Recommend Apps and Software for Your Virtual Design Assistant Business.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Hello All! I hope you are all having a great week. I am continuing my post this month on business tips by sharing my favorite apps and software for Virtual Design Assistants.
As a Virtual Design Assistant myself, I use each of these products daily and they have helped me grow my business tremendously within the past year. It’s important when growing your virtual design assistant business to have software in place to organize yourself and your clients.
Dubsado
First, I would like to introduce you to the backbone of my business. If you are a client of mine, this is where all our coming and going flows. Dubsado. Dubsado is a powerhouse of client relationship management. Dubsado allows you to stay organized from point a to point b of your client relationship. What do I mean by that? There is this little tool called workflows. Workflows allow you to automate your client processes. You’ll be able to send out questionnaires and forms whenever they are prompted by a task.
Keep in mind when using a CRM or any software similar for a Virtual Design Assistant software you do not want to fully automate your business. Sounds nice, yes, but what you are providing to your clients is a service and they want that relationship with you, not the computer. Now don’t be dismayed, Dubsado has plenty of other features that I take full advantage of. Time tracker, scheduler, and client portal are all tools I use within my business. Having tools like this in one place at one time is priceless to any Virtual Assistant. Reason like this is why I always refer Virtual Design Assistants to Dubsado.
E-Design Platform
Thanks to revolutionary women like Jenna Gaidusek, the founder of eDesign Tribe, the many within our industry could transition their already Luxe services into luxury online design.
For an example of what you can create with the edesign tribe, please see this blog post.
For information on how you can start your own interior design business during a pandemic click here
At the edesigntribe not only have I gained the access to a program that is life changing, I have also gained friendships that is priceless. Having a true “tribe” that you know you can fall back on is something that any success and money can’t buy. I’m truly grateful to what this tribe have done for me and many others this past year.
Sender.net
Our newsletter, Design Rendered, is run by Sender.net. I have tried every email campaign software out there and Sender.net is the only free, yes free, easy to use software that I enjoy using. I am able to easily combine my Canva graphics with their drag and drop templates which makes this graphic queen happy! They even have an interior template to get all you interior designers or VDA’s started!
Canva
I consider Canva as an essential tool for anyone starting a business in 2021. Why? Because Canva is where you can create and integrate any document for visual marketing. I use Canva for all my graphic design needs. As a Virtual Design Assitant, these tools are important for you if you offer social media management, concept board creation, or even copyrighting. Canva can create anything from a website to a business card.
I will be launching a course soon geared towards interior designers for Canva if you are interested please sign up for the waitlist below :
SIGN UP FOR THE CANVA COURSE WAITLIST
Sketchup PRO
I’m a tried and true Sketchup girl. Now, this is a battle between all renders, “which software is best for you?”. There are so many out there, I’ve chosen Sketchup because of its versatility and ease of use. I started using SketchUp when I was in college about 8 years ago, since then I have worked hard to grow my skill set to what it is today. For Virtual Design Assistants, I truly believe you should invest in the pro version of SketchUp. Here are just a few reasons why:
- You have access to the program offline.
- With the pro version of SketchUp, you are able to download the software to your computer and have 24/7 access to the program even if the internet goes out. This is essential because you have no control over the internet and God forbid but if anything happens you can at least model something
- You can add plug-ins that help you create amazing renders!
- These plug-ins or extensions are sometimes lifesavers. Sketchup, although amazing does have limitations and needs a little boost to help it kick butt. These extensions help SketchUp work in ways you never thought possible and use the platform to its maximum strength. One of my favorites right now is the Tig Roof extension, it’ll create a room like magic 🙂
- You get access to Layout
- Layout is a tool that is an amazing alternative to Autocad for elevations. You can send your 3D model elevation view to Layout via Sketchup and create professional Elevations and Construction Documents with ease.
If you want to learn more about SketchUp or need assistance learning please check out my colleague Sarahs course
Sarah walks you through step-by-step how to utilize SketchUp PRO to its fullest extent. Sarah is an amazing friend and has mentored me through my journey of becoming a VDA. I know you will not regret taking this course. When I took her first modeling course, I was amazed at how much I had still to learn about SketchUp!
If Sketchup isn’t your thing…
If Sketchup isn’t your thing and you know that, try Chief Architect! My girl, Annilee Waterman is the Chief Architect pro….Quite literally, she’s a Certified Chief Architect Professional. She has taking the time to build this amazing course that walks you through all the steps of learning this robust program.
To all my fellow VDA’s and inspiring VDA’s I hope you find this post helpful. Please reach out or comment below if you have any questions at all about any of these resources.
If you are a designer that is in need of a VDA please reach out to me here I will be happy to serve you:
Joshua Brantley Esq.
CFO & Co-Owner,
To learn more about Lauren Ashley Design and what we offer please visit
March 2, 2021
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