Interior Design Business Resources

10 Steps for Starting A Successful Interior Design Business

Don't Ever Treat Your Business Like a Hobby - This means that you set it up properly from the get-go with proper business licenses, insurance, and legal structure. It also means setting up a website, a branded email (no gmail.com or yahoo.com), and a separate phone line. Businesses have separate bank accounts and credit cards, hobbies don't.
Get Yourself a Contract - Always do work with a proper, legal interior design agreement. This is to protect both you and your clients. You're opening yourself to a world of trouble

New Year Planner

I like to focus on my year ahead for the entire month of January. It doesn't seem like there is ever enough time at the end of the year to plan for the next one. In my business, January is a planning month. I like to spend some time reviewing last year and creating goals for the new year by asking the right questions and taking time to answer them.

In the January 2018 issue of O Magazine, Oprah writes, "What's the best way to live a full, honest, examined life? Where do we find deeper meaning? How can we bridge the gap between ourselves and others? The answer, in every case: Ask the right questions."

Business Clarity Challenge

First post of a new year! Love a fresh start. I've reworked my Business Clarity Challenge for 2018 and think it is the perfect companion to the beginning of a new year (or anytime you're feeling overwhelmed and directionless).

This free challenge was designed to touch on all those things that you can miss in the rush to get your business off the ground, the client work and the day-to-day running of an interior design business. If you give yourself a few hours over the next week to do the daily lessons and exercises, you will emerge next week with SO MUCH MORE CLARITY.

How to Raise Your Rates

As we are about to enter a new year, this is the perfect time to raise your rates. If you feel like it is time to increase your fees or feel that maybe your rates are a little too low the new year is when you'll want to change that.

Holiday Gift Guide: Clients

With the holidays around the corner, I've rounded up the best gifts to give your interior design clients. Your marketing plan should include regular contact with clients - current and past. This could include a yearly holiday card or a card on their birthday or anniversary at minimum. It is also nice to send cards to vendors you work closely with or who had great customer service this year.

If you'd like to go beyond a card, here are some ideas:

ClientsCapella KincheloeDecember 13, 2017clients, interior design clients, gift ideas, holiday gift guideComment

Finding the Cheapest Price Isn't Your Job

As an interior designer or decorator, you may feel like you don't receive the respect that the profession deserves. There are certainly people that think that all we do is fluff pillows and spend other people's money.

But interior design is more complex than most people know. We must navigate the tricky waters of family, home, marriages, and multiple personalities. We have knowledge of a wide-range of skills and specialties. While a tile-layer or window-covering workroom has specialized knowledge in their specific business, interior designers have to know a good deal about those businesses as well as their own.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm grateful for all of you! Happy Thanksgiving.

Capella KincheloeNovember 22, 2017Comment

Finding a Great Accountant

Years ago when I moved to Arizona, I contacted the only local resource that worked with Studio Designer. I was restarting my business in Arizona and wanted someone to help setting up Studio and do my monthly bookkeeping. Luckily, that resource was my business accountant and bookkeeper Denise Maxwell. What is great about Denise is that she works almost exclusively with interior designers, she understands our business, she works in the program that works best for interior designers, and she is a great bridge between being a designer and accounting. If you aren't as lucky as I am to have found a great accountant on your first try, read on for my interview with Denise about finding a great accountant for your interior design business.

How to Get Out of A Project With Grace

Sometimes you begin a project and a few weeks or months down the road you realize this isn't the project for you. Something isn't right, maybe there are red flags, maybe you have too much on your plate, maybe the client is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There are many great reasons that you should get out of a project. And it is perfectly okay to get out of a project. But, getting out of a project shouldn't be a decision taken lightly. You want to honor your commitments, just not at the expense of your personal well-being.

Texting for Business

A few weeks ago I received a question that inspired this post. She wanted to know how I tracked my time when I was texting with clients. She told me sometimes when she received text messages she wasn't in "work mode" and often forgot to write down that time to track. This question originated from the article I wrote: How to Make Money as an Interior Designer. In this article, I lay out how much money you may be leaving on the table by not charging for as little as an hour a week.

If you're spending an hour a week texting clients and not billing them for it, you could be losing $6500 a year (based on $125/hr)! AN HOUR A WEEK. $6500 lost for not tracking your texting.

FundamentalsCapella KincheloeNovember 1, 2017texting, client communications Comments

Getting a Budget from Clients

Here is a secret from my business: I don't meet with potential clients unless I first have an idea of their budget. I don't need a spreadsheet with every penny accounted for (In fact, I really don't want that!) but I do need a starting number that they feel comfortable with.

Here is another secret to getting this number: You ask. Then if they don't know (many don't and this is okay!) then prob further. Keep asking in different ways to get a number from them. Don't waste their time or your own entertaining a project that is an impossible budget. Usually there are two types of clients, those that have a number but don't want to share it because their afraid you'll abuse their money. Or they really have no idea what it should cost. If you're lucky you'll get a client that has an appropriate budget. If you're unlucky you could get a client that has an unreasonable budget.

Interior Design Basics: Setting Up Trade Accounts

One of the most intimidating things to do for a new interior design business can be setting up trade accounts. Unfortunately, despite being in sales, the trade reps aren't always helpful. And the applications have spaces that a new business likely can't fill out.

To apply for a trade account you just need to contact the vendor or sales rep and let them know you need to set up a new account. Look online for your local rep or call corporate or just pick up an application at the showroom. They can send the application straight to your email. Then you fill it out and return it. You'll get an email or letter back letting you know that your application has been approved and your new account number.

Red Flags

So many times after a project sours designers tell me that there were red flags from the get-go. So the good thing is that potential clients will usually reveal from the start that they're not the right clients for you.

Too often designers, especially new designers, are so eager for work and to get hired that red flags are ignored or they don't know what to look out for. In the beginning, there are a few areas that you should consider before accepting and moving forward with a project.

ClientsCapella KincheloeOctober 11, 2017red flags, working with a client, saying no Comments

How to Handle Returns

I see this question a lot. So I'm going to share with you how I handle returns. Remember, this is how I do it, that doesn't mean that it is the right way to handle it for your business. It's just one way to do it.

The first thing you need to do is accurate set up your client's expectations. This means that you put a refund policy in your contract, not only for product and orders, but also for the markup on that product, for your time procuring and expediting that product, shipping and freight fees, install costs, and restocking fees.

Real Designer: Grayson Pratt

About Grayson Pratt
After studying interior design for 3 out of a 5-year program in college, Grayson Pratt became impatient and got a degree in Political Science. Armed with a great base of drafting and color study after college, she worked for a large furniture store in the furniture mecca of High Point, NC and later for the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center. Then 3 years ago she started Grayson Pratt Interiors in Atlanta. Like so many designers, most of her clients start with a couple rooms in their home and grow into the rest of the house.

InterviewsCapella KincheloeSeptember 27, 2017Real Designer, interior designer interview, interior design businessComment

Real Designer: Courtney Moss

About Courtney Moss: Despite being passionate about design, it wasn't until Courtney graduated with a degree in Marketing and Communications, did an interior design opportunity fall into her lap and her career in interior design began. Then 5 years ago, she started her own design business and hasn't looked back, infusing bold pops of color into southern charm.

InterviewsCapella KincheloeSeptember 20, 2017real interior design business, Real Designer, interior designer interviewComment

Real Designer: Julie White

About Julie White After working for an award-winning design firm in Phoenix, Julie started J White Designs in 2012. At this point, she has over 13 years of experience in residential and commercial design focusing on high-end residential design, which is apparent in her beautiful project photos. She has a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Arizona State University and is NCIDQ certified. Julie has clients all over the state of Arizona and, full disclosure, is one of my local design friends. You can read more about her business in Client Confessions.

Million Dollar Decorating - Interior Design Podcast

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with James Swan on his Million Dollar Decorating Podcast. They track their most popular episodes by comments so I'd love if you'd comment on the podcast page here: Million Dollar Decorating - Capella Kincheloe.

Ultimate Interior Design Pricing Resource

I've written many articles on pricing and created a free course to help designers figure out their sweet spot. I thought I could round them all up for you in one convenient place. Want to get really clear on what works for me and what I've seen work for other designers? Read the articles below.

Click Read More to Get 10 of the Best Articles on Pricing Interior Design

Multiple Revenue Streams for Interior Designers

Creating more than one way to make money in your interior design business is like diversifying your portfolio. If something takes a downturn you have other places where money is coming in.

On the other hand, I don't want you to complicate your business so much that it becomes unmanageable or overwhelming. Too much on your plate and business becomes messy and you won't be able to do anything well.

Below are some ideas on how to add multiple revenue streams into your interior design business. A caveat, if you want to add anything, you should be able to create it and then set it and forget it.

MarketingCapella KincheloeAugust 23, 2017pricing interior design, revenue, pricing Comments