Design school never taught me how to purchase from wholesalers, and it certainly didn’t teach me how to turn it into sustainable profit for a business. I just didn’t feel right asking my clients to trust me with purchasing if I didn’t understand it myself. So when I finally detailed every step of buying wholesale, determining prices, handling freight and receiving, and managing white-glove delivery it was like the clouds cleared. I knew I could confidently answer my clients’ questions and I wanted them to have a guide to the entire process that was easy to understand. I don’t feel like I have to justify how and why I make money anymore, and clients know right from the beginning that we’re going to manage their purchasing process. Implementing the Client Purchasing Guide into my client intake process, and making the switch from retail to wholesale purchasing, has been a fundamental shift for my profitability as a business.