Introduction
Starting an interior design business of your own is considered as one of the fulfilling jobs nowadays. This is one of the best small businesses to start, both in the terms of money and satisfaction. If you have a keen sense of design and color and want to explore more of the interior design, then this is a perfect start for you. The interior design industry is becoming popular these days and by starting an own business is a perfect way to fire up the enthusiasm in your ideas.
Types of Interior Designers
The main objective of interior designers is to improve and update the appearance of the interior of a residential property or a business setting. There are many people who start their business that specialize in a particular type of design, like bathroom design, bedroom interior design, lighting solutions, etc. Basically, the interior designers can be classified into two types –
Home or residential interior designers
Commercial interior designers
The home or residential interior designers mainly update and improve the living spaces of people. The main aim is to design the home interior decorations and dealing with home decor. The designers can specialize further in a particular type, like living room designing, bedroom designing, lobby designing, etc. The designer gets a lot of freedom in this type as most of the people give free run to them in the case of home designing in order to create a beautiful place for them.
On the other hand, the commercial interior designers deal with the commercial properties. They can work on the designs of offices, hotels, restaurants, etc. There is a vast scope in this field as well as almost all the commercial settings employ interior designers for their setup.
Business Options for Interior Designing
There are different options in which an interior design business can be established.
Sole Proprietorship – you can go into this form of business easily as this needs a little formality. All the liabilities remain personally and most of the people working in this form of business keep separate bank accounts as well. In order to have a bank account, the bank may ask to see the certificate of doing the business in order to make sure that this is a business account and who is authorized to transact on this account.
Partnership – it can be formed by two or more individuals who want to do business together and also want to share the profits. This involves the creation of the partnership agreements that includes how partners will be treated if they die, retire or expelled from the partnership.
Limited Liability Companies (LLC) – these types of corporations are available in few countries and states. These companies are governed by articles of organizations and regulations.
Joint Ventures – this is the popular form of setting up a business. These are basically formed by contractors and design professionals when a small firm needs to go for a bigger project. Two or more firms come together to form a joint venture, but only for the purpose of working on a single project.
Steps Involved in Starting the Interior Design Business
Starting up a business may involve different processes initially. Before establishing the interior design business, it is very important to research the laws that are governing this profession in your state or country. Here are some of the initial steps that are required before starting the interior design business –
Recognize the differences between the interior designer and an interior decorator. The interior decorator only changes the look of the interior without modifying the architecture, whereas, the designers are able to change the architecture of the room or a building.
Research about the law in your state or country.
Obtain a degree in the interior designing, if required. You can also go for an interior designing course at some local college or institute.
Decide on your design specialization, i.e., residential, commercial, contemporary, modern, etc.
Draft an interior design business plan. It will include the executive summary, the details of the business, the qualifications you have and the past experiences if any.
After drafting the business plan, the next step is to design a portfolio for your business in order to show it to your clients. You can do make over of your own place or your friends and then take the photos and put them in an album. You can also go for launching a small and static website or simply a blog with all your work.
If you want to work as a sole proprietor, then it is important to get the permits needed to open a business from your state.
You need to pick a place for your business, but initially, you can start from your home itself if you have a separate room that can be converted into an office space for some time.
You can also put your portfolio, your certifications and degrees on your website as most of the clients look for the designers online and this would be a great step in your business.
Practices followed in Interior Design Business
In order to become a good and certified interior designer, it is important to follow some of the business principles.
Diversified services – the best designers offer a range of services to the clients by providing both the commercial and the residential designs, while specializing in a custom niche, like kitchen and bedroom, makes a designer on a number of projects ("AN INTERIOR DESIGNER CHECKLIST - 5 Best Business Practices To Look For In A Certified Interior Designer").
Availability – the availability before and after the full work day, on weekends, on public holidays is necessary in order to accommodate the tight schedules as well.
Listening skills – the interior designers guide their clients by understanding the requirement clearly and by listening to the objectives of them in order to make sure that the undertaking will be functional in all sense.
Commitment – designers need to understand the time sensitivity in their projects, so it is important for them to deliver the services on time and within the budget itself.
Survival and Growth of Business
In today’s technological world of social media, people are relying on positive feedback and a word of mouth. It is important for the interior designer to grow his or her business by connecting and meeting more and more people. The designer can also join social networks and communities as well in order to discuss ideas with like-minded designers. He or she can meet the real estate agents and architects in order to develop a personal relationship first and then evolving into a professional relationship.
It is important to showcase the work you have done or are planning to do and creating a website or a blog is one of the best options for this. The designer can welcome the future clients on the blog or website by telling them their style and talent. Social media is the best tool to get into this world. It will give you the power to connect to those who might not find you easily.
It is necessary to stay current and competitive in order to survive in the interior design business. Grabbing as much experience and knowledge is a must for every interior designer. He or she must travel to the design trade shows that include exhibitions, whenever possible.
Most of the business start-ups have to go through the tough stages initially. Learning to be a good business person always takes time, but it is something to look for from day one. Running a good business means knowing all the aspects of it. Communication with your clients is also a beneficial tool to improve and grow your business. It is important to talk as much as possible with the clients about all the requirements before taking the order from them. The minute, the designer will avoid the client, they will start to panic and the consequences can be worse. It is also important to have an attractive price for your services. If you want your client for a long run, then you can also offer them discounts as well.
The interior design can be a very profitable business if proper steps are followed. With the passage of time, the design business will always grow because people always want their homes to look beautiful. So, it is true that the interior designer will never miss good customers.
