So You Want to Start an Interior Design Business

Summary: Starting an interior design business involves a variety of marketing factors. Here are some tips to get you on the right track.

Starting an interior design business is a difficult task. Let’s be honest, the market is already saturated and it’s difficult to stand out amongst the crowd. The key to making it as an interior designer is to provide something that the public hasn’t seen. Here are some tips to get you started.

Create an Online Portfolio

Nobody’s going to want to hire you if there isn’t a trace of work to be seen on the Internet. Start by purchasing a domain name and fill it with past works that you’re proud of. Obviously, you’ll need a name to go by – unless you’re just using your full name as an independent designer.

Be sure that your website’s design is modern and easy to navigate around. You can opt to hire a web designer or experiment for yourself.

Utilize Social Media

With the rise of social media, your work could resonate throughout the world and perhaps even become “viral” if it’s seen enough times. Social media networking is one of the best ways to get your work out there.

Whether it’s through imagery or descriptions, you’ll want as many people to see your work as you can. Without any online presence, you’re likely to resort to cold-calling and going door-to-door to hand out flyers or brochures – who does that anymore?

What Are You?

You need an identity as to who you are. Are you an interior decorator that reworks bedrooms by changing paint schemes and finding a suitable mattress replacement? Are you an interior architect that works on the framework of the entire spatial area?

You have to make sure that your prospects know exactly what you do so it’s easier for them to decide. Let’s say you’re hired by a client to design a living space and you end up purchasing some custom cushions from The Foam Factory, toss it around a bit, and call it day. So, does that define a decorator or a designer? If your services are shrouded in mystery, people aren’t exactly going to be so kind as to give you a call and spend hours figuring out what it is that you do. State your trade and make it well-known to the public eye.