Today we welcome Reed Humphrey, co-founder and managing partner of Dezign Assist, a remote staffing platform developed exclusively for designers by designers.
In this episode, Reed shares the staffing pain points that his own design business of fifteen years experienced over time and how they leveraged international design talent to successfully support the team, then packaged that solution as Dezign Assist. Reed also breaks down how the platform works, from inquiry to onboarding, the qualification and vetting process for remote team members, and how Dezign Assist is committed to supporting design firms by providing a cost-effective and efficient way to scale your design business by accessing and utilizing the global interior design community.
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
- How Reed's experience building Alder & Tweed Interior Design inspired the creation of Dezign Assist, a remote staffing solution designed specifically for the interior design industry. Why hiring international design talent can help interior design firms overcome local staffing shortages, increase productivity, and scale their businesses without expanding their in-house teams. How Dezign Assist recruits and vets qualified remote designers in the Philippines, including education requirements, professional experience, technical assessments, and interviews. The wide range of responsibilities remote design assistants can handle, including CAD drawings, space planning, elevations, 3D renderings, sourcing, vendor communication, procurement tracking, and project documentation. How Dezign Assist manages time zone differences by aligning remote team members with East Coast business hours to support real-time collaboration and efficient workflows. A breakdown of Dezign Assist's staffing model, including full-time and part-time options, approximate hourly costs, HR management, and a streamlined hiring and onboarding process. Why delegating administrative and technical tasks allows senior designers to focus on higher-value creative work, improve profitability, and create a healthier work-life balance. How design firms, from solo entrepreneurs to established studios, can leverage remote staffing to build sustainable teams, manage fluctuating workloads, and support long-term business growth.
NOTABLE QUOTES
- "It totally changed the, the dynamic of those two teams, not just allowing them to have more bandwidth, but they were also happier because it took some of that back and work off their plate, and now they're more in the creative, which is what designers wanna do." — Reed Humphrey "My high-value people were doing low-value work that isn't necessarily-- I mean, you gotta do it, but it wasn't making me more profitable." — Reed Humphrey "This is kind of a great way to do it or to kind of dip your toe into scaling." — Reed Humphrey "Our industry is so complicated. It's so nuanced." — Rick Campos
SUPPORTING RESOURCES
- Dezign Assist Website: https://dezignassist.com/ Dezign Assist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dezign.assist/ Alder & Tweed Interior Design: https://www.alderandtweed.com/ High Point Market: https://www.highpointmarket.org/ Las Vegas Market: https://www.lasvegasmarket.com/ Studio Designer: https://www.studiodesigner.com/ SketchUp: https://www.sketchup.com/ Enscape: https://www.chaos.com/enscape
SPONSOR LINKS
Dezign Assist — Featured Industry Spotlight partner: https://dezignassist.com/