Starting Your Career as an Interior Designer: The Business of Interior Design

I'm Beginning to See the Light

I have continued to promote the very real returns networking within your community can bring but I have also been active since last September in the social networking world.  Yet, again, a segment of the internet that many designers simply are not putting to the very best possible use.  And I don’t mean lots of gossip about who did what and when.  No, I mean a campaign directed at exposing you and your firm to as many people as possible with precise information about what your firm is doing in the community.   Within the context of networking are the Web 2.0 social networking sites.  You know, LinkedIn, FaceBook, Allvoices, Twitter and more.  Each of these abounds with opportunity and each offers slightly different focuses.  There are tie-ins between most of the sites and, if you wanted, they could be your twenty-four news service.  Be aware, however, they can also use up a lot of your valuable time.  Each must be managed in a way that is beneficial to your business and not a drain on your billable hours.  As with all the other aspects of your business time management is critical to the successful implementation of these Web 2.0 sites.  Don’t get lost in the minutiae of who saw what, when and where they may be going.  As with word of mouth, your posts to the site should be about your success as a business person and professional not simple chit-chat.    

     I have found LinkedIn seems to be more directed toward business and business owners.  It allows you to tell the world about your business without a lot of personal information.  Yes, they do ask about your schooling, where you grew up and what type of organizations you belong to, but the focus still tends more toward business and business oriented sites.  This site also allows you to have your blog uploaded directly to your page and thereby shared by everyone with whom you are linked.  This gives the blog another outlet and that helps with the dissemination of your message.  LinkedIn, like most of the others, also allows you to link to your email whenever any one person, group or business posts to the site.

     Allvoices is all about what is happening right now in our country and the world.  It has major sub-topics that include Business, Politics, Science & Technology, Sports and much, much more.  As with all the other sites mentioned the “news” is all posted by individuals interested in whatever particular subject you pull up.  You are also invited to contribute.  Some of the business news is current and particularly topical for entrepreneurs and those interested in the business of business. 

     FaceBook may just be the granddaddy of them all.  With millions of members all over the world you can get connected to people you didn’t even know you knew.  Between videos, photos and links to other people and sites you could simply loose yourself in the pages of this monster social networking site.  Created by two guys in college for their small group of friends, FaceBook has expanded to include luminaries, actors, politicians and those who simply want to be noticed.  A very interesting recent development with this site is the enormous number of baby boomers and older participants who have decided to join.  This group may also be part of your optimum client base.  So, management of this site might become crucial to your overall marketing strategy.  If can’t and shouldn’t be the only way for you to distribute your message but it just might be one of the best.  It’s up to you to decide.   

     Properly managed each of these sites offers benefits for the dissemination of your message.  They are a great way to inform anyone listening just what is happening in your particular business world.  You will need to make sure the people you want to contact in this way know they have the opportunity to join all the sites.  Many will find it fun and interesting to be part of this continual feed of information.  Some may decide to drop the whole thing after a while but most will remain members and continue to get your feed when you post to whichever site you choose.

More, More, More

We all keep looking for way to increase business and the amount of what we sell.  Putting a trim on an otherwise simple pillow, some trim on a simple window treatment or banding an area rug are all examples of “add-on” sales.  There is value for your clients here and extra income for you and your business.  You aren’t tricking your client as the pricing is out front before you order whatever the item might be.  But add-ons are a great way to help your bottom line without trying to go out and find new clients.  Work with the ones you have.  As you select the things you plan to show a client gather those items which could, if you wanted, be omitted.  Add them in then, if you get any resistance from your client, you can easily delete them.  But, and this is the best part, in general the client will want to keep the add-on.  Why? Well, because once they see what the piece will look like without whatever it is you added they will be disappointed and want the original selection.  It is an easy task for you when you are preparing the presentation and one with wonderful rewards.  You’ll make more money, the client will be thrilled with the selections and the space will look that much better. 

Think about all the areas in which an add-on could work.  Extra stuffing for a sofa or complete down if you think the client would like that.  Adding trim has always been, for me, one of the easiest things to add on.  Trim on dust ruffles, trim on bedspreads, trim on sofas, pillows, pillow shams on beds, headboards, even lamps.  Yes, lamps.  Have you ever considered creating your own lamp shades?  When you do you get to select the fabrics and the trim.  Believe me, it’s fun.  So, now you know a little bit about add-ons.  Get out there and add, add, add, more, more, more.

The Morning After

It seems as if new housing starts were up 17% for the month of May.  Wow!  Imagine getting actual uplifting news from the media.  Ok. I shouldn’t whine, and I won’t.  It is good news.  Unemployment is also down.  Yes, gas is creeping up but it’s also prime time for driving and there has been a reduction in refining.  I won’t even go there.  Still, it looks as if we are on the mend.  If so, it’s time, now, to start thinking about what will come.  As astute business men and women we have continued to market our services and let people know who we are and what we do.  If you feel as if you just cant’ hang on for another minute, tough up.  Now would absolutely be the worst possible time to leave the business.  Amateurs, non-professionals and those who thought interior design was an easy job have left the field in droves.  What that means for those of us left is more business.  Even with less demand the men and women practicing interior design are far fewer than two years ago.  So, even though we might possibly see fewer clients there are also far fewer designers to service them.  At the same time there is a tremendous amount of pent-up demand.  We’ll be busy.  Isn’t it just wonderful news? 

Now, for the other side of the equation.  Business is going to be different from what we did before.  First of all, clients with money aren’t going to be throwing it around willy-nilly.  They will want to be less flamboyant with how they spend.  They will be interested in how and why they should work with you at a time when many Americans are still trying to make ends meet.  Particularly the rich.  They stayed rich through this downturn and they will remain rich.  For most upper middle management types and many business owners these past few years have actually taken far less a toll than for many other Americans.  Ostentatious displays of wealth, however, are definitely out.  One of the best ways to persuade clients to spend might possibly be to remind them of the huge increase in planet friendly items we use every day.  Fabrics, lighting, flooring and wall coverings have all seen an explosion of “green” product.  One of the best ways to show you are aware of your clients need for moderation is to explain how very important the use of these “green” products is to the environment.  It probably won’t surprise you to learn that many of the products are also a little more expensive than standard products. 

I hope you won’t be surprised to learn during the past two years many products have seen cost increases.  Whether you practice transparent pricing or stated pricing your profit of margin is going to go up.  That, too, is a good thing.  So, you will be helping in so many ways.  You will be helping your client spend their money more wisely, you will be helping the environment and you will absolutely be helping your bottom line.  What a great way to cure a bad financial hangover.

It's Not For Me To Say

I’ve been spending a great deal of time lately working on my new book.  I have a deadline of June 30th for the first manuscript and I am on schedule and almost ready to submit.  As I have been writing, this time about client management, I have once again learned a few things about how I operate my business and what just might be the optimum way for a lot of designers to operate theirs.  Now, as the title says, it’s not for me to say what might be best for you and your business but I certainly can give you a few ideas.  I’ve been in this industry for over thirty-five years and if nothing else have learned a thing or two.  Actually, I’ve learned a lot.  Most of it by trail and error.  Boy, did I make mistakes in the past.  Oh, yeh, have I told you about the mistakes I made just last year.  All of us make mistakes but its how we use the experience to our advantage that makes us successful business men and women.  There is no way we can go without mistakes now and then.  We’re human, or haven’t you heard.  Within these mistakes are the jewels of knowledge we will take away with us as we move on.  It’s also important to forgive yourself those mistakes and get on with your business and your life.  You will remember the lesson learned and incorporate it into the daily routine of your business.  That’s how experience works.  It becomes a part of your very being.  Whether your experience is good or bad ensure you view it for what it is.  Experience.  Nothing more.  It doesn’t’ mean you are better, wiser or saner than the rest of us.  You just have more experience.  I am also a believer in letting others benefit ones own experiences.  That is why I continue to teach business practice for the interior designer at Monterey Peninsula College and why I created a proposal and sold it to Allworth Press, Inc. for the new book, “Interior Design Clients The Designer’s Guide to Building and Keeping a Great Clientele”.  I know it’s a long title but how else could I tell you what it says inside?  Now that all of you are laughing out loud remember to keep your mistake experiences in perspective.  The experiences are just another learning tool, nothing more.  They are not the end of the world; they are just a part of living in the world.

I Say a LIttle Prayer for You

As most of you know and I certainly have said enough times, our book “Starting Your Career as an Interior Designer” was released on May 19^th and we are happy to say first sales results are encouraging.  I am now in the process of getting a speaking tour off the ground.  As I have discovered, most speaking bureaus are not really interested in speakers unless they charge more than $ 7,500 per engagement or aren’t high profile personalities.  Now I certainly believe I have a lot to offer with the book and I know I can hold an audience but high-profile I am not, at the moment.  All that said, I do know the book and what I want to speak about is empowering, especially for women between 25 and 55.  The whole idea is to help people create a business in the interior design profession and be successful at it.  The success, actually, is what it’s all about.  I recently discussed my dilemma with a mentor and friend and we’ve come up with a few ideas to get clubs, organizations and colleges interested in what I have to say.  First and foremost I am not asking whether or not any of you want to go into the interior design profession.  I already know the answer.  Now, actually, I believe is a time of great opportunity in our field of endeavor.  I’m saying you should go into the business.  Yes, you should go into the business of professional interior design.  Why not?  This offers the best chance to work in a field you love can earn money in and practice the art you find wonderful.  I could give you more than one hundred reasons why now is the best time.  Rents are low, advertising is more inexpensive than it’s been for years and many other designers and wanna be designers have dropped out of the field.  See?  It’s as if the universe was just waiting for you to jump in and fill a void.  And believe me, there is definitely a void of qualified professional interior designers working in the field right now.  Many of the old guard is unable or unwilling to change with the times.  They will stay in business but they won’t be picking up new and younger clients.  They, the younger clients, more than anything will be your market.  So, I’ll send a little prayer your way, know you have the savvy to create the best possible marketing campaign and yes, I’ll be here if you have any questions.  Oh, and by the way, buy my book.  Believe me, it will help. 

Do You Believe in Magic?

There are times when the most unexpected things can happen.  You organize your business and your life and begin to think there is nothing that’s going to really surprise you.  Think again.  I am continually surprised by what clients will and won’t do and what they will and won’t ask.  Lend an ear, listen to the following and, like me, learn something.

     We had worked with a client to complete a whole house renovation and had continued to keep in contact.  About eighteen months after the completion of the initial project I heard from another designer my client had signed with a firm in 

San Francisco

to renovate an apartment they had just bought in a condo there.  Yes, I was surprised.  Almost immediately the client called to ask about selections of fabrics we had made for the previous project.  She explained she was starting a new project with another design team and they wanted to look at what she had done before.  I told her we would call back with the requested pattern numbers before the close of business that day and, with her permission, contact the other design team to offer any help they might need from our office.  The design team never returned my telephone calls.  I didn’t hear from her for almost four weeks and thought she must have been well on her way to a completed design for the new condo.  The next day she walked into my office without an appointment and in tears.  Fortunately I wasn’t working with another client and ushered her into my office.  The whole awful story spilled out.  She had gone with these designers because they were referred by the realtor.  It’s a good reason.  Many realtors work with designers for referrals to purchasers.  The new design team was young, excited about the condo and persuaded her they could create the space of her dreams within her budget.  You know the rest.  They wanted only to create what they felt was right for the space and not the client.  They would not listen to any of her thoughts and continued to override any attempt on her part to be involved in the process.  Now, she was in my office crying on my arm and wondering if I would work with her.  She was under a time deadline and needed a lot of decisions very quickly.  Of course we complied.  We never spoke of the other design team and her new project moved forward in a timely manner and with a minimum of complications.  She explained months later the only reason she even considered coming back to us was the very professional and prompt way in which we answered her request for fabric information when she decided to work with someone else.  She said she knew we would respond to her current crisis in the same professional manner.  I was glad to help and also glad I didn’t try to burn a bridge with her because she chose to try another interior design firm. 

Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying

I heard the most astounding thing on television this morning.  A real talking head actually said she believed the worst was behind us and there was light at the end of the tunnel.  This from the media?!?!  What usually comes out of all those talking heads is the doom and gloom scenario.  So, what does this mean for us?  Well, actually, nothing.  If we have all been doing the things necessary to stay in business and we have all been increasing our marketing, advertising and promotion spending we will be alright.  If not, now is absolutely the time to get the word out about your business.  We are on the verge of a release of pent-up demand and with a little more help from the media, which, by the way, helped get us where we are today, we should see an up-tick very soon.  Are we out of the woods?  No.  Are we headed in the right direction?  Yes.  So get ready for some action out there.  Don’t get caught with your pants down.  Be prepared to talk about your business to any and all that will listen.  Continue to go after speaking gigs and letting people know how personable and professional you are.  Run a few more ads in the newspapers or magazines and start up or continue the direct mail campaign.  All of this is now more important than ever.  Don’t let this coming demand catch you standing on the side lines and wondering how you can ride the wave.  As with so many other things that happen in this business the train is loading and you better be on board before it leaves the station.  Have you been thinking about possibly hiring someone as a part-time assistant?  With wages at low levels and lots of people looking for a job now is the time.  I’m not saying to take advantage of someone’s misfortune but you just might find someone who is willing to work with you the first few months until things level out.  There are a lot of very talented and experienced men and women looking for work and some just might be in your neighborhood.  Look around.  I know it’s been hard on all of us to be able to predict just the right time to spend more money.  I think we are there.  Certainly if we aren’t there we are very close.  A recession is self-filling.  There is a slow down in spending and things slow down.  One of the best ways to get things moving again is to spend a little.  Don’t break the bank just add a little something you’ve been holding off on.  In the long run it will help you and the economy.  Now might also be just the right time to approach your bank about a loan or line of credit.  There is money to be had and you want to have access for those future marketing campaigns.  Even if you have no plans to spend any money you might get from a line of credit just get it in place.  Knowing it’s there is good for your business soul.  Now, get to work and continue to create the best business you can.  It’s the dawn of a new era and way of doing business.  Have you noticed how they keep coming along every seven to ten years?  Pay attention to what is happening now and remember what came before.  You’ll be ready for the next big change.  It’s coming.  Trust me.

I Will Survive

I was watching The Today Show this morning and Elizabeth Edwards appeared talking about her new book “Resilience”.  An apt title for this time and about her life.  Irrespective of the challenges life, our clients and the economy will throw at us I know each and every one of us has the ability to survive.  At this particular point in time you may feel the challenges of running a business will overwhelm you.  Don’t believe it.  There are opportunities around each and every corner.  Just keep your eyes and ears open.  Listen to the news not to find out what the Dow is doing but to hear what the world is doing.  There are all sorts of options out there.  Listen to some of the advertisements on the TV, read the paper, look to the internet for even more information.  Sign up for one of the social networking sites.  Heck, sign up for three or four.  Don’t spend all day on those sites; let them notify you when something of interest comes along.  I signed up with Writers Mafia, a group blog for writers.  All sorts of good questions and answers for those of us trying to become more professional as writers.  This sort of thing may not bring lots of money in but it will keep you abreast of what is happening.  Knowledge is power.  Now is not the time to crawl under the covers and hide your head.  Get out to some mixers in town.  Meet with other business owners.  Either go into their space, if they have one, or email and get together for a cup of coffee.  Create your own network of friends and business owners on whom you can rely.  Get together and talk about the business.  Not the lack of business but how to best create new business.  Try direct marketing.  Try advertising.  Try calling past clients.  Try writing a blog.  Try writing a newsletter.  Try standing in the middle of the street and yelling at everybody that comes by how good you are at design!!  Only kidding.  The point is not to dwell on what could be but what is.  Work the current problem.  Don’t try to figure out how you got here just work on how to get out.  That is, on how to move forward.  You will survive.  You will succeed and you will prosper.  Your might just live long, as well.

Catch A Wave

I know many people believe our business is all one of trends and what the next current style, color, shape or pattern will be.  I’ve never really worked from that principal and believe the designs we all create should be as timeless as possible.  No matter what word you use to describe this style, (chic, sophisticated or architectural); its inherent tastefulness will keep it within the realm of good design.  I believe the trends we do have to pay attention to are those that will stand the test of time.  I know, you can’t always be sure, but being able to discriminate between kitsch and classic is important.  From the standpoint of running a business it is also important to maintain a good eye for that which will sell and that which will sit on your shelf.  Even the samples you choose for your library should be selected with the same eye for detail and longevity.  At the same time, I know how exciting it can be to see a new trend, style, color or shape and just know it’s going to be the next hot ticket in interior design.  To be able to define whatever it is and run with it is so much fun.  Being the first in your area to have access to and understand some new trend is invaluable to your positioning in the community.  It will once again set you apart from your peers as an expert in your field and prospective clients will be coming to you for design services, information and expertise.  That’s a wonderful thing and very exciting. 

I don’t know how to tell you to recognize a “new trend” or style or item but keeping current by visiting the showrooms, reading the shelter magazines and simply watching what’s going on around you will help.  As with anything, I don’t suggest you spend your last penny trying to corner this particular market but try to find out as much as you can about the item, or whatever, to make an educated guess about it’s chance of almost universal appeal. 

It’s also possible to spot a trend in what your current and prospective clients are excited about in the world of interior design.  The easiest one of the moment is the Green Movement.  Sustainability is the catch phrase and recycling is the mantra.  That’s great but by now nothing new.  What else is your client interested in?  The new lighting trends?  New fabrics made from bamboo?  Recycled fabrics?  Manufactured flooring?  Keep an eye out for those types of trends and be ready to speak about them.  Learn all you can about Bamboo flooring and start making the rounds talking about the product and how it impacts the environment.  Once you have a portfolio of ideas and trends you can surf the wave of increased public interest in what you have to say.  It helps position you as a professional interested in the community and the planet.  That is a wave of enthusiasm we can all enjoy riding.  Go out there and listen to what they are saying they want to know.  Then, offer it.   

She’d Rather Be With Me

While working on my second book for Allworth Press I decided to take a look at what clients want from their designers as part of the first chapter which is all about finding the optimum client.  I asked a couple of our clients if they wouldn’t tell me a little bit about what they look for in an interior designer.  I found it very enlightening and thought I would share with you an excerpt from one of the responses.

“As a client, I could tell you some stories about designers behaving badly right inside my home.  Initially, looking for an interior design professional to redo my modest 1950’s ranch home, I interviewed several local women designers whose names I found in the phone book.  The first designer showed up at my home with a picture book filled with hotel room interiors that featured those big, boxy neutral-toned stuffed chairs, facing an equally neutral (bland) table, surrounded by pastel doodads and forgettable floor lamps.  She was very proud of her hotel work and felt it honestly revealed her acumen as a residential interior designer.  When I showed her my kitchen, whose wallpaper, flooring and tiles I had selected some years before, she burst out, “Oh my God!  Who did THIS?”, as if she had encountered old goat heads nailed to the walls.  I felt it somewhat important to rise to the occasion, so I answered, bravely, “I did.”  However, she was unstoppable; she was on a mission.  She bulldozed her way through the rest of house, telling me how everything in sight would “have to go,” presumably to be replaced with pastel hotel units.  She clearly felt sorry for me for living in such conditions of aesthetic squalor.  I never called her back.

The next woman showed up at my house with an almost identical book of project pictures.  She was just as adamant that I let her take over for me. I started to wonder if all the designers south of  San Francisco had the same hotel room pictures in their portfolios and if they all felt they should be allowed to dictate the interiors of my home.  There are many designers who are only too willing to impose their vision of “good taste” on the client; with the result being a happy designer but an unhappy client.  It’s very important that the client recognize his or her home is a personal temple; and, when it comes to interior designers, there are some who will be trespassers.  Show them to the door.

Then, I met Thomas and Robert.  The first meeting went well, not because of any elaborate presentations or sales pitches or attempts to impose a style on me, but because I sensed Robert and Thomas could and would create a set of home interiors that would make my dreams of my perfect house come true.  As our working relationship progressed, they never questioned my “taste” and they always offered many thoughtful choices of colors, fabrics and furnishings.  They never minded when I said “no”; they simply created what I wanted.  Robert and Thomas scanned many, many pages of the magazine pictures I had spent months tearing out and grouping.  I used the pictures to help explain my vision and help them achieve it.  Their work blended so seamlessly with my idea of the perfect home that it never occurred to me their own personal tastes were any different from my own.

In addition to creating the interior of my home, Robert and Thomas introduced me to a necessary element in a structural remodel: the design/build team.  I had decided to expand my home and simply didn’t know how to proceed.  It probably would have taken me months of searching and interviewing to find someone to build anything I might have designed.  Robert and Thomas’ recommendation of a local design/build firm with whom they had worked before turned out to be a perfect match.  Not only did the designers, as project managers, work beautifully with the builders, the entire team went out of their way to make the experience as painless as possible for me. There were no construction horror stories, no cost overruns (other than the ones that I requested), no delays and no hassles.  Everything was taken care of for me.  That was something that couldn’t be priced.

Robert and Thomas, along with the builders, created what I consider to be the perfect home.  Even though the house is finished, everyone involved in its creation is still available to answer questions.  The whole team is on call to help me with things like the dishwashers or the fireplace or how to use the appliances.  Of course, there will always be dreams of alterations; new ideas and new uses for rooms.  Life in families is filled with those kinds of changes.  But the fundamentals remain; I love my home and I love the shapes, the colors and the furnishings.   I love the look and feel of it.”