If you have dreams of owning your own interior design company, you’re not alone. Today, there are over 60,000 interior designers working in the US and approximately one-third of them are self-employed. Success as a designer is entirely possible; however, the road isn’t always easy because there are many challenges to owning your own business.
To make things easier, there are some tips and tricks you can follow to help you set up your own design firm and help ensure it’s a booming success. Keep reading for some valuable points you should consider as you begin to explore the road to starting your own home-based interior design company.
Do Your Homework
Before you start putting all your eggs in one basket, do your homework. Does the city or town you’re living in have a need for interior designers? Are there other firms already in place and are they experiencing success? How do you plan on standing out from the competition? Do you have enough resources in place to have a successful launch?
When it comes to starting a business, there’s a lot to think about. If you begin working towards starting your own design company without any preliminary information, you might find yourself in a tricky situation down the road. Don’t take shortcuts—do your research.
Get the Right Resources in Place
It would be a huge mistake to start your design firm without having the right resources in place. For the most part, this has to do with what you’ll need to run your business. Do you have a home office? Do you have a website up and running? And most importantly, are you using the right software?
For interior designers, it’s important to use business management and accounting software that’s made just for you—otherwise, you’ll experience hiccups later on.
Look for software that offers all-in-one convenience. You don’t want to be downloading several different programs for one task. It’s also important to ensure the software you choose is cloud-based; otherwise, you won’t be able to access the information you need on the go and you won’t have backups. Lastly, prioritize software that streamlines your workflow. This will help you organize all aspects of your business.
Make the Right Impression
Now that you’ve done your homework and prepared your business resources, it’s time to prepare your business to make the right impression. After all, you’re an interior design company, so everything you put forth should be beautiful! It’s also one of the easiest ways to grow your business.
This is when you’re going to want to put those final touches on your office décor, post any last-minute photos to your website and blog, as well as choose which design you’ll go with for business cards. Every little detail is important as it’s often the first thing your future clients will see in terms of your business and your work. You want them to be impressed and excited to work with you, so take the time to make sure every detail is exactly how you envisioned it.
While starting your own home-based interior design company does come with hurdles, there are things you can do to make the process easier. Do your homework, get the right software, and make sure your business has all the right personal touches.
With these tips in place, you’ll be more than ready to start moving towards interior design success!
