Karen Manganillo’s goal as a designer is simple: to help her clients fall in love with where they live. After stints in NYC as an art director, graphic designer, and in the furniture industry, she returned to her North Carolina roots, founding Little Friday Design in the sleepy town of Apex — outside of Raleigh. As the population has doubled with creatives relocating from larger metropolitan areas, she’s collaborated with a growing roster of clients to help them build their new home base.

Karen, you love what you do so much that it’s hard to believe interior designing is your job! What is your philosophy, from a business perspective?

Karen Manganillo: I come from an advertising background, so I treat each client’s project as a strategic problem to solve. I consider their brand, core vision for the world, tone of voice, color palette, and budget to make that happen. This approach provides a benchmark for measuring our success, ensuring the final product aligns with their  goals, is authentic and true to the client’s identity.

What’s the design scene like in Apex,
North Carolina?

KM: In the last ten years, I’ve watched Apex expand from a sleepy town of 30,000 to 75K people. With that influx of people—a lot coming from CA and NY metropolitan areas—the level of talent and offerings (in the design scene and beyond) has also grown tremendously.

What’s your tech stack (which tools and software do you use to manage your client projects, bookkeeping, time tracking, and project management)?

Business management software
HouzzPro, working to learn SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, Canva.

Accounting software
QuickBooks Online (Plus)

Project management software
Asana, Honeybook.

Website
Squarespace.

Business coach
Salimah Mamdani of Fully Booked Designer.

Who are some of your go-to people of the trade? How do you maintain strong relationships with your vendors?

KM: I have my tile shops, contractor, and electrician in my Favorites list! Relationship building is huge for me, and I value the trust and respect for what each person brings to a project, as everyone comes from a different frame of reference. There is always more to learn, and I surround myself with people who are always looking out for the client’s best interests, rather than just completing the job.

What’s your favorite part of your job as an interior designer? What’s your least favorite?

KM: Favorite: By far, the incredible people (clients, vendors, contractors) I've met and get to work with on projects, at trade shows, and in stores. Least favorite: That's easy - the bookkeeping!

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What efforts do you have in place to ensure you’re running a profitable design business?

KM: My bookkeeper has been integral in double-checking all of my billing, charts of accounts, cleaning up any messes I've gotten myself into, and always being an email away to guide me through ways to streamline my billing process. I recently upgraded to QuickBooks Plus, which—while I hate continuing to add monthly expenses—already I can see how having a client field in my expenses will allow me to run reports against each project to gauge which ones were profitable, and which, long-term, will aid me in deciding what kind of projects to take on more of, and less.

What are some purchasing and reconciliation qualms you faced before using Zena?

KM: Before discovering Zena, I, like many solopreneurs, struggled with prioritizing back-end tasks over “paid work”. This often resulted in neglecting crucial accounting responsibilities. Consequently, a month after making purchases, recalling what my receipts referenced became nearly impossible. Zena has been instrumental in streamlining this process and alleviating these challenges.

Why did you choose Zena for your design business? How has Zena improved your purchasing and reconciliation processes?

KM: I appreciate that Zena was specifically designed for interior designers, and I absolutely love the categorization abilities it offers, as well as the accountability reminder to log expenses immediately.

Can you offer some tips for designers who are purchasing products on behalf of their clients?

KM: Secure deposits up front, and maintain thorough records of your purchases…for your client, and more importantly, for you.

What is one valuable business lesson you wish you had learned first-thing in your career?

KM: Focus on what you’re good at, and outsource what you’re not, even if it entails spending money. Sometimes, it’s challenging to consider  the big picture rather than just the immediate bottom line, but over the years, I’ve learned that it’s incredibly worthwhile.