When I first started AGI, I wanted to say yes to every project inquiry I received.

Like many new business owners, I thought being accommodating made me the best designer for my clients.

What I’ve learned since then is how critical it is to establish the ground rules of your business and to stick to them. This understanding has transformed how we work.

Designers can often be people-pleasers. (It’s me, Hi.)

We want to create harmony in our clients’ homes and don’t want to risk situational discomfort, so we sacrifice our boundaries. A big mentality shift happened when I realized that we, as designers, can be friendly without necessarily being friends.

While some client relationships naturally evolve into friendships, our primary role is to be professionals who deliver exceptional results.

I remember an experience I had early in my career: a client requested to audit our books - a common practice in their industry but not in ours. This experience taught me the delicate balance of maintaining boundaries while preserving client relationships. We found a solution that worked for everyone while protecting our business interests.

Ultimately, our relationship with a client begins with that first inquiry.

Our screening process and who we allow to assist with it - can directly impact the ultimate success of a project. Recognizing when a project or client seems like a good fit for the right reasons and not because we want to be accommodating has significantly improved our client experience and shaped AGI into what it is today.