I’m in the process of creating a digital course for interior designers about the BUSINESS of running an interior design business. They don’t teach these details in design school, so I’m hopeful it will be of use to many creatives who are incredibly talented designers, but have no idea how to build a business that is fun to run.

But, back to the point. This content creation actually got me to thinking waaaaay back to when I started my business. There are a lot of things I wish I would have known when I started because I am sure I would have saved a LOT of time and money on useless items or endeavors. So – if you’re thinking about starting an interior design business, here are a few tips that might just save you some gray hair and sleepless nights:

1.  You will be working all.the.time when you’re launching a business.

I thought for sure I would be able to set my own schedule and make a bucket of money with less work than I was putting in at my...

So I’m sitting here at The Design Influencers Conference, formerly known as The Design Bloggers Conference. And ironically, I’ve learned that I’m not doing a great job creating my blog posts. Nor is my website well optimized for organic search. Oh yippee. There is always something to do or fix when you’re a business owner.

So I’m not going to try to “fix” what I haven’t been doing in this post.  I’m pretty happy to get it written at all this week, considering I’m traveling and trying to keep up with all the conference content…and believe me, the speakers are rich.

I mean, really, if you’re an interior design enthusiast, you will recognize some of these names. And in addition to these rock stars, there are “every day” designers who have found some great success in various niches. These very approachable experts share their experiences with us from the same stage as the big names.

When you are a...

Have you ever considered hiring an interior designer or decorator but had no idea where to start? I mean, just Google “Dallas Interior Designer” and you’ll come up with pages and pages of options. So HOW do you pick an interior designer? This is the first in a series of Behind The Scenes articles I’ll be sharing.

First of all, interior design is a very personal service. One that requires quite a bit of trust – from both parties. When exploring how to pick an interior designer that is right for YOU, all of the following points are moot if there is no trust. The client must trust the designer will be able to interpret their style and translate it within budget – and the promised timeframe. And the designer needs to trust the client to speak up, share their honest thoughts, likes, dislikes, budget, and so forth – and then allow the designer to express creativity in the design delivered.

So, without further ado, here are a few key points to...

Do you think owning your own interior design business is full of glamour, rich clients, private jets and martinis?

When I first started my interior design business, I believed I would be working flexible hours, wearing fancy outfits and making a bucket of money.

Sure, there are days that I get dressed up for a meeting, and my hours are flexible. But as a Creative, you’re working even when you’re home making dinner (because a certain vegetable color combination just inspired you). And while I still haven’t had a martini on a private jet, I am optimistic that’s in my future.

Starting an interior design or decorating business can be full of mystery. And in my experience, there are 4 major myths of owning your own interior design business:

Myth #1 : It’s a glamorous job.

There is a belief that Interior Designers and Decorators sit around in stylish design studios, in their fancy clothes, scrolling through Instagram and flipping through interior...