 💸).

If you’ve ever:

•  Wondered how much documentation is actually necessary 
•  Felt frustrated when contractors ignore your plans 
•  Underpriced your work because you didn’t account for the backend effort 
•  Or questioned when (and how) to start outsourcing… 

This episode is your practical guide and your reality check.

Whether you’re new to design or years into running your firm, you’ll walk away thinking differently about how you present your work, protect your projects, and grow your business with intention.

You might laugh, you’ll definitely nod, and you’ll probably rethink how you’re doing things behind the scenes—in the best way.

Enjoy!

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About Ronniesha:

Ronneisha Rivera is the Founder of << Alder and Stone Interiors >> *and* << Vetted by Design, >> and also hosts an interior design business podcast << Founders and Friends. >>

*Alder and Stone* offers destination design for clients looking for a cottage or cabin rooted in nature and beauty. We help with new builds, remodels, and furniture projects of all sizes.

*Vetted by Design* is a platform that helps interior designers find vetted companies to outsource to, helping designers figure out the "WHO?" when it comes to hiring and outsourcing. 

To connect with Ronniesha, Alder & Stone, Vetted By Design, and the Founders & Friends Podcast:

Alder and Stone Website

Alder and Stone Instagram

Vetted by Design Website

Vetted by Design Instagram

Founders & Friends Podcast

Founders & Friends Instagram

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Transcript

Ronniesha 0:00

"The client was like, that's not the color that I picked. If I didn't have that documentation and I didn't have the client's approval they could have just been like, I don't like it and I didn't choose it."

Rebecca 0:12

Welcome to stuff interior designers need to know. If you're a residential interior designer, this is the place to find out all the things you need to know to succeed in business and create one that makes you seriously happy. I'm Rebecca West. Author of Happy Starts At Home and Business Coach with seriously Happy Coaching and Consulting. In this episode, I interview residential interior designer Ronniesha Rivera, owner of Alder and Stone and CEO of vetted by design about how our design documentation helps us establish good working relationships with contractors, saves our butt when it comes to fixing, miscommunications, and makes us the kind of designer contractors won't be annoyed to have on the job site. We're also gonna touch on outsourcing and how to do it effectively, not only for getting help with design documentation, but for all the other tasks that go hand in hand with running a design firm. This is gonna be a great conversation for both new and experienced designers. Let's dive in. Hi, Ronniesha. Welcome to the show.

Ronniesha 1:14

Hi. I am so excited to be here. I'm like chockfull of advice and what to do and what not to do when it comes to building an interior design business.

Rebecca 1:25

We're gonna talk about design documentation and how to use it when dealing with contractors who sometimes like to steamroll us as designers. We're also gonna talk about documentation behind the scenes like bookkeeping and the other things that keep a business going.

Ronniesha 1:42

Let's do it.

Rebecca 1:43

Excellent. What documents are we talking about?

Ronniesha 1:47

So when, when I'm talking about drawing documentation, it's your construction drawing set, sometimes referred to as a CD set. Some designers refer to it as their like binder, and in this binder you have all the specifications for the build in terms of interiors. I'm not an architect, so I do not create architectural plans, but I do create interior plans, that detail out all aspects of the interior of the build So you're gonna have the floor plan, you're gonna have elevations, reflected ceiling plans. Actual product specs. I put in appliance cut sheets, all of the lighting spec sheets. Basically it's the game plan for the builder to build off of.

Rebecca 2:35

I like that you referred to it as the binder as well, and I can hear the capital b in that. I've even heard people say like it's the design Bible. I also know that a lot of designers feel frustrated with the fact that the contractors don't always take the time to read the extensive documentation that we have put together.

Ronniesha 2:56

Yes, that happens all the time. And honestly no shade to them because like these documents can be 50 to a hundred pages and you know, I try to think of it from their point of view, and when they're on site trying to build something or trying to install something and they have to like sift through a hundred pages to find what they're looking for. I get it. I get that it's a lot of information and taking a pause when you're in the middle of doing something and reading all this information is probably just like the most annoying thing in the world. What I do to mitigate that issue is I'm sitting down with the builder, like whoever the project manager is, we sit down and we will put the drawing set up on like a flat screen, either at my office or at their office, and we walk through the project page by page. you know, Instead of them seeing it for the first time on the job site as a binder, if we sat down over some cheese and wine, and they've already walked through the drawing set and we talked about all of it, then when the binder's on site, it's like a lot less overwhelming. But these drawings are integral to my business. I could not do what I do without them. So I'm like, they saved my butt, so...

Rebecca 4:21

Do you have some examples of times when the drawings weren't followed and you had to point back at them and go, it was written down guys, you have to fix it.

Ronniesha 4:30

I think of two things. First one with the client. I had a client where we spec everything. It all goes into the drawing set the tile got installed, I and the client was like, I didn't pick that color. Like that's not the color that I picked. And I was able to go back to the latest drawing set, 'cause I have my client's sign off on the drawing sets, and so I'm like, actually at this day, at this time, on this page you signed for it. If I didn't have that documentation and I didn't have the client's approval, if I didn't have that, they could have just been like, I don't like it and I didn't choose it. And then for the builders, like for my drawing sets and working with builders, I, there's not even like one thing that I could like pinpoint. It's just every single day. Because I'm specifying plumbing, I'm specifying lighting, very like intricate pieces and millwork, I'm just specifying so much stuff that if it's not in the drawing set and then it gets installed incorrectly. Tile take, think about tile work in a master bathroom. Sometimes there might be three or four different tile that you're using and you're using them in different way with different corner pieces and maybe we're doing like quartz on the seat. And how does that waterfall? There's just so much. And if you don't put it into a drawing set, then when that tile setter sets that tile incorrectly, if you didn't have a drawing set and you just wrote it down on a piece of paper or put it in an email or something, it is just not enough

Rebecca 6:16

I met designers who are like, I'll just be on site that day and I'll tell them where to put it. Well, first of all, what if that's the day you get the flu? Right? And second of all, as you just said, if it's all verbal and then anybody disagrees with the outcome, the client, the contractor, or you that it's all he said, she said, there's nothing for anybody to point at, which is going to create a hot mess that didn't have to be there.

Ronniesha 6:45

I don't wanna get to the job site and be just now thinking about where all the tile is going or how the return pieces are going and what is the threshold looking like, 'cause then they're waiting for you to show up on the job site. Most subs get to the job site at like five, 6:00 AM. I don't start at five 6:00 AM I start at 9:00 AM 'cause I have a 2-year-old that I have to drop off at daycare. So then you are just having people waiting for you to get to the job site to work things out. When you could have just already worked it out in the drawing set. There's gonna be times where, like, I had a job where I spec'd out the height of the shower head, but there's all these controls, like it was one of those plumbing fixtures that just has a million like jets and controls and you know, all these things. And I didn't spec out the height of everything because I just missed it 'cause I'm a human. So then I did have to go on the job site and like tell them exactly where to put all the controls. If you're working with like a GC partner that is kind and that values you, that's, that will be okay. But if you're working with a GC who's not gonna wait for you, they'll just install it wherever the heck they want. They don't have the time to wait for you. It's just a way to make sure that you're not always playing this catch up game if you're like putting it all into the drawing set.

Rebecca 8:14

I love that you're not throwing the contractors under the bus today, but I had a contractor who decided it would be too hard to move the electrical. And so he just put the pony wall for the kitchen two feet different than on the drawings. Yeah. Yeah. For those of you listening and who can't see her face, she looks shocked, which she should be because it's a kitchen. The cabinets had already been ordered. It's not like you can just magic two feet of extra whatever.

Ronniesha 8:44

Yeah.

Rebecca 8:44

It was insane. And, but because I had everything written down, I was able to say, you have to fix this. No, your client is not paying for that. No, I am not paying for that. You have to do your job.

Ronniesha 9:00

Yeah. When you're, when you get into remodels and new build and like the construction side of interior design, every inch matters. Like two feet. That's insane. Like, that's why my face was like, oh my god, even things being off an inch can be very impactful to the design and to the cabinets and everything. So I'm like, that would be my biggest nightmare. I just, yeah. Thankfully I've been able to work with a lot of contractors that have been in the building industry for like 20, 30, sometimes 40 years. Of course a woman on the job site, I'm young and I, you know, I come on the job site, they're like, what is she doing here? And then I come with the drawing sets and I can speak technical and I created the game plan for the build. It just saves you from having those like awful things happen. It doesn't, like you said, it doesn't completely save you, but I like to think that when hiccups do come that they are true hiccups. Not just like a lack or like incompetence or something.

Rebecca 10:04

Yeah. And because in our industry there is this reputation that precedes us being flaky, which of course is not helped by the HGTV world, right? Doesn't shine us in a great light. The great thing is that it's actually really easy to surprise and exceed the contractor's expectations. And when they discover that you are a detail oriented good documenter, they can become your best advocate and your best referral partner. I find that a lot of the designers that I coach are really good with the details, but they're not saying that. And so they're getting lumped in with the flaky ones who are just arm waving. Listeners, If you are the kind of designer where you're like, I can't imagine letting somebody not have elevations on a remodel Be sure that you're shouting that out in your marketing. You should get credit for being that kind of designer.

Speaker 11:03

Hey listeners, it's Rebecca Stepping outta the conversation for a sec to remind you that I'm a business coach and if you need help tooting your own horn and making sure that people know exactly why you are great at your job and why they should hire you instead of your colleagues for their project, I would love to help you find the words. We can do that through my Nail Your Niche program or through private one-to-one coaching. Come find me@seriouslyhappy.com. Let's go back to the conversation.

Ronniesha 11:33

And I think that there's like this misconception that providing documentation is reserved for construction I'm like, no, even on my furniture projects that are furnishing and styling, I'm still providing documentation on those projects. I'm still doing the floor plan. I'm still showing the client how high the seat height is, like how high the back height is. I'm still very much doing just the same kind of deliverables as I would be for my new builds. So it's not just for construction, it's also for furnishing and decorations and stuff like that.

Rebecca 12:10

Yeah, I mean, just a gallery wall. You can't just say to your clients, okay, hang the gallery wall. They don't have a clue.

Ronniesha 12:16

Yeah, and like a gallery wall in your mind might be something, and then a gallery wall in their mind might be something. Don't wanna leave that up for interpretation. I want it to be like, this is the gallery wall. This is the size of each picture frame. Like this is what picture's going in each, so that when it gets installed there's no room for them to be like, oh, I wasn't thinking of that. Like, that's not what I had in mind, you know? I just,

Rebecca 12:44

Yeah. I also love that you brought up contractors being a partner and not somebody who's trying to undermine us because they are somebody that we can learn from. When I was new I tried to say to my contractors: if I'm not giving you what you need, tell me. One of the things that I learned they really don't like to read whole paragraphs. And so I tried to make sure that my elevation notes were quick notes with a clean arrow. Done.

Ronniesha 13:14

Yes, and I, I've worked for many designers, as a junior, and I've seen a lot of drawing sets. When you're doing these drawing sets, you need to be delivering the information as easy as possible, like as easy as possible. Don't make them work super hard to get that precious information that they need.

Rebecca 13:35

Exactly. So many of us are making up our business as we go, and we're just trying to provide what we think needs to be provided. But like we just said, go to the contractor and ask what they need. Say, is this working for you? Because hopefully you're gonna work with that person for the next 20 years.

Ronniesha 13:54

Yeah. And have those conversations upfront. Like right now I am working with two new builders that I've never worked with before. And we literally sit down in their office or mine and we have these expectation meetings. I'll put some of my drawing sets up and I walk them through like, this is how I do a drawing set. Like this is what it looks like. And they tell me I do like this, or I don't like this. You have to like kiss a couple of frogs to find GCs that value you and that are willing to correct you, coming from a place of like, I want our partnership to be closer and not from a place of like trying to put you down

Rebecca 14:35

One of the things that I had to develop a system around was making sure that it was very clear which drawing set was the current and most accurate one. And so coming up with a dating system and a communication around that, what have you put in place so that people are looking at the correct drawing set.

Ronniesha 14:55

This is something that I am live time thinking about and troubleshooting. Currently when I'm updating the drawing sets, I send them out in an email to everybody who needs to have them, the newest version, and then I manually print the newest version and put it on the job site and put it into the binder. We might keep the old ones in there just because sometimes we're sketching on the old ones. So we do wanna keep that information. There's a lot of sketching that I do, a lot of redlining that I do. I still like to have like a physical copy on the job site. Some designers will put like a QR code on the job site, and the GC or subs can bring it up on their phone and it'll just automatically update 'cause you save the drawing set to a cloud drive. I haven't implemented that yet. I like the technology and I think that a QR code experience does make people be like, okay, that's actually cool. And like efficient. That's a whole part of my sales is like how I'm bringing efficiency to the project. So I'm gonna start doing that, I know some designers, they do all of their red lines and documentation and collaborating on like an iPad with like iPad tools. But one day. one for me personally, I have to do that pen and paper. I, I'm not fully into the digital world yet

Rebecca 16:22

A lot of people creative process requires that handwriting. Do you ever get pushback from your clients on how much documentation is needed, which then, of course has to be paid for and it's not quick to put it all together?

Ronniesha 16:37

Maybe like, at the beginning of the project, like they don't understand how many hours goes into these drawing sets... the revisions and like meeting with the different trades and getting their feedback and then putting it into the drawing set. And sometimes I am troubleshooting like, how do I even communicate this piece of information that I got from this AV rep, you know? So I don't think I get like pushback, but I think I just, they just don't understand. They've never done drawing sets. They're not even in the field of design and construction, so it's just like, wow, why would it take you 50 hours to do that one thing. But we do a kitchen remodel. The deliverable is the drawing set and like they can physically see how thick this documentation is. And I think it makes sense. Like then they understand like, oh, that's why this design fee was thousands and thousands of dollars. 'cause it's a huge document with so much crucial information. So yeah, I wouldn't say maybe like pushback, but not understanding it.

Rebecca 17:44

When I was a new designer I would underprice my projects because I was like, oh, it's no big deal. I can design a kitchen in 10 hours, which honestly I can, but I cannot document that design in that same amount of time. And I felt really frustrated with myself thinking I was going too slow. It took me a while to realize this is the time it takes to create proper documentation.

Ronniesha 18:10

Yes. You do get to a point where it's like, these are robust documents, so they're gonna take time. And I value taking the time to do it right, as opposed to just trying to like get it done.

Rebecca 18:26

Yeah, because that will cost you more in time and money and potentially your reputation than it will to do it right in the first place.

Ronniesha 18:34

Yes. And it evolves. If you look at my drawings and my documentation a couple of years ago. They've evolved and they're better now and I would hope in another couple years they're even better.

Rebecca 18:46

Yeah I look at back at some of my very early drawings and I'm like, how did anybody build anything off of this? But even at the time, they were more robust than a lot of my contractors were getting.

Ronniesha 18:57

Yes. I think that a lot of designers are coming to interior design as like a second or third career. So the thought of learning how to do these documents is just not feasible. It's just not attainable for them. Maybe that's why not a lot of designers offer documentation, why contractors are not used to us being able to do this. and I think just largely interior design is thought of as like a decorating field. I don't think that the majority of people think of it as like a technical profession, but it is 1000% a technical profession Interior decorating if you're doing the furnishings. That's technical too, whether you wanna acknowledge it or not, it's technical to spec fabrics and pleats that's technical as well.

Rebecca 19:49

Absolutely it is. You're paying attention to things that are unseen, like how long will that fabric last? Or is this fabric okay to be in UV light or is that going to absolutely destroy it? There's so much knowledge and it's really a shame that we are still seen as fluffy wallpaper pickers.

Ronniesha 20:08

I've had so many people tell me like, oh, so you like fluff pillows? No. It's like absolutely not.

Rebecca 20:15

To the new designers out there, what we said earlier is the most important thing. Ask your contractors what they need to see. Show them what you already do and say, is this enough? Is this too much? Let them weigh in It won't make you look dumb or inexperienced. It'll make you look like somebody who is an enthusiastic learner and a good collaborative partner. Be honest with yourself about your skillsets.

Ronniesha 20:43

Yep. It's crucial.

Rebecca 20:45

If you don't have that skillset, either grow it or outsource it, but don't take on a project that requires a certain level of documentation and then don't provide it. Everybody will suffer.

Ronniesha 20:56

People think that liability is reserved for designers in the commercial industry because there's codes and regulations for commercial designers, and it's less stringent with residential designers, but that's just not true. The stakes are just as high with doing construction jobs and even furnishing jobs in the residential space. So, yes, if you don't have the skillset and it's not your strong suit, like definitely be okay with that. And if you're gonna take on a project that is a little bit more than what your skillset can handle, you can consult with people, you can bring on people to your team that have that skillset. You can outsource the skillset. Um, there's options.

Rebecca 21:42

That's a great and very natural segue into the fact that you are not just the founder of your interior design company, but you are also the founder of a resource for designers. Would you like to tell us about that?

Ronniesha 21:55

Yes. So through having my business, Alder and Stone. 'cause that's where it all began I kept needing to outsource things. whether it was like a bookkeeper or somebody to help me with drawings or somebody to help me with the design. I've always needed to, outsource different things and I never knew who to outsource to. You just get inundated with so many different options and like when you need something, you kind of needed it yesterday And so I just kept feeling that I wish that there was like a go-to place that designers can find people to outsource to and already have the comfort of knowing that these people have been vetted and that they know the interior design industry. And that just comes from a place of me making the wrong hire I guess. 'cause I outsourced to a bookkeeper and she didn't know interior design and she filed my sales tax incorrectly and it cost my company thousands of dollars in fees. I just was like, it's 2025. There's amazing B2B partners out there that wanna help interior designers. And some of them like yourself, they used to be interior designers. So they understand our business models, they understand our industry events, and like they just understand all aspects and angles of interior design, which in turn makes them a better partner to your business. My business is my baby. It's how I put food on the table for my baby If I'm bringing on anybody, if I'm outsourcing to anybody, I wanna make sure that the people that I am partnering with, I can trust them and they understand me and that we can have a longstanding partnership. So that is how Vetted By Design was created and why I am so passionate about it because this should be a resource for designers to find the trusted help that they need.

Rebecca 23:59

This is putting you on the spot a little bit, but off the top of your head, do you know of any of the providers who help specifically with documentation?

Ronniesha 24:08

Yes. So jessica with Blue Sky Creative, she helps documentation from an AutoCAD standpoint and then, um. Erin Santos, I forget the name of her business, but if I think about it, I'll, I'll say it. She helps put documentation on the Revit side of things. So if a designer is listening and they wanna start kind of rolling around the idea of how they can offer documentation, I would start with what programs are you using already? Maybe you are already in AutoCAD. Or maybe you're already playing around in chief. Maybe you have no software background at all so you can really work with anyone. But just start thinking about like what are some of the softwares that I'm already using that are easily accessible? And that'll kind of guide you. But Erin and Jessica, they help designers with documentation every single day. It's what they do full time. They have teams to support as well. we've talked about how in depth these documents are, so you kind of need a team of people that can help.

Rebecca 25:19

Those are the actual drawing set documentations. I think there are some providers focusing on the processes, the systems, the client communication. 'cause that's a whole other side of administrative heavy lifting that comes with running an interior design business.

Ronniesha 25:35

Yes. You can outsource pretty much anything. I am trying to think of anything that you couldn't really outsource. If there's a designer that's like, I'm ready to grow a team, there are consultants who just focus on fractional HR that will help you with talent acquisition and acquiring designers.

Rebecca 25:56

And that word that you used a second ago, fractional is one that I see being thrown around a lot. Fractional CFOs, chief financial officer, just a slice of that for your business along with other businesses. Another one is fractional CMOs, chief marketing officer. Because again, when we start a business, we're like, I wanna be a designer for a living. We didn't say, I wanna also be a bookkeeper and a marketer and I wanna know, I wanna do my sales. We can't necessarily offboard all of those responsibilities, especially in the early years when you're still trying to make an income. But as quickly as we can, the more we can lean into our talents and strengths and leverage the talents and strengths of other people, especially if you want to grow a a firm that's bigger than just you, that is going to be part of your journey. And it is a terrifying part of the journey. 'cause you don't like, you know, you hired the wrong bookkeeper and it costs you.

Ronniesha 26:59

Yeah.

Rebecca 27:00

To know that there are people saying, I have vetted this person. I have used this person. I trust this person can really save somebody from some grief.

Ronniesha 27:11

Yeah. A lot of the pros that are on the platform it's fun because I have worked with them I've actually given my money to them and hired their services. So I can actually talk from a standpoint of working with them, hiring them with my hard earned money. Not all pros obviously, but when I need something like Alder and Stone's, working with the pros as much as I possibly can so that I get firsthand a look at their processes, their onboarding, how they're charging clients and things like that. I actually work with them myself so I can attest to their ethic and their values am starting to learn that it is extremely easy to position yourself as an expert in the design industry, but actually have not that much experience or actual expertise in whatever you're trying to sell. On vetted it's like, no, these are true experts that have dedicated their business to interior designers.

Rebecca 28:21

What do you feel a designer can do to make sure that they're hiring for the right thing? when I was hiring, The big question for me was, do I hire a designer or an admin person first? I knew that if I wanted to grow past one design assistant, it was going to get really messy really quick if I didn't have my administration and operations in order. Thinking through the potential fallout of each decision made me go, I know I want help with design, but I need a hub. I need a person who's gonna know that everything is happening when it's supposed to, my clients are getting answered timely, nothing is falling through the cracks. Just growing the business and having five designers on staff without somebody in control would have ruined our reputation instead of enhanced it. Given that you have vetted so many people for your own business and now for other people's too, what can a designer do to make sure they are hiring the right person and that they're hiring for the right thing?

Ronniesha 29:28

Yes, which is something that I'm live time troubleshooting in my own design business. I am best at being the cEO of the company, I know my firm inside and out I need to be filling the pipeline acquiring projects, taking contractors to lunch or grabbing coffee with realtors. That's a full-time thing, believe it or not just meeting and networking with people and putting together proposal for new projects.. I'm starting to think maybe I need to bring on a junior designer so that I can stay at this higher level. But is that the right move? I don't always think that you should hire for things that you just don't wanna do because it, there's value in doing the hard things,

Rebecca 30:13

right? like you now know whether or not your bookkeeper is doing a good job.

Ronniesha 30:18

Yes. So there is value in doing the hard things, but at the same time, I even get stuck with like how to start pricing for luxury level projects. And I have found that like anytime that I'm not sure what the next step is or if that's the right move for me, I genuinely hire a consultant or a coach and will do a brainstorming one hour session, and it's so helpful to like have somebody else's input, but somebody else who is ahead of you, that already knows how they got there.

Rebecca 30:53

What I hear you saying is hire somebody or find a mentor who can help you clarify what you need where you can just say, this is where I'm at, that's where I'm trying to get to. What do you think would be the next right step?

Ronniesha 31:10

We just had a session yesterday to talk about my pricing and it was so helpful because I know I can attract these larger projects, but I don't know how to price them. I just need help with the next step. It's really, really all about taking a pause and looking at your business, looking at what your skillset is, what you enjoy doing, the types of projects you enjoy doing. Sometimes we're busy and it's hard to take that pause. I'm right there, right now. I'm busy. I have two businesses and a toddler and a husband that I can't forget about. So it's hard to take a pause and just look inwardly and be like, okay. What do I need? What's not serving me? What do I wanna do less of? What do I wanna do more of? I'm struggling with this. I hate this, I love this. I've gotten feedback from my clients that I'm missing the mark on this. And then writing that down somewhere and then bringing it to someone for help and direction and next steps. I just can't stress it enough like get a pen and a paper and just put it all down and then go from there. That's what I do.

Rebecca 32:26

Big picture. Going back to the theme of the day, good design documentation. What's your biggest piece of advice for our listeners?

Ronniesha 32:34

That's a good question. My biggest piece of advice is that, and this might be a big one, but I truly believe that all designers, whether you do residential, commercial, whether you do decorating or whether you do full scale design, everyone should be offering some sort of formal documentation to their client or to their contractor. Um, so my biggest piece of advice is if you don't know how to do that, reach out to Ronniesha at Vetted by design and I will help you figure it out. And you, in my opinion, you will see more money coming into your firm.

Rebecca 33:18

Yes, and your clients will trust you and they'll be more likely to refer you and listen to your guidance on even like which faucet to pick. It affects everything about your professionalism and your client relationship. Thank you so much for sharing your hard earned wisdom with us today. Tell our listeners all the places they can find you, including your podcast.

Ronniesha 33:42

Yes. For the design side, it is Alder and Stone on Instagram with like a little underscore. With vetted, you can find me at vettedbydesign.com. It's vetted by Design Dash. You have to put in the show notes. I'm bad at describing this.

Rebecca 33:59

the show notes, folks. Yes.

Ronniesha 34:02

Vetted By Design has the Founders and Friends podcast. I like to think of it as a business podcast, but we do talk about topics like motherhood and business and some of those more personal aspects and how they relate to business.

Rebecca 34:16

To clarify, vetted by design, there is a fee to be on there as a professional, as somebody serving the interior design community. But there's no fee for interior designers to use the platform to find a pro. Is that correct?

Ronniesha 34:30

That is correct. Vetted by design will always be a designer first platform, that's a huge mission for me. There's no paywall, there's no like put your email in here and then you get access to the full platform. No, you are an interior designer. This platform is a resource to you. Use it. Like there's no gatekeeping on anything. On the pro side, we have the membership. The membership has so many amazing benefits, but you have to go through the full vetting process, and then be invited to join the platform. I'm very open with the fact that it's not a pay to play. You do not just get to pay a fee and be on the platform. That's just not how it works. And so you do have to be welcomed and invited to be on the platform.

Rebecca 35:18

I appreciate that because I trust your opinion and if I meet a colleague on there, I already feel like this is somebody I probably would love to collaborate with because Ronniesha likes both of us.

Ronniesha 35:29

Yes. And I do pride myself on having a close relationship with all the pros. We have our hangouts every month and I've had pros that are struggling with things personally and business and they feel comfortable to reach out to me. I do feel like it's a very tight-knit community.

Rebecca 35:49

Thank you so much

Ronniesha 35:50

yeah. I feel like this conversation went by so fast. I wish we could keep going.

Rebecca 35:54

Well, we can always have another conversation.

Ronniesha 35:57

Thank you so much for having me.

Rebecca 35:59

Until next time,

Speaker 36:01

Hey friends. I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Ranisha and it gave you insight into the importance of your design documentation and ideas for how you can approach delegation and outsourcing as you grow. The two providers that Ronniesha mentioned are Erin Fantozz of EFDesigns. She helps with Revit based design drawings and Jessica Marshant of Blue Sky Creative. She helps with AutoCAD based design drawings. She also happens to be the next guest on the show, which was not planned when Ronniesha and I recorded. Stay tuned for that to come out if it's not out by the time you're listening to this episode. And remember, if you're looking for an interior design business coach to help you with nailing your niche, strategizing your marketing, improving your onboarding, or setting clearer client expectations, I'm just a Zoom call away at seriouslyhappy.com.