This workshop is for designers who are involved during construction and jobsite execution, whether a contractor is present or not, who are tired of being blamed for poor workmanship, miscommunication, or jobsite behavior they do not control. We want designers who are looking for contractors to take their direction seriously, respect their standards, and understand that the designer is not optional to the success of the project.
Projects without Panic™
For designers ready to lead the project and be the
"expert in the room."
Projects Without Panic™ is about taking control of the work that happens after the drawings are done. These workshops give you the structure to lead construction and implementation with defined roles, paid checkpoints, and systems that value both the design and the fee. You will learn how to document your process, manage decisions on site, and charge for the work that keeps projects moving forward as well as things you need to know in order to handle this type of work.
This series connects pricing to execution. When your Design Oversight is clearly defined, clients understand your presence on site, contractors respect your authority, and fixed fees stop eroding once construction begins.
Projects Without Panic™ replaces reactive problem-solving with a repeatable system that carries projects from planning through install without giving away time or control.
More workshops will be added soon!
See when the first workshop starts below!
JOIN US!Workshop one
Making Design Oversight Pay Off:
Defining & How to Sell it
Tuesday FEBRUARY 10, 2026 at noon central
Turn all the "free" unseen work you’re already doing into paid design oversight and how to sell it to a client so that they are saying "thank God" you are here today!
This workshop breaks down what Design Oversight actually is inside a design firm, where it begins, where it ends, and how to position it so clients understand its value from the start. In other words, how to truly sell it. You will learn how to separate design work from oversight work and stop absorbing construction-related labor into your design fee.
We want you to learn where Design Oversight stops being a liability and becomes a structured, billable part of your business. You will walk away with language, tools, and pricing structure that hold up on real jobs with real contractors and real variables.
If you’ve ever looked at a time sheet and realized you volunteered for 40 hours of troubleshooting on a job where you never charged a fee, this is the correction.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
- How to clearly define Design Oversight in your firm so clients understand your role, your value, and why your presence on site is billable.
- Determine when to separate design work from oversight and price each in a way that protects your fee once construction begins.
- Create paid mandatory milestones that create structure during construction and prevent decisions from turning into unpaid labor.
- Sell this service to your client as leadership and expertise, not contractor oversight or babysitting.
- Understand why many designers feel this is essential to full service design.
This workshop is for designers who are already managing jobs during construction but are done letting unpaid supervision eat their profit. You will learn how to define your role, set boundaries, get paid for your presence on site, and lead the project without giving away margin.
Purchase any 5 workshops and receive 10% off!
CODE: WORKSHOPS5
Workshop TWO
The Power Position:
Establishing Authority Without the Liability
wednesday MARCH 18, 2026
Set the rules before the jobsite sets them for you. When contractors miss details, subs cross boundaries, or the jobsite starts to feel sloppy, designers often end up apologizing for problems they didn’t create. This workshop shows you how to lead the people on your projects with clear documentation, firm expectations, and standards that are understood before work begins. When scopes are defined, agreements are in place, and behavior is addressed upfront, you create a professional relationship as a partner and team member who respect one another and understand the responsibilities each member of the project has.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
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Establish clear scopes, documentation, and communication standards so contractors and subs understand exactly how the job will run before they step on site.
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Onboard contractors and subs with the proper expectations, boundaries, and responsibilities that protect both your design and your client.
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Use agreements and a code of conduct as non-negotiable tools, especially when you are referring or coordinating trades.
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How to adjust your role, rules, and documentation when there is no contractor and you are coordinating the sub team directly.
Workshop THREE
Mind the Gap:
Bridging Design, Scope & Budget in the Contractor Bidding Process
WEDNESDAY APRIL 1, 2026
Building your bids that actually produce accurate numbers instead of expensive surprises is important in how you handle working with contractors. Designers often do the work of defining scope, detailing intent, and anticipating trade needs and then hand over incomplete or inconsistent information and hope the bids come back clean. Learn from Cheryl and Liz (the PM our contractors hate to love) and how to translate design scope into the proper bidding framework. This will define who is responsible for what, trade by trade, before pricing ever hits the table. When your contractor scope is tight, your bid sets are clear, and your prompts to subs are intentional, bidding becomes a controlled process and not a gamble.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
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How to use a contractor scope of work as a strategic bidding tool that acts as a cheat sheet for accurate and detailed bids.
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Clearly define responsibilities between designer, contractor, and client so your scope or future issues do not turn into change orders or finger-pointing later.
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Structure trade-specific verbiage with prompts and detailed levels so subs price the work you intend and is not based on assumptions
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How to assemble bid sets, legends, and labeled drawings that support consistent pricing and reduce costly misinterpretation.
This workshop is for designers who are tired of numbers coming back all over the place, bids missing details within the scope of work, or contractors claiming something “wasn’t included.” This will help give you control over the bidding process without becoming the contractor and who want a repeatable system they can rely on project after project.
THE IDEA ECONOMY™
Click below to read more about our workshops on how to price your thinking, position your expertise, and sell what clients can’t touch.
WORKSHOPS IN FEBRUARY!
THE BUYER'S BRAIN™
Click below to read more about how to understand your clients and lead them with authority workshops.
SELLING BY DESIGN™
Click below to read more about how to build a strong sales system that positions you as the obvious choice, and closes projects without discounting or second-guessing.
WORKSHOP IN APRIL!
DESIGN DELIVERED™
Click below to read more about how to to turn your goals into defined deliverables, describe them in a way clients understand, and move projects from kickoff to install with a signature process.
Alison T.
TDP Designer
"I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am revising and updating your project planner template for a new potential client and it’s saving my life. Thank you. It’s all of the stuff in my head that I never have organized into one place and then some. You are magic!"
Tiffany F.
TDP Designer
“Just wanted to tell you I’m using your Contractors SOW document for a new renovation project and it’s BRILLIANT. It’s so easy to fill in and makes something that always feels like a hard task so much easier.”
Michelle G.
TDP Designer
“Now I have a process that proves to contractors that I will be on their side, and we’re both after the same goal: to have this be successful and make the client happy.”
Diane B.
Coaching Client
“Kudos to Cheryl and her team for guiding us through the construction process on several new jobs. We have followed their lead with communication, schedules, PM visits, etc., and received two lovely emails this week from contractors (new to us) who said they really enjoyed working with us and look forward to future business together. They remarked about our efficiency, organization, and just being on top of everything."
Ute V.
TDP Designer
"As of last Tuesday, I was not sure how to "sell" my project management fee and how to describe it in my design agreement. During the last class, you addressed the exact verbiage I needed. I wrote a proposal last Friday and laid out my project management fee and listed six mandatory onsite meetings when I have to be at the jobsite. I also proposed the PM fee at a slightly lower rate than my design fee. A few hours later, the clients responded that they are comfortable moving forward, and thanked me for my thoughtful approach to their project."
Success is for those who are willing to put the time and effort into being prepared and learning how to run a business. And not let the business run them.
Meet Cheryl Clendenon
A serial entrepreneur and owner of In Detail Interiors, a 7 person, multi-million dollar design firm based on the Gulf Coast. In addition to winning dozens of industry awards throughout her 25 years in business (proving she's a dang good designer who knows her stuff), she also has actual knowledge and experience in business that head and shoulders above the rest of those who currently coach and teach within this industry.
That’s why, instead of bringing you more fluff about how to sign luxury clients or social media marketing (🙄), she is going to teach you what you really need and WANT to know, which is how to increase your bottom line WITHOUT adding more to your workload.