Since I last wrote about tariffs in April, the US federal government has launched a new “investigation into furniture imports” set to be completed in 50 days. With that furniture stocks like RH, Wayfair and William Sonoma took a tumble. But brands like Ethan Allen and La-Z-Boy (arbiters of American taste???) stayed flat, likely because of the assumption that they’re American Made.

I guess those investors don’t realize that of the $70 billion worth of furniture that the US imports each year, most of the hardware and component pieces, especially when it comes to motion furniture and complex decor, comes from other countries. Those pieces come with tariffs and those tariffs will get passed on to consumers.

Furniture Is Getting More Expensive

According to a report by CNN, living room, kitchen and dining room furniture is already up 8% over the past twelve months—triple the nation’s overall inflation rate—because of the last round of tariffs and that’s before any new ones kick in. What will happen in the weeks or months ahead? Furniture is about to get more expensive.

If your pricing model is weighted more heavily on what you can make from furniture sales, rather than your creative services and if you’re serving the lower end of the market, you’re going to be having a lot of tough conversations. Now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to double down or pivot.

It’s Time To Double Down

Pricing, client experience and communicating the value of intangibles like the “feeling” of a room are just a few of the topics we cover in MBD MASTERMIND. The program is a small-group, intensive program for the founders of boutique design firms. If you are an interior designer, an architect or landscape architect and you’re looking for a way to improve your processes, shift the kinds of clients you’re working with, and shift the visibility of your firm, this program might be a good fit for you.

This year, I’ll also be introducing a new section for creatives “Products & Pivots”, which is focused not only on your creative business, but also on diversification and intellectual property. I’ll be working with clients who are using their creativity in ways beyond the service-only model of interior design. Whether you are developing real estate, investing in short-term rentals or creating physical and digital products for mass market, consumer audiences, this section of the program could be a great fit.

​MBD Mastermind works. It works not only because of the content I’ve created, but because the people who enroll become part of a creative team this ready and willing to do what it takes to be in business now. Because of the intensive and personal nature of this program, I collaborate with a limited number of creatives each year. If you want this year to be the best you’ve ever had in business: APPLY!