4 Things you need to know before starting an interior design business
Interested in starting an Interior Design business from scratch? You’ve got the skills, the imagination, and a great amount of motivation. But those are only a few starting points, making it grow and succeed is a whole different game.
We all love interior design, and ideally, we can also make money from it. I’m not here to burst your bubble, but starting an interior design business is more than a hobby. Like any other job, it takes much effort and determination to get there. If you want to make money out of this hobby, you need to learn more about
business.
And while starting an Interior Design business is fun and I’ve come to love it so much, I’d also like to tell you about the not-so-fun parts. During the time I have started this business of mine, I have learned, some of them not so easily, these 4 important lessons. And I’d like to share them with you.
It’s not fun, more business than interior design
Yes, this is one of the hardest pills to swallow I guess. Starting an Interior Design business should be all about designing and crafting, right? A few parts of the time, I do get to design and get my skills working, one of my favorite parts of the process.
But honestly, the majority of the process is fully dedicated to all the business things like marketing, graphic design, customer service, website adjustments, content writing, taking business courses, ....and the list just goes on and on for all the business stuff involved. Most of the time, you’d have to learn so much about the business aspect of it all through research, SEO work, finance stuff, and so much more.
It may sound boring, and it definitely can be, but I’ve found my way to work through it and still get creative even with the business details. I’m sure you can do it, and you will!
Spend a lot of time to do marketing
At the core of business, there is marketing. I mean, how else will people get to know your product without you putting in the effort to get noticed right? This is where marketing comes in, and I admit, this process is definitely not a walk in the park.
This involves, literally, almost all of your work time. Of course, you’ll spend some time for research and planning, then creating graphics for promotion, newsletters to create a better relationship with your audience, caption writing (trust me, not so easy as it looks!) and again, the list keeps moving forward. Take it from me, planning can get really strenuous and sometimes, things can get so messy I end up with a headache and have no idea what I’m doing.
Still, I try my best to get some fun from all the planning and crafting, and getting my creative juices running. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it, just like we all do.
You’re not everyone’s cup of tea
To put it simply, you’ll get rejections. I’m talking, a LOT of rejections. Not everyone will like what you do, and I know, that’s a really hard fact to accept. I mean, you put your heart into it, you’ve dedicated so much time and effort, but still, it didn’t end up the way you’d want it to be.
But that doesn’t mean your products or service sucks, it could be so beautiful and great, but some people will think otherwise. And that’s perfectly normal, you can’t please everyone. No matter what you do, there will always be people who won’t like it, but to continue what you’re doing, now that’s guts and bravery!
What you can do is focus on people who love and will love your products! Luckily, there are so many things you can do to find these people, and little by little, you’ll see your business grow.
You will doubt yourself in the process
Sometimes, big failures may and will come your way to the point that you ask yourself, “What am I even doing?” You begin to doubt yourself and it consumes you from the inside. You overthink everything and maybe realize that this was all a mistake and everything is bound to fail. And I’m here to tell you again that it’s okay. Been there, done that.
You’ve got to take some slack off yourself and celebrate your bravery for risking so much to start your business! Nothing good comes easy, but it doesn’t mean you’ll never get it. Just keep pushing forward, even if the only person cheering you on is yourself. Don’t ignore the doubts, use them as a way to improve yourself and your business. Trust me, this will all pay off when the right time comes, just don’t ever give up!
I know, after knowing all these things, maybe some of you might begin second-guessing yourselves. But never lose heart. The risk may seem like a pretty big one, but regret is heavier, so go on and start that business of yours! It’s not an easy path, but I’m here to tell you that it’s definitely worth it!
PS: If you are just getting started or have questions, feel free to send me an email jamiemak@decor-republic.com get in touch with me and I’d love to help you through.
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