You know that interior design is not an easy industry. Competition can be fierce, and the demands placed on your time can easily upset a reasonable work-life balance. You do not need to feel alone when you face struggles, however—some obstacles are part and parcel of being an interior designer. Here is a sampling of what every interior designer worth their salt will come up against in this industry.
4. Your Accounting
Yes, accounting often proves to be a huge issue for interior designers. For many, it is simply not their forte, so they will often procrastinate about doing up the books. For other interior designers, while accounting may not be their least-favourite aspect of interior design business, implementing good accounting workflows may present a challenge. Issues with accounting can lead to other issues, such as poor follow-up on unpaid invoices or delayed billing. That can then turn into cash flow issues.
Face your accounting head-on by using interior design business software. These platforms allow you to integrate functions like estimating, billing and accounting, which means it is easier to keep the books—and much easier to track overdue bills and unpaid invoices. That will ensure your business keeps running smoothly!
3. Working with Clients
In some ways, interior design is intensely personal and intimate. Clients are inviting you into their space. Whether it is an office space or a person’s home, they are obviously invested in the design process—they are the ones who have to spend time there, after all! That is why some clients become overly involved in the process. Clients will sometimes have very specific ideas about what they think will look good or what they want to see in the design. Others will micromanage every aspect of the project. Still others will balk if the project goes a single cent over-budget; others will refuse to believe your time and effort is worth what is stated on the “total due” line of your invoice. Perhaps the worst kind of client, however, is the one who does not know what they want, who allows you a good degree of freedom—and then becomes very vocal about what they do not want, forcing you to change your plans or redo work.
2. Selling a Vision
It is somewhat understandable why some clients are skeptical of interior design or have doubts about your design. Often, you only have a “vision” to sell them. New tools allow you to present clients with more visualizations than ever before, but it is still a challenge to effectively communicate what you see in your head to a client. Clients will often express doubt about your ideas, even during the work phases. Worse, if it happens that a client dislikes the final product, you may be asked to go back and redo the work! Such is the gamble of selling a client on a vision; although it works out more often than not, it can still be difficult to get buy-in from clients.
1. The Delicate Balancing Act
Another challenge an interior designer faces is managing the work-life balancing act. Interior design can be incredibly demanding; you may spend all day moving between client worksites and the office, communicating with vendors and suppliers in between. You may need to spend your evenings sourcing new materials or completing and filing paperwork. Some tasks may fall by the wayside, only to become priority later, causing an endless cycle of playing catch-up. When you can afford to get a little assistance, you must be extra careful about ensuring that you are working with the right partners—otherwise they may cause you more trouble than you bargained for.
