How to scale your interior design business (and make more money)
If I could shout anything from the rooftops to help you grow and scale your businesses it would be to:
1: make sure you are working “smarter, not harder” by setting up systems and processes in your business, and
2: work out how to diversify your revenue sources (i.e. not just rely on one way to make money)
If you only service clients 1:1 in your business then you are limiting your ability to make money and scale what you are doing (i.e. work less hours and make more money).
This is a topic I am really passionate about and is the way I have scaled my own business from a 6 figure business where I worked with clients 1 to 1 to one that makes multiple 7 figures per year where I work only a few hours a day.
[You can learn more about my story here if you’re interested]
If I can do it you guys can do it as well - I promise you! :)
Here are some ideas for you…
Don’t do it the way everyone else does it
One thing I'm a massive believer in is that you should never do things a certain way just because that's what others have done before you.
Who said that an interior design business has to just be offering 1:1 services working with clients?
It's actually the least scaleable business model there is!
Instead, think outside the box and don’t just follow the traditional methods used by others.
For example, offering 1:1 design services can be limiting and is definitely not the most scalable business model. Instead, think about how to be more efficient with your time and resources so you can help more people and generate more revenue.
One way to achieve this is by developing lots of different products or services in your business that solve problems at different price points.
For example, your business may have a mix of products and services like this:
inexpensive (or even free) digital downloads for people who are just getting started with your brand and want to learn more about you and the way you think about things
an online course where you teach aspects of your unique design system to others (similar to what I’ve done with my own online courses)
group experiences where you bring people together - think about things like group sourcing trips, events you host for a group of your clients at your favourite tile supplier or even day-long workshops where you bring a group together to work on their renovation space planning. People are always looking for new experiences around things they love so how can you lead these sorts of experiences?
1:1 design services for those who want you to do their entire project for them (your most expensive offering but also your least scalable)
Not every idea will work, but the key is to take action and experiment with new ideas.
Successful business owners think about how they can be smarter with their time (i.e. work less) but still help lots of clients and make great money at the same time.
So here are some ideas to get you thinking outside the box. Some of these are easier to implement than others but the important word is IMPLEMENTATION.
To scale your business you have to start taking action and trying new things.
Serve one to many instead of 1 to 1
This is probably the easiest one to get started with.
What parts of your business do you find yourself repeating over and over to clients or doing from scratch every time? When I was still working with design clients I used to find that there were parts of my work that I was doing repeatedly.
For example:
explaining how the renovation process works
talking about the steps involved in working with me on a design project
helping a client work out what their design style was
choosing tiles with clients at the store
going over paint colour selections
setting up a new client in my client management system
There were lots of parts of my work with clients - both on the client-facing side as well as the way I ran my business - that could be turned into a system, a product or group service.
For example:
how the renovation process works could be turned into a short online course
the steps involved in my design projects could be turned into a signature system
how they can help me understand their design style could be turned into a short video walking them through how to use Pinterest to set up inspiration boards (that would then help me identify their style and what they like and don’t like)
choosing tiles with clients at the store could be turned into a fun group experience (e.g. bring a group of clients together and make it a fun experience with guest speakers, a glass of champagne and expert help with choosing their tiles)
going over paint colour selections could be turned into a downloadable resource
setting up a new client in my client management system could be turned into a system that could be sold to other designers
To get started with this think about all the parts of your daily work that you do over and over again that could be turned into some kind of system, product, service or digital download.
In this post I share heaps of ideas to get you started >>>
Streamline your business with repeatable systems and processes
We all have tasks that happen over and over again with our clients and I see lots of designers doing these from scratch every time. This is a complete waste of time and is costing you money!
Instead of starting every new project from scratch each time, build out systems that help you streamline your process and make it faster to get your work done.
For example:
instead of setting up your folder management system from scratch - set up this easy folder management system instead
instead of having to explain how you work every time a new client starts working with you - create a Client Welcome Pack template to share with them
instead of overloading yourself with too much work one month, then having none the next - manage your client workload and waitlist with The Client Project Tracker
Building systems in your business is how you will free up your time, which you can then use to build out other more scaleable products and services (or just to relax!).
Create an online course
This is probably the most time-consuming of the options I am suggesting BUT if you get it right then it will reap the biggest financial reward for you.
Although creating an online course has a large upfront time investment (as you are putting in time to get it made). Once it is created it doesn’t normally take much of a time investment from you to manage.
This is the way you can start to 'make money while you sleep' and really scale your business.
Online education is booming right now and is only going to continue to grow. Think about how you can take advantage of this trend with the knowledge and skills you already have.
If you’re curious to learn more about how you might do this, or how to get started, then make sure you check out my free webinar on how I got started with online courses and how you can too.
Sign up for a session here >>>
Hopefully that gives you a few ideas!
Thanks for reading and catch you in my next post!
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy - Director
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
DO YOU WANT TO….
Improve your professionalism?
Find more clients?
Bring in more revenue?
Create better systems and processes?
Then check out my business courses and templates for designers and architects.
These courses and templates leave you with work done - not just a long list of things you need to do next. We have a really strong focus on taking action and getting things created that improve your business.
