Mistakes I made when starting my interior design business
When I first started my interior design business I made heaps of mistakes that slowed down my progress and were frustrating to learn.
But looking back, I don't regret any of it because those mistakes taught me valuable lessons that have helped me grow my business to where it is today.
That being said, if I had the opportunity to start over, there are a few things I would do differently and in this post I want to share some of the mistakes I made.
My hope is that by learning from my experiences, you can avoid making the same mistakes and set your business up for success from the very beginning.
Here they are (in no particular order)…
NOT PRICING CORRECTLY
This is probably my biggest mistake and the one I see other new designers also making most frequently.
At the start of my business journey, I undercharged big time!
I thought that if I charged less for my services it would attract more clients - but what ended up happening was I attracted the wrong types of clients and ended up doing the same amount of work (but for less money!).
Something I strongly believe in is that interior design is inherently a high-end service.
Clients who are on an extremely tight budget or want more of a DIY service shouldn’t be who you are trying to attract to your business. In my experience, these sorts of ‘budget clients’ tend to be harder work than high-end clients and you end up doing the same amount of work on their projects, just for less fees and lower quality projects (that you probably won’t want to photograph for your portfolio anyway!!).
It's important to consider the value of your time and experience and to set prices that accurately reflect that value. Pricing your services low makes it VERY hard to build a sustainable business model and may even damage the perceived value of your business in the eyes of potential clients.
Here are a few reasons why you may not be charging enough:
Lack of market research: Not understanding the competitive landscape or the going rate for services offered by similar designers in your local area (this can be hard as lots of designers aren’t very transparent with pricing so it can be hard to work out what they are charging).
Fear of losing business: Some designers are afraid to set higher prices for fear of losing clients, but it's important to remember that low prices can also be a red flag for quality in the eyes of potential clients. I personally never choose the cheapest option!
Lack of confidence: Some designers underprice their services out of a lack of confidence in the value they are offering. If you are lacking in confidence then ask yourself why that is - if it’s because you don’t really know what you’re doing then it may be better to go and study or learn more before trying to sell your services to paying clients.
Misunderstanding the cost of doing business: Some designers don’t take into account all of the costs involved in running their business, such as overhead expenses and the cost of their own time. This means they may be making money but it doesn’t actually cover all their costs (and so their business doesn’t make a profit).
It's important to remember that pricing your services too low can result in you struggling to build a profitable business and may even damage the perceived value of your services in the eyes of potential clients.
You may think it’s enticing to clients to have lower fees than other designers, but the reality is you may just be putting them off (as they wonder what is wrong with your service if it is so cheap).
NOT DOCUMENTING JOURNEY AND BUSINESS GROWTH ON VIDEO
When I first started my business I was so scared to go on video but I wish I had more footage of my business journey and growth. I also wish I had more video footage of all the design projects I worked on over the years.
If only I had known how easy it was to get over the fear of being on video. All it took for me was to start doing it!
Documenting your business journey on video is a great way to share your experiences and insights with others and to build a community of supporters around your business.
It can also be a valuable marketing tool for showcasing your design process and attracting potential clients. The future of content and marketing is video - so you need to get over your fear and start doing it.
Here are a few tips for documenting your business journey on video:
Be authentic: As much as I’m not a massive fan of that word, it’s one that is easily understood. Being completely yourself on video is the key to building trust and connecting with your audience. Share your successes and challenges honestly and openly and don’t try to pretend to be someone that you’re not. I am pretty much in activewear all day, every day, so that’s how I show up on video each day. I don’t try and be someone I’m not and that relatability is something that my community values.
Keep it interesting: Educate yourself about storytelling and use it as much as possible. Also make sure to vary the types of videos you make. Sometimes you might talk to camera, sometimes you might do a Q&A style, sometimes you might share a tutorial, sometimes you might do project tours and sometimes you might show people around your office - don’t always do the same type of content, mix it up to keep it interesting.
Share valuable insights: Share your unique perspective and insights on the interior design industry and offer helpful tips and advice for others starting out in the field. Don’t just talk about the same “how to” stuff that everyone else is already talking about. Offer practical advice, share industry trends (from your perspective) and most importantly create videos that show you’re an expert in what you do.
Overall, documenting your business journey on video can be a fun and rewarding way to share your experiences and insights with others and to build a community around your business.
Your videos can be shared in all different places - for example YouTube, TikTok, Instagram (just to name a few).
The main thing to remember is to be yourself and not pretend to be someone that you’re not (or copy a style that you see others doing).
NOT PROVIDING ENOUGH VALUE IN MY CONTENT
My early content was self-indulgent rubbish. It wasn’t providing value to anyone. It was boring and had no personality at all.
These days I try and share things I’ve learned that people might find helpful.
I don’t overthink it. I just try and lead by example and share what I’m doing. If someone finds that useful then I’m thrilled.
A book that helped change my perspective on that is one that I recommend all the time - Show your Work by Austin Kleon.
With the rise of AI there is about to be a flood of ‘how to’ content on the internet (because it’s so easy to get an AI robot to write it). To stand out from this sort of boring content make sure you are sharing content that is about you and your journey and has a human side to it.
The post you are reading here is a great example of this. I could have got an AI bot to write this post for me with the ‘Top 10 mistakes interior designers make when starting their business’. But this would have been a boring and unhelpful article with bland advice. So instead, I am sharing the mistakes that I made and the unique insights have I have learned along the way.
TRYING TO REPLICATE WHAT OTHERS WERE DOING INSTEAD OF BEING MYSELF
This was a big one for me in the early months of starting my design business. I would see what other designers were posting and try and replicate those posts in my own feed.
And guess what?
It didn’t really work or resonate.
Why?
Because I was trying to replicate what someone else was doing instead of thinking what I wanted to create, being myself and sharing stuff that was uniquely about my own experiences.
Being yourself and sharing your own style is going to be the key to your success in the design industry (and the rising world of AI).
Here are a few tips:
Know your style and aesthetic: Take the time to explore your own design preferences and develop a signature style that reflects who you are. Don’t just follow trends or copy what others are doing.
Don't be afraid to be different: Don't be afraid to embrace your own unique perspective and to challenge industry norms or ‘trends’
Research and find points of difference: can you find suppliers or hidden gems that other designers aren’t using? What is your point of difference?
Stay true to your values: Consider what is most important to you as a designer and make sure that your work aligns with your values. For example:
if sustainability and eco-friendliness are important to you then make sure this comes through in what you share in your content and how you work with clients
refuse to work with clients that don’t align with your design style or that you feel are a bad fit for you
be transparent and ethical in how you work with clients e.g. around pricing or trade and supplier relationships that you have
Be confident: Make sure you have a strong foundation of knowledge and skills in the interior design industry. Remember that working as a designer means you’re helping clients with their largest asset (their home). This is an important responsibility and if you lack knowledge around what you’re doing then this is not only a major risk for you, but it’s also unethical to charge people for skills you don’t actually have.
NOT HAVING A FOCUS ON REVENUE GENERATION - TOO MUCH ‘BUSY WORK’
In the early days I would spend too much time on ‘busy work’ (i.e. tinkering with my blog or scrolling on the internet for ‘ideas’) rather than actually getting out there and trying to bring in new leads and clients for my business.
The Number 1 focus of any new business should be on finding the fastest path to revenue.
And generally the fastest path to revenue in the early stages of a business is to start doing lots and lots of lead generation.
Here are a few tips for focusing on revenue and lead generation when you are first getting started:
Set clear goals: Identify your revenue goals and create a plan for how you will achieve them. This normally involves setting an annual revenue goal then breaking this down into monthly and even weekly goals. Once you’ve done that work out how many clients you’ll need each month/week to hit those targets. (For more detailed information on pricing your services try my short course)
Focus on high-value tasks: Identify the tasks that have the greatest impact on your revenue and do more of those. For example - where do most of your clients currently come from? How can you attract more clients like that?
TRYING TOO MANY THINGS AT ONCE - NOT GIVING THINGS A CHANCE TO WORK
I used to be in such a rush for things to work. I would start one idea and if it didn’t take off I would abandon it and move to something else.
There is a place for pivoting and moving quickly on things that aren’t working or resonating with people, but there is also something to be said for giving a project your complete focus and attention for enough time to start seeing traction with it.
My entrepreneurial mind still battles with this one as I’m constantly having new ideas about things to try.
OVERTHINKING EVERY DECISION RATHER THAN JUST TAKING ACTION
I’m definitely a recovering over-thinker. I still do it today but I am much better than I used to be.
These days I take action, even when things scare me and I aim to just try and get 1% better every time I do something.
Getting something 99% perfect in your head is never going to be as good as getting it 60% perfect in real life.
CONSUMING TOO MUCH AND NOT CREATING ENOUGH
I used to spend hours scrolling around on social media - often in jealousy of what others were doing and achieving.
What I should have done is got up and started creating.
This would have been a much more productive use of my time.
These days I barely consume social media and this helps my content be more creative and original. I never focus or pay attention to what others are up to - for me it doesn’t lead anywhere helpful. I also tend not to follow anyone who I consider “competition” as I don’t want to inadvertently copy their ideas.
I try to just put my head down, stay in my own lane and create things that I hope will be helpful for others.
TREATED MY BUSINESS AS A HOBBY RATHER THAN A BUSINESS
When I first started I didn't set revenue targets - I just hoped for the best.
I also suffered from 'feast or famine' revenue as I didn't have a proper sales funnel in place nor was I proactively seeking out new leads each day.
If you treat your business like a hobby you will be paid like it's a hobby....as soon as I stepped up the professionalism of what I was doing I started to see the results I actually wanted.
If you need help with increasing your professionalism then this FREE GUIDE is a good place to start.
But the number one thing I would do differently if I were to start my business over again is to create more video from the start.
If I have any regret at all it’s that I don’t have video footage of my business journey and growth. I would find that so interesting to look back on now - plus it would be such a fantastic reminder of how far I’ve come.
If there’s one thing to take away from this post it’s to start creating video NOW!
Just get your phone out and document stuff. You’ll be happy you’ve done it years down the track - trust me! :)
Also remember, it's OK to make mistakes – they're a natural part of the learning process. But with hard work, determination, and a little bit of self-reflection, you can turn your passion for interior design into a successful business.
Thanks for reading and catch you in my next post :)
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
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