Surprising Gifts That 2020 Gave Design and Remodeling Firms
Pros share the year’s silver linings and how they moved their businesses forward in 2020
As trying as 2020 has been, for some the year also has brought unexpected gifts. Crises often force us to look at our situations in a new way and, if we’re lucky, find new beginnings we’re glad for — even amid circumstances we’d rather not have faced. We recently spoke with pros to find out the best part of 2020 for their businesses. Please read what they’ve shared, then share your own silver linings in the Comments.
Broader Geographic Reach
Before the pandemic, most of Eugene Sakai’s clients at Studio S Squared Architecture in San Jose, California, lived in the heart of Silicon Valley, with a reasonable commute to all the tech firms. But since the pandemic, he’s noticed that clients are reaching out for help with projects much farther away, “but the same type of young tech client,” he says. Most tech employees in the Bay Area are now working from home, and some companies have made remote work a permanent option.
As a result, families are spreading out, looking for open land and better schools. “We’re trying to respond to that and broaden our geographic reach as well,” Sakai says.
Sakai’s firm has long embraced videoconferencing, but before the pandemic clients definitely did not. “It used to be we had to train our clients … and they didn’t like it,” he says. Now clients don’t think twice about jumping on a video meeting to go over their projects. (With Houzz Pro business and project management software, you can schedule video meetings with clients and promote right on your Houzz profile the fact that you offer virtual consultations.)
The forced paradigm shift to remote meetings has given Sakai a significant amount of time back. “I personally miss face-to-face contact with our clients, and we still go out to job sites and look at the physical product being built,” he says. “But I don’t miss the driving. You can’t design while you’re on the road.”
See more resources for pros in Houzz Pro Learn
Before the pandemic, most of Eugene Sakai’s clients at Studio S Squared Architecture in San Jose, California, lived in the heart of Silicon Valley, with a reasonable commute to all the tech firms. But since the pandemic, he’s noticed that clients are reaching out for help with projects much farther away, “but the same type of young tech client,” he says. Most tech employees in the Bay Area are now working from home, and some companies have made remote work a permanent option.
As a result, families are spreading out, looking for open land and better schools. “We’re trying to respond to that and broaden our geographic reach as well,” Sakai says.
Sakai’s firm has long embraced videoconferencing, but before the pandemic clients definitely did not. “It used to be we had to train our clients … and they didn’t like it,” he says. Now clients don’t think twice about jumping on a video meeting to go over their projects. (With Houzz Pro business and project management software, you can schedule video meetings with clients and promote right on your Houzz profile the fact that you offer virtual consultations.)
The forced paradigm shift to remote meetings has given Sakai a significant amount of time back. “I personally miss face-to-face contact with our clients, and we still go out to job sites and look at the physical product being built,” he says. “But I don’t miss the driving. You can’t design while you’re on the road.”
See more resources for pros in Houzz Pro Learn
Savings on Office Space
Another gift 2020 gave Sakai was cost savings on office space. “Before the pandemic, I was about to expand our office,” he says. “It’s not a very big office to begin with, but we were bursting at the seams with the amount of meetings we have to have and staff being there every day.”
At the time, employees were beginning to ask Sakai if they could work from home one or two days a week. But he was concerned about how that would look, fearing clients would think his staff was unavailable. “So I was thinking we needed to expand our office, which I planned to do,” Sakai says.
But the remote meetings that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic have shown him that he doesn’t need to expand the space after all. “People still want to have a headquarters; they want to have a place to go,” he says. But Sakai doesn’t expect clients to clamor for in-person meetings and the driving time they require, even after the pandemic is over. Remote meetings mean “more quality time spent with family at the end of the day,” he says.
Another gift 2020 gave Sakai was cost savings on office space. “Before the pandemic, I was about to expand our office,” he says. “It’s not a very big office to begin with, but we were bursting at the seams with the amount of meetings we have to have and staff being there every day.”
At the time, employees were beginning to ask Sakai if they could work from home one or two days a week. But he was concerned about how that would look, fearing clients would think his staff was unavailable. “So I was thinking we needed to expand our office, which I planned to do,” Sakai says.
But the remote meetings that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic have shown him that he doesn’t need to expand the space after all. “People still want to have a headquarters; they want to have a place to go,” he says. But Sakai doesn’t expect clients to clamor for in-person meetings and the driving time they require, even after the pandemic is over. Remote meetings mean “more quality time spent with family at the end of the day,” he says.
Finally Taking a Chance on the Business
A challenging year caused Jon Clark of Maple Avenue Construction in Tempe, Arizona, to reevaluate his approach to his business. Clark had been working as a firefighter while also running his construction firm, a combination that gave him security in the form of a regular paycheck but that also prevented him from pouring all his professional energy into his business. This year he decided to let go of firefighting and go all-in on construction.
“I’m passionate about building,” Clark says. “I have more confidence knowing that this is my full-time baby.”
High demand for projects plus the constantly shifting availability of products and materials, thanks to the pandemic’s effects on supply chains, have pushed Clark to get better at forecasting job timelines and costs. “Trying to forecast is tough during these times, because there are certain things you couldn’t predict,” he says. “Things that have happened this year have made me think further out and even deeper than I would have otherwise.” Clark has increased the number of people at his firm from two to five to meet current and expected demand.
He says the pandemic has helped his business become stronger. “I like going through some of the struggles and challenges that get thrown your way, because it forces you to grow,” he says. “I’m super thankful for that this year. We take pride in how prepared we are and all the work we do on the front end.”
A challenging year caused Jon Clark of Maple Avenue Construction in Tempe, Arizona, to reevaluate his approach to his business. Clark had been working as a firefighter while also running his construction firm, a combination that gave him security in the form of a regular paycheck but that also prevented him from pouring all his professional energy into his business. This year he decided to let go of firefighting and go all-in on construction.
“I’m passionate about building,” Clark says. “I have more confidence knowing that this is my full-time baby.”
High demand for projects plus the constantly shifting availability of products and materials, thanks to the pandemic’s effects on supply chains, have pushed Clark to get better at forecasting job timelines and costs. “Trying to forecast is tough during these times, because there are certain things you couldn’t predict,” he says. “Things that have happened this year have made me think further out and even deeper than I would have otherwise.” Clark has increased the number of people at his firm from two to five to meet current and expected demand.
He says the pandemic has helped his business become stronger. “I like going through some of the struggles and challenges that get thrown your way, because it forces you to grow,” he says. “I’m super thankful for that this year. We take pride in how prepared we are and all the work we do on the front end.”
Your turn: It’s been a tough year for many people personally and professionally, but strong interest in remodeling has been a bright spot. We’d love to hear in the Comments about any silver linings your business experienced during 2020.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
When the pandemic hit earlier this year, designer Wendy Langston of Everything Home in Carmel, Indiana, made the painful decision to furlough half her staff. “We made some significant reductions in force to be prepared for a potential long shutdown,” Langston says. “We had no confidence in what the pipeline would be like.”
Langston’s remaining staff shifted to virtual design. The phones were quiet for a couple of weeks but soon started ringing — and haven’t stopped since. “This whole thing has really put a huge focus on the home, and we have benefited from that,” she says. “People are not traveling; they’re not dining; they’re not buying cars. They’re staying home. They want their home to be everything they’ve seen on Houzz.”
The pandemic also caused Langston to reevaluate the skills she’d need her team to have for the changed world, and to strengthen her firm’s structure. Her business model has shifted to include two divisions: one focused on renovation projects, and one that partners with a local custom home builder to provide design services to the homeowners. Having two strong customer segments has made the business more diversified and, hopefully, more resilient to weather future crises. Had it not been for the pandemic, Langston doubts she would have had time to consider these changes.
“Very rarely do you have time to sit back and take stock of your business,” she says. “As I look back, it was a blessing in disguise in some ways for small-business owners.”
Learn how Houzz Pro software can help you run your business better