This morning, I am sitting here, in my kitchen. Procrastinating. As I look around, the house is a mess, my “To Do List” has surpassed my iPhone screen, and I’m going back to work in the next week or so. I need something to kickstart my day and get me moving – so I decided to kick it off with a new post – a review in fact!!
Before I was diagnosed with anxiety (post here) and had to take some time off work, I was contacted by Alicia from Mydoma Studio and asked to try out their online platform, geared towards Interior Design client and project management. Of course, I was happy to! I had obtained my certificate in Interior Design while working in Marketing, in an effort to really be able to turn a passion into a hobby of mine – legitimately.
NOTE: At the end of this post is a referral code for a free trial of the Mydoma Studio Platform with an additional free project. There is also one for a DISCOUNT on the PRO version, which I highly recommend.
While Interior Design is a hobby, and not my full-time job, I was on the hunt for an online tool that could help me manage clients and projects and also allow me to do e-design services from home on evenings and weekends. So when this opportunity was presented to me, I was more than happy to try Mydoma Studio. And I wanted to share with you my review for anyone who is on the fence about trying it, or for those who haven’t heard of it.
Just to start, have to tell you, that Mydoma Studio is awesome. I was trying out the PRO Version, which allowed me to manage more than one project at a time. I highly recommend this option, as I’m not sure there is anyone, managing their own business that only has one client at a time. Trust me, its worth the investment. And if you need more convincing, use the links with the referral codes to try it out for yourself.
To start off, the platform is INCREDIBLY easy to use. Upon sign up, it has a start up guide, offers for help from the developers, and includes you in the Facebook group that gives you access to other designers and their questions and suggestions. It is a great community of people supporting one another – the Mydoma team and other designers.
The Mydoma Studio platform has so many functions: client management pages that even allow you to add your own pertinent fields, project management pages that help you to organize the projects, and the Packages Page to show potential clients your services that you offer, along with the cost. You can set up pre-made design packages (i.e. an Industrial Dining Room) in which you can offer to clients who want a quick fix to a space with everything already picked out for them, ready to ship to their home.
One of my favourite functionalities of the platform is the Products Page. It is here that you can add products that you find in-store and on-line that you like. If you get discounts from any Retailers, you can show the client price, but also have your own price there as well. It keeps everything SOOOO organized.
But that’s not all!! You also get to use the “Product Clipper” – which is like the Mydoma version of Pinterest. This tool allows you to “clip” an image of a product from online, enter the information (price, SKU, etc), and save it to your product list, and even to a project specifically. I have used this tool so much and love it.
There are really so many great things, its hard to list them all without sounding like this is meant to be an advertisement rather than a review. You can create mood boards using the platform. Prefer to use Photoshop for your Mood Boards? Upload your own! Want to have a way to keep your clients in the loop on the project? You can allow your clients to see the project, make comments and ask questions for you to respond to. For every project you can have the contract, assets (pictures, furniture, measurements, etc), deliverables, notes. Best of all, you can also accept payment through Mydoma Studio!
Even if your not just working independently, you can get this platform for your entire team to use. I’m pretty sure there is no stone that has been left unturned when developing this platform. Missing something? Then suggest it to Tanya and the Mydoma team! Just in my short amount of time using the platform I’ve seen at least 5 small improvements and two major ones. They really are interested in user feedback and willing to change.
Not only is this platform incredible, it’s Canadian!!! However, that doesn’t mean its exclusively for Canadians. While we would love to have an edge over our competition, this platform is open to all!
So, your probably saying to yourself, “This sounds almost too good to be true. There has to be some cons to this platform.” Well, anything has pros and cons if you look for them. So I did find 2 potential drawbacks to the platform.
- It does take time to set up properly. While incredibly easy, it requires a time and planning, and perhaps some research if your just starting out. For those of you who have your own blog – you know what it means to set up a platform that will house your brand. While you can set it up in an evening, to do it properly and professionally will take some time. But, you have full support from the Mydoma team and the community on Facebook while doing it so you don’t need to worry.
- The cost for the PRO Version For those of you with a small independent business, or like me for which Interior Design is more of a hobby, the cost for the PRO version can be a tiny bit of a turnoff at $29/month. HOWEVER, the platform does allow for plenty of opportunity to take on small or e-design clients and project that can help off-set the cost. And, hey…if you give up your Starbucks Latte once per week, it pretty much covers the cost – less than a $1 per day.
With all this being said, if you are an Interior Designer or Decorator, or even run a business that is similar, this platform is for you! I highly recommend signing up for Mydoma Studio, and the up-grade to the PRO Version. Nothing in life worth having is free, and this is one of those things. If you want to have a successful business, you have to invest in it, and this is one of those investments. You can even try it out free by clicking here! And if your convinced and want to sign up for the PRO version, click here!! You can also click on the “Mydoma Interior Designers” image on my sidebar.
I hope this review was helpful for any of my designer colleagues worldwide. Feel free to leave any comments or questions below.
*Note: This is where I mention that I did receive an extended “PRO Version” trial in exchange for a review of the platform. That being said, I took full advantage of that time to really use the platform and get to know it before writing this review and promise that it is 100% my true feelings on the platform.
*Update as of August 12, 2016: I have recently partnered with Mydoma Studio as one of their affiliates, in which my referrals benefit from a discounted rate and I receive benefits as well. The above review was written and posted before this agreement and still holds true.
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