Let’s talk about the business of interior design.
I, like a lot of my peers, originally got into this world because I was passionate about interior design. I loved designing indoor environments – the challenge and thrill of creating highly functional and aesthetically-pleasing spaces for people to enjoy really captured my imagination. The elements of interior design – space, line, forms, light, colour, texture and pattern – felt like my language.
I started in retail and moved into interior design for new home builders and condo developers. I’ve been doing this work for 20 years now.
Throughout these years, I quickly discovered that being an independent design professional means a lot more than picking pretty colours and finishes. It’s not just doing space plans and selecting that perfect tile for the backsplash or the paint hue that’s just right. It’s a LOT more than that.
If you’re an interior design professional, you already know what the job entails. I’m talking things like:
- Outlining client design objectives – and finding clever ways to learn how to translate clients’ language into what they really mean
- Conceptualizing and sketching design plans
- Determining costs and project requirements – and budgeting like a boss
- Setting timelines for the completion of an interior design project, and holding a whole host of stakeholders and partners accountable to key dates and deadlines
- Sourcing materials and products included in plans – and figuring out back-up plans when they’re out of stock or held up by supply chain issues (hello, COVID)
- And the list goes on!
Beyond all the project management work that goes into interior design, there are some other key things that I didn’t know about the world of interior design or about being an entrepreneur until I was really in it. I’ve learned a lot over the years, and I’m here to share what I’ve learned!
Here are the top 3 things you didn’t know about running an interior design business:
#1: Mindset is everything
As a business owner, having the right mindset is absolutely critical. There’s a shift that happens when you go from being an employee to the boss.
As an independent interior design professional, I can never afford to be complacent. I’m always thinking about strategic business development and growth, I’m always on top of the latest interior design trends, I continually network with clients and suppliers, and I know that I have to fuel myself with inspiration and self-care so that I can keep on going and not get burnt out. I always have a lot on my mind – deadlines, client feedback and expectations, managing my virtual team, creative ideas, my personal life, etc. etc. – and so having the right mindset is truly EVERYTHING.
One of the mindsets that I have focused on developing is this: long-term goals (strategy) should lead my daily activities and decisions (tactics). I want to stay focused, dedicated, and thinking of the long game. This keeps me from getting caught up in day-to-day details that don’t matter, and from jumping to solutions that are impulsive, short-term, or temporary.
Personal development is also a big part of my business mindset. I am always reading and learning, and if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you’ve probably heard me quoting some of my favourite authors, like Greg McKeown and Courtney Carver. I have to mentally prepare myself to continually adapt to challenges, and so I take the habit of personal development seriously. There are so many great resources out there – use ‘em!
#2: Achieving work-life balance is essential
In the point above about mindset, I mentioned burnout. Burnout is a very real risk of entrepreneurship, as we tend to go all-in and to work ourselves silly trying to achieve our goals. This isn’t a good long-term strategy, though.
Finding work-life balance sounds like one of those elusive things that everyone talks about, but everyone talks about it for a reason: it’s IMPORTANT! Truly.
Easier said than done, right? I know. Here are some of the tips and tricks that I’ve found have helped me in this domain:
- I have a separate, dedicated work space (even though I work from home), and I set business hours for myself – just like I would if I worked in an office; when the day is done, I close the door to my home office and leave my work behind
- I schedule social activities, workouts (gotta catch my favourite Peloton instructors!), and family commitments (like driving my son to his trampoline practice) so that there is no temptation to let work bleed into those evenings and weekends – after all, my loved ones are much more important than my business
- I get help when I need it, and outsource when I can – think of something you really don’t like doing (maybe it’s cleaning the house or cooking dinner for your whole family every night of the week) and brainstorm ways you could get help with this task or outsource it completely
- I budget my time and prioritize like crazy – I also use time blocking to stay focused and avoid distractions
#3: You must become a pro at managing distractions
More on distractions – managing them is key. As a business owner, some days it feels like I’m being called, emailed, texted, Voxed and pinged from every direction. Distractions take me away from my core priorities – if we let them, they can derail us, and getting back on task takes twice as long.
So my strategy is to manage distractions ruthlessly. Here’s how:
- I have dedicated times set aside to check my email, phone, Vox, project management software, etc. – and my team knows that they shouldn’t expect to get in touch with me immediately, and we also have regularly-scheduled check-ins so we can get a bunch of questions answered all at once, which is more efficient
- Every day I make a to-do list that’s prioritized and specific, with bigger projects broken into smaller tasks – so I know exactly what I need to get done, which helps me stay focused – after all, I have plans after work!
- I work alone, in my office, with the door closed – closed door means I’m busy and to please not disturb!
- I love my noise-cancelling headphones – truly a game-changer if you’re working from home and your loved ones, pets, and/or roommates are on the noisy side (or if you live downtown near construction or sirens!)
Did I miss anything? If you run an interior design business, what’s something that you’ve discovered along the way that you weren’t expecting? If you’re considering getting into this business, what’s a topic or question you’re wondering about?
