How to Start an Interior Design Business?
Interior designing impacts people's lives in more ways than we realise. Interior designing is needed everywhere, from corporate offices to flats, courthouses, restaurants, and even airports.
With people looking for a more artistic and unique style to apply to their environment, there has been an increase in demand for skilled interior designers and services.
It's a promising field, and if you are passionate about starting your own business in interior design, this post is for you!
What interior designers do?
The field is gaining more and more popularity because of the ample opportunities and areas of work that it provides. As an interior designer, you can-
- Decorate houses and give them a new architectural look and feel
- Design interiors for sample homes for display.
- Provide assistance to other builders and designers.
- Give commercial design service
- Pick and design customised paints, furniture, fabrics for your customers
Skills
Before dwelling into any field, one must know what the required skill sets and expertise that one needs to become successful in the area are.
The critical requirement for any creative area is to have an artistic and curious eye. Look for trends and take inspiration from the existing models to customize into something that is appealing to your customers. If you are new to the field, you should think of hiring somebody who is well versed in designing and can help you expand your business.
Gaining some experience by working with some other brands of an organisation will also help.
Education
You don't necessarily need a formal degree to start an interior designing business, but having some training can bring a huge difference.
There are many colleges that offer courses in the field, and it will be an excellent opportunity to meet and interact with other people in the area.
If going to a college or university is not possible for you, there are plenty of resources available online that you can explore.
Picking what services to offer
Interior designing provides you with lots of options to choose from to set up your business. Depending on your interest and field of expertise, you can choose what kind of places you want to design. For example, you can start a business that only focuses on designing a kitchen or bathroom, or you can be planning public or corporate places like offices.
If you are not willing to work as a full-fledged designer, you can also provide services such as-
- Paint pallets
- 3D Modelling
- Consultation
Starting a Business
Once you have decided on the kind of services you will be offering, it's time to come to the business side.
1. Name of your Brand-
Choose a catchy business name that resonates with the services that you will be providing, and it should be unique to catch the eyes of customers.
Keep the following in mind while choosing a business name-
- Keep it simple
- Words with easy pronunciation.
- Words that are related to interior designing.
- Uniqueness is must
2. Register your Business-
Get your business registered, and make sure that you can have all the required licenses to win your business, and can avoid running into legal trouble later.
3. Your office-
You need to pick a dedicated space to run your business. In the early stage of business, you may choose to work from your home to save money, but as your business expands, pick an appropriate office convenient to customers and your fellow employees.
4. Create your website
In this digital era, if you really want to expand your business and attract customers, you should go online.
Build a website for your brand and showcase the services that you provide. You should also post about prices and discounts that are being offered.
You can use a simple website using WordPress for free, or if you wish to have a highly customised website, you can hire a professional.
If you decide on building it on your own, follow these steps-
- Register your domain name
- Install WordPress
- Pick good layout
- Use beautiful images and themes
- Fill in all details of the services
- Provide contact details and address.
5. Write Blogs
After setting up your website, develop content to be put on it. It will help if you start blogging about your brand or designing in general. You can post about the latest design trends, some tips for designing, anything related to design will work.
Keep following in mind when you post a blog-
- Relevancy to interior design
- Keep it interesting
- Is awful information being provided
- Add photos
- Have it SEO optimised
Consistency is the key to increase the customer base. You can even hire a professional content developer to provide better content for your blogs.
6. Invest in making a Portfolio
Having a portfolio can give assurance and detail of the kind of work that your business provides. If you are just starting, you might not have a portfolio yet. You can include the following to showcase your portfolio-
- 3D models of designs
- Sample photos of previous work or even your home
- Mood boards
7. Fix your rate
Figure out how much service providers in your area cost. You can ask some friends or colleagues that are working in the field to help you in the process.
When you are just starting out your business, it's advisable not to be very focused on profits; instead, work on building more customer friendly services.
8. Networking
In any business, especially the ones which require services from different professionals, you should focus a lot on building relationships with people working in the field.
You will be required to collect raw materials from different sources to use them in your designs. You might even have to hire diverse professionals to deliver specific services to your customers.
If you have good connections in the market, you will be able to work more efficiently.
Build a network with the following service providers-
- Cabinet suppliers
- Furniture suppliers
- Appliance distributors
- Textile suppliers
- General contractors
9. Participate in trade events-
Trade events can serve as a great way of showcasing your business and provide exposure to people in your area. Register for all occasions and let people know about the kind of deliverables you provide.
You will also meet experts in the field, which can provide guidance to expand your outreach. Make personal contact with people that are related to your field. You might also meet potential clients in these kinds of events.
10. Market using email
Emailing your potential customers is a cost-effective and highly efficient way to attract customers to your business. Collect emails of people visiting your websites and notify them about any new service or discount. This will help people discover more about your business.
11. Advertise in newspaper
If your business has limited income to spend on advertisements sending put flyers in newspapers can be very useful for catching customers' attention. They don't cost a lot but can reach a wider audience. You should put out details of your services and a few photos along with contact details and rates. Keep it short and straightforward.
Any business requires skill, time, and perseverance. Don't get demotivated if initially, you are not able to see much growth with your brand; keep exploring new trends and skills in the market.
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