Running a smooth, efficient, and successful interior design Trade Day will set the tone for your entire project—and in this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what happens when you don’t plan ahead… and what’s possible when you do.
When done right, Trade Day becomes your secret weapon to running a successful interior design project. It shows your clients that you’re organized, your trades that you’re leading the charge, and your team that there’s a solid system in place. But when done wrong? It can throw your entire project off course.
In this episode, I share a hard lesson I learned the messy way, how one chaotic Trade Day nearly derailed a great project and shook my client’s trust. I walk you through the Best Practices I use now (and teach inside Power of Process) so you can avoid those same mistakes and confidently lead your projects from day one.
episode highlights
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The story of a Trade Day disaster that changed how I run projects
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Why Trade Day is more than just logistics—it’s about leadership
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5 essential best practices for planning and executing a successful Trade Day
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How to coordinate trades without chaos (hint: it starts before you ever show up)
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Tools, templates, and systems that help you look like a total pro
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How to use Trade Day to build trust, set expectations, and reinforce your process
Episode Resources
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Ready to feel in control, impress your clients, and lead every project with confidence? Check out Power of Process to learn more about how you can build a signature system that supports your design talent.
Read the Full Transcript ⬇️
00;00;00;00 – 00;00;30;24
Rebecca Hay
Trade day might just sound like another step to you, but it really is the foundation for everything that comes after in the project. When you start any project with clarity, organization and confidence. That energy, that professional vibe it carries through the entire project. All right. I’m Rebecca Hay, and I’ve built a successful interior design business by trial and error, podcasts, online courses, and so many freaking books.
00;00;30;26 – 00;01;01;15
Rebecca Hay
Over the last decade, I’ve grown from an insecure student to having false starts to careers. And now I’m finally in the place where I want to be. Throughout my journey, it’s been pretty obvious that I’m passionate about business and helping other entrepreneurs do the same. Each week, I’ll share tangible takeaways from my own experience and the experiences of other badass women to help you build your confidence and change your business.
00;01;01;17 – 00;01;21;25
Rebecca Hay
Hey hey hey, it’s Rebecca, and you’re listening to Resilient by Design. Welcome back to another episode. We are diving into something that can literally make or break your project from day one. It’s called trade Day. So if you’ve never heard me talk about Trade Day before, think of it as like your secret weapon for starting projects the right way.
00;01;21;27 – 00;01;45;11
Rebecca Hay
But here’s the thing I learned about the importance of this the hard way, and I mean the hard way. So grab a cup of tea or a coffee or something stronger, because I’m about to tell you about one of the most embarrassing moments in my early design career. And I’ll tell you, there are many. And how it truthfully, completely changed how I approach a project.
00;01;45;11 – 00;02;10;27
Rebecca Hay
Kickoff. Here we go. This was about, I’m going to say, honestly, it was like probably the year three ish of, running my design firm, and I was finally starting to get some better projects. You know, they weren’t friends and family. They had a, you know, slightly bigger scope, and they were in nice neighborhoods. I got a basement renovation.
00;02;11;00 – 00;02;31;28
Rebecca Hay
The client hired me. They paid me. My fear was very excited. It was one of the biggest design fees I’d ever received, and I was ready to kick it off with what I call trade Day. Now, I learned about trade day and had sort of tried to execute it a few times before, but on smaller projects that always felt a little bit simple and easy.
00;02;32;00 – 00;02;50;29
Rebecca Hay
But this was a bigger project. This was an entire basement gut renovation with custom millwork and full decor. My dream I love to do soup two nights like I want to do the entire Reno. I want to do all the millwork and I want to decorate and style. So this was a beautiful potential. Projects are not potential. She hire me.
00;02;50;29 – 00;03;12;05
Rebecca Hay
It was going to potentially be beautiful and a great client. So I thought the best thing to do was to kick off the project with the trade day. I’d heard about this and I was like, all right, look at me. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. And I’m, you know, of course, following my process that was relatively new. I was just setting out on trying to figure out some type of process.
00;03;12;05 – 00;03;29;13
Rebecca Hay
Maybe this was more like year four of my business, actually, now that I think about it. I’m like, all right, I’m going to get all the trades, all the contractors together on site on one day to kick it off. We’re going to all walk through together. It’ll be efficient. This woman is busy. I don’t want to take up too much of her time.
00;03;29;16 – 00;03;49;16
Rebecca Hay
Also, you know, sometimes she can be a little chatty so I can keep it tight. Then we’ll get in and we’ll get it right. Sounds smart. Wrong. So wrong. I scheduled everyone to be there for 9 a.m., including myself and my team. Now. I was early because I like to be early, but I was like ten minutes early.
00;03;49;18 – 00;04;09;11
Rebecca Hay
But again, I wanted to respect my client’s time. You know, there wasn’t parking until after a certain period of time on the street. And so I was trying to be mindful of that. Anyways, I figured we’d all just figure it out together. It would be great. So picture this. It is like 10:00 am on a Tuesday, and I show up at her lovely home with my assistant, my measuring tape, my clipboard.
00;04;09;11 – 00;04;31;26
Rebecca Hay
I feel very official. I feel very professional. I’ve even brought my indoor shoes. One of the things that I teach designers job. And then it was chaos. The electrician arrives, then the plumber. And as I’m talking to them, the flooring guy comes. He starts walking through and he’s waiting and wants to ask me a question. Then the contractor, he’s walking through.
00;04;31;27 – 00;04;51;17
Rebecca Hay
Ding dong! Oh, we’re in the basement. But then someone else is here and I send my assistant up to go get the next person who’s here, and she brings him down. Is the second contractor that I had tried to actually stagger because I didn’t want two contractors there at the same time. Oops. Of course they overlapped because I had no freaking clue what I was doing.
00;04;51;19 – 00;05;16;18
Rebecca Hay
I thought if one comes at ten and the other comes at 11, we’re fine. My poor client is standing there watching this circus unfold. She’s trying to answer questions from one trade over there about the windows while I’m talking to the plumber about the bathroom changes, and my client doesn’t have the answer. It was not professional. I could see everyone getting a little bit frustrated with me here.
00;05;16;19 – 00;05;37;02
Rebecca Hay
My client thinks she’s hired this professional, and though I’m sure she still saw me as a professional, it was a little bit stressful. It was especially stressful, I think, for my client. But, here’s where it gets worse. One of the contractors, let’s call him the prima donna. It’s very nice. He walked around. He was the first one there.
00;05;37;02 – 00;05;54;15
Rebecca Hay
He was feeling very chatty, really connected with my client. I had said to my client, like, this is your guy. You’re going to love working with him. He’s fantastic. I worked with him on this and this and that. And as he’s about to leave was the ding dong when the other contractor arrived. Now, here’s the thing. I work with lots of different contractors and trades.
00;05;54;15 – 00;06;12;12
Rebecca Hay
I think that’s important. Can’t put all your eggs in one basket. But at the moment, primadonna contractor number one doesn’t say anything. He just kind of nods heads. Okay, thanks. I’ll be in touch. He slips out the door while the other guy arrives and he’s like, oh hey, we’re back and we start chatting. Trade day’s over. But here’s the thing.
00;06;12;15 – 00;06;33;20
Rebecca Hay
I had told this client that this prima donna didn’t tell her. He was a prima Norma because I didn’t know he was a prima donna, that he was going to be the guy. I had talked to him up. I’d said he was the best. And between the two, though, they were both great, he was the better fit. So when he refused to reply to my emails for a quote request, I started to worry.
00;06;33;20 – 00;06;51;26
Rebecca Hay
Is everything okay? Is he just busy? What’s going on? A week passed. Another week passed. Nothing. Finally, I call him on the phone and I get him to answer. This is weeks after the whole project is on hold until we can nail down who the contractor is that she’s going to hire. He didn’t reply to my text messages.
00;06;51;26 – 00;07;15;11
Rebecca Hay
So finally when I called him, he said to me and he was honest. The reason I haven’t gotten back to you, Rebecca, is because I was a little upset about the fact that you had another contractor coming in pricing the job. This grown man starts acting like an upset teenager. I am not even kidding. Like I am thinking to myself, what in the actual F is happening on the phone?
00;07;15;13 – 00;07;33;29
Rebecca Hay
He’s huffy and he tells me the real reason that he didn’t get back to me. That’s it. He was offended that I wanted to get another quote, and he said he refused to quote if he knew somebody else was quoting, because every time he’s up against another contractor, he loses the job. Well, besides me rolling my eyes, I was panicked.
00;07;34;01 – 00;07;51;28
Rebecca Hay
Dude, we’re not getting married. And P.S., regardless of your price, I had convinced her you were the better option. So now what the f am I supposed to do? He’s like, sorry, you’re gonna have to figure it out. And after that, I didn’t work with him ever again. The damage was done fine. My whole relationship with the contractor over.
00;07;52;05 – 00;08;16;17
Rebecca Hay
But the relationship with the client was strained. The trust was shaky. They started questioning other decisions I was making. It took me months to recover from that one incident. And honestly, I’m not sure we ever really fully recovered from it. I had to reassure my client that the other contractor, the one who I originally had said wasn’t the best fit, was now the best fit.
00;08;16;19 – 00;08;34;24
Rebecca Hay
And I had to tell her that the other contractor wasn’t able to quote anymore. Like, it felt like I was lying. It was so uncomfortable. It was so awful. That project taught me that good intentions aren’t enough. You need systems. You need process. You need to know what the hell you’re doing before you start bringing people together in someone’s house.
00;08;34;27 – 00;08;57;12
Rebecca Hay
Holy heck. So let me tell you what Trade Day actually is when you do it right? Because what I just described that was not a very successful trade day. That was chaos with a fancy name. Real Trade day is your project kickoff. It’s strategic, it’s organized, and it sets the tone for your entire project. When you nail this, everything else flows so much better.
00;08;57;18 – 00;09;20;08
Rebecca Hay
So before I dive into how to run it, I first just want to mention that this is the type of thing that I teach inside Power of process. Because trade day isn’t just one isolated event. And I will talk about it as such today. However, it’s actually part of your entire project management system. It is interconnected with the other steps in running a design project.
00;09;20;10 – 00;09;37;22
Rebecca Hay
Let me give you the highlights today so that you can start implementing though right away when you do it right. It’s when you meet on site with your key trades, your team, and sometimes your client to officially launch the project. It’s structured, it’s planned. Everyone knows where they are, what time they’re meant to be there. And the goals are simple.
00;09;37;24 – 00;10;03;21
Rebecca Hay
Review the project scope. Make sure everyone is aligned. Take detailed measurements and tons of photographs. Gather feedback from your trades about feasibility of initial ideas that you have, and sometimes you need to uncover some new ideas, possibly brilliant ideas that you hadn’t thought of because you have your experts there with you. And then most importantly, you show your client that you are the professional they have hired.
00;10;03;22 – 00;10;30;06
Rebecca Hay
It reassures them that they’ve made the right decision and that you are going to lead this project to success. So Trade Day isn’t just about gathering information, though. That’s important. It also has an underlying, deeper purpose. It’s about establishing yourself as the leader, right? You’re the leader of all these trades that you’ve brought in. Building confidence, even more confidence with your client than when they first paid you and signed your contract.
00;10;30;09 – 00;11;02;05
Rebecca Hay
And sets expectations for how the project is going to run moving forward. Let me share some of my favorite best practices that I’ve learned the hard way. I feel like I should rename this podcast to Lessons Learned the Hard Way with Rebecca. Hey. Okay, so firstly, and this should be obvious, but I’m going to say it anyway. Only scheduled trade day once you’ve received the signed contract and been paid a deposit by your client.
00;11;02;07 – 00;11;23;06
Rebecca Hay
I can’t tell you how many designers skip this step. I get messages from designers all the time. They’re like, I finished trade day, but my client hasn’t paid. How do I ensure that I get the check they’re not replying? Or when do I get the check on trade day? No no no no no no no. Do not chase payments while running around with a measuring tape or leave without having received a payment.
00;11;23;07 – 00;11;42;29
Rebecca Hay
Don’t be that person. Get paid ahead. Secondly, plan internally first. It does take time even if you just are going by yourself. Take time to look at your calendar and look at the scope of work before you reach out to any trades that you want to be there, make sure you’re inviting the right trades. Know who needs to be there.
00;11;43;02 – 00;12;06;28
Rebecca Hay
Sometimes not everyone needs to go. Depending on the scope of work and know what you’re hoping to achieve and how long each conversation with each trade potentially could take. And then third, stagger your trades. I will say this one from the rooftops because you just heard my story. This was my biggest mistake in that basement disaster. Don’t schedule everyone for 10 a.m. and hope for the best.
00;12;06;28 – 00;12;22;09
Rebecca Hay
And it doesn’t have to start at 10 a.m.. That was just an example because there was no street parking until 10 a.m. in that Toronto neighborhood. If you’re from Toronto, you know what I’m talking about. And I think it was only like our parking or something, which is probably why I like, pushed forward to do it. There parking is not on me anyways.
00;12;22;16 – 00;12;42;24
Rebecca Hay
Give each trade their own time slot. I try to do 15 to 20 minute windows which will reduce the overwhelm. Again, don’t forget it’s always progress over perfection and people arrive early. People arrive late. Try to factor in that as best as you can. Like you might have the electrician come at ten, but then I wouldn’t have the plumber come till 1030.
00;12;42;27 – 00;13;03;08
Rebecca Hay
But maybe the flooring guys at 1045, like, keep in mind how much there is to talk about with each trade. Somebody you might need more time with. Everyone gets your focus time because you are the professional. You’re the expert. You’re the vision for the space and you don’t want any awkward competition or confusion. Okay, fourth best practice. Send your trades the scope of work in advance.
00;13;03;08 – 00;13;19;16
Rebecca Hay
This was something I didn’t initially do, and over the years I learned that this really helped make things go quickly. They don’t always look at it, let’s be honest, but give them the opportunity to arrive prepared. I like to email them or someone on my team will email them the plans, any relevant details and what we’re hoping to accomplish.
00;13;19;18 – 00;13;38;01
Rebecca Hay
And you can print extras. I highly recommend that you bring extras with you and give it to them when they arrive if they don’t have it with them, because that way it’s going to make it smoother. They can be looking at their own and referencing their own paperwork. And then lastly, bring a checklist. There are so much to remember on the day you’re talking.
00;13;38;01 – 00;13;52;23
Rebecca Hay
You’re with lots of different people. Bring a checklist. Actually, I will add to this one. Bring an assistant. Pay someone to just to come there for the few hours that you’re there, even if it’s not a designer, just to take notes because there so much going on. You want to take measurements, photographs, existing client items. There’s so much to remember.
00;13;52;24 – 00;14;19;19
Rebecca Hay
Put it on a checklist so that nothing gets missed. It’s going to keep you organized, and you’re also going to look professional. Inside Power of Process. We actually provide you with the exact trade day checklist that I use inside my design business. Plus I give you templates for the communication pieces because once you have this dialed in, it becomes this beautiful, repeatable system that works every single time and shows your clients you are the bee’s knees.
00;14;19;21 – 00;14;46;12
Rebecca Hay
But here’s what I want you to really understand. Trade day isn’t just helpful for you. It builds massive confidence with your client. And and I haven’t mentioned this yet. Your trades, they’re like, whoa, this designer’s got our shit together. Think about it from all of their perspectives, especially your clients, because ultimately that’s what this is about. Your client has just invested potentially tens of thousands of dollars with you.
00;14;46;14 – 00;15;09;22
Rebecca Hay
They’re probably nervous, excited. Maybe they’re a little overwhelmed and they don’t know what to expect. Maybe they’ve never done this before. Even if they’ve done this before, chances are if they worked with another designer, they did not operate with a trade day. When you show up with a clear plan, an organized schedule, and professional process, it immediately puts your clients at ease.
00;15;09;25 – 00;15;29;29
Rebecca Hay
You’re showing them that you have systems, that you’re leading the project, and that they can trust you to handle all the details that they don’t want to think about. So they don’t have to worry about asking the right questions, taking all the notes. If you compare that to what I did in the basement project, showing up with everyone who wants looking frazzled, having a contractor basically walk off the job or like, you know, not physically, but you know what I mean?
00;15;30;01 – 00;15;57;01
Rebecca Hay
What message does that send? It says you don’t know what you’re doing, or maybe you’re still just a little green, even if it’s not true. And here’s a pro tip when you wrap trade day, follow up immediately, not just with your client, with your trades. I always send a quick email that thanks. Everyone who attended summarizes what we learned, and outlines the next steps they can expect from us and what we’re hoping they can do for us.
00;15;57;03 – 00;16;22;10
Rebecca Hay
It takes maybe five minutes. You could even have a template ready to go, but it makes such a professional impression. So Trade Day might just sound like another step to you, but it really is the foundation for everything that comes after in the project. When you start any project with clarity, organization and confidence. That energy, that professional vibe it carries through the entire project.
00;16;22;12 – 00;16;50;23
Rebecca Hay
Your trades will respect you more, your clients will trust you more and honestly, you feel more in control, which makes you a better designer. That’s why I created Power of Process, because I realize that having great design skills and being talented and good at what you do is just not enough. You need the business systems to support those skills, and trade is literally just one piece of that puzzle in Power of Process or pop, as it’s affectionately known.
00;16;50;27 – 00;17;21;12
Rebecca Hay
I will help you map out your entire signature design process, from first inquiry to final reveal and beyond. We cover how to set expectations with clients, how to manage timelines, wins, handle challenging situations, and how you can create an experience that turns every client into a raving fan and a five star Google review. Because here’s the thing I’ve learned after running a seven figure interior design business, when you have clear, repeatable process, everything is easy.
00;17;21;15 – 00;17;51;17
Rebecca Hay
Clients respect your expertise. Projects run smoother. You can hire your team knows what to expect, like the list goes on and you go from constantly putting out fires and being in firefighter mode to smooth sailing. So here’s what I want you to do after this episode. If you’ve got a project that’s starting soon, maybe consider if it’s possible for you to implement a trade day, even if it’s not in the full, robust form that I shared in this episode.
00;17;51;19 – 00;18;11;17
Rebecca Hay
Do it right away. Employ some of these strategies. Plan it out. Try to stagger your trades. Maybe make a checklist that you can bring with you. And if you don’t have a project starting immediately, use this time to create a trade day process. Maybe figure out what that ideal schedule would be. Create a checklist. Even draft your follow up email template if you have time.
00;18;11;24 – 00;18;38;26
Rebecca Hay
And if you’re thinking, okay, Rebecca, this sounds amazing, but I need help putting it together and I don’t have a process. Maybe. So I need help beyond just trade day. Then guys, power of process is exactly what you need. I am running my first ever summer cohort. It’s about to begin and it will include eight weeks of step by step curriculum, live coaching calls, and support a community of designers who are working in their business at the same time as you.
00;18;38;26 – 00;19;06;03
Rebecca Hay
They’re working on the same thing. Plus, I share Canva templates. I share checklists, you name it, it’s inside the course. You guys can check it out at rebecca.com/power of process. I won’t be running a live again until later in the fall, so if you want the full support right now to build this process out for good, and you want to be in a community of other like minded designers, now is your time.
00;19;06;06 – 00;19;26;14
Rebecca Hay
I feel like I might be adding too much to your plate, or maybe you feel like adding all this structure is going to slow you down. But I promise you, the opposite is true. When you have clear processes like a well-run trade day, everything is going to be easier. You’re going to spend less time putting out those fires and more time actually doing what you love.
00;19;26;16 – 00;19;45;00
Rebecca Hay
And your clients are going to notice the difference immediately. Trust me when I say your future self and clients will thank you. Okay, that’s a wrap on today. Thanks for hanging out with me. I will catch you in the next episode. Let me know if you have any questions. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on iTunes.
00;19;45;00 – 00;20;18;01
Rebecca Hay
That means so much to me. It’s how we can get the word out about the podcast. We can support more designers, and of course I would love to welcome you inside Power of Process. I’ll see you soon.
