Top 5 Mantras for Interior Designers

Running your own interior design business isn’t just about creating beautiful spaces—it’s about being the CEO, the creative, the bookkeeper, the marketing department, and sometimes the client’s unofficial therapist. It’s a lot. And if you’re new to the industry or struggling to gain traction, it can feel like you’re spinning in a hundred directions at once.

That’s where mantras come in.

I’m not talking about fluffy Pinterest quotes (although I do love a good aesthetic moment). I mean grounding, real-talk reminders—the kind that bring you back to focus when you're doubting yourself, overthinking your next move, or trying to be everything to everyone.

Here are the top 5 mantras I often share with my interior designer coaching students who are ready to move forward—especially when things feel messy or overwhelming.

1. “Done is better than perfect.”

Raise your hand if you’ve delayed launching your website, posting on Instagram, or sending a proposal because it wasn’t perfect yet. 

Perfectionism is sneaky. It disguises itself as high standards, but really it’s just fear—fear of judgment, fear of not being good enough, fear of failing.

Here’s the truth: Your clients aren’t looking for perfect. They’re looking for someone who shows up, follows through, and helps them transform their space. So hit publish, send the email, share the reel. Progress is better than perfection—every single time.

2. “You don’t have to do it all at once.”

As a designer, it’s easy to believe you need to master everything right now—refining your brand, improving your systems, finding clients, onboarding them perfectly, managing projects, and somehow staying creative through it all.

But businesses aren’t built in one afternoon. They’re built in layers—like a well-designed space.

You can’t implement everything at once. And you don’t need to. Focus on one area of growth at a time, do it well, and then move on to the next. You’ll move further faster by going step-by-step than trying to do it all in a single sprint.

3. “Your dream clients are looking for you, not a robot.”

Imposter syndrome is loud—especially when you’re scrolling through Instagram, watching other designers with huge followings and seemingly perfect projects.

But your dream clients don’t want a copy of someone else. They want you—your perspective, your taste, your energy. People hire people, not portfolios.

So show up as yourself. Talk like you talk. Share what lights you up. The more you lean into your voice, the more your ideal clients will find you—and trust you.

4. “You’re the expert. Act like it.”

This one is for the designers who hesitate when setting boundaries, pricing their services, or leading the project confidently.

Let me say this: You know more than you think you do. You’ve done the work. You’ve got the eye. You are allowed to take up space and own your expertise.

People pleasing can end up having the opposite outcome than you expect.

Clients want to be led. When you step into that role with confidence, they feel safer—and you’ll attract more of the right people who respect what you do (and pay you accordingly).

5. “Everything is figureoutable.”

That moment when the tile order is wrong, the client changes their mind again, or your Canva graphic deletes itself? Yeah, we’ve all been there.

But here’s what I know: You’ve figured out hard things before. You’ll do it again.

Instead of spiraling into panic mode, take a breath and remember—there is always a solution. You don’t have to have it all solved in 5 seconds. You just have to believe that you can figure it out.

Because you can.

Which one do you need most today?

Pick a mantra. Write it on a sticky note. Make it your phone background. Let it be your reset button when you’re having a “why did I choose this career?” moment.

And remember—you're not alone in this. Every designer has felt behind, overwhelmed, or stuck at some point. What matters is that you keep showing up, keep learning, and keep moving forward.

Need a little more support? That’s exactly what we do inside the Interior Design Business Bakery. We help you simplify, take action, and build a business that actually works (and feels good). No fluff, no perfectionism—just real progress.