Business Interior decor

12/09/2022

Build a portfolio
When you first start an interior design business, you might not have a portfolio yet – but that’s ok. You don’t necessarily need a huge portfolio at the beginning of your career.

Here’s what you can include in your portfolio:

Images of your own home
3D renderings of spaces (you’ll need interior design software for this)
Mood boards
If you have images of spaces you’ve designed for actual clients, even better! You should definitely include those as well.

11/09/2022

Build a beautiful website
This is a no-brainer. You’re an interior designer, you create beautiful spaces, so when you start an interior design business, you need a website that matches your career. If you don’t have experience building a website, you might want to hire someone to do the job. Or you can watch tutorial videos and do it yourself (it’s not that hard, promise).

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Register a domain name & web hosting
Install WordPress (or use another platform)
Invest in a good theme
Use stunning images
Provide proper information (services, contact info, etc.)
Include testimonials
Optimize your website (see this guide on SEO for interior designers)
Building and perfecting your website will take a while. Don’t rush things, and don’t start promoting your website if it’s incomplete. Remember – your website is a reflection of you as a designer.

10/09/2022

Choose a catchy business name & register it
Now the real fun begins! You need to come up with a name for your business. It needs to be catchy, and it needs to reflect your work. Have a lengthy brainstorming session and write down all your ideas.

Some things to keep in mind:

Don’t make it complicated
Don’t choose words that are hard to pronounce
You can include your name if you want to (e.g., Jessica Interiors)
Use words that have to do with interior design (e.g., interiors, spaces, designs, etc.)
Make sure no one else is using the same name
Once you’ve chosen a business name, you need to register it with your state or province. Make sure you have all the licenses required by law to start an interior design business so you don’t run into any trouble later on.

09/09/2022

Focus on your style & specialty
We all have our own style, and we tend to excel at what we know best. If you specialize in mid-century modern style or rustic style or traditional style, that is what you should focus on.

That’s not to say you need to only take on clients that share your style, but when you start an interior design business, you want to be targeting your ideal clients.

Ask yourself these questions:

What is your design style?
Do you want to focus on condos or bigger homes? (or both!)
Do you want to design homes for families with kids or just couples?
Do you want to design both indoor and outdoor spaces?
Do you only want to design kitchens & baths?
You get where we’re going with this. Find your niche, find your style, and you’ll attract the right kinds of people.

08/09/2022

Determine what services you’ll offer
The first thing you want to plan are the types of services you’ll offer. As an interior designer, you want to make sure you’re not taking on more than you can handle. If you only want to design kitchens & baths, for example, you need to make it clear from the get-go.

If you’re going the e-design route, you need to make a list of specific deliverables.

Paint palettes
Mood boards
Shopping lists
3D renderings
Detailed notes
Etc.
These might be slightly different than if you were to offer the full interior design experience (i.e., dealing with contractors, manufacturers and suppliers).

07/09/2022