How to start a design business in 2023
As we get going with 2023 I want to share the framework I've used to grow my business over the past 10 years or so.
I have given this a lot of thought before writing this article as I want to be as thoughtful as I can around what has really worked for me.
And over the years this simple framework is exactly what I’ve used to grow from $0 in revenue and no community to the business I have today that makes multiple 7 figures + per year and has a community of more than 120K across all the different channels I create on (which, by the way, is a pretty small community for a business of my size and proves you don't need a huge community to have a successful business!).
The things I'm sharing below are what I have done for years and years now.
It’s what I used to do back when I had no clients and they are still the things I am doing to this very day.
1: Give 99.9% of what I know away for free
This is the number one thing that has helped me grow my business and I know it seems counterintuitive so hear me out.
In my opinion giving away everything you know for free without any expectation for something to happen in return is how you will build a successful business in 2023.
In fact these days my main identity is really ‘content creator’. Every day I think about what free content I can create that will bring value to the people in my community (my daily blog posts are an example of this as is the content I create on my Instagram page).
Here are some quick thoughts around this:
don't expect anything in return for the free content you give out - people will sniff out straight away if the only reason you are sharing something is because you expect a transaction in return
stop being generic and boring and start showing your real personality in your content - you'll put some people off but you'll bring others much closer
use tools like ChatGPT to your advantage - but don’t rely on them. Make sure you are putting your own twist on all your content, not just creating the same ‘how to’ content that everyone is already doing
get your face on video - get over your fear of this and start doing it today, the future is video and you have to start doing it. It’s also how to protect yourself from the rise of AI in the coming years. It’s harder for robots to be copying your video content (at the moment anyway!)
create as much free content on as many platforms as you can manage - volume of content really does work in growing your business
stop making excuses for why you can't make content - you need to find time for it
stop worrying people are going to steal your ideas - they won't
stop worrying people won't pay you if you share all your tips and tricks - they will
stop worrying people will copy what you're doing - some will but they can't copy YOU so it won't be the same
create this free content consistently for days, months and years. Very little will happen with this in a short space of time and it takes time to build up trust and a reputation. Too many people create content for a few weeks and then give up because they get tired or they don't think they are 'seeing results' from it. The people who keep going are the ones that win.
Batch your content to make it easier to be consistent
I know many of you think you're giving away value and creating lots of content and I do see lots of you trying to do this but you have to do MORE. You also have to be extremely patient and expect to see very little in return for your efforts for a long time.
I have been doing this consistently for 10 years now. There is no quick way to build a successful business. It requires you to put in effort and be generous with your ideas for many, many years before you’ll likely see results from what you’re doing.
2: Build a community of like minded people
Set yourself up as a leader in your space and bring people together.
People need and want community and connection so take leadership and be the person who creates that for others. I am actually a very introverted person but I am the leader of a large community of designers. I have had to work through a lot of my own issues to be willing to put myself out there in the way that I do these days. But I was willing to do that work as I believe strongly in what I’m trying to create.
So don't make excuses or have a closed mindset around what is possible and be brave enough to put yourself out there to get it done.
Here's one example of how to do this:
Let's say you are an interior designer working in a local area and your ideal clients are families who are renovating/remodeling. Create a Facebook group or online community (e.g. on Circle) and bring people together in your local area - e.g. a local renovating Facebook group where you share tips, tricks, suppliers, trades etc. Go live in your group once a week and answer questions for your community around renovating and design, write helpful articles, collate a list of local trades, share great places to visit in the local area (e.g. new cafes or stores to visit), share how-to videos and just create copious amounts of helpful content. And do all of this for FREE without any expectation of a transaction in return (see point 1).
If you do this and you're consistent with building up your reputation over a period of months and years you will position yourself as THE local interior design and renovation expert in the area.
Guess who they will approach or recommend to their friends when they next need help with their renovation project? [The answer is YOU by the way :) ]
Hardly any of you will take action on that tip - but I think it’s a MASSIVE opportunity for all designers.
3: Create the products/services your community asks for
The final part of my simple framework is where making money comes in.
And most people I meet get this totally around the wrong way. They come to me with a product or service idea and ask me how they should market it or how they should get started. But not a single person knows who they are yet. Nor have they even tested whether the idea they have is any good.
Does anyone actually want this product/service that you're so passionate about or is it just a dream in your head that you THINK people want?
If you build your community first they will actually tell you what products and services they want and need.
That way when you launch the product and service you know 100% that it is something people will pay you for. And that's exactly how my business skyrocketed a few years ago when I launched my SketchUp courses. The community I had spent time building (which by the way was only about 10K people on Instagram at the time - so not huge) started asking me about the SketchUp project images I was posting. I started getting questions in my comments and DMs like:
what program was I using to create these designs?
how did I do this?
could I book a 1:1 session to learn SketchUp?
did I know of any courses they could use to learn how to do this?
And this gave me an idea - what if I create my own online course that taught people how to use SketchUp?
I did some research and saw that there were very few SketchUp courses that were focused specifically on interior design and those that were focused on interior design didn't have great design (in my opinion). I knew from when I was learning that the interiors that were shown in videos on the internet were pretty ugly and as a result I never really related to those videos. I wanted to create a course that would show people how to create beautifully designed homes in SketchUp.
So that's what I did. I created exactly what my community was asking me for.
And as my business has grown that's exactly what I've continued to do. As people asked me more and more about how I was running my business I started to break everything down in my business templates and courses. I then built a course about how to create an online course (meta I know haha!).
And honestly that's exactly how I have built my business and how I would recommend anyone who is wanting to get started in 2023 do it as well.
There is absolutely no easy way to build a business. It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of consistency and in my experience there are few people who are willing to put in the amount of consistent work that is actually takes to grow.
But I have met so many amazing 'internet friends' over the years and built so many wonderful connections with people. If you can find the drive and passion to build a community around what you are doing it is an incredibly rewarding way of doing business that will also result in a great financial return at the same time.
I can highly recommend it!
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.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
