As we approach the end of this year, and a brand new one starts, the best interior design business advice I can give you is to take a look at where you’re at in your business. Determine if you want to be in the same place a year from now or if you want it to be different.
I know many of you have created for yourselves a job, and it’s a job where you do everything. You do the marketing, you bring in the clients, you sign up the clients, you do the design, you do all your own drafting, you put your packages together, you do the presentation, you write purchase orders, and you track purchase orders. You fix freight problems, you install things, you do the billing, and you try to do the books. It goes on and on, and the reality is you’re on a hamster wheel. And you’re going as fast as you can go.
Is Your Business Not Much Different Than a Job?
The reality is that if you stop or fall off the hamster wheel, your paycheck stops, and it’s done. Some of you have created charities, and it’s unintentional. However, what has happened is that you’ve created charities for rich people. You’re trying so hard to run so tight and give them such a good deal. You’ve got so much heart in it that you don’t get paid. There’s no paycheck there at all, or if there is, it’s just minutia. And it doesn’t make sense for the amount of time and energy you’re expending.
Then, some of you have created businesses where there are repeatable systems for signing up clients, the process of building a job, the process for purchasing and tracking purchase, and bookkeeping and all those things. You’ve got a team behind you that takes care of all the details, and you focus on what you do best.
Do you know what the best part of having systems and a team is?
It’s the fact that you get to take some time off, especially now. This time of year is for being with friends and family, regenerating a bit, and your paycheck doesn’t stop. The money keeps flowing because the system is moving it.
How to Have a Business and Enjoy More Freedom
As I mentioned, the best interior design business advice I can give you is to take a look at where you’re at now. If you’re not happy about where you’re at and think it would be better if it were a business instead of a job, then click on the link below and read about our programs.
We do education programs at a few different levels, and all of them come with coaching support. If it makes sense to you and sounds appealing, then click on the booking link below and set up a time that’s convenient to talk to us. We’re easy to talk to, we don’t arm-twist at all – it’s not who we are. But you can find out if one of our programs makes sense for you, and if they look like something you should go with or not. It’s totally up to you.
So, for this next year, design something gorgeous and get paid what you’re worth.