Initially, when establishing my business, I lacked the knowledge of what it takes to become a successful interior design business coach. However, I put in a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve my current status. I aim to impart the knowledge of my business’s inception and share five tips to help you start your own design business.
I founded Victoria Design Build, my award-winning house and interior design firm. As a business coach for creatives and designers, I’ll share how I started my business
In 1997, I created my own design business, although I initially didn’t focus on interior design due to my architectural training. However, my first job out of school was with an interior design firm, and I continued to work with commercial interior designers while running my own residential architecture design company. While I am self-taught in interior design, I had excellent mentors who I learned from.
Building Credibility
I was struggling building credibility given my young age I was only 18 when i designed my first house and it was possible because it was my own family home I was fortunate enough that my family was in the construction industry and did some small developments so of course they promoted me to their personal network.
I was around 20 when I did my first outside client project I still remember those early conversations many clients must have doubted me because of how young I looked.
For them I did my best to win their trust and I always made sure that my designs were the best they could get and never compromised on quality!
Having a natural talent for design, it was not hard for me to transition from architecture to interior design. The first few years of starting my design firm was tough for a few reasons:
- Not having anyone to teach me about business
- Design school was good but it did not prepare me to run a business most people like myself find it out the hard way
- Starting really young and although I got some jobs very early on
My Struggles
I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how to start a business, make a website, market myself or even make money as an interior designer.
I started my own design firm like many others because I felt I was good at it however I would say that after the first few years of honing my skills as a designer the rest of the years were dedicated to learning how to grow a business and how to manage a team. I have learned so much since then and it’s still a constant learning process.
Residential Architectural Design
I added interior design services to my residential architecture design business, leveraging my experience in commercial interior design. It was a natural progression, and I’ll share my business-building experiences in future blogs, articles, and videos.
If you’re interested in starting a residential architectural design business, here’s how:
In order to start a successful interior design business, it’s important to research the market and identify emerging trends. Additionally, it’s crucial to decide whether to pursue the business full-time or part-time and to ensure all necessary steps are taken before making any major decisions.
Tips for starting a business
Once you’ve decided to start your own business, there are a few things to keep in mind. Thinking of starting your own business? Here are five super important tips for when you start your business
- Leverage your Personal Network
Your personal network will be your best sources for your first project so my advice here is for when you start tell all your personal networks what you’re doing don’t be too proud to share because they will be your first and biggest fans and more likely than not your first job will be coming from them.
Think about it who else would give a chance to newcomer with no experience to show for that’s essentially the situation you’d be in when you first start so go ahead and spread the word to your friends and family and their networks and their friends.
- Focus on Credibility
It’s crucial to gain early experience to establish credibility for your interior design business. Without prior projects, it’s difficult to prove your expertise. Consider pro bono work, lower fees, or non-profit projects to gain experience and build a portfolio for future clients. Don’t worry about profits initially; focus on gaining valuable experience.
- Build Your Portfolio
Start building your portfolio early on by taking photos of your completed projects and collecting client testimonials. Visual evidence of your work is crucial to show to prospective clients. It doesn’t have to be professional photos, but having something to show is better than nothing. Not collecting your portfolio can be a big mistake in the beginning, so don’t forget to take photos of your work from the start.
- Find Your Niche
As an interior design business coach, my advice to new designers is not to be afraid of finding their niche. While it’s understandable to want to take on every project and satisfy every client due to a scarcity mindset, it’s essential to start finding your niche as soon as you can afford to be selective. This helps in being clear about who you are and who you want to serve, which will attract your ideal clients. While there are many reasons for this, I’ll be sharing more on this topic in my upcoming blog posts.
- Learn about the Business of Design
Designers must learn about business early on to avoid starting a business without focus. Running a business involves a lot of risk, so without a focus on success, it may not be worth it. Business owners struggle to get paid in the first few years of building their business. To build a portfolio, designers can gain experience through internships or other means. Age doesn’t matter; finding someone who believes in taking necessary risks is crucial.
Learn everything you need to know about starting your own interior design business. Enroll in the most comprehensive interior design business accelerator program by award winning designer & business coach Eric Lee here
Outro
Running a business and being skilled in a craft like interior design are two different things, and being good at one doesn’t guarantee success in the other. It’s essential to understand that building a successful business requires separate skills and training.
My advice here is to get some business training as soon as you can when you start your own business it will save you years of learning on your own and it will allow you to avoid costly mistakes as you build and grow your business.
I hope you enjoyed reading to my journey and starting my own design business most of all I hope that my five key takeaways are valuable to you as you go down your journey if you’re thinking of starting your own interior design business then I would recommend downloading a free checklist to make sure that you have what it takes to start your business.
If you’re unsure then you can also take my free readiness assessment. My goal is to help the next generation of aspiring designers to find their success.
If you want to learn more about starting a business, check out my website at www.designersbusinessacademy.net/blog
I also offer coaching and mentorship for people who want to start their own business: https://wwwstarfishcoaching.net/
