Heather McManus, The Designers Collaborative

Solving pain points for interior designers and their clients

Heather McManus learned a hard lesson early on in her career as an interior designer when one of her client’s internet shopped her and found a chandelier for cheaper than Heather had quoted her.

What was a terrible experience at the time ended up setting Heather on the journey to create The Designers Collaborative, a membership-based service that offers designers products at the lowest possible price, allowing them to make more money while still meeting client expectations.

As of writing, there are 500 members with The Designers Collaborative, and the organization continues to grow. Heather sat down to chat with us about how The Designers Collaborative works, the lessons she’s learned as an entrepreneur, and how WithIt is helping her make more industry connections.

Q&A: 

WithIt: What led you to start The Designers Collaborative? 

I needed it for myself. I got internet shopped by an ideal client as a designer, and it just made the whole job go bad. She didn’t trust me, and this is a client who could have set me up with referral after referral, and it soured the whole experience. I thought, ‘There has to be a better way.’ I created The Designers Collaborative to beat the internet. Your client is going online, it’s in the palm of their hand. They’re searching for the thing you found, and they can buy it for the same or even less than what you can get with your designer discount. So you won’t get the sale and you’ll ruin the trust with the client.

How does The Designers Collaborative work? 

We offer over 300 vendors at stocking dealer pricing. It’s the best price tier, so when a designer quotes a price to their client for products, they’re able to give the client what they’re seeing online, but still make money and still get the order, and everything runs smoothly. You’re offering the best possible price tier. To get that price as a solo entrepreneur or even a small firm is very difficult. When you’re opening orders with a vendor, you’re talking $10,000 just to get in the door. And then every year you’re talking another $30-$50,000 to keep the door open. If you have 500 members behind you, now we’re like a retail showroom where we have a retail buying power. 

What’s the biggest thing your members get from The Designers Collaborative? 

Members get real buying power and incredible profits with The Designers Collaborative. We have an amazing community that are so supportive and the brain trust of the collective knowledge is also a huge benefit. When new members join they are usually shocked by the profit difference. I think most Interior designers don’t even understand the price tiers, which is unfortunate because it’s almost like a vendor tries to hide the fact that there’s multiple price tiers because they don’t want to give you the better price tier. I wish interior designers were able to understand that part of the business, because the amount of money you can make on furnishings is huge. I think a lot of interior designers stay away from sourcing because they think they’ll just get internet shopped and they won’t make money, but you can make a lot of money if you get it at the right price. It’s game changing profit that allows you to redo a website, get professional photography, you can hire the business coach, you can put money away for your kids’ college. It’s big money. They’re shocked at how low the prices are when they join because a lot of them have a designer account but aren’t seeing the prices we have. 

What makes you passionate about the work you do? 

I love seeing other people succeed and grow. A lot of times a member joins and they’re a solo entrepreneur, but within months they’ve hired staff and they’re opening studios and showrooms. The ability to expand your business once you have that profitability is huge. They really step up and grow. 

Have you always been interested in home and furnishings? 

It’s been an interesting path. I graduated from Pratt Institute with a major in art education thinking that’s what I would do, and it turns out you need to know people to succeed in that field. I answered an ad in the paper back when those were a thing, and then I learned the business from the ground up in a work room. Then I went on to furniture stores and then started my own interior design business. 

What was the catalyst that prompted you to start your own business? 

I think I would have stayed working for other people if the option were there. In 2008 when everything exploded, the furniture store I worked for that was in business for over 80 years closed. I couldn’t find another job at another furniture store because by the time I was interviewing, 7 other people from my store had applied and they filled the position. 

What is the hardest part and best part of working for yourself? 

It’s hard to turn your brain off. That’s probably the biggest thing. At 2 a.m. when you wake up, that’s what’s on your mind. You’re writing an email in your head to send the next day. Very hard to turn that off. But the best part is nobody gets to tell you what to do.

How did you first get connected to WithIt?

Very first introduction to WithIt was a sales rep that I knew working at that furniture store and then when I had gone on to my own business, she was my sales rep for opening those accounts: Deborah Klein. She would talk about WithIt all the time, about how she loves it and it’s helped her and I should join. I thought about it for a long time and I finally decided it’s the right time to do it.

What have you gotten out of your WithIt membership so far? 

So far I have made connections where it’s going to result in getting an article in Designers Today. Those connections, they do pay off. And then understanding the industry a little more because I’m hearing from all the different facets: the sales reps, the designers, people who do marketing for furniture companies. It’s great to hear what everyone’s jobs are, like things I’ve never thought about being a possibility. I feel like it gives you a whole, rounded picture of the industry instead of just your little view of being an interior designer or purchasing furniture. You get to understand it much better. 

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If you’re considering WithIt membership for your professional journey, find out more about WithIt’s mission here or join today.