9 Solutions to Help Grow Your Interior Design Business

Running your own business is a thrilling adventure. But it can also be full of uncertainties and plenty of learning on the job.

Whether you’re just starting out and hoping to grow your business quickly or you’re well-established but looking to take things to the next level, this article is for you.

We share the solutions you need to grow your interior design business and take your interior design business to new heights.

Always Begin with a Strategy

This tip can be attributed to any area of your life. Starting with a strategy helps to focus your efforts and keep you on the right track. That’s why we’ve listed it as the very first step. It forms the foundation and everything else follows. But how do you create a strategy?

Start with your vision. Where do you want your business to be in 5 to 10 years time? How much do you want to be earning? Where do you want to be located? What kind of customers do you want to be helping? Taking the time to consider what you want from your business is a great place to start. From there you can work backwards to understand what you need to do to turn your business into a reality.

Create a S.M.A.R.T. Goals Business Plan

Once you have outlined your vision and you understand the basic steps to achieve that vision, it’s time to create SMART Goals. According to Mailchimp, “To stand the test of time, it’s important to set goals for your business that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely - in other words, goals that are SMART.”

Focusing on SMART goals is important as it helps break down your aspirations into measurable and achievable goals. This is very important as it ensures you remain on track to growing your interior design business.

Setting SMART goals enables you to make proactive changes and take actionable steps towards your ultimate goal. SMART goals are specific. They provide you with a clear focus and are crucial for the sustainable growth and success of your business. 

Top tip: As your interior design business grows and you reach your goals, your aspirations will change. Reevaluating your SMART goals every six months will help you maintain a positive forward trajectory for the long term.

Utilize Payment Technology

If you’re wondering how to make money as an interior designer, you need to rethink your payment solutions. Utilizing payment technology is the best way to make money as an interior designer because it makes it easier than ever for your customers to pay for your services. 

According to PYMNTS, “four in five Americans are interested in faster payment options when paying businesses for goods and services, and 61% of millennials and 59% of bridge millennials say they are highly interested in real-time payments.”  

This is why, if you want to grow your interior design business, you should prioritize a card reader that accept multiple payment options and support contactless and Apple Pay options. Put simply, the easier it is for your customers to pay you the more likely they will be to make those payments sooner.

Find Amazing Clients through Word-of-mouth Advertising

When you work with amazing clients it reinvigorates you. It helps you feel excited about the work you do and is a huge part of what makes running an interior design business so enjoyable.

Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the best ways to win new business and attract loyal clients who are willing to stick around for the long term. There are many forms of word-of-mouth advertising but perhaps the most common is having a customer recommend your service to someone they know.

You will be the recipient of great word-of-mouth advertising if you offer a great service and deliver results your clients are happy with. In the words of HubSpot,

“Successful word-of-mouth marketing needs a great product or service and a company that people want to support. Are you creating a brand and a product that people love? Do people want to use and promote your products to their friends, family, and coworkers? If the answer is yes, all it takes is a little effort to help your most loyal fans help you grow your brand.” 

Invest in a Great Team

According to LinkedIn, “95% of your business success is dependent on the team you have in place. A dynamic, high-functioning, cohesive team provides higher quality and more value while a dysfunctional team drains your time, energy and saps the quality out of your services.”

If you want to grow your interior design business and see it succeed for the long term, you should prioritize investing in a great team. There simply isn’t a replacement for a team that’s invested in your business, loves what they do, and is passionate about seeing you succeed. 

Make Use of Design Apps

Technology is a huge asset when it comes to growing your interior design business. From faster payments to streamlined processes, there are so many ways technology can benefit your business. 

DecorMatters

Apps like DecorMatters are an awesome way to take your interior design business to the next level. DecorMatters uses augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help futurise the interior design process. With DecorMatters you can immerse yourself in a space and create the aesthetic you want to achieve virtually before turning it into a reality for your clients. 

What’s more, you can work with other creative people, receive valuable feedback and suggestions, and collaborate on beautiful interior design projects with your team.

Always Offer a Professional Service

If you want to grow your interior design business, you need to offer a professional service that recommends you to your customers and helps you attract new clients.

Businesses that offer a professional service, from a high-quality website and stunning design portfolio to official contracts and processes, quickly earn customer trust. Professionalism is invaluable for business growth as it inspires confidence and lets people know that you do things the right way.

Explore 3D Scanning

Designing a room’s aesthetic on a laptop screen is a lot different than seeing it come together in person. Sometimes, there are spaces in a room that have been missed or areas that are completely unaccounted for. 

To help mitigate this issue and take your interior design business to the next level, we recommend exploring 3D scanning. 3D scanning allows you to rapidly scan a room on your phone and reproduce the image on a screen. These highly detailed scans will take your design skills up a notch and help you to provide interior design solutions for your clients that perfectly fit their spaces.

Collaborate Effectively

Technology is connecting us more than ever before, particularly when it comes to working. In today’s hybrid-working world, where employees have more opportunities to work from home or the office, it can be challenging to connect with your team regularly and ensure everyone is on the same page.

To keep projects running smoothly and support your business growth, it’s essential that your interior design projects are well-managed and that collaborative elements run effectively. 

Tools like Miro enable teams to collaborate and share decorating ideas in a visual format. It’s collaboration at its finest and helps you grow your interior design business in a more streamlined manner.

Final Words

There are, of course, many more solutions to help grow your interior design business. However, we have focused on those we think are most important in this article. We hope what we’ve shared is useful and that it helps you grow your interior design business this year. To take your interior design business to the next level, download the DecorMatters app and explore its innovative features today.

This blog was written exclusively for DecorMatters by interior design specialist Kelly Edwards.

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